Software §101 Eligibility Worksheet
A §101 eligibility scaffold for software inventions under Alice and current USPTO guidance. Free worksheet for patent practitioners.
Written for patent practitioners as a work-aid. Not a substitute for professional judgment.
A structured place to capture the §101 eligibility anchors for a software invention: the abstract-idea characterization to defend against, the specific technical improvement, how it is meaningfully integrated into a practical application, its real-world effect, and any hardware integration — organized around the USPTO's current subject-matter eligibility guidance under Alice.
This is a capture scaffold for an attorney's own analysis. It is not legal advice, does not predict a §101 outcome, cite case law, or recommend claim language. Legal judgment stays with the practitioner.
The Template
§101 Eligibility Analysis
Linked Disclosure
Optional — the invention disclosure this worksheet builds on.
Abstract Idea at Risk
How might the claim be characterized as an abstract idea (mathematical concept, method of organizing human activity, or mental process)? Name the strongest version of the challenge.
Technical Improvement
The specific improvement to computer functionality or another technology — what it improves and how, concretely.
Evidence of the Improvement
Where the specification supports it, and any measured or demonstrable evidence of the improvement.
Meaningful Integration
How the claimed elements integrate the concept into a practical application (more than "apply it" on a generic computer).
Real-World Effect
The concrete real-world effect or output beyond the abstract idea itself.
Hardware Integration Points
For each: the integration target (sensor, display, controller, network element) and how the interaction is described in enabling detail.
Business-Method Framing
Pure technical (no business outcome) / has business outcomes but the contribution is technical / primarily a business-process improvement — and a short explanation.
Use it in the platform (coming soon)
Our platform will let you fill this in interactively from a linked disclosure and export a finished document. Until it launches, use the template above.
See the Concept Scanner.
Disclaimer. This worksheet is a practitioner work-aid for capturing an attorney's own analysis. Obviously Not is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice; this worksheet and any output are for informational and documentation purposes only, are not legal, patent, patentability, eligibility, non-obviousness, claim-scope, validity, or freedom-to-operate advice, and do not create an attorney-client relationship. All legal judgment, including whether and how to file or argue, remains with a licensed patent practitioner exercising independent professional judgment. Nothing here predicts an outcome at the USPTO or any court.