How to Write an Email Asking for an Internship

In today's digital world, using email to ask for an internship is increasingly normal. If you see an internship posting or would like to inquire about possible internships, email the listed contact person. Be sure to write your email as formally as you would write a letter. Use proper salutations, closings, and grammar. Double check your work and get ready to receive responses.

EditSteps

EditSample Emails

Sample Application for Intern

Sample Email About Public Relations Internship

Sample Email About Event Planning Internship

Sample Internship Coverletter

EditPreparing to Write Your Email

1. Create a professional email address. When sending business correspondence, use a professional, clear email address. Avoid nicknames or unnecessary symbols and numbers. A variation of your name can work well. For example: Smit.smith@company.com would be fine.
   
   • If your current email address is connected with a social media profile that contains any unprofessional content, create and use a different address. Also, adjust your privacy settings on social media.
2. Research the company. Before you ask for an internship, research the company at which you would like to work. Visit their website. Read any news articles about them. If the company has an accessible product, like social media, use the product for a week to test it. Use your insights to craft your letter. Prospective employers appreciate candidates who know something about the company and can demonstrate this knowledge coherently.
   
3. Find a mutual contact. It is beneficial to have a connection at a company. Use social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook to conduct keyword searches for the company. If contacts come up, check their positions. Politely request a phone or in-person interview. Ask for tips regarding your internship application.
   
   • With LinkedIn you can see which of your contacts’ contacts work at a firm. Do not hesitate to ask your contact to connect you with one of their contacts. Do be tactful, though, and do not ask the same person for assistance repeatedly.
   • Many universities provide online alumni databases. You can search for people with certain jobs or workplaces through these sites. Alumni who provide their contact information often are open to receiving emails or phone calls from students.
   • When discussing the company with your contact, mention that you are interested in an internship. Ask about the company’s organizational structure, work environment, goals, etc.
4. Determine the recipient. Does the internship posting include the name of the contact person? If so, use that person's name and email address. If there is not a listed contact person, call the company to ask who is in charge of internship recruitment. If no one is in charge, address your email to a senior person in human resources at the company. If you speak to any person at the firm, you can mention this in the beginning of your email.
   
   • When you cannot find the name of any employee, address your email to "Dear Sir or Madam."
5. Be specific with your subject line. You want your email to be noticed in a high-volume inbox. For example, you could write, “Company X Internship Application: Joanna Smith.” If applicable, use the specific subject line requested by the employer.
   

EditWriting Paragraph One

1. Address the recipient formally. In the first line, begin your email with "Dear Dr./Mr./Ms./Mrs. Smith" depending on the contact person's name, title, and gender. Do not write "Hey Mary" or "Hello." Use the same formality you would use when writing a professional letter.
   
   • If you cannot determine the person's gender, address the person with his/her full name. For example, write "Dear Bobbi Reynolds."
2. Introduce yourself. Tell the recipient your name and your status (e.g. Third year biology major at University X). State how you found out about the internship, whether online, in the newspaper, or through a contact. If you have a mutual contact, state this as soon as possible. For example, you could write: [The program director / My professor / etc.], [title and name], suggested that I contact you.
   
3. Mention your availability. State your potential starting and end dates and whether these are flexible. If you would be available, for example, for a spring semester internship plus a full-time summer internship, share this as well. Specify the number of hours per week you can work.^[1]
   
4. State the purpose of the internship. Do you need an internship for course credit? If applicable, indicate you are pursuing an internship primarily for experience and are flexible with job responsibilities and compensation. Write what skills you hope to gain from the internship.^[2]
   
5. Share what you admire about the company. Bring up something that you know or think the organization values about itself. Avoid mentioning any negative news stories. Keep your letter positive. For example, you could state: [Name of company] has a reputation for excellence, and I value your commitment to [budgeting free care for abandoned animals].
   

