Invention Disclosure

Some links below are only available to APL Staff, as marked.

Intellectual Property Disclosure Sheet
To begin the technology transfer process, document your invention by completing and submitting the APL Intellectual Property Disclosure Sheet (for APL Staff only) to the Office of Patent Counsel (7-150, extension 5632). Choose from the formats below:

• PDF Format (for APL Staff only)
  
• Informed Filler (for APL Staff only)
  

How do you know when to submit something?
If you have questions about what constitutes an invention, contact the Office of Patent Counsel x5632. Software, hardware, processes, and concepts are among the many types of inventions. All inventions made by Laboratory employees must be disclosed. If the Laboratory determines that the invention was made wholly at the expense of the inventor, without the use of Laboratory support, and outside the scope of Laboratory activities and programs, then the invention is the property of the inventor. The Laboratory will have rights in all other inventions. SEE: "How Do You Know You've Invented Something?" (for APL Staff only)

Questions about completing the form?
Contact the Office of Patent Counsel x5632.

What happens next?
Once the invention disclosure form is received in the Office of Patent Counsel, it is logged into a database and assigned to an attorney. Your invention will be disclosed to any outside sponsor(s) if the related contract requires such a disclosure. The invention information is then sent to the Office of Technology Transfer where it is assigned to a technology manager. You will receive a notice indicating your points of contact. In most cases, the attorney and technology manager will schedule a meeting with the inventor(s) to begin the assessment process. For more information, refer to the Technology Transfer Cycle.

Intellectual Property Policy of the Applied Physics Lab (for APL Staff only)