Rayto & Zhiwen Q2 2025 Patent Quality Review: Rigorous Closed-Door Inspection Storm!

On July 18th, we convened an intensive 6-hour meeting.

The Rayto & Zhiwen Q2 2025 Patent Quality Review and Assessment, chaired by Attorney & Patent Agent Wang Yujiao, was held as scheduled.

The Rayto & Zhiwen team worked "behind closed doors" to conduct a comprehensive scan of patent cases handled over the past three months across biochemical, electrical, and mechanical fields. All patent agents firm-wide participated to strictly scrutinize patent quality. po

This quarter, we completed over 400 patent cases and randomly selected 34 for quality inspection.

Such internal meetings are held quarterly. Unlike previous sessions which leaned more towards showcasing achievements, this time Rayto & Zhiwen significantly intensified the quality assessment focus.

In the meeting room, patent agents from Nanjing, Suzhou, Changzhou, and Hefei sat together, jointly examining drafting quality, enforceability potential, and invalidation vulnerabilities, rigorously "grilling" the patent quality with key questions:

1. If this patent faces an invalidation challenge in the future, will it hold up?

2. Three or five years down the line during enforcement, will this claim still clearly and powerfully protect the innovation?

3. Imperfect technical methods or products from clients are the norm – how do we achieve the most comprehensive protection possible?

The Rayto Patent Quality (Qualified) Standard served as the benchmark for this quality storm. Meeting the standard is merely the startingint; surpassing it is required to earn "Average," "Good," or "Excellent" ratings. Falling below the standard line results in a "Fail" judgment.

Some might ask, isn't a granted patent sufficient?

At Rayto & Zhiwen, we believe a granted patent only signifies legal passage. Whether it possesses long-term offensive and defensive strength requires case-by-case analysis. Our opponents are numerous – they could be highly specialized patent agents or breakthrough innovators from other industries.

During the meeting, Attorney & Patent Agent Yu Wanping provided detailed critiques on chemical patent cases, highlighting areas for improvement, which we'd like to share:

1. Overly broad independent claim scope, lacking support from the description or missing essential technical features;

2. Unclear claims, e.g., ambiguous references like "said" without clear antecedents;

3. Relatively weak descriptions of specific mechanisms of action and effects in the specification;

4. Unreasonable setup of examples and comparative examples in the specification, failing to adequately support the claim scope.

Suggestions and requirements were also provided:

1. Examples should fully support the scope of the claims.

2. Data from examples and comparative examples should sufficiently support the technical effects claimed in the application, thereby substantiating inventiveness.

3. Data between examples, and between examples and comparative examples, must be carefully cross-checked.

4. Ensure consistency between patent data and data in the applicant's prior (or even subsequent) published papers – upholding the principle of good faith.

Beyond chemical cases, Patent Agents Xiang Ni and Wei Chaofeng also provided critiques on electrical and mechanical patent cases respectively. This covered aspects like claim drafting, background analysis, advantageous effects, examples, drawings, and included a comprehensive quality comparison between 2024 and 2025 cases.

After 6 hours of intensive review and discussion against the Rayto standard, the team deeply analyzed and learned from the 34 cases.

Attorney Jiang Haijun consistently advocates for "doing what is difficult yet right."

What is "difficult"? While others might spend one unit of effort to complete a case, Rayto invests three times the effort. Even if short-term results aren't immediately visible, this commitment yields higher market recognition for patent quality in the long run.

While others compete on patent quantity, Rayto persists in competing on patent quality. Attorney Jiang Haijun firmly believes that this "long-termism" will lead to greater development for the team.

The nation's increasing emphasis on patent quality enhancement is evident to all.

By holding quarterly patent quality reviews, Rayto & Zhiwen continuously elevates patent drafting standards. This is both a response to the national call and a commitment to responsible team development.

Being more rigorous about patent quality today means providing clients with more confidence in their patent portfolios tomorrow.