Get your invention
patent-ready
before you publish.
A single journal submission, conference poster, or preprint can end your international patent rights. Editverse prepares the invention disclosure, prior-art search report and figures your patent attorney or TTO needs in 5–7 business days, so your counsel can file before your work goes public.
Most countries: zero days
Researchers routinely generate
patentable inventions
without realising it.
Under US, EU, and international patent law, an invention qualifies if it is novel, non-obvious, and useful. Research that meets all three criteria — across any scientific discipline — is patentable subject matter. According to published guidance in PMC, even experienced academic scientists often do not realise their discoveries qualify.
| Category | Common examples | Jurisdiction notes |
|---|---|---|
01 Biological Methods & Compositions Drug formulations, therapeutic agents, diagnostic biomarkers, gene-editing protocols, assays, cell lines, reagents, and biomaterials arising from lab research. |
Drug molecules
Biomarkers
Gene therapy
Monoclonal antibodies
CRISPR protocols | |
02 Medical Devices & Instruments Surgical instruments, wearable diagnostics, implants, drug delivery systems, imaging devices, and point-of-care tools developed in clinical research settings. |
Surgical tools
Implants
Drug delivery
POC diagnostics
Wearable sensors | |
03 Software, AI & Algorithms ML models with a demonstrable technical effect, diagnostic AI systems, bioinformatics pipelines, and clinical decision support tools — patentable when producing a real-world technical result. |
Clinical AI
Bioinformatics pipelines
Imaging analysis
Predictive models | |
04 Chemical Processes & Materials Novel synthesis routes, compounds, polymer formulations, nanomaterials, surface coatings, and manufacturing processes from chemistry and materials science research. |
Synthesis routes
Nanomaterials
Polymers
Surface coatings | |
05 Research Methods & Protocols Novel experimental methods, screening protocols, assay techniques, and laboratory processes that represent a genuine technical advance over known prior art. |
Screening methods
Assay protocols
Measurement techniques | |
06 Engineering & Industrial Innovations Mechanical designs, manufacturing processes, energy systems, structural innovations, and industrial technology from engineering researchers or corporate R&D departments. |
Mechanical systems
Manufacturing processes
Energy tech |
In most countries, a single day of public disclosure permanently destroys your patent rights. The US offers a 12-month grace period after your own disclosure — but Europe, Japan, China, Australia, and most other jurisdictions do not. One preprint ends it.
WIPO FAQ on PatentsThe time Editverse needs to turn your lab notes into a structured invention disclosure your attorney can file a provisional patent application from. A provisional locks your priority date for 12 months while you publish, raise funding, and refine your invention.
USPTO — Provisional Application for PatentThe window university TTOs recommend between patent filing and paper submission. Most researchers lose rights by submitting to a journal before ever thinking about patents. The Polsky Center at UChicago and UC Berkeley OTL both advise filing before any public disclosure.
Boston University Technology Development OfficeWhich of the following constitutes “public disclosure” that can end your patent rights in most countries?
Editverse prepares the file.
Your counsel files it.
Five steps from lab notebook to filing. You keep full control of strategy through your own patent attorney, agent or university TTO.
Sign our NDA, then send lab notes, data, draft manuscripts and your publication plans. Nothing is disclosed outside the engagement.
A structured invention disclosure, a prior-art search report across six patent databases plus PubMed and Scopus, and figure briefs — written for your counsel to use directly.
Your patent attorney, agent or university TTO reviews the package, decides what to claim and where, and sets the filing date.
Your attorney or agent drafts the claims and specification and files the provisional, non-provisional or PCT application. Patent Pending starts on that filing date.
Our publication-timing plan maps manuscript, preprint and conference dates against the filing date your counsel sets, so nothing goes public too early.
Searched before it is written up.
So your counsel can claim with confidence.
A patent application is only as strong as its prior art search. Weak or incomplete analysis leads to narrow claims, repeat office action rejections, and granted patents that can be invalidated during litigation. Every Editverse disclosure package is built on a systematic, multi-database search, so your counsel starts claim drafting with the prior art already mapped.
We search Google Patents, WIPO Patentscope, Espacenet (EPO), USPTO full-text, and scientific literature before the disclosure is written. Six databases minimum on every Full Technical Dossier.
For academic inventors, patent databases alone are insufficient. We search PubMed and Scopus to surface published academic work that could anticipate your invention — the single most common oversight in university IP.
References are ranked by relevance and mapped to each feature of your invention, so your counsel can position independent and dependent claims around known prior art.
We map the filing date your counsel sets against your manuscript submission, preprint posting, and conference schedule. Following guidance from UC Berkeley OTL and UChicago Polsky Center, we flag any planned disclosure that would come before it.
Every engagement begins with a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement before any technical information is shared. Your invention details, research data, and commercialisation strategy are never disclosed.
