Exploring Legal Invention Disclosure

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Exploring Legal Invention Disclosure

    Legal Invention Disclosure streamlines the patent application and review process within ServiceNow, providing a structured workflow that includes inventor submissions, reviews, and optional monetary rewards. This capability is included with the installation of the Legal Simple Intellectual Property plugin, enabling efficient management of invention disclosures and patent filings.

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    Key Features

    • Structured Submission Process: Inventors can create and submit invention disclosure requests systematically for patent review.
    • Optional Inventor Rewards: Monetary rewards can be configured at selected stages of the patent application process to incentivize inventors.
    • Integration of Outside Counsels: External legal firms and counsels can be added to review and manage patent application requests, facilitating collaboration and expert oversight.
    • Automated Task Workflow: The process includes submission, review, clarification cycles, approval or rejection, matter creation, and communication with outside counsel, all supported within the platform.
    • Automatic Record Generation: Patent Repository records are automatically created and updated with filing and patent information, ensuring comprehensive tracking.

    How It Works

    • Install the Legal Simple Intellectual Property application to enable Legal Invention Disclosure.
    • Set up outside firms and counsels, enable outside counsel, and configure optional inventor rewards.
    • Inventors submit disclosure requests, which are reviewed by patent fulfillers who can request clarifications or proceed with approval or rejection.
    • Patent fulfillers create or update legal matters from requests and coordinate with outside counsel via email for application filing.
    • Outside counsel reviews, files applications with patent authorities, and communicates statuses back to fulfillers through the platform’s activity stream.
    • Rewards for inventors are automatically generated and processed at configured stages, such as after filing or patent grant.
    • Patent application outcomes (approval or rejection) are updated in the legal matter and Patent Repository, with corresponding reward processing where applicable.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Improved Efficiency: Automates and standardizes the patent application lifecycle, reducing manual effort and errors.
    • Enhanced Collaboration: Enables seamless interaction between inventors, patent reviewers, and outside counsels.
    • Reward Management: Supports incentivizing inventors by automating the administration of monetary rewards tied to the patent process.
    • Comprehensive Tracking: Maintains detailed records and updates in the Patent Repository, providing visibility into the status and history of invention disclosures.

    Learn more about Legal Invention Disclosure through a sample workflow and review the benefits it can provide.

    Legal Invention Disclosure overview

    Legal Invention Disclosure streamlines the process of patent application along with the review process and optional rewards for the inventors. Legal Invention Disclosure is installed when the Legal Simple Intellectual Property plugin is installed.

    Legal Invention Disclosure benefits

    Table 1. Legal Invention Disclosure benefits
    Benefit Feature Users
    Structured process to create and submit Legal Invention Disclosure requests. Create a Legal Invention Disclosure request sn_lg_ip.patent_fulfiller and sn_lg_ops.legal_user
    Optional monetary rewards granted to the inventor at selected stages of the patent application process. Set up optional inventor rewards in Legal Invention Disclosure sn_lg_ip.patent_fulfiller
    Inclusion of outside counsels to review patent application requests. Set up Outside Firms for Legal Invention Disclosure

    Set up Outside Counsels for Legal Invention Disclosure

    Legal Invention Disclosure workflow

    The Legal Invention Disclosure configuration workflow is as follows:
    1. Install the Legal Simple Intellectual Property application to automatically install Legal Invention Disclosure.
    2. Set up and add outside firms.
    3. Set up and add outside counsels from the respective firms.
    4. Enable outside counsel.
    5. Set up optional inventor rewards.
    The Legal Invention Disclosure task workflow is as follows:
    1. Inventor creates and submits a Legal Invention Disclosure request.
    2. The patent reviewer or fulfiller reviews the request.
    3. If any clarifications are required, the patent reviewer or fulfiller sends the request back to the requester, who updates the request and returns it.
    4. The fulfiller either approves the application and initiates the filing process or rejects the application and closes the request.
    5. The fulfiller creates a matter from the request or adds the request to an existing matter if a similar request already exists.
    6. The fulfiller proceeds with the application. After that, as configured, a reward for the inventor is automatically generated and need to be sent to the payroll to process and send to the inventor.
    7. Add an outside counsel to the legal matter and enable the patent fulfiller to communicate with the outside counsel for reviewing and processing the Legal Invention Disclosure requests.
    8. The fulfiller emails the details of the request to the outside counsel.
    9. The outside counsel reviews the request.
    10. The outside counsel, after approval, files an application with the patent authority. If the request is not approved, the outside counsel informs the fulfiller and the fulfiller closes the request.
    11. The outside counsel responds to the email and provide the details of the patent filing to the fulfiller. The details will be available for the fulfiller in the activity stream to take necessary actions.
    12. The fulfiller updates the legal matter with the patent filing information.
    13. A Patent Repository record is automatically generated with the relevant patent filing details.
    14. If a reward for the inventor has been set up for this stage, it is automatically generated and sent to the inventor.
    15. The patent authority reviews the patent request and the outside counsel informs the fulfiller about the result of the review through email.
    16. If the patent is granted, the fulfiller updates the legal matter with the patent information and closes the request. The Patent Repository record is automatically updated with the information. If the patent application is rejected, the fulfiller closes the request.
    17. If a reward for the inventor has been set up for this stage, it is automatically generated and sent to the inventor.