Detailed Description of the Invention in a Patent Application
The detailed description of the invention in a patent application includes a description of all relevant features of the invention, especially all of the features shown in the drawing(s), if any.
It can include examples, tables, lists, and ranges or limitations of aspects of the invention. The "ranges" can be written in the form of broadening constructions. For example, if the invention involves wood as a material of construction or as a material being worked on, the application writer may include a "range" statement that non-wood materials may be used, in order to provide patent protection for future unforeseen possibilities, such as might happen when an unscrupulous individual attempts to practice the invention with the non-wood materials without proper licensing or agreement.
This portion of the application requires an adequately detailed explanation so that "one of ordinary skill in the art" can practice the invention. If not, then the application can be rejected by an examiner on the basis of "lack of enablement". Futhermore, this portion must also include a "best mode" if more than one modes of operation, construction or behavior, are possible. For example, if wood is the best material for use in the invention, it should be stated. This statement avoids an unscrupulous inventor from filing a patent application for the discovery of the "improvement" based on the restricted use.