Form 1679 at a glance
What it is: NASA Form 1679 is the Disclosure of Invention and New Technology (Including Software) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Who signs: TYPED NAME AND SIGNATURE (Innovator #1), (Innovator #2), (Innovator #3) and (Witness #1), each with a DATE. NASA in-house disclosures should be read, understood and signed by a technically competent witness in the witness signature block at the end of this form.
This is an important legal document. Carefully complete and forward to the Patent Representative (NASA in-house innovation) or New Technology Representative (contractor/grantee innovation) at NASA.
Use of this report form by contractor/grantee is optional; however, an alternative format must at a minimum contain the information required herein.
A filled-in Form 1679 example: a contractor reports a sensor
How to fill out Form 1679, box by box
Boxes 1 to 4, the technology, the innovators and their employers
Under 1. NEW TECHNOLOGY TITLE, enter the title.
Under 2. INNOVATOR(S), for each innovator provide: Name, Title, Work Phone Number, Org Code, and Work E-mail Address. If multiple innovators, number each to match Box 5.
Under 3. Innovator's employer when innovation was made--place of performance, for each innovator provide: Name, Department/Division and Address of Employer.
Under 4. CURRENT EMPLOYER INFORMATION, enter the address(es) where the innovator is currently employed.
Boxes 5 and 6, employer status and contract information
Under 5. EMPLOYER STATUS, GE = Government, CU = College or University, NP = Non-Profit Organization, SB = Small Business Firm, LE = Large Entity.
Under 6. CONTRACT/GRANT INFORMATION, choose one for each innovator: Grant/Cooperative Agreement No., Prime Contract No. or Subcontract.
Boxes 6a, 6b and 7, inventor, roles and the representative
6a. Is this innovator an inventor on this technology? An Inventor is defined as: An individual who creatively contributed in the making of the invention such as: helped conceive an element or step of the invention or helped conceive any new improvements on an element or step of the invention.
Under 6b, for each Innovator, select all roles that apply: POC, Software Author, Contributor.
Under 7. CONTRACTOR/GRANTEE NEW TECHNOLOGY REPRESENTATIVE (POC) and ADDITIONAL REVIEWERS, provide Name, E-mail, Company, Contract and role.
Boxes 8 to 11, the description
Under 8. BRIEF ABSTRACT, describe your technology.
Under 9. Description of the problem or objective that motivated the innovation's development, a general description of problem/objective or unique problem characteristics.
Under 10. TECHNICALLY COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF INNOVATION, the purpose and description of innovation/software and explanation of mode of operation referring to drawings, sketches, photographs, graphs, flow charts, and/or parts or ingredient lists illustrating the components; functional operation; alternate embodiments of the innovation/software and supportive theory.
Under 11. UNIQUE OR NOVEL FEATURES, provide brief details focused on what component(s) or method step(s) differentiate(s) the new technology from other similar technologies (aka the “secret sauce”).
Include as attachments any presentations, images, flowcharts, etc. that help identify the unique component(s) or method step(s).
If there are no unique component(s) and method step(s) (e.g. NTR submitted only for software release), state “None.”
Boxes 12 and 13, commercialization and significance
Under 12. COMMERCIALIZATION POTENTIAL, identify other applications for this technology beyond the specific NASA use. What type of industries would be most applicable for this technology? Are there related commercial products that you're aware of that would benefit from this technology? List any companies that you've contacted, or think may be interested in using this technology.
Under 13. DEGREE OF TECHNOLOGY SIGNIFICANCE, which best expresses the degree of technological significance of this innovation: Modification to Existing Technology, Substantial Advancement in the Art or Major Breakthrough.
Boxes 14 and 15, questions for software only and state of development
Under 14. QUESTIONS FOR SOFTWARE ONLY, mark YES or NO. a. Does this technology include custom software, developed wholly or in part under NASA funding? b. Is this technology primarily a software product or computer program technology (versus primarily a hardware technology)? c. Could the software be used or adapted for other applications outside of your project?
d. Does the software contain any embedded, third-party code? YES or NO. e. Does the software call any third-party code when it runs? YES or NO. If yes, list each third-party code by title and version, under what license they were obtained, and either cut and paste the license or provide the URL for the license to the downloaded version of the third-party code.
f. Can the software be distributed without third-party code? YES or NO. g. Copyright registered? YES, NO or UNKNOWN. If yes, then by whom?
h. Are there any programmatic restrictions or other sensitivities that impact release/distribution of the software (e.g., contains Government sensitive information/command and control/spaceflight software, etc.)? YES, NO or UNKNOWN. If yes, explain.
i. State of Development (for software only): Concept Only, Requirement Phase, Design Phase, Code Completed, Code Testing Complete or Used in Current Work.
15. STATE OF DEVELOPMENT (For software only, complete State of Development in question 14i.): Concept Only, Design, Prototype, Modification, Production Model or Used in Current Work.
Boxes 16 to 18, documentation, restrictive notices and disclosures
Under 16. ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, include copies or list any pertinent documentation which aids in the understanding or application of the innovation (e.g., articles, contractor reports, engineering specs, assembly/manufacturing drawings, parts or ingredients list, operating manuals, test data, assembly/manufacturing procedures, etc.).
17. Does the invention or software being reported contain any restrictive notices or other indication that it includes proprietary/restricted information of a non-Government entity? (copyright, proprietary, applicable licenses, Limited Rights/Restricted Rights, SBIR rights, etc.)? Yes or No. If yes, indicate type(s).
18. Are there any publications or public disclosures to report for this technology? Yes or No. If yes, list each public disclosure, including planned disclosures. (Include Title of Disclosure, Type of Disclosure, Disclosure By and Date of Disclosure, Location of Disclosure, Link to Document and Additional Information):
Boxes 19 to 22, protection, related technologies, funding and contributions
19. Has any intellectual property protection (patents or copyright) been sought for this technology? Yes or No. If yes, enter information on any prior patents or patent applications disclosing or related to this new technology (list Application Serial Number, Application Filing Date, Patent Number and Patent Issue date):
20. Does this technology have any related technologies (past or current New Technology Reports)? Yes or No. If yes, list Case Number and Titles:
21. Funding Mission directorate: Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, Science Mission Directorate, Space Technology Mission Directorate or Other. Project Name: Unknown; the project this technology has been developed under is unknown. Not applicable; this technology is not associated with a funded project.
Under 22. Contribution of innovators, if jointly developed, provide the contribution of each innovator.
Box 23, signatures of innovators, witnesses and NASA approval
23. SIGNATURES OF INNOVATOR(S), WITNESS(ES), AND NASA APPROVAL: TYPED NAME AND SIGNATURE (Innovator #1), (Innovator #2), (Innovator #3), (Innovator #4), (Witness #1) and (Witness #2), each with a DATE.
NASA APPROVED: TYPED NAME, SIGNATURE, DATE.
More rules for Form 1679
In completing each section, use whatever detail deemed appropriate for a “full and complete disclosure.” When necessary, attach additional documentation to provide a full, detailed description.
Sources
[1] NASA Form 1679 (May 2018), Disclosure of Invention and New Technology (Including Software), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (the Official source link on this page).