91av

Patent lawyers in Dallas, Texas, have written a Windows 95 program to help
inventors draft their own patent applications. PatentPro, which is available
from Kernel Creations (www.4patpro.com), costs $279. The inventor fills
in a series of templates with the technical details, and the program prints it
out in the style required by the US Patent Office. But patent lawyers in Britain
warn that do-it-yourself drafting could be dangerous. If the inventor leaves out
vital details or makes overambitious claims, any patent granted may be
invalid.