The repeatable patent strategy applied to every Neuron invention. US provisional establishes priority. Non-provisional files late. Global files before any public disclosure. Nothing leaks. Nothing lapses.
This is the strategy applied to every significant invention Neuron produces — from the core Dharma architecture to every research vertical output. It maximizes the protection window, delays public disclosure as long as legally possible, and ensures global coverage is in place before any competitor can read the specification.
The playbook has five phases. Each phase has hard deadlines. Missing a deadline costs rights — in some cases, all rights in a jurisdiction. Every invention goes through the same sequence.
Priority is everything. Disclosure is the enemy of priority. A patent gives you 20 years from the filing date — but only if you file before anyone else and before any public disclosure. The provisional buys 12 months of priority at low cost. The non-provisional buys 20 years of protection if filed correctly. The global filings extend that protection to every jurisdiction where someone could infringe. The sequence is not negotiable.
Apply this sequence to every invention. The timing windows are legal deadlines — not suggestions. Missing them forfeits rights.
The provisional patent application is filed the moment an invention is sufficiently documented to describe how it works. It does not need claims. It does not need final drawings. It needs a clear written description of the invention in enough detail that a skilled person could reproduce it.
What it buys: A US priority date — the legal timestamp that determines "who invented it first." Any subsequent application claiming priority to this provisional gets this date, even if filed 12 months later.
What it does not buy: A pending patent. A provisional never becomes a patent on its own. It expires in exactly 12 months if no non-provisional is filed. It is a clock, not a patent.
What to include: A full written description of the invention — every embodiment, every variation, every alternative implementation you can envision. The non-provisional can only claim what is disclosed in the provisional. Do not leave things out. Describe it broadly and specifically.
The 12-month provisional window is working time. Continue developing the invention. Document every refinement and every new embodiment with timestamps. Begin drafting the claims for the non-provisional — this is where the real protection is defined.
Claims strategy: Draft broad independent claims that cover the invention at its highest level of generality, then narrow dependent claims that cover specific embodiments. The broadest defensible claim is what competitors cannot design around. The narrow claims are fallback positions if the broad claims are challenged.
What to avoid: Any external discussion of the novel aspects of the invention. NDAs help but are not substitutes for priority. If you must show the invention to a potential partner or investor before filing, get the NDA signed first and disclose only what is necessary.
Prior art search: Commission a professional search during this window to identify relevant prior art. This informs claim drafting and surfaces any invalidity risks before you invest in the full prosecution.
At month 11, file both the US non-provisional and the PCT application simultaneously, claiming priority to the provisional. Filing at the end of the window — not at the beginning — maximizes the development window. You have used the full 12 months to refine the invention and sharpen the claims. File complete.
US Non-Provisional: The full patent application with all formal requirements — specification, drawings, claims, abstract. This begins the USPTO examination process. Prosecution can take 2–4 years. The priority date is the provisional filing date.
PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty): A single international application that preserves your priority date in 157 member countries. The PCT does not grant an international patent — it buys time (18–30 months) before you must enter national/regional phases in specific countries. Use this time to assess which markets matter and to get an international search report before spending on national filings.
Why file both simultaneously: The PCT must be filed within 12 months of the priority date to claim the provisional's priority date. Missing this deadline means losing the provisional's priority date in international filings — the clock resets to the PCT filing date, potentially allowing competitors who read your eventual publication to antedate your international priority.
The PCT buys time. Use it. At month 18 from the priority date, the PCT application publishes internationally — this is the point at which the invention becomes public knowledge worldwide. All national phase entries must be complete before this publication date if you want to control the disclosure.
In practice: enter national/regional phases at the latest by month 28–30 (the PCT deadline), but the target is to complete all global filings before the PCT publishes at month 18. This keeps the invention private as long as possible while locking global protection.
Which jurisdictions: Every major manufacturing and market jurisdiction where a competitor could produce, sell, or deploy the invention without a license. For Neuron technologies, this includes at minimum: US (non-provisional already filed), EU (European Patent Office), China, Japan, South Korea, India, Brazil, Canada, Australia. Additional jurisdictions for specific inventions based on relevant manufacturing bases.
