Inventor's Notebook

A laboratory notebook, when organized efficiently and updated daily, can often mean the difference between gaining recognition for your invention or not. According to U.S. Patent Law, inventorship is determined by the first to invent, rather than the the first to file. (Conversely, foreign patent offices determine inventorship by the first to file method.) Therefore, your lab notebook is the essential factor in crediting you for your work.

Keeping this in mind, an inventor must remember to include the following when keeping a lab notebook:

Use a bound notebook
Use consecutive pages
Use permanent ink
Date entries
Identify subject matter
Include and explain sketches, diagrams, etc.
Photos, drawings, etc. should be identified and attached
Avoid erasures
Make new entries; do not alter existing entries
Have entries witnessed on a daily or weekly basis by a person who is familiar with the science but would not be considered a co-inventor
Provide proper storage

Inventor's Notebook

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