EditWriting Paragraph Two

1. Discuss your qualifications and experience. Through several sentences, share information about coursework, previous work experience, and any applicable skills. Demonstrate how your knowledge can benefit the organization. Include information about work and volunteer positions and how these experiences have prepared you for this role. Emphasize how you can contribute to the organization.^[3] Your potential employer needs to believe you can handle assigned tasks.^[4]
   
   • Describe work experience with strong verbs. Rather than writing: "I was a marketing intern for two years," declare "As a marketing intern, I created fresh content, designed digital and print brochures, and managed social media outlets for a business with fifty employees."
   • Skills can include social media, event organization, or myriad other things.
2. Mention academic or extra-curricular successes. Write about your academic qualifications. If you have had leadership roles, describe your duties and/or accomplishments. Have you lead a committee? Have you coached a team? Keep these explanations brief so that you do not lose your reader’s attention.
   
   • Instead of using adjectives to describe yourself, use concrete examples that show your qualities. For instance, rather than saying "I am an ambitious student," write "I have consistently remained in the top 10 percent of my class."

EditClosing the Email

1. State when you will be in contact. Discuss when and how you will contact the employer to follow up on the status of your application. Give your contact information, i.e., name, email address, phone number, and availability as well. You could write: I am reachable by phone or email. If you cannot get back to me, I will call you [next Monday].
   
2. Close the email. It is polite to thank the reader for taking the time to review your materials. End with a cordial closing, such as “sincerely.” If you have spoken to the person via phone or in person previously, you might use a greeting like “best regards.” Do not use “Thanks” or simply “Best” as closings in formal correspondence. Sign your full name, e.g. Joanna Smith rather than just Joanna.
   
3. Evaluate attachments. Do not attach your resume to an unsolicited internship email. Unless the company is actively seeking interns, they may not want to open your attached copy, especially if they have a workplace policy about attachments. If the posting asked for a resume, attach your document as a PDF (as opposed to a Word document, where the formatting may be lost/altered when opened on a different system).
   
   • Some employers may specify that they do not open email attachments. If so, include your cover letter and resume in the body of the email. Make sure to space them apart to make it easier for the employer to distinguish each document.
4. Follow up as promised. If you have not heard back from the organization, email them again – or, preferably, call them. You could write: Dear Dr. Hansen, my name is [name] and I am following up on an email I sent you last week about a [fall] internship. I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss the position. Thank you. Sincerely, Joanna Smith.
   

EditTips

• Attaching a cover letter brings formality, as email messages tend to be a casual means of communication. If you attach your cover letter, your email message should be brief but respectful, addressing the employer, mentioning who you are, for what you are applying, and that your resume and cover letter are attached. Sign the message and provide your contact information.
• Do not make your email look like a form email. Customize every email you send so that the company knows you aren’t taking a scattershot approach to your internship search.

EditSources and Citations

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source How to of the Day http://ift.tt/1QPwg6j

How to Get Up in the Morning

You're tired of hitting the snooze button ten times before you have to force yourself out of bed. Not only is this wasting your time and making you be late for your job but it's also making you feel irritated and uninspired to start your day once your feet touch the floor. If you're committed to getting up with the right mindset, then you have to execute a bullet-proof plan for success that starts the night before. Follow these steps and you'll never have to hit the snooze button again.

EditSteps

EditPreparing the Night Before

1. Eat well.^[1] Eating the wrong foods at the wrong time can give you an upset stomach or can just make it difficult for your mind to turn off and for your body to fall into a restful sleep. You should eat a healthy meal, accompanied by a glass of milk with honey, to ease into a night of good sleep. If you want to make sure you're not tossing and turning during the night, then avoid the following foods:
   
