Design for Patentability Fundamentals

Design for Patentability® (DFP) is a practical methodology that integrates engineering design with patent strategy. It helps create products and processes that are not only functional and cost-effective but also highly likely to meet patentability criteria – right from the start.

This book introduces the key principles and tools of DFP, showing how to design solutions that stand out in the market and can be protected with strong patents. It’s ideal for engineers, inventors, entrepreneurs, and IP professionals who want to design with commercial success in mind.

DFP is not a legal tool – it’s an engineering methodology. But thanks to its unique integration of patent logic into the design process, it’s also highly valuable for IP professionals seeking to strengthen collaboration between inventors and patent teams.

You can use DFP to develop entirely new products, improve existing ones, work around competitive patents, strengthen your own IP, and identify opportunities for strategic patenting.

The method is taught in the IP for Design Master’s program by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and used by R&D teams, startups, and universities worldwide.

 

Scope of the book

 

Legal background for DFP

Design for Patentability focuses on the engineering aspects of patenting, but working with them requires a solid understanding of legal concepts as well.In addition to core terms like patentability, patent infringement, and freedom to operate (FTO), this section explains the structure of a patent, including the distinction between independent and dependent claims.

 

DFP strategies

Strategies used for protecting or strengthening IP can take many forms. An engineering approach described in the book addresses how to deal with competing patents – both those that can be circumvented and those that cannot, how to reinforce one’s own patents, and how to develop hybrids with high patentability potential. What sets DFP apart from the traditional legal approach is that it views patents through the eyes of designers and innovators. Rather than focusing on claim language and legal interpretations, DFP analyzes the technical construction of a solution: its components, functions, and operating principles. The worlds of engineering and law intersect in a patent, but they approach it from entirely different perspectives.

 

Problem-solving tools

Contradiction matrix

The contradiction matrix is a tool to deal with engineering contradictions – situations where improving one parameter of the system leads to the deterioration of another.

Developed through the analysis of hundreds of thousands of patents, the matrix provides a set of recommended solution models, known as inventive principles, for each contradiction.

Algorithm for resolving physical contradiction

The algorithm for resolving physical contradictions is a tool designed to generate typical models of inventive solutions for problems modeled as physical contradictions. These contradictions arise when two opposing requirements are imposed on a single parameter within an engineering system.

And others…

The book also presents selected creativity methods, history of the development of TRIZ, as well as practical advice on identifying and using resources in creating innovative solutions.

 

About the authors

This book is the result of work by an experienced team of TRIZ specialists from various fields. These professionals are actively engaged in implementing innovative projects based on state-of-the-art TRIZ. Their long-standing collaboration in the field of innovation has led to impressive results across North and South America, Asia, and Europe.

The team has trained thousands of professionals through a wide range of courses – from foundational methodology training to advanced TRIZ implementation – aimed at boosting innovation within organizations. The insights shared in this book are drawn from the authors’ valuable hands-on experience gained through consulting projects for companies such as Samsung, Hyundai, Intel, Procter & Gamble, General Motors, and many others.

 

Sergei Ikovenko

One of the world’s leading consultants in technological innovation, with nearly 40 years of experience in the field. TRIZ Master and Chairman of the Council on Expertise and Methodology (CEM) at MATRIZ. Associate Professor at MIT (Cambridge, USA), Tufts University (Boston, MA), and Tongji University in Shanghai (Intellectual Property College); Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh (UK). Lecturer of TRIZ seminars at Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Caltech, and other top educational institutions around the world.

Magdalena Krupinska

Experienced trainer and certified TRIZ (Level 3). Co-author of TRIZ textbooks and the MATRIZ online knowledge base. Serves as Scientific Secretary at MATRIZ. She applies her knowledge and skills not only in developing educational materials and popular science articles but also in R&D projects – where she leads and coordinates an analytical team and actively contributes to ongoing project work. She holds a degree in design from the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz / Poland.

Malgorzata Przymusiala

Graduate of the Department of Philology at the University of Lodz (Lodz, Poland), member of international project teams in 6 Sigma and SAP corporate implementations, Level 3 of MATRIZ certification (TRIZ Practitioner). Interested in new developments in medical technology. Enjoys traveling and discovering new places, stories, and flavors.

Sergey Yatsunenko

PhD in Physics who combines analytical thinking with a passion for innovation and technology. An expert in intellectual property and patent strategy, actively involved in advancing and promoting TRIZ. President and board member of MATRIZ. His daily work focuses on developing and implementing innovation, but his passion goes far beyond day-to-day responsibilities. He eagerly shares his expertise with companies around the world – from start-ups to global corporations.

Mark Barkan

Professor of the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Level 5 of MATRIZ certification (TRIZ Master), a Presidium Member and Executive Director of MATRIZ, with 50 years of experience in innovation (developing solutions, teaching activities) with various manufacturing and construction companies. An expert in the development of the creative and critical thinking skills in people of every age.

Piotr Karendal

Department of Social Sciences of the University of Silesia (Katowice, Poland) graduate, author of numerous scientific articles and studies on innovation, Level 3 of MATRIZ certification (TRIZ Practitioner). A passionate skier and a lover of Japanese culture and fantasy.

Serhiy Kobyakov

Ph.D. in physics (Institute of Physics, the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland). Involved in experimental research on solid-state physics at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University (Warsaw, Poland), Level 3 of MATRIZ certification (TRIZ Practitioner), avid photographer.

Jerzy Obojski

Graduate of the University of Warmia and Mazury (Olsztyn, Poland), mechanical engineer, Level 3 of MATRIZ certification (TRIZ Practitioner). Inventor, enthusiast of engineering challenges, collector of logic puzzles.

Zakhar Vintman

Former lecturer and rector of the National University of Science and Technology in Dnipro (Ukraine), former director of Vector, a scientific and technical center, lecturer (innovative technologies and creative development) at the Knowledge Association. TRIZ consultant, as well as a TRIZ Champion recognized for his achievements in spreading knowledge related to TRIZ.