A product may involve several assets: a technical solution, a functional improvement, an appearance and a brand. Signaria IP starts with that distinction to assess the appropriate protection and the work needed to prepare it.
Which form of protection should be assessed.
- Patents: product or process inventions meeting novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability requirements.
- Utility models: certain functional modifications to objects, devices or tools, subject to applicable requirements.
- Industrial designs: protection for a product’s appearance, assessed separately from its technical function.
From assessment to application.
- Initial review of the technical problem and proposed solution.
- Prior-art searches and patentability assessment.
- Preparation of the description, claims, drawings and applicable supporting documents.
- Filing, prosecution and responses to office actions within the agreed scope.
- Review of inventorship, ownership, assignments and maintenance.
Plan before disclosure.
A commercial presentation, publication or sales offer may matter to the strategy. Review what has been shared, when and with whom before choosing countries and filing routes. The initial inquiry can start with a general description; technical details should be reviewed through an appropriate channel.
A patentability search reviews prior art to assess the protection sought. Freedom to operate addresses a different question: third-party rights that may affect commercial use of a product. These are scoped and quoted as separate assessments.
YOUR STARTING POINT
What to prepare for the assessment.
- General description of the development and the problem it addresses.
- Project stage and contributors to its development.
- Dates of any disclosure, presentation or previous applications.
- Countries considered for manufacturing, sales or expansion.
You can inquire even if you do not yet have all these details.
Tailored professional fees.
Each matter is assessed individually. Before work begins, we provide a fee proposal distinguishing professional fees from applicable official charges and defining the included services.
Questions about this service.
Can an idea be patented?
A general idea is not enough to prepare a patent application. The concrete development, technical solution and information available to describe it must be assessed against the protection requirements.
Does a Mexican patent protect the invention abroad?
International protection is assessed by territory. National applications and the PCT route can be considered where appropriate. Grant remains a matter for national or regional offices.
Should I send drawings through the inquiry form?
A general description is enough for initial contact. After reviewing your needs, we determine how to receive technical documents and define the assessment scope.
Official sources for further reading.
Editorial review: Signaria IP · November 13, 2026