   • Alcoholic beverages. Though you may think a glass of whiskey or wine helps lull you to sleep, it can actually have the opposite effect. Though alcohol can help you fall asleep faster, it will keep you from falling into a deep sleep and is more likely to make you wake up throughout the night, or wake up earlier than you intended without being able to go back to bed.
   • Spicy foods or foods that are high in fat.
   • Coffee. Though some people can't live without it, try not to make coffee a part of your everyday routine. You can allow yourself a cup in the morning now and then when you really need it, like times when you have to get up much earlier than you normally do, or after nights when you went to bed much later than your normal routine.
   • Chocolate or sugary snacks. This can spike your blood sugar and can make it harder for you to fall asleep or stay asleep.
     • Try to eat dinner several hours before you go to bed. If you shove a bunch of food into your stomach and pass out right after that, you won't have time to digest your food and will feel unpleasant throughout the night. Just a little light snack before bed, such as a banana or a handful of almonds, can help you fall asleep faster.
2. Practice the ritual of getting up. This may sound silly, but if you're really desperate to get up in the morning, this is a great trick. That's right — you should actually put on your pijamas, set your room to sleeping conditions, and turn on your alarm. Lay in bed for a minute before it goes off, and visualize what you'll do when the alarm starts to make sounds. Then, when it goes off, shut it off and get up immediately and act like you're going to start your day.
   
   • If you do this 10 times or so, your body will slowly begin to be trained to get up as soon as your alarm goes off.
   • If you think this is too extreme of a measure, then you should just visualize getting up instead. For a few minutes before you fall asleep, try to hear your alarm clock in your mind, and visualize how you would turn it off and go about beginning your day. Imagine how great it would feel if you just started your day without being groggy and taking forever to get going.
3. Set your alarm. Your alarm may be the most important part of your plan to get up in the morning. You should set your alarm to go off more than once just in case you're worried you'll sleep through it. If you really need extra motivation, you can even set multiple alarms to make it even more difficult for you to stay asleep. Here are some other things you can do:
   
   • Put your alarm across the room. That way, you'll have to get up to turn it off, which will make it harder for you to fall back asleep.
   • Put the alarm in another hard-to-reach spot. You could place it high on a bookshelf or even under your bed. Just make sure it's close enough that you can still hear it and that it's not dangerous for you to turn it off.
   • If you're really committed to your new game plan, you should get a new alarm with a new sound. Your mind may already be programmed to sleep through your old alarm, and a new sound will give your system the shock it may need.
   • If you have an iPhone or another phone that lets you set a message with your alarm, write yourself a little motivational note to go along with it. Something as simple as, "Get up for your morning jog! I know you can do it!" can help motivate you and may even make you smile.
4. Take small steps that would make it easier for you to wake up. This is an easy one. There are just three or four things you can do to make the idea of getting up not so painful for you the next day. This will also give you some shortcuts for getting up the next day, and the whole process will be easier and will take less time. Here are a few things you can do:
   
   • Lay out your clothes for the next day. Instead of having to rummage around for a clean pair of underwear in the dark, you'll be set and ready to go.
   • If you like to wake up and feel comfortable, place a nice robe out for yourself as a reward for getting up.
   • Set up your coffee maker in advance. If you're a tea drinker (recommended), make sure your kettle is full of water. You can even place a tea bag in an empty cup.
   • Place a glass of water next to your bedside. You should drink the water right when you get up, and this will make it easier to do than having to go to the kitchen to pour it. Also, if you wake up in the middle of the night feeling dehydrated, this will make you less likely to fully wake up by having to go to the kitchen to pour a glass.
   • Leave yourself a small reward for getting up. If you wanted to watch the last fifteen minutes of your favorite show, have it ready on the DVR. If you were excited to read your favorite journal, set it up in your breakfast nook.
5. Go to bed with the right mindset. You should go to bed feeling free of worry, happy with yourself and the people around you, and excited about what the next day will bring you. This may sound like a heroic task, but there are just a few things you can do to help yourself fall asleep in a peaceful way.
   
