Idea Strength Check
A quick, one-page screen before you commit to a full disclosure. Free worksheet for inventors, your own answers, no grade.
The inventor's paper trail
Not every idea is worth a full disclosure write-up. This one-page check helps you decide, by walking through the questions that matter first: what problem it solves, how your approach is better, the closest approaches you know of, which protection path you're leaning toward, and whether any of it is already public.
It surfaces your own answers back to you. It does not tell you whether your idea is protectable or what to file, that is a conversation for a patent attorney. It is not legal advice.
The Template
Screening Questions
Idea Name
A short, plain-language name for the idea you're screening.
What Problem Does This Solve?
Capture it in your own words. Don't worry about precision.
What Does It Do, and What Makes That Possible?
First describe the result in plain terms. Then name the technical mechanism behind it: the data structure, rule set, model interaction, algorithm, processing sequence, or system arrangement that does the work. For software, the mechanism is often what makes it distinctive.
Why Is It Better Than Before?
Cheaper, faster, smaller, safer, more accurate? Be specific.
What Are the Closest Approaches You Know About?
Search blogs, GitHub, published papers, related research. For each close one, note the closest similarity and the specific technical difference. Record the facts; don't judge whether the difference is legally enough, that's for counsel.
Which Protection Path Are You Leaning Toward?
Pursue patent protection / keep as a trade secret / publish publicly so nobody else can patent it / not pursuing / undecided. Orients your journey; you can change it later.
Is Any Part Already Public?
Already public (talk, blog, GitHub release, paper, demo, public alpha) / still confidential / planned to be public soon / unsure. Counsel uses this to assess timing if you file.
Approximate Disclosure Month (if any)
If public or planned, roughly when (e.g. "October 2025" or "Q1 next year"). Free text.
Approximate Conception Month
Roughly when did you first conceive of this idea (e.g. "early 2024")? Useful context for later inventorship discussions.
Use it in the platform (coming soon)
Our platform will let you fill this in interactively straight from a code scan and export a finished document. Until it launches, use the template above.
See the Concept Scanner or how to write a strong disclosure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check whether my idea already exists?
You can do a quick search yourself with free tools, Google Patents, the USPTO Patent Public Search, Espacenet, Google Scholar, and GitHub. Finding something close is not disqualifying; the useful output is documenting how yours differs, and recording what you searched and when. A patent attorney does the formal search.
Patent, trade secret, or publish, how do I choose?
Each trades off differently: a patent gives time-limited exclusivity in exchange for public disclosure; a trade secret protects only while the information stays secret; a defensive publication deliberately creates prior art so no one else can patent it. There is no universal right answer, capture your inclination and discuss it with a patent attorney.
Does a public GitHub release or talk hurt my patent chances?
It can, and the rules differ by country. The US allows a limited grace period after your own disclosure; much of the world, including Europe, generally does not, so a public release can foreclose rights there even if the US is still open. Record the dates and talk to an attorney before relying on them.
Does the invention date still matter under first-to-file?
Since the US moved to first-inventor-to-file in 2013, the filing date matters far more than the invention date. A rough conception date is still useful context for inventorship and derivation questions, which is why the worksheet asks for it.
Is this the same as a patentability opinion?
No. This is a self-screen using your own answers; it does not assess patentability or tell you what to file. Those are legal judgments for a patent attorney. It just helps you decide whether to invest in a full disclosure.
Scope. This is a self-screen; it does not assess patentability or decide what to file. Rules can differ by country.
Disclaimer. This template is used solely to document, organize, and describe a technical idea. It and any output are for informational and technical-documentation purposes only and are not a substitute for advice from qualified intellectual property counsel. Use of this template does not constitute legal services or legal, patent, patentability, inventorship, ownership, claim-drafting, filing-strategy, deadline, or freedom-to-operate advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship with Obviously Not. Intellectual-property protection can be time-sensitive: public disclosure, product release, open-source publication, sale, offer for sale, demo, or other external sharing may affect available rights. You are solely responsible for promptly consulting qualified intellectual property counsel about any legal or IP issue.