I also do lots of work in AutoCAD and other CAD programs.<div><br></div><div>I'm not really sure how to answer your question though - I'm not very familiar with the patent application process. I can say that AutoCAD is perfectly fine for drawing up mechanical parts, and you can easily add dimensions and create tables of text. The text is generally all static and not linked in any way to the content of the drawing though.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Solidworks, on the other hand, lets you design multiple parts, put them all in one assembly, then create a drawing of your assembly with multiple views and tables of all parts.</div><div><br></div><div>
However, this may not be necessary at all - most of the patents I've seen feature somewhat poorly drawn sketches of things; including patents from the likes of Apple, etc. I don't think you normally want very exacting drawings in your patent application, lest someone make the thing 1/8" longer and claim it does not violate your patent.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Also, will you be filing many patents with many similar parts? If you're only talking about one patent, having a program that can automatically generate tables may not be worth it. Solidworks can do all that, but it's something like 8 grand.</div>
<div><br></div><div>If you haven't talked to a patent lawyer, go and do that. If the patents I've seen are any indication, you don't want high quality drawings; you want vague, approximate sketches.</div><div>
-Taylor</div><div><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Mar 9, 2011 at 5:08 PM, Robert Fletcher <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:lobatifricha@gmail.com">lobatifricha@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
I've done quite a bit of work with AutoCAD. With all of its scripting interfaces and ways of linking in files I'm sure you could find a way to do what you're talking about, but I'm also fairly confident that it's not really the best tool for the job. If you're developing devices then something like AutoDesk Inventor might be more up your alley. If you're stuck with AutoCAD then you should probably look into cross-pollenating fields between a word document and your drawings, or worst case having a layout in your dwg files for your application and plugging fields into it from there. I also found the forums at <a href="http://www.augi.com/forum/" target="_blank">augi.com</a> to be very helpful back in my drafting days.<br>
<br>Good luck,<br>- Robert<br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div></div><div class="h5">On Wed, Mar 9, 2011 at 4:53 PM, Owen Pietrokowsky <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:opietro@yahoo.com" target="_blank">opietro@yahoo.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
</div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div></div><div class="h5">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="font:inherit" valign="top"><font size="3">Greetings,<br><br>This request is for intermediate to advanced users of Autocad. I'm looking for advice/feedback on Autocad and its ability to provide information for patent applications. Has anyone used Autocad's documentation abilities to create drawings, parts lists, and text, and then plugged these three items into a patent application? I'm not familiar with Autocad, and I'm assuming it has the significant documentation features mentioned above. I hope this request makes sense. Thank you. </font><br>
<br><font size="3">Owen<br><a href="mailto:opietro@yahoo.com" target="_blank">opietro@yahoo.com</a><br><br></font><br><br><font size="1"><span style="color:rgb(64, 64, 255)">Owen <span>Pietrokowsky</span></span><br style="color:rgb(64, 64, 255)">
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