   • Don't go to bed mad. This will make it harder for you to fall asleep, and may wake you up in the middle of the night. If you had a fight with your friend or your spouse, try to resolve it as best as you can before you rest your head on the pillow.
   • Wind down in the hour before bed. That means no texting, no loud TV, no Internet browsing, and no intense conversations. Read a relaxing book and listen to a little classical music. Meditate. Do what you need to do to decompress.
   • Tell yourself why you're excited to wake up in the morning. Are you really looking forward to that homemade blueberry muffin? Are you excited to catch up with an old friend during lunch? Are you just pumped for an invigorating day of work? Try to think of at least three reasons why you really want to wake up.
   • Create a game plan. Even if you have a relatively leisurely day ahead of you, make a plan that would be difficult to execute if you woke up too late. This will make you feel more confident, more productive, and excited about the tasks ahead.
6. Go to bed at the right time. Consistency is key. Sleeping well does not mean sleeping for eight hours whenever you can. In fact, sleeping for eight hours is too much for some people and can even make them groggy. Figure out how much sleep you actually need, which should be somewhere between six and eight hours. Make sure you get that same amount of sleep almost every night.
   
   • You should also go to bed and wake up at almost the same time every night. It's okay to sleep in a little and go to bed later on weekends, but if there's a regular dramatic difference between when you get up and go to bed every day, your body will be confused and won't be able to fall into a routine.
   • Go to bed when you're tired. If you're used to going to bed an hour later but are falling on your feet, make an exception and just go to bed. You will feel much better for it the next day.

EditGetting up in the Morning

1. Start your healthy morning ritual. You should do whatever works best for you after you hit that alarm. Still, there are a few tricks that would benefit absolutely everybody and would make it easier for even the soundest sleeper to feel more alert. Here's what you do:
   
   • Hit your alarm.
   • Take a deep breath and fill your lungs with air.
   • Stretch deeply to wake up your limbs.
   • Stand up.
   • Smile. Smiling to yourself will make you feel more positive about starting your day. Even if you feel absolutely silly for doing this, it will make you feel better.
   • If you feel like your system is still not alert, step outside on your balcony or front porch and take a few deep breaths of crisp morning air.
2. Go to the bathroom. Going to the bathroom will help you feel refreshed and can help you get in your morning routine. Brushing your teeth and hair will make you feel more fresh, and the bright lights in the bathroom will slowly wake you up.
   
   • Splash cold water on your face.
   • If you have a hard time waking up, then you should really shower in the morning. This will wake up your system. Keep the water on the colder side. Nothing will make you want to go back to bed faster than a warm bath.
   • If it helps you wake up, have a radio in the bathroom that plays your favorite music or talk show.
3. Have a healthy breakfast.^[2] The right breakfast can help you wake up and can keep you feeling healthy and energetic throughout the day. The wrong breakfast can make you feel sluggish, bloated, and too tired to do anything. Here are some foods you should eat:
   
   • Oatmeal or whole grain bread.
   • Fruit, yogurt, and granola.
   • Greens like spinach or kale. If eating greens in the morning doesn't feel right, you can blend them into a delicious smoothie.
   • Eggs. Eggs are full of protein.
   • Ham or turkey. Just make sure it's on the leaner side.
   • Avoid foods that are soaked in grease, butter, or maple syrup.
4. Get some exercise. Exercise is a great way to get your body moving, to improve your energy levels, and to make you feel invigorated. If you don't have time for a full workout, there are still a few small things you can do to wake up your body and get pumped for the day.
   
   • Go for a jog around your neighborhood. Your lungs will feel healthier and you will feel more alert when you realize how many people are also waking up.
   • Take a morning yoga class. This will clear your mind and will get you ready for the day. If you don't have time to go to class, take some time to hit a few poses or meditate in your own home.
   • Just take a ten-minute walk. Maybe you need to drop something off at the post office or you want to pick up a cup of gourmet coffee. Taking a walk to get there will clear your head.