Patent documentation for
every kind of innovator.
From a PhD student preparing to submit their first paper to a hospital innovation unit with a portfolio of clinical devices — we adapt to your timeline, institutional constraints, and commercialisation goals.
Most academic researchers are unaware that filing a provisional before journal submission protects commercialisation rights without delaying publication. We coordinate directly with your manuscript timeline, and where required, with your institution’s Technology Transfer Office (TTO).
- Invention disclosure ready before journal submission or preprint
- Coordination with university TTO and invention disclosure requirements
- Full Technical Dossier ahead of your counsel’s 12-month conversion
- IP sections for SBIR/STTR grant applications
- Prior art search aligned with thesis or paper submission timelines
Investors treat IP as a proxy for defensibility. A patent filed before your pitch deck circulates is a valuation multiplier and a signal of technical depth. We prepare the disclosure and search your counsel files from, timed to fundraising milestones and SBIR/STTR requirements.
- Disclosure and search report for your core technology before Seed or Series A
- Multi-jurisdiction landscape before your counsel’s PCT decision
- Technical IP documentation for investor due-diligence data rooms
- Patent landscape summary of competitors and white space
- IP sections for SBIR/STTR applications
R&D teams in pharma and medical device sectors generate innovations faster than in-house counsel can process. We act as overflow technical capacity — invention disclosures, search reports and figure sets on tight timelines, ready for handoff to your IP team.
- Overflow technical documentation for in-house IP counsel teams
- Invention disclosures for compositions, formulations and methods of treatment
- Technical files for medical device and combination products
- Prior-art searches for manufacturing and industrial processes
- IP landscape analysis prior to product launch or licensing
Clinical innovations — surgical instruments, diagnostic tools, treatment protocols, drug-device combinations — are among the most commercially valuable patent categories, yet routinely go unprotected. As noted in published guidance on academic IP, many clinicians do not realise their inventions qualify. We translate clinical expertise into a clear technical record for your counsel.
- Invention disclosures for surgical devices and instruments
- Prior-art searches for diagnostic methods and devices
- Technical files for drug-device combination products
- Documentation support for hospital and NHS trust innovation units
- Academic medical centre TTO support and coordination
Flat-rate packages.
No hidden fees.
- NDA before engagement
- 6-database patent search
- PubMed / Scopus literature check
- Ranked reference table with relevance notes
- Report (5–8 pages)
- NDA before engagement
- Prior-art search summary (3 databases)
- Structured invention disclosure document
- Figure briefs
- Handoff-ready for your attorney or TTO
- 1 revision round
- NDA before engagement
- 6-database search + PubMed/Scopus
- Embodiments & variants write-up
- Full figure set
- Patent landscape summary
- 2 revision rounds
- Search across US, EP, JP, CN, IN
- Top-assignee map
- Filing trends & white space
- Terminology glossary for counsel
- 2 revision rounds
- NDA before session
- 60-min video consultation
- Up to 3 inventions reviewed
- Written documentation roadmap (48h)
- $490 credited on booking
Patent office fees and attorney or agent fees are separate from Editverse packages and are arranged by the client with their own counsel. Editverse provides technical documentation, prior-art search reports and writing support. Patent drafting, filing and prosecution are handled by the client’s own registered patent attorney or agent.
How we compare to
the alternatives.
DIY research leaves gaps that surface at examination. Hiring counsel for everything means paying hourly rates for fact-gathering. Editverse prepares the technical file for the academic research and biomedical pipeline, and your counsel takes it from there.
| Editverse + your counsel | DIY research | Counsel does everything | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academic & Research Fit | |||
| Built for academic researchers & PhD inventors | ✓ | ✗ | Varies by firm |
| Disclosure timed to your manuscript submission | ✓ | ✗ | Rarely |
| TTO coordination for university inventors | ✓ | ✗ | Sometimes |
| Biomedical & clinical research specialisation | ✓ | ✗ | Varies by firm |
| Prior Art & Search Quality | |||
| PubMed & academic literature prior-art search | ✓ | Self-run | ✓ |
| 6-database patent search (Google Patents, WIPO, EPO, USPTO, JPO) | Standard | ✗ | ✓ |
| Standalone prior-art search report | $350 | DIY only | Usually bundled |
| Speed & Cost | |||
| Invention disclosure turnaround | 5–7 days | Weeks, self-written | Part of attorney time |
| Attorney time spent gathering facts | Minimal | High | Billed hourly |
| Transparent flat-rate pricing | ✓ | ✓ | Varies |
| NDA signed before engagement | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Questions researchers
and founders always ask.
Clear, honest answers — the same things we cover in every first consultation. If your question isn't here, the free invention intake is the right next step.
