Turn innovation into protected value.

Overview

Patent procurement is the process of transforming an invention into enforceable rights. It includes drafting, filing, and prosecuting patent applications with the goal of obtaining protection that is not only broad but also meaningful in a business context. The focus is on building patents that safeguard innovation, strengthen market position, and contribute to long-term commercial goals.

Core Aspects

Application Drafting
Strong patents begin with strong drafting. Applications are prepared to clearly describe the invention, while anticipating potential challenges from patent offices or competitors. Careful claim strategy and precise language are used to capture the targeted concepts identified and provide coverage that supports both current products and future directions.

Technical Experience
My procurement work covers a broad spectrum of technologies, from autonomous vehicles to mechanical systems and to battery materials and syntheses thereof. This range supports the drafting and prosecution of patent applications that reflect both technical complexity and commercial relevance. See more about my experiences here.

Prosecution and Office Action Response
Patent Offices rarely grant applications without questions. Prosecution involves engaging with Patent Examiners, making strategic claim amendments in a way that advances the application while preserving business value, and addressing restrictions, rejections, and objections in Office actions.

Continuation and Divisional Practice
A single innovation can lead to multiple patent opportunities. Continuations and divisionals allow families of related patents to develop over time, adapting protection to evolving products and competitive activity.

Global Filing Strategy
For companies operating internationally, deciding where to file includes as much strategy as deciding what to file. Procuring patents can include coordinating U.S. and international filings, evaluating markets and manufacturing locations, and managing timelines under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and national phase entries.

Integration with Broader Strategy
Procuring a patent does not exist in isolation. Many inventions are supplied by the pipeline developed by patent minings and harvests. IP Strategy identifies priorities, markets, and targets to shape the patent application and claims. After the patent application is granted, portfolio management assists by maintaining your growing portfolio of patents.

Why It Matters

A poorly drafted or narrowly prosecuted patent can be as costly as not having one at all. Procurement focused on precision and business alignment creates assets that support funding, partnerships, and competitive positioning, while also avoiding wasted effort on filings that do not contribute to strategic goals.

How Lek IP helps

With technical depth across business, computer science, and chemistry, I draft and prosecute applications with an eye toward both legal strength and commercial value. This means preparing patents that protect innovation in ways that matter to the business, while keeping the process efficient and forward-looking.