EditTips

• Leave your curtains open a bit so you can get a bit of sunshine light in.
• Make sure you have a healthy breakfast so you'll feel more awake and ready to start the day.
• Drink a glass of water before bedtime so that you will need to get up to use the bathroom in the morning.
• Have a glass of ice cold water right when you get up. The coldness helps wakes up your body.
• Clean your room. It will make you feel more relaxed in the morning to find out you're waking up in a clean bedroom. Oh, and spray a little air freshener here and there to relax yourself.
• If you wake up in the night because of noise, try wearing earplugs. If they hurt your ears, turn on a fan for some white noise that will drown out the sounds on the street.
• Consider plugging in your iPod and listening to some music you really enjoy. This will wake up your brain. (Make sure not to do this at night as you will have difficulty in falling asleep for the same reason).
• The night before, make an outline of what you plan to do the next day. Check it when you wake to get excited to do the things on your schedule.
• Go to bed a little bit earlier so that you have rested and it will be easier to get up.
• If you are worried about an upcoming event or test the next day, think positive. Think, "I'll do great!" or "It will be a piece of cake!"
• Put your alarm clock on 30 minutes before you get up, then you have time to wake up properly.
• Drink a cup of unsweetened lemon water when you wake up. it will give you energy.
• Drink a glass of warm milk with a drop of honey in it before you go to sleep, it helps relax you and gets you in sleeping mode.
• Put your alarm clock at the other side of your room, so that it will make you get up to turn it off.
• Sit up before you stand up; standing up directly after laying down for hours can cause headaches, dizziness and feeling faint.

EditRelated wikiHows

• Get Ready in the Morning
• Get Out of Bed With Insufficient Sleep
• Get to Sleep and Feel Refreshed in the Morning
• Get Your Children up in the Morning
• Get up in the Morning Feeling Fresh

EditSources and Citations

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source How to of the Day http://ift.tt/1k2sncq

How to Patent an Idea

Do you have a brilliant idea you're ready to patent? Getting a US patent prevents others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling your idea within the United States, and prevents others from importing it into the US. After you determine that your idea meets the right criteria and hasn't already been patented, apply for a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Read on to learn more about how to patent your bright idea.

EditSteps

EditConducting Research

1. Understand what inventions or ideas are eligible for a patent.^[1][2] You can patent your idea if it's a process, a machine, an article of manufacture, a composition of matter, or an improvement of any of these. Abstract ideas, natural phenomenon, and inventions deemed not useful are ineligible for patents. To determine if your idea can be patented, review the USPTO’s (US Patent and Trademark Office) list of what can and cannot be patented. The list is located on the USPTO’s website (uspto.gov). Your idea should also be considered an invention, and its practical use should be apparent.^[3] Some examples of inventions that would or would not qualify for patents include:
   
   • Computer software. These can usually be described as a “process” or as a “machine." The software makes the computer follow steps to do something (a process). It also takes information from a device (the computer) and changes the information that it outputs (machine). To clarify, the "process" is not the same as computer code, which is subject to copyright but not patent.^[4]
   • You can also patent designs. For example, you could patent a new shape for a boat or plane, even if you haven't actually built it.
   • Finally, if you scientifically engineer a new substance or organism, your invention is eligible for a patent.
   • If your idea is an abstract theory that would be impossible to put into practice, you probably can't patent it.
   • Laws of nature and physical phenomena also cannot be patented.
2. Determine whether your idea is new, non-obvious and useful.^[5][6][7] These are the basic qualifications for patenting any type of invention. Before you start the process of patenting your idea, ask yourself whether it passes all three tests.
   
   • For the “new” qualification ask yourself if you have heard about the idea or something quite similar before. If so, the idea is probably not new, and you probably can't patent it. For example, you would not be able to patent a basic blender.
   • To determine if your invention meets the “non-obvious” qualification, determine if it is something that others could easily think of? For example, you may want to patent a process for building a sturdy structure. If architects and others with engineering knowledge could have independently thought of the same process, your idea isn't patentable.
   • Is your idea useful? A patentable idea must be one that can be put to practical use. As you consider this, you need to think about the target user. Is it for common consumers, manufacturers, or researchers? Is it obvious that one of those groups would consider your invention helpful in their lives or work? If so, your invention should be able to pass this test.
3. Determine whether you are eligible to file for a patent. If you are the inventor of the idea you wish to patent, you can apply for a patent. The law also allows for other people to apply for a patent under certain conditions.^[8]
   
