Posts tagged Process

I have spent a great deal of time in the past attending opposition hearings in the European Patent Office (the EPO). One of the concepts that got drilled into my head doing that is what is called the problem-solution approach. It was often used by the senior examiners in those hearings to clarify what the invention was in a patent.

It is simple in concept – you try to clearly define what is the problem that the inventor is trying to solve – and then define what is the inventors solution. That is then the invention. It is a very useful thought process because in some patents the invention is not always clearly obvious.

To me that becomes an answer to the above question – what is the invention process? Good inventors are people who see needs. Yes – it is important to then develop a solution to the need – but I have always felt we are dealing with a variation of the Pareto principle here. 80% of a good invention is clearly recognizing the