In applying for chemical patents in a research lab we had to document our work in official notebooks. Our work was signed by someone not in our immediate working group. If we changed anything (a misspelling, a number, or anything) we could not erase it, but instead crossed through it, initialed it, then wrote the correction. We were also encouraged to keep an idea journal. Sometimes it is important to establish who came up with an idea first, and days and hours can make a difference. But of course, the company had patent lawyers who took it from there. My boss said the best way to hide information was to put it in a patent! (because they were notoriously convoluted and hard to follow, much less interpret). There is also the term "abandoned patent" which a company chooses not to own, therefore it's in the name of the employee. (fingers still crossed here)

Just some ideas here...nothing replaces good legal advice. (the kind you pay for)