Patent Drawing Quiz - Through hole or protrusion?

[PatentDraftsman]

I have posted two images.

HERE is a link to two images. One is a flat plate with a square through hole in it and the other is a flat plate with a square protrusion atop it. Your knowledge of patent drawing practices should tell you which image shows the protrusion. There is enough visual information to deduct the answer immediately.

Stumped?

HERE is a link to the solution along with the appropriate USPTO explanation.

Please let me know if you find this exercise informative.

At your service,

Mike Maloney
Patent Draftsman

[smgsmc]

Wouldn't it be best simply to avoid ambiguous views like that?  A perspective drawing along with orthogonal views and cross-sectional views would be clear.

[PatentDraftsman]

Wouldn't it be best simply to avoid ambiguous views like that?  A perspective drawing along with orthogonal views and cross-sectional views would be clear.

Yes. But the purpose of the exercise was to express a drawing technique acceptable by the USPTO. And the example was purposely ambiguous to help me make the point of "light source". Quite often I will have a client (attorney) ask to have drawings "all one line weight". Personally, I believe using the single line weight makes some drawing look anemic and frail. There are several drawing techniques acceptable to the USPTO. Examples are the "thick and thin line" technique, "light source", "heavy lines for edges closest to the eye" and "single line weight". Properly using line weight to help the eye understand the object is a benefit. I strive to maintain traditional aesthetic values while computer generating patent drawings.

I thank you for the response.

[smgsmc]

Wouldn't it be best simply to avoid ambiguous views like that?  A perspective drawing along with orthogonal views and cross-sectional views would be clear.

Yes. But the purpose of the exercise was to express a drawing technique acceptable by the USPTO. And the example was purposely ambiguous to help me make the point of "light source". Quite often I will have a client (attorney) ask to have drawings "all one line weight". Personally, I believe using the single line weight makes some drawing look anemic and frail. There are several drawing techniques acceptable to the USPTO. Examples are the "thick and thin line" technique, "light source", "heavy lines for edges closest to the eye" and "single line weight". Properly using line weight to help the eye understand the object is a benefit. I strive to maintain traditional aesthetic values while computer generating patent drawings.

I thank you for the response.

Whether the drawing is accepted by the Patent Office and whether the drawing is aesthetically pleasing are moot if the reader (any reader, but particularly the client) needs a copy of the USPTO patent drawing guidelines in front of him in order to interpret the drawing.  I'm speaking only in reference to utility patents;  I have no experience with design patents.  I think this situation is analogous to writing the specification:  Will the Patent Office accept complex sentences and flowing prose that would please a novelist?  Yes.  Would it be wise for a patent practitioner to write in that style (vs. short sentences and choppy paragraphs that are dry and dull, but clear and unambiguous)?  No.  Another issue with line weights is the quality (resolution and contrast) of the reproduction equipment (scanners and printers) used to produce the final copy.  The drawings quite often are scanned into a PDF and then printed from the PDF.  Then if you copy that printout, you go through another round of processing that degrades the image further.   Particularly a problem with el-cheapo paper with a rough finish run through an ink-jet printer, resulting in bleeding.

[PatentDraftsman]

smgsmc,

Thanks for the observations. You bring up several good issues. You are correct, the client should NOT need to have a copy of the USPTO patent drawing guidelines in front of them in order to interpret the drawings. The patent drafter is responsible for providing compliant drawings to his client (the attorney).

Poorly crafted written applications attract a high level of scrutiny and objection. Likewise, crude and awkward drawings often brings out the examiner's  "red pen". However, elegant prose and perfect drawing style does not guarantee success.

I intend to post a thread dedicated to scanning and PDFs. These are great tools when used correctly. When I receive a 3MB three page PDF of line art from a client, I assume the scanner settings are incorrect. And, I plan to write about the use of 3D PDFs, 3D viewers, extracting vector art from PDFs and creating USPTO compliant PDFs.