| Project | Product revision | Sheet revision | Prepared by | Date | Target market / jurisdiction | Decision being prepared | Sheet | Lead | Item ID | Question | Evidence to record | Answer / assumption | Explanation | Status | Evidence / exact revision / URL and date | Owner | Next action | Reviewer / review date | Not-applicable reason | Source guidance URLs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | C1 | 1 | Sample preparation utility | 2026-10-24 | U.S. adults; Wisconsin illustrative base | Next private feasibility gate | What to protect, and why | The legal role | IP-01 | What business outcome do you want from protection? | Exclude copying of a useful mechanism, protect appearance/brand, license, sell rights, attract investment, keep know-how secret or deliberately publish. Record markets, time horizon and budget. | Objective: explore defensible mechanism and brand without assuming patentability | Scenario proposal; no observations or approvals inferred. Objective: explore defensible mechanism and brand without assuming patentability | estimate — unvalidated | data/products/basic/; concept C1; no external evidence | Sam Reed | Collect the evidence requested in this question before its dependent gate; target 2026-12-15 | Not reviewed — no review date | Applicable planning question; any unchosen route is explicitly described in answer | uspto-patent-overview; uspto-provisional; uspto-trade-secrets; trademark-basics; uspto-design |
| Basic | C1 | 1 | Sample preparation utility | 2026-10-24 | U.S. adults; Wisconsin illustrative base | Next private feasibility gate | What to protect, and why | The legal role | IP-02 | Exactly what do you believe is new? | Explain the technical problem, mechanism/process, alternatives, differences, drawings and versions. Identify what may be functional, ornamental, or branding; do not turn a vague idea into a patentability conclusion. | Captive bait pocket and hold-open release geometry | Scenario proposal; no observations or approvals inferred. Captive bait pocket and hold-open release geometry | estimate — unvalidated | data/products/basic/; concept C1; no external evidence | Sam Reed | Collect the evidence requested in this question before its dependent gate; target 2026-12-15 | Not reviewed — no review date | Applicable planning question; any unchosen route is explicitly described in answer | uspto-patent-overview; uspto-provisional; uspto-trade-secrets; trademark-basics; uspto-design |
| Basic | C1 | 1 | Sample preparation utility | 2026-10-24 | U.S. adults; Wisconsin illustrative base | Next private feasibility gate | What to protect, and why | The legal role | IP-03 | What related products and publications are known? | Dated searches, terms, jurisdictions/classes, relevant documents/claims and unanswered questions. An initial search is not proof of novelty or completeness. | Search categories recorded, but no patent search or known document citation asserted | Scenario proposal; no observations or approvals inferred. Search categories recorded, but no patent search or known document citation asserted | estimate — unvalidated | data/products/basic/; concept C1; no external evidence | Sam Reed | Collect the evidence requested in this question before its dependent gate; target 2026-12-15 | Not reviewed — no review date | Applicable planning question; any unchosen route is explicitly described in answer | uspto-patent-overview; uspto-provisional; uspto-trade-secrets; trademark-basics; uspto-design |
| Basic | C1 | 1 | Sample preparation utility | 2026-10-24 | U.S. adults; Wisconsin illustrative base | Next private feasibility gate | What to protect, and why | The legal role | IP-04 | Who contributed, owns rights or has contractual interests? | Contributors and what they contributed; employment, assignments, contractor terms, university/sponsor interests and agreements. Inventorship, patent ownership, company shares and project access are different. | Alex product concept; Sam mechanical; Jordan electronics/flight where used; fictitious contributions, assignments unsigned | Scenario proposal; no observations or approvals inferred. Alex product concept; Sam mechanical; Jordan electronics/flight where used; fictitious contributions, assignments unsigned | estimate — unvalidated | data/products/basic/; concept C1; no external evidence | Sam Reed | Collect the evidence requested in this question before its dependent gate; target 2026-12-15 | Not reviewed — no review date | Applicable planning question; any unchosen route is explicitly described in answer | uspto-patent-overview; uspto-provisional; uspto-trade-secrets; trademark-basics; uspto-design |
