NOTE: The Disclosure Document Program has been eliminated by the United States Patent and Trademark Office as of February 1, 2007.

The following information describes the Disclosure Document. If a company says they will file a Disclosure Document for you, it will offer no value to you.

The Disclosure Document Program is another way to set the date of conception of your idea.

It's useful if you choose not to show your idea to anyone else. Other than using an Idea Notebook, this is the least expensive way to record a conception date.

The Patent Office will preserve the disclosure for two years, but this disclosure is not a patent application, nor does it provide patent pending status.

To file a Disclosure Document, you must provide a clear and complete explanation of the manner and process for making and using your invention. Your description must have sufficient detail to enable a person with ordinary knowledge in the relevant field to make and use the product. When the nature of the invention permits, a drawing or sketch should be included.

When the Patent Office receives your Disclosure Document, it does not examine your idea, but merely holds it and provides you with a date of its receipt.

You'll need the following for a Disclosure Document application:

• Cover Sheet (PTO/SB/95), or provide your own cover letter that states, "The undersigned, being the inventor of the disclosed invention, requests that the enclosed papers be accepted under the Disclosure Document Program, and that they be preserved for a period of two years."

• A description and drawing of your idea printed on your letterhead in 8 ½ x 11 inch or A4 format

• $10 Filing Fee