Suddenly Responsible for Patents
A Structured Starting Point for Early-Career Professionals
“Suddenly Responsible for Patents” describes the common situation in many small and medium-sized enterprises in which patent work is treated as a secondary task; this article shows how such tasks can be handled realistically and responsibly.
In many companies, patent-related tasks are not a full-time role. Instead, early-career professionals are often asked—sometimes unexpectedly—to “take care of patents” alongside their main responsibilities, such as development, design, or engineering.
This approach assumes from the outset that patent work is a secondary task, typically requiring only about 10–15 % of the available working time. When structured properly, it can be handled efficiently and effectively, without compromising core responsibilities.
The key is not to do “more patent work,” but to do the right patent work, with a clear focus on information rather than evaluation.
Typical Initial Questions
Being assigned to patent-related tasks often raises immediate questions:
· What do patents actually mean in a business context?
· What result is expected from this task?
· Where and how can relevant patents be found?
· Which patent information is important for the company?
· How can it be identified whether a patent might matter at all?
· And most importantly: how can this be done without taking too much time?
Patents are legal monopoly rights for the exploitation of inventions, but they are also one of the most important sources of technical information. Working with patents efficiently means connecting patent information to products, technologies, and business objectives, without turning the task into a full-time activity.
This article describes a time-efficient, step-by-step approach that has proven effective in many organizations.
Step 1: Collect Patent Information
Why this step is necessary
Before patents can be discussed or shared internally, they first need to be identified. Without systematic collection, it remains unclear:
· which technical solutions already exist,
· which competitors are active,
· whether new developments have been published.
Why start with public patent databases?
Patent research should always begin with public patent databases. This is considered best practice and is particularly suitable when patent work is handled as a secondary task with limited time.
Public patent databases have several decisive advantages:
· Free of charge
They can be used without license fees or subscriptions.
· Up to date
Legal status changes and new publications are updated directly by the patent authorities.
· Complete and authoritative
As official sources, they provide comprehensive and reliable access to published patent documents worldwide.
Starting with public databases ensures that the initial patent information is neutral, comprehensive, and based on official data, before any further structuring or monitoring takes place.
Official public patent databases
Commonly used official databases include:
· European Patent Office – Espacenet
https://worldwide.espacenet.com
· United States Patent and Trademark Office – Patent Public Search (PPS)
https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/static/pages/landing.html
· World Intellectual Property Organization – PATENTSCOPE
https://patentscope.wipo.int
These databases form a solid starting point for identifying relevant patents.
Specialized tools and software solutions can later build on this foundation by helping to organize results, monitor status changes, and present information more efficiently—but the initial search is best done at the source.
Task
· Research in public patent databases
· Focus on:
o relevant competitors
o technical fields relevant to the company
The result is a focused collection of relevant patents, without further analysis.
Step 2: Structure Patent Information
Why this step is necessary
Raw result lists are rarely useful in day-to-day work. Structuring patent information makes it:
· comparable,
· understandable,
· suitable for internal communication.
Task
· Automatic import of basic patent data
(e.g. patent number, title, applicant, publication date)
→ This is handled automatically by all common patent tools.
· Thematic assignment (e.g. product, function, technology)
· Neutral summary of the technical solution described
The manual effort is not in collecting formal data, but in preparing the content in a clear and concise way.
At this stage, no legal, technical, or economic evaluation is performed.
Step 3a: Determine a Simplified Legal Status
Why this step is necessary
For an initial overview, a detailed legal analysis is not required. What matters at this stage is whether a patent may still have legal effect at all. Using a simplified legal status reduces complexity, keeps the required effort low, and enables clear comparison across patents.
Task
Determine a simplified legal status for each patent:
· Invention protected by patents – the patent has been granted and is in force
· Patent protection applied for – the patent application is pending and under examination
· Patent expired – the invention is no longer protected by a patent
This simplified classification makes it possible to focus limited time and attention on patents that may still be relevant.
No legal assessment is performed at this stage. The purpose of this step is orientation and efficient prioritization, not evaluation.
Step 3b: Monitor Legal Status Changes
Why this step is necessary
Patent status changes over time. For companies, it is important to notice these changes, especially when patents relate to ongoing development or products.
Task
· Periodic review of simplified legal status
· Documentation of status changes
· Communication of changes to responsible parties
This activity is limited to monitoring and reporting, not interpretation.
Step 4: Present Countries of Protection
Why this step is necessary
A patent only has effect in countries where protection exists. Knowing this supports efficient prioritization.
Task
· Neutral presentation of countries of protection
· Transparent overview without conclusions
This allows experienced colleagues to quickly decide whether further analysis is required.
Step 5: Contribute to Prioritization
Why this step is necessary
Not every patent deserves deeper analysis.
By combining:
· technical content,
· simplified legal status,
· countries of protection,
it becomes visible which patents may require further attention and which do not.
Task
· Structured communication of information
· Neutral presentation of facts
Any evaluation (e.g. Freedom-to-Operate) is explicitly performed by experienced professionals or patent attorneys.
Tools as Support — Not as a Goal
Various tools can support this workflow, from public patent databases to specialized software solutions. For a part-time patent task, simple and intuitive tools are most effective—tools that:
· avoid legal jargon,
· present status clearly,
· reduce manual effort,
· and fit into limited time budgets.
One example is patcheck, which is designed for clarity and efficiency and is therefore suitable for supporting patent work alongside primary responsibilities.
Conclusion
Handling patent information does not require a full-time role. When structured correctly, it can be managed in a limited time frame (around 10–15 %), without detracting from core tasks such as development or design.
Patent work starts not with legal decisions, but with:
· systematic collection,
· structured preparation,
· determination and monitoring of a simplified legal status,
· and transparent presentation of countries of protection.
This approach makes patent work manageable, efficient, and effective—even as a secondary responsibility—and provides a solid foundation for informed decision-making within the company.
If patent work is handled as a secondary responsibility, clear task boundaries become essential.
The follow-up article “Patent Work: What Early-Career Professionals Can Do — and What They Should Not Do” explains which patent activities are realistic and where clear limits are necessary