Patent prosecution is the negotiation with the patent office over what claims will be allowed. Examiners reject. You respond. The goal is to get the broadest possible claim scope that is still patentably distinct from prior art. This process takes 2–4 years at the USPTO, longer internationally.
Continuation strategy: File continuation applications to pursue additional claim sets as the technology develops. A continuation claims the original priority date but can pursue new claims directed at product or competitor variations not anticipated in the original filing. This extends the patent family and creates a moving fence around the core technology.
Maintenance: US patents require maintenance fees at 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5 years. Missing a maintenance fee causes the patent to lapse. International patents have similar requirements. Calendar all maintenance fee deadlines the day a patent is granted.
Enforcement: A patent only has value if you enforce it. Monitor the market for infringement. The NCL and NCom licenses give large actors legitimate access under terms Neuron controls — unauthorized use by large actors (Tier 3 without a license) is the enforcement target. Infringement actions in the relevant jurisdiction. The patent portfolio is the weapon; the licenses are the alternative to war.
Six foundational patents covering the complete Neuron/Dharma ecosystem. Together they create a perimeter around the core architecture that no actor can enter without a license. Each patent is distinct, each covers a different layer of the stack, and together they make designing around the system effectively impossible without crossing at least one.
Axon is an open protocol specification. The spec itself is not patentable — abstract communication methods are excluded subject matter in most jurisdictions. What is patentable are the specific technical implementations that make Axon work. These are filed as implementation patents, held defensively. The strategy: FRAND terms if Axon becomes a formal standard, so we own the IP without restricting adoption.
Priority order is determined by: (1) size of AI market, (2) manufacturing base for research vertical outputs (batteries, materials, medicine), (3) likelihood of infringement. All Tier 1 jurisdictions must be filed before any public disclosure of the relevant invention.
| Jurisdiction | Route | Priority | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Non-provisional (already in playbook) | Tier 1 | Home jurisdiction. Largest AI market. All Dharma patents file here first via provisional → non-provisional sequence. |
| European Union | European Patent Office (EPO) — covers 44 countries with one application | Tier 1 | Second-largest AI market. Major manufacturing base for batteries and materials. Unitary Patent (post-2023) provides EU-wide coverage after grant. |
| China | CNIPA — direct national filing in Chinese | Tier 1 | Largest AI investment outside US. Dominant manufacturing base for batteries, materials, and electronics. Without a Chinese patent, infringement in China cannot be stopped. |
| Japan | JPO — via PCT national phase | Tier 1 | Major AI research and manufacturing jurisdiction. Toyota, Sony, SoftBank are all potential licensees or infringers depending on the invention. |
| South Korea | KIPO — via PCT national phase | Tier 1 | Samsung, LG, SK Innovation — all relevant to battery and materials patents. Major AI semiconductor manufacturer. |
| India | IPO — via PCT national phase | Tier 2 | Fast-growing AI market. Large generics pharmaceutical manufacturing base — critical for medicine and vaccine patents. File for research vertical outputs. |
| Canada | CIPO — via PCT national phase | Tier 2 | Major AI research hub (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver). Proximity to US market makes enforcement practical. |
| United Kingdom | UKIPO — separate from EPO post-Brexit | Tier 2 | Major AI investment jurisdiction. DeepMind, etc. File separately from EPO to maintain UK coverage. |
| Australia | IP Australia — via PCT national phase | Tier 2 | Mining and materials manufacturing relevance for battery and materials patents. Growing AI market. |
| Brazil | INPI — via PCT national phase | Tier 3 | Largest Latin American market. Growing AI adoption. File for research verticals with Latin American manufacturing relevance. |
| Singapore | IPOS — via PCT national phase | Tier 3 | Southeast Asian AI and technology hub. Enforcement gateway for ASEAN. |
Run this checklist for every new invention. Every item must be checked before any public disclosure of any kind.
"Priority is established once. Protection is maintained forever. Enforcement is how you prove both mean something."Neuron Technologies · IP Architecture · April 25, 2026 · Eyes Only