Who qualifies as an inventor?
The USPTO's inventorship guidance focuses on contribution to conception of the claimed invention. Funding a project or carrying out another person's instructions does not, by itself, establish inventorship. Start with the claims and contemporaneous records of each person's contribution.
How can an issued patent be corrected?
Under 35 U.S.C. 256(a), the USPTO may correct an error on application of all the parties and assignees with the required proof. Section 256(b) also permits a court to order correction after notice and a hearing of the concerned parties. The America Invents Act removed the former deceptive-intention language effective September 16, 2012. That deleted condition should not be used as the current correction standard.
Does correction settle ownership?
Inventorship and ownership require separate review. Section 261 permits written assignments of patent rights, while section 262 supplies a default rule for joint owners in the absence of an agreement to the contrary. Review employment, consulting, and assignment documents alongside the contribution evidence before assuming a correction creates particular licensing rights.
What should I gather?
Preserve dated notebooks, design records, correspondence, drafts, and signed agreements. Organize them around the claimed subject matter and the claimed contribution. Do not rewrite historical records to fit a preferred inventorship list.