We've actually defended patents
Over 100 patent litigations since 1989 — 28 bench trials, 9 jury trials, 17 appeals, and 23 USPTO trial proceedings. We know which drafting choices hold up under pressure and which don't.
Patent attorneys · New York, NY
Most patents are drafted by people who've never had to defend one.
We've spent 37 years on both sides — drafting patents, defending patents, and taking them apart in court. We write for the day someone comes after yours.
- 28
- Bench trials
- 9
- Jury trials
- 17
- Appeals
- 23
- USPTO trial proceedings
- 300+
- Patent filings
What we do
We draft patents that hold up when someone attacks them
Ironclad Patents prepares, files, and prosecutes U.S. patent applications — utility, provisional, and design — from your first sketch through to an issued patent. What makes us different is where we learned the job.
Flat fees, agreed before we start
You approve a fixed number in writing before any work begins. Billing by the hour rewards drafting that drags on — flat fees mean we'll move fast and get it done well.
You work directly with the attorney who drafts it
The attorney who takes your disclosure is the one who writes the application — the same person, start to finish. No re-explaining your invention to an associate you've never met.
We'll tell you not to file
If the prior art is bad, the market window is too short, or infringement would be undetectable, you'll hear it.
Services
First search to issued patent
Utility patents
Full applications, with claims built for allowance and durability.
Provisional applications
A filing date and patent pending — drafted properly, because a thin one protects nothing.
Design patents
How a product looks. Fast, inexpensive, consistently underrated.
Freedom-to-operate
Whether you can ship without infringing someone else's claims.
Portfolio audits
What you already own: what's strong, what's hollow, what's fixable.
Office action responses
Rejections are routine. Responding without surrendering scope is the skill.
Patent Eligibility Test
Test your idea before you spend a dollar
Eight questions, three minutes, scored against the real requirements — novelty, non-obviousness, subject matter, and the one-year deadline that catches most inventors out. Free, and nothing is sent to us unless you want it to be.
How we work
Why our patents hold up when others don't
Most patent attorneys have only ever filed applications — they've never had to stand behind one in court. Here's what that actually changes, in plain terms.
We don't bet everything on one claim
Most applications lean on one broad claim and hope it survives. We write a series of claims instead, each one still worth owning on its own — so if a competitor finds one weak spot, you don't lose the whole patent over it.
We write for the day it gets challenged
Years from now, if there's ever a dispute, a judge will decide what your patent covers based only on what you wrote — not on what you meant. So we write every application as if that day is already coming: clear definitions, real examples, nothing left vague for someone else to argue about later.
We check you can actually sell it
Owning a patent doesn't automatically mean you're free to sell your product — someone else's patent might still block you. We check for that early, while it's still cheap to change course.
Packaging
Two ways to work with us
Same drafting. Different depth. Litigation-Ready adds the analysis that pays off if your patent gets challenged.
Standard Filing
$7,000–$11,000Attorney fees, plus USPTO fees
- Invention disclosure interview
- Prior art search and written opinion
- Full specification and claim set
- Formal USPTO drawings
- Filing and full deadline docketing
Right for: a first patent in an uncrowded field, or a defensive filing.
Compare tiersLitigation-Ready
$14,000–$24,000Attorney fees, plus USPTO fees
- Everything in Standard, plus:
- Claim-strength review against invalidity theories
- Tiered fallback claims
- Competitor landscape mapped before drafting
- Freedom-to-operate flags on your product
- Claim construction memo
- Estoppel budget on every amendment
Right for: diligence, crowded fields, or if you expect to enforce.
Start your applicationProof, not adjectives
Where patents actually break
Six real cases. Six claims invalidated over wording that seemed fine when it was filed.
Claimed as an abstract idea
Patents written around a business idea instead of a technical fix can be thrown out completely — even after they've issued.
Indefinite claim language
Vague words like "about" or "substantially" can void a claim if nothing in the patent explains exactly what they mean.
Accidental means-plus-function
Generic words like "module" can legally shrink your claim down to only the exact version you described — or void it if you never described one.
Scope surrendered in prosecution
Narrowing a claim to satisfy an examiner can permanently give up the ground you narrowed away — even if you didn't realize you were giving it up.
Your own wording defines your claim
Courts read your patent's own description to decide what your claims actually cover. Loose wording today becomes someone else's argument years later.
Claiming more than you explained
If your patent claims more than it actually teaches how to build, the whole claim can be thrown out — even when the invention itself is real.
Free consultation
Tell us what you've built
Ten minutes on the form, an honest answer within one business day — including "don't file," when that's the right call.