Free template

AI-Era Invention Disclosure Template

A practical disclosure form for engineering teams that use AI tools every day. It captures what people contributed, how tools were used, and where the invention has been shared, so your patent counsel starts with a clear record. By James Borzilleri.

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1. Basics

Working title
Plain language summary (2 to 3 sentences a non-specialist can follow)
Product, project, or roadmap item this relates to
Submitted by, and date submitted

2. The problem and the solution

What problem does this solve?
Why did existing approaches fall short?
How does it work? Attach drawings, diagrams, or pseudocode.
What is new or unexpected about the result?
Known alternatives, related products, or publications

3. Contributors

Name and role of each person who contributed to the idea
For each person: what did they personally contribute? (framed the problem, proposed the key approach, solved a specific obstacle, other)
Note: this section records facts. Patent counsel determines inventorship.

4. Development and tools

Were any AI tools used in developing this invention? If yes, which ones and under which account type (company or personal)?
What did the tools do? (drafting code, suggesting alternatives, summarizing research, other)
Which specific elements of the invention came from human judgment? What did the team decide, change, reject, or combine?
Are prompts, outputs, or session logs available? Where are they stored?
Link to contribution notes, design docs, tickets, or pull requests

5. Key dates

Date of first idea
Date of first working version
Planned public release, demo, talk, or publication date

6. Confidentiality status

Has this been demoed, presented, or described outside the company? When, and under what agreement?
Has any part of it been entered into an AI tool not approved for confidential material? Which tool, when, and what was shared?
Is any of it in a public repository, published documentation, or a job posting?
Were customers or partners involved? Under what agreement?

7. Business context

Why does this matter to the business?
Do competitors appear to be working on something similar?
Is this something we would prefer to keep as a trade secret? Why or why not?

8. Intake (completed by the IP owner)

Date received
Routed to patent counsel on
Follow up actions and owner

This template is provided for general information only. It is not legal advice, and Idea Partnership is not a law firm. Review and adapt it with your own patent counsel before use.

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