Legal Definitions - informal drawing

An informal drawing is a preliminary visual representation, often of an invention or design, that has not yet met the strict formal requirements for official submission to a patent office or other legal body. It typically lacks the precise technical details, specific dimensions, or adherence to standardized formats required for formal legal filings.

An informal drawing refers to a selection process that is conducted without official rules, formal procedures, or strict oversight. Unlike a formal drawing, which is typically governed by established protocols to ensure fairness, transparency, and legal compliance (such as a jury selection process or a government lottery), an informal drawing is carried out in a less structured, often ad-hoc manner. While it may still aim for impartiality, it does not adhere to prescribed legal or administrative guidelines.

• Example 1: A small community theater group needs to decide which three of their ten volunteer stagehands will work the most desirable weekend performance slots. Instead of a formal scheduling process, the director writes each volunteer's name on a slip of paper, puts them into a hat, and asks an impartial person to draw three names. The selected individuals are then assigned the preferred slots.

  Explanation: This illustrates an informal drawing because the selection of stagehands is done through a random method (drawing names from a hat) but without any official, pre-defined rules, documentation, or oversight that a larger organization or formal legal process would require. It's a simple, ad-hoc way to allocate a desirable task.

• Example 2: A local library is hosting a summer reading challenge and wants to give away a few small prizes to participating children. On the last day of the challenge, the librarian collects all the entry slips from children who completed the program, places them in a large clear jar, and has a child volunteer randomly pull out five names to win gift certificates.

  Explanation: This is an informal drawing because the method of selecting prize winners is a random draw, but it's not governed by complex contest rules, legal disclaimers, or formal auditing procedures that a large-scale commercial sweepstakes would entail. It's a straightforward, casual selection process for a community event.

• Example 3: During a team-building exercise at a company retreat, the facilitator needs to divide 20 employees into four equal groups for an activity. To ensure variety and avoid self-selection, they assign each employee a number from 1 to 4 by having them pick a colored card from a shuffled deck, with each color representing a group number.

  Explanation: This scenario represents an informal drawing because the division of employees into groups is achieved through a random selection method (picking cards), but it's a casual, on-the-spot process for an internal activity, lacking any formal company policy, legal requirements, or official record-keeping typically associated with more formal allocation or selection procedures.