| Basic | C1 | 1 | Sample preparation utility | 2026-10-24 | U.S. adults; Wisconsin illustrative base | Next private feasibility gate | What to protect, and why | The legal role | IP-05 | What has already been disclosed or offered for sale? | Exact dates, material/revision, audience, public demos, crowdfunding, online posts, offers and sales. Have relevant filing options assessed before further disclosure; do not assume a worldwide grace period. | No external disclosure, sales or offers; disclosure history records no activity | Scenario proposal; no observations or approvals inferred. No external disclosure, sales or offers; disclosure history records no activity | estimate — unvalidated | data/products/basic/; concept C1; no external evidence | Sam Reed | Collect the evidence requested in this question before its dependent gate; target 2026-12-15 | Not reviewed — no review date | Applicable planning question; any unchosen route is explicitly described in answer | uspto-patent-overview; uspto-provisional; uspto-trade-secrets; trademark-basics; uspto-design |
| Basic | C1 | 1 | Sample preparation utility | 2026-10-24 | U.S. adults; Wisconsin illustrative base | Next private feasibility gate | What to protect, and why | The legal role | IP-06 | Which protection route fits the objective? | Utility patent versus design patent, trademark or trade secret as applicable; costs, territories, timing, discoverability/reverse engineering and practical secrecy measures. A provisional is not an issued patent and does not cover design inventions. | Private invention disclosure and search plan now; provisional filing not chosen; trademark availability unsearched | Scenario proposal; no observations or approvals inferred. Private invention disclosure and search plan now; provisional filing not chosen; trademark availability unsearched | estimate — unvalidated | data/products/basic/; concept C1; no external evidence | Sam Reed | Collect the evidence requested in this question before its dependent gate; target 2026-12-15 | Not reviewed — no review date | Applicable planning question; any unchosen route is explicitly described in answer | uspto-patent-overview; uspto-provisional; uspto-trade-secrets; trademark-basics; uspto-design |
| Basic | C1 | 1 | Sample preparation utility | 2026-10-24 | U.S. adults; Wisconsin illustrative base | Next private feasibility gate | What to protect, and why | The legal role | IP-07 | Could making or selling it infringe someone else’s rights? | Separate patentability research from freedom-to-operate review of relevant claims, territory, product and dates. A patent grants an exclusion right, not permission to manufacture or sell. | Freedom-to-operate review not performed; a future patent would not itself establish clearance | Scenario proposal; no observations or approvals inferred. Freedom-to-operate review not performed; a future patent would not itself establish clearance | estimate — unvalidated | data/products/basic/; concept C1; no external evidence | Sam Reed | Collect the evidence requested in this question before its dependent gate; target 2026-12-15 | Not reviewed — no review date | Applicable planning question; any unchosen route is explicitly described in answer | uspto-patent-overview; uspto-provisional; uspto-trade-secrets; trademark-basics; uspto-design |
| Basic | C1 | 1 | Sample preparation utility | 2026-10-24 | U.S. adults; Wisconsin illustrative base | Next private feasibility gate | What to protect, and why | The legal role | IP-08 | What is the decision, and what needs professional review? | Exact questions, proposed protection/licensing approach, ownership gaps, disclosure urgency and dated decision. Record actual applications/receipts only if they exist; a draft or checklist is not a filing. | Recommend counsel review after mechanism definition and before disclosure; no legal opinion or filing | Scenario proposal; no observations or approvals inferred. Recommend counsel review after mechanism definition and before disclosure; no legal opinion or filing | estimate — unvalidated | data/products/basic/; concept C1; no external evidence | Sam Reed | Collect the evidence requested in this question before its dependent gate; target 2026-12-15 | Not reviewed — no review date | Applicable planning question; any unchosen route is explicitly described in answer | uspto-patent-overview; uspto-provisional; uspto-trade-secrets; trademark-basics; uspto-design |
Sample — fictitious company. All numbers and people are invented scenario assumptions. This is draft concept paperwork; no physical testing, customer evidence, certification, filing or sign-off has occurred.