   • If you are the inventor of the idea and have assigned the invention to another person, that person may apply for a patent.
   • If the inventor is deceased, the inventor's legal representatives -- e.g., administrator or executor of the estate -- may apply for a patent.
   • If you invented the idea with another person or persons, you may apply for a patent as joint inventors. A person who only contributed money to the idea cannot apply as a joint inventor.
   • If you work for the USPTO, you may not apply for a patent or acquire a patent other than by inheritance or bequest.
4. Conduct a patent search to ensure that your idea isn't already patented. Old ideas, whether previously patented or not, may not be patented. To check, you'll need to conduct a search of previous public disclosures (also called “prior art”). This includes previously patented inventions in the U.S., foreign patents, and printed publications. Here are a few resources for those conducting research on old patents:
   
   • Watch the USPTO’s patent search tutorial for a step-by-step slideshow on conducting a patent search (link below).^[9]
   • Review the University of Texas’ Guide to Patent Searching at the McKinney Engineering Library (link below).
   • Use the USPTO’s Search for Patents Research Page located on its website. The page provides links to searchable databases so an inventor may determine if his or her invention is new.^[10]
   • Visit a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) for expert assistance with your search. For complete information on PTRCs and locations, visit the USPTO’s library list (link below).^[11]
5. Get legal help. Filing for a patent can be an extremely long and complex process. You may benefit from seeking help from a patent attorney. You can find a patent attorney through the USPTO website here.
   
   • Patent attorneys are highly specialized attorneys. In general, they not only have law degrees but also a technical and/or scientific background.^[12] To practice patent law, patent attorneys must pass not only a bar exam but an examination through the USPTO.^[13]
   • Due to their extensive and specialized background, patent attorneys can be quite expensive. You may be able to find a lower-cost attorney outside of large metro areas.^[14]
6. Investigate legal options for low income applicants. If you cannot afford a patent attorney, you have several options.
   
   • The USPTO has a pro se assistance program that offers assistance to inventors who can't afford a patent attorney. They offer in-person assistance to people who can meet with them in Alexandria, Virginia. They also offer advice via phone at 1-866-767-3848, or via email at independentinventor@uspto[dot]gov.^[15]
   • Pro Bono legal help is often available through law firms in your area. Some states have specialized patent programs for people with low incomes. You can find out more about the resources in your area at the USPTO website here.
   • You can also visit a legal clinic operated by a law school. Currently, 19 law schools in the US have clinical programs where law students (under supervision by faculty and professionals) help people navigate the patent process. You can find a list of participating schools here.

EditPreparing Your Patent Application

1. Determine what type of patent you need.^[16] Patents cover three basic varieties of invention. These include:
   
   • Design patents. A design patent protects an ornamental design for an article. A design consists of the visual elements of an item, for example, the shape of a vase and the material used to manufacture it.^[17]
   • Plant patents. A plant patent may be granted when a developer invents or discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plant.^[18]
   • Utility patents. A utility patent protects inventions, including novel processes, machines, articles of manufacture, or compositions of matter. A patent on a new hand tool, kitchen appliance, or engine for example, would be a utility patent. Quite simply, nearly everything that does not fit the other categories requires a utility patent. Over the last several years, 90% of the patents issued in the US were utility patents.^[19]
2. File a US provisional patent. Not everyone who applies for a patent obtains the provisional first. However, holding a provisional patent allows you to be the first to stake your claim to the invention. A U.S. provisional patent allows an inventor to file for protection of his or her invention, without a formal patent claim, oath or declaration, or any information disclosure (prior art) statement. A provisional patent provides the means to establish an early effective filing date in a later filed non-provisional patent application. It also allows the term “Patent Pending” to be applied in connection with the description of the invention. A provisional patent is good for 12 months, and the inventor must file for a non-provisional patent within those 12 months.^[20]
   
3. File a US non-provisional patent.^[21] A U.S. non-provisional (or formal) patent is a standard patent which protects an invention within the U.S. for 14 – 20 years, depending upon the type of patent and when it was filed. The process is lengthy; it typically takes between one and three years to receive a formal patent. In order to receive a patent, the application must contain words and drawings that clearly:
   
   • Demonstrate how to make and use the invention.
   • Explain why the invention is different from all other inventions (the prior art).
   • Precisely describe what aspects of the invention should be patented.

