Invention Disclosure

To officially disclose an invention, use the New Technology Disclosure Form and submit it to STOR with original signatures. Electronic submissions are acceptable, but must also be accompanied by an original signature copy.

Disclosing your novel method, device, process, material, or computer software to STOR is the first step in the process of securing intellectual property protection.

• Protecting IP - Any public disclosure (such as publication or presentation at a conference) before filing appropriate intellectual property protection will adversely affect patenting or other forms of intellectual property protection. It is imperative that you disclose your invention to STOR well in advance of any public disclosure.

• Give yourself time - STOR's initial disclosure assessment process can take several months. The sooner you submit your disclosure to STOR, the better able we are to fully review your invention and secure any intellectual property rights. Make sure you alert the office of any pending publications, when you submit your disclosure form.

• Evaluation - When you submit a disclosure to STOR, we evaluate it for commercial potential. This evaluation process includes market and patentability assessments. We will review these assessments with you and make a determination on how best to proceed (see Process).

• Not all inventions are patentable - For an invention to be patented, it must meet the legal standards of novelty, non-obviousness, and usefulness, as outlined by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (see Patenting). STOR staff conducts a patentability assessment for each disclosure. You may be asked to review certain patents and publications to help determine if they impact the patentability of your disclosure.

• Insufficient commercial potential - There are significant costs associated with patenting. It is important to understand that even though a discovery may be patentable, the commercial potential may not justify the patent investment. This is an important consideration in the disclosure assessment process.

• Copyright - Copyright is another form of intellectual property protection. Although a patent application may not be appropriate for certain types of technologies, copyright may be. Computer software is often copyrighted rather than patented.