What Idea Clerk Needs: An Invention Description—Here’s How to Write It with ChatGPT (Safely, Quickly, and Well)

Why use ChatGPT for this—and why Temporary Chat matters

When you’re moving fast, the hardest part of starting a patent filing is getting a clear, well-structured description out of your head and into a document. ChatGPT is great at turning bullet points into a thorough, organized write-up and at producing clean, USPTO-style line-drawing concepts.

Always start in Temporary Chat. In Temporary Chat, your conversation:

• Won’t appear in history

• Won’t use or update ChatGPT’s memory

• Won’t be used to train models

That reduces exposure risk while you’re discussing pre-launch ideas. (General good sense still applies—avoid sharing secrets you don’t actually need to describe the invention.)

What you’ll produce (and upload to Idea Clerk)

1. A written invention description (sections like Field, Background, Summary, System Overview, Method, Variations, Advantages, and Figure Hooks).

2. Simple patent figures (clean line drawings; no shading, no labels baked into the art).

3. A single DOCX that contains the text and embedded figures. You’ll upload this DOCX to Idea Clerk.

Step-by-step workflow (adapt these prompts)

Open a Temporary Chat and use the prompts below. Replace the bracketed content with your details.

1) Create the written description

PROMPT (copy/paste/adapt):

I’d like your help with preparing an invention description as preparation for filing a patent application.

Please start with the written description, and then I’ll prompt you to create a few figures to go with it.

Here are the main points of the invention I’d like to have detailed in the invention description:

• [Start with the “why” of your invention. What problem does it solve? Why does that problem matter?]

• [Describe your solution to the problem. What is your invention, in plain terms?]

• [Describe the key features. What are the main components or steps?]

• [Explain the benefits. Don’t just describe what your invention does—describe why it matters.]

• [Provide examples and use cases. Describe scenarios where someone might use your invention.]

Please write a detailed invention description using best practices explained here: https://ideaclerk.com/blog/what-makes-a-good-invention-disclosure

(Tip: Give ChatGPT your bullet points first—even rough ones. You can iterate to add technical depth or remove anything you don’t want captured.)

(Tip: If you already have documentation related to your invention, you can upload that to ChatGPT instead of providing bullet points—just make reference to your document instead.)

2) Generate the first environment figure

This establishes the setting where the invention operates. Ask for a USPTO-style line drawing with strict constraints.

PROMPT (copy/paste/adapt):

Please create a patent figure that shows the environment in which the invention can be practiced: [briefly describe the scene].

• The figure should be a line drawing acceptable to the USPTO.

• DO NOT use shading or greyscale.

• DO NOT include number labels.

• DO NOT include a figure label (do not write “FIG. 1” or similar).

FOLLOW-UP PROMPT (copy/paste):

Create a caption for the figure above.

3) Generate additional, more detailed figures

Show the key components/aspects of your invention.

PROMPT (copy/paste/adapt):

Please create a patent figure that shows [system block diagram, user interface, process flow diagram, etc.] for the invention, including [individual components/steps/etc].

• The figure should be a line drawing acceptable to the USPTO.

• DO NOT use shading or greyscale.

• DO NOT include number labels.

• DO NOT include a figure label (do not write “FIG. X” or similar).

FOLLOW-UP PROMPT (copy/paste):

Create a caption for the figure above.

Turning ChatGPT outputs into a DOCX (what Idea Clerk needs)

1. Open Word (or Google Docs → File → Download → .docx).

2. Paste the written description first. Include clear headings (Field, Background, Summary, System Overview, Method, Variations, Advantages, etc.).

3. Refine as needed to ensure that what is described accurately reflects your invention.

4. Insert the figures:

   • Right-click the image in ChatGPT → Save image as…

   • In your DOCX: Insert → Pictures → place each figure near where it’s referenced.

   • Put a short caption below each image (Idea Clerk will add/assign figure labels when it generates the patent application).

5. Save as DOCX and upload to Idea Clerk after you start a new project.

What “good” looks like (quick checklist)

• Clarity over poetry. Each section answers a real question: what is it, why it’s needed, how it works, where it runs, and what varies.

• Specific, not secret. Describe enough structure to enable the invention (inputs/outputs, components, steps, constraints) without revealing vendor secrets you don’t need to share.

• At least one environment figure and one functional figure (block diagram, POV, or flow).

• Alternatives and variations are explicitly listed—these become embodiments.

• Constraints (latency, memory, accuracy, privacy mode) show real engineering shape.

• Exportable: all text + figures sit cleanly in one DOCX.

Final notes on confidentiality

• Always use Temporary Chat for invention work. It keeps the session out of history, avoids memory updates, and prevents training use.

• Share only what’s necessary to describe the invention. If something is highly sensitive and not needed to enable the draft, leave it out or generalize it.

• If you have counsel, align on your internal information-handling policy before sharing third-party names, data, or code.

Make It Patent Pending—Today

Turning rough notes into a filing-ready draft no longer has to bottleneck your launch. Use Temporary Chat to shape a clear, confidential description with simple figures, then drop the DOCX into Idea Clerk. From there, Idea Clerk—not a copilot, a complete patent-application writer—transforms your inputs into a fully enabled application you can file as a provisional today or carry forward to a non-provisional tomorrow. The result is speed without sloppiness, clarity without oversharing, and real IP momentum when it matters most. Whether this is your first patent or your fiftieth, the workflow is the same: Temporary Chat → DOCX → Idea Clerk—and you’re “patent pending” on your schedule.