What are the requirements for patent applications related to aeronautical and space activities?

For inventions related to aeronautical and space activities, applicants must file a statement with specific information if requested by the USPTO. According to 51 U.S.C. 20135:

No patent may be issued to any applicant other than the Administrator for any invention which appears to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office […] to have significant utility in the conduct of aeronautical and space activities unless the applicant files with the Director, with the application or within 30 days after request therefor by the Director, a written statement executed under oath setting forth the full facts concerning the circumstances under which the invention was made and stating the relationship (if any) of the invention to the performance of any work under any contract of the Administration.

This statement should include:

• Full facts about the circumstances of the invention’s creation
• The relationship, if any, between the invention and work performed under any NASA contract

For more information on invention disclosure, visit: invention disclosure.

For more information on patent applications, visit: patent applications.