EditApplying for a Patent

1. Register for electronic filing. Before filing an electronic application, an inventor must register to obtain a customer number and a digital certificate.To obtain a customer number and digital certificate, complete the following steps:
   
   • Complete the Customer Number Request Form on the USPTO website (link below).^[22] Then fax it to the Electronic Business Center at (571) 273-0177, or mail it to Mail Stop CN, Commissioner for Patents, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450. For help completing the form, contact the USPTO at 1-800-PTO-9199 (1-800-786-9199) and select option 2.
   • The digital certificate ensures that your application data is secure. To obtain a digital certificate, you must read the subscriber agreement located on the USPTO’s website (link below).^[23]Then fill out a Certificate Action Form (link below).^[24] Mail the completed form to Mail Stop EBC Customer Number, Commissioner for Patents, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450. ^[25]
2. Prepare the specification attachment.^[26] The specification is referred to as the “narrative” portion of the application. It should include descriptions of the type of invention, any relevant prior art (if your patent is an improvement on the prior art), the purpose of the invention, the invention itself (how it is constructed and what it is made of), and the operation of the invention (how it works). The “claim” is typically the most difficult part of the patent application to compete.^[27] It must follow these strict requirements:
   
   • All claims are sentence fragments. They start with one capital letter, contain one period and no quotation marks or parentheses.
   • A statement of the independent claim. This is a broader description of the item in question.^[28]
   • The dependent claims follow the independent claim. They are just further descriptive remarks, broken down into single components of the item.
   • For example, an “independent” claim for a ziplock bag could be "Claim 1: A bag closure of the type comprising a flat body of material having a lead-in notch on one edge thereof, and a gripping aperture adjacent to and communicating with said notch." The “dependent” claim to go along with the above independent claim could be: “The closure of claim 1 wherein said body of material of the bag is composed of polyethylene terephthalate”.
3. Prepare any necessary drawings.^[29] Almost all patent applications require drawings of the invention. The drawings are visual representations of the invention and must show every feature that is recited in the “claims.” If you are not skilled at drawing, you may hire a patent drafts person to prepare the drawings. Typically they charge a fee of around $75 to $150 per drawing sheet.
   
   • To find a draftsman in your area, conduct an online search. Many engaged in drafting specialize in this kind of work. Most who do will list themselves as a patent draftsman or draftsperson, so they should not be hard to find.
   • There are strict requirements for patent drawings as to the materials, size, form, symbols that can be used, and sharing. For exact requirements, including size of the paper, margins, color, font, etc. see the USPTO’s drawing information (link below).^[30]
4. Include the oath. An inventor must make an oath or declaration that he or she believes himself or herself to be the originator of the invention. The oath must be signed by the inventor before a notary public or other officer authorized to administer oaths.
   
   • The “oath” for utility patents is found on the USPTO’s website (link below).^[31]
   • For a design patent, download and fill out the form linked to below.^[32]
   • A form for plant patent declarations is also a separate form, available from a link at the bottom of this page.^[33]
5. Check the formatting of your application attachments. All attachments to a patent application must be in pdf format and be formatted to follow specific guidelines. You may review the USPTO’s pdf guidelines on the USPTO website.^[34]
   
6. Wait for your authorization code and reference number. These two numbers will be provided to you after your Certificate Action Form has been processed. The Authorization Code will be e-mailed to you and the Reference Number sent by U.S. mail. The USPTO may also attempt to contact you by telephone in order to provide you with your Reference Number.
   
7. Fill out the patent application using the USPTO’s electronic filing system (EFS). The system uses a web-based form interface, to which most users should be accustomed. To fill out the application follow these steps:
   
   • Log on to the EFS (link below).^[35] Do this by uploading your digital certificate and entering the password you were assigned when applying for the certificate. You can upload your certificate by clicking the ‘browse’ button and browsing to the location on your computer where the certificate is saved.
   • Fill in the bibliographic data requested. Bibliographic data includes the name of your invention, your name and address, and your customer number.
   • Attach your prepared pdf documents by clicking the ‘browse’ button and browsing to the location on your computer where the documents are saved. Enter the category and description for each document you attach.
   • Fill in the bibliographic data requested. Bibliographic data includes the name of your invention, your name and address, and your customer number.
   • Calculate your filing fee by checking the appropriate boxes on the onscreen calculation tool. The tool will display your fee in the upper right corner. The current fee schedule can be found on the USPTO’s website.
   • Review and submit your application. Be sure to review each attached document, as well as the actual application form, very carefully.
   • Choose whether to pay now or later. If you decide to pay now, you may pay by credit card, USPTO deposit account, or electronic funds transfer (EFT). If you chose to pay later, you will need to pay by midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the day of filing in order to avoid additional fees.
8. Wait for your application to be approved or rejected. Your paperwork will be considered and the USPTO will determine whether your idea is eligible for a patent. If your patent is approved, you'll need to pay a fee before it is granted.
   
   • If your application is rejected, you can appeal the decision or make amendments to your application materials and submit them again.
   • If your idea isn't patentable, you may still have options for legally protecting it. Consider whether having it trademarked, copyrighted, or declared a trade secret might be a better option.

EditAvoiding Patent Promoter Scams

1. Visit the Federal Trade Commission website. If you are considering working with an invention promotion firm to help develop and evaluate your invention and apply for your patent, visit the FTC website first.^[36]
   
   • Conduct a search on the FTC website for the word "invention." This will bring up any companies who have been investigated and/or penalized by the FTC for invention-related wrongdoing.^[37]
2. Check with the Better Business Bureau. Once you have checked with the FTC, investigate your potential promotion firm on the BBB's website.^[38] The BBB maintains consumer complaints and records of legal actions taken against companies.
   
3. Consult your patent attorney. If you have hired a patent attorney, ask him/her about the promotion firm you're considering. Your attorney may know about their reputation and can counsel you about making a decision.
   
4. Know your rights. If you decide to hire an invention promotion firm, you should be aware that they are legally obligated to disclose certain information to you about their past business before you sign a contract.^[39] A full list of the conditions with explanations is available on the USPTO website here, but it includes:
   
   • The number of inventions the promoter has evaluated in the past 5 years, and how many received positive and negative evaluations
   • The number of customers who have contracted with the promoter in the last 5 years
   • The total number of customers who are known to have received a profit because of the promoter's services
   • The total number of customers who are known to have received license agreements for their inventions because of the promoter's services
   • The names and addresses of all the previous invention promotion companies that the promoter and its officers have been affiliated with for the past 10 years

EditTips

• There is a slideshow tutorial that provides complete step-by-step instructions for filing a patent application. It can be found at http://ift.tt/21pWjWw.^[40]
• Before filling out your patent application, you may chose to practice using the EFS through the USPTO’s simulated application for unregistered users.^[41]
• You may contact the USPTO’s Inventors Assistance Center by telephone at 800-PTO-9199 or visit the center online.^[42]. This may help when filing out patent application forms or for answers to general patent questions.
• Record everything concerning your invention including what inspired you to do it, why you made the product, how you did it and how long it took. In addition to this, record diagrams of the original product and any later modifications. Where necessary, include dates and have your signature and two others on each entry. All of this information helps to prove the originality of your invention and make the patent application process successful. You can even build a prototype to increase your chances of success.

EditRelated wikiHows

• Name a Patent
• Patent an Invention
• Protect Your Ideas Without a Patent
• Do a US Patent Search

EditSources and Citations

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source How to of the Day http://ift.tt/1oG4n3B