Patenting an invention

Syzygys

Syzygys

As a mother, I am telling you
Valued Senior Member
I am not sure, if this is the best subforum, but we are going to talk about patents, laws and such, so I figured, this is the closest....(well, maybe Business, then Tiassa can move it)

A few days ago I got touched by an angel and I got an idea for a new invention. I won't go into details, but it is a bathroom item and it has something to do with smell oppression. (can you smell the money?) I haven't named it yet, and I didn't do a prototype, although I have images in my mind how the end product should look. So in this thread I might blog what happens to the idea, if anything.

First a question: If anyone here invented/patented something, please share your experiences...

Second, right now I am looking at websites that helps you to make the final product, although I think the patenting is probably the first step, because why should we trust a website, just because it says so? At this moment I am researching cheap ways to patent an idea. Again, any personal experiences will be appreciated...

Third, I am generally lazy, and who knows how far this idea could be taken, (maybe not very far) so I am inclined to sell the idea quickly, instead of pursuing it as building a business. I know, some people made millions based on shit, but I am not that type...
 
Syzygys said:
I am not sure, if this is the best subforum, but we are going to talk about patents, laws and such, so I figured, this is the closest....(well, maybe business, then Tiassa can move it)

A few days ago I got touched by an angel and I got an idea for a new invention. I won't go into details, but it is a bathroom item and it has something to do with smell oppression. (can you smell the money?) I haven't named it yet, and I didn't do a prototype, although I have images in my mind how the end product should look. So in this thread I might blog what happens to the idea, if anything.

First a question: If anyone here invented/patented something, please share your experiences...

Second, right now I am looking at websites that helps you to make the final product, although I think the patenting is probably the first step, because why should we trust a website, just because it says so? At this moment I am researching cheap ways to patent an idea. Again, any personal experiences will be appreciated...
Click to expand...

I think you have to make a prototype, and you need a real patent attorney. It's not cheap.
 
The US patent office is full of drawings. You don't even need to make a working prototype. Also, you can file patents probably even online, but anyway, the point is that I bet I can file one for a few hