How to Onboard Patent Assistants with Drawing Duties — Fast

Drawing Tasks Shouldn’t Be a Bottleneck

Patent attorneys often rely on assistants to manage filing logistics, disclosures, and correspondence. But what if they could also reliably support drawing preparation, editing, and annotation?

That possibility is real—and practical—when the right tools and approach are used.

Why Drawing Support Usually Fails

Most drawing tools (especially CAD systems) require:

• Too much training
• Too many steps for small changes
• Specialized formatting knowledge

This makes it impractical to onboard assistants quickly. As a result, firms either outsource all drawing tasks or keep them limited to a drafter—creating unnecessary back-and-forth and delays for simple edits.

A Better Approach: Simplified Drawing Tasks in Visio

By using a streamlined Visio setup tailored for patent work, assistants can be trained to:

• Add, remove, and adjust shapes
• Insert reference numbers and lead lines
• Annotate invention photos or screenshots
• Apply consistent formatting
• Export figures in submission-ready format

These tasks can be taught in days, not weeks, with a structured process and a curated stencil library.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Here’s how onboarding works in a real-world team:

🔹 Week 1 – Basic Orientation

• Learn Visio navigation and zoom controls
• Practice dragging and aligning basic shapes
• Insert, scale, and crop invention photos

🔹 Week 2 – Annotation Tasks

• Use annotation stencils to apply reference numbers
• Adjust lead lines cleanly
• Duplicate and reuse figure layouts

🔹 Week 3+ – Real Figure Assignments

• Apply skills on flowcharts, block diagrams, or process figures
• Begin internal figure prep for review
• Collaborate with attorneys for revisions

No advanced design skill needed. The key is structured tools + focused training.

What Teams Gain

• ✅ Reduce delays for simple drawing updates
• ✅ Save hours of attorney time during drafting and prosecution
• ✅ Handle more drawing work in-house—without increasing headcount
• ✅ Build repeatable workflows that don’t rely on one drafter or tool

Even better, assistants become more valuable contributors by owning a concrete part of the patent workflow.

Teaching Assistants is Easier Than You Think

At IP DaVinci’s Patent Drawing School, we designed our Visio training to support exactly this need:

• No CAD required
• Only teach the features relevant to patent figures
• Reinforced with practical practice files and templates
• Works for assistants, paralegals, and junior staff

The result is a consistent, scalable way to onboard team members with drawing duties—quickly.