This week, we shipped new products focused primarily on ease of use. These include a more organized Editor, updates to references, and improvements for disclosures.
Organization in the Editor
Our Editor is the main interface for your patent. So we made our Editor easier to use than before.
Now, all of the formatting functions are more organized in a ribbon. Just highlight the text you want to edit and you can choose from common functions, like bold, header, and a list.
Math equations
We’ve also added a technical feature: equations! The equations work with LaTeX formatting.
You can now add equations in one of two ways:
Type “$”, then type the equation, then type another “$” and press space. The LaTeX will format automatically.
Write the equation in LaTeX but without the dollar signs. You can highlight the equation and press the “f(x)” button, which will automatically turn it into a formula.
If it doesn’t render, that isn’t a bug; it means there is a LaTeX error that must be corrected
References
We have also made significant improvements to references.
Before, you needed to use the “@” tag to invoke a reference. Now, a reference will automatically be created when you type “claim 1,” “figure 2A,” and even labels for figures. This also applies to multiple items, like “Figures 2A and 2B” or “Claims 1-4.”
You can also click or hover over a reference to see what it contains. This makes patent drafts far easier to read.
Lastly, we have added the ability to add a second viewing column.
Here’s how:
Press “references” on the right
A tray will pop out with claims and figures
View whatever you need while drafting
If you want to view the labels on a figure, click on that figure
Improvements to disclosures
Disclosures are an important part of the patent process, and we have made several improvements to the Edge disclosure tool.
Appendix
Edge now supports an Appendix in its disclosure tool.
If you look at the section list on the left, you will now see a section called “Appendix.” The Appendix contains the files an inventor might add at the bottom of the disclosure form.
If you go to the Appendix you can not only see a list of files, along with any notes on those files, but you can also see previews of images. If you have upload a schematic, for example, you can view those images easily while reviewing the disclosure itself.
Export to .docx
You can now export the disclosure to a .docx format! While you could already share an Edge disclosure to a teammate, you might want to send it in other circumstances. For example, you might not want to connect with a client directly on the platform.
To do so, press the “Download” button on the left. You will get a .zip file that contains all of the disclosure material in a .docx format, as well as any files in the Appendix.