Should I patent or publish first?▼
Have your counsel file first, then publish. In the US, WIPO confirms you have a 12-month grace period after your own public disclosure to file for US-only patent rights. But most other jurisdictions — EU, UK, Japan, China, Australia — operate on strict first-to-file rules. A single preprint, conference abstract, or journal submission can permanently eliminate your patent rights outside the US, instantly, with no remedy.
Boston University TTO, UC Berkeley OTL, and UChicago Polsky Center all recommend filing at least 8–12 weeks before any public disclosure. Our documentation package takes 5–7 business days, and your counsel then sets the filing date.
Do you offer patent writing services?▼
Editverse prepares the technical side of a patent: the invention disclosure, prior-art search report, embodiments, variants and figures. Your registered patent attorney or agent writes the claims and files the application, working from our package.
That split keeps your attorney’s billed time on claim strategy instead of fact-gathering, and gets your invention documented in 5–7 business days.
Are you patent attorneys? Do I need one to file?▼
No. Editverse is a technical documentation team, not a law firm or patent agency. Your patent attorney or agent, registered with the office where you file, drafts the claims and files the application.
We prepare the disclosure, search report and figures they work from, so their time goes into claim strategy instead of fact-gathering.
Does the Invention Disclosure Package give me a priority date?▼
No. A priority date comes only from an application filed with a patent office, which your attorney or agent prepares. The package is the technical foundation that makes that filing fast.
I don’t have an attorney yet. Can you help?▼
Yes. Start with the Prior-Art Search Report or the Invention Disclosure Package; both are written to be handed to any registered patent attorney or agent. University inventors can also take the package straight to their institution’s TTO.
Does posting to arXiv or bioRxiv count as public disclosure?▼
Yes — absolutely. Preprint servers are publicly accessible and constitute prior art disclosure under patent law from the moment they go live. Journal submission (even before acceptance), conference poster presentation, thesis defence, and public seminar all count as well.
In the US you have a 12-month grace period from your own disclosure — but that grace period does not exist in Europe, Japan, China, Australia, or most other countries. Always have your counsel file before you post any preprint or submit any manuscript. UC Berkeley OTL explicitly lists arXiv, bioRxiv, and medRxiv as triggering events.
What is a provisional patent and how is it different from a full patent?▼
A provisional patent application establishes your filing date and grants "Patent Pending" status for 12 months. No formal claims are required, it is never examined, and it expires after 12 months. Its sole purpose is to secure a priority date quickly and cheaply.
A non-provisional (utility) patent application contains formal independent and dependent claims, a complete technical specification, and patent drawings. It is submitted to the USPTO, EPO, or another national office for substantive examination. If granted, it gives you 20 years of enforceable exclusionary rights. The provisional must be converted within 12 months or priority rights are lost.
Can I patent something from a university project?▼
Yes — but ownership depends on your institution's IP policy. Most universities claim inventions made using their facilities, time, or funding. However, many license rights back to inventors or support commercialisation through their Technology Transfer Office (TTO).
The most important step is to submit an Invention Disclosure Form to your TTO before engaging any external service and before any public disclosure. We regularly coordinate with institutional TTOs and can work within your institution's IP framework. Published guidance in PMC notes that many clinical and translational researchers are unaware of how important early disclosure to their TTO is.
Can a clinical method, surgical technique, or diagnostic tool be patented?▼
Yes, in most jurisdictions. In the US, medical methods are patentable — though enforcement against individual practitioners is limited by statute (35 U.S.C. § 287(c)). In practice, the most commercially valuable and legally defensible approach is to patent the underlying device, diagnostic tool, drug formulation, or system rather than the clinical method itself.
As noted in published guidance on biomedical patenting (PMC), clinical innovations go unprotected far more often than patents are actually blocked — the issue is almost always that researchers don't realise their work qualifies.
How does a PCT application work?▼
A PCT application filed with WIPO is a single application that simultaneously preserves patent rights in 150+ member states. It does not grant a patent itself — it delays the cost and commitment of individual national filings until month 30 from your priority date.
Within 16–18 months you receive an International Search Report — an early, non-binding opinion on patentability from the International Searching Authority. This helps you assess prospects before committing to expensive national phase entries. All filed PCT applications are searchable on WIPO Patentscope. Official WIPO fees and attorney fees are arranged through your counsel and are separate from Editverse packages.
How is confidentiality protected?▼
Every engagement begins with a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before any technical information is shared. This applies to the initial consultation, the invention disclosure form, and all working files throughout the project.
All project files are handled under strict confidentiality protocols. We never reference client inventions in marketing materials, case studies, or examples without explicit written consent. Project files are permanently deleted after completion upon request. Our NDA is available to review before any commitment is made — request it here.
Protect your discovery.
Get patent-ready before you publish.
A free 30-minute intake call with our patent documentation team. We review your research and timeline and recommend the right starting package for you and your counsel — no obligation, NDA signed first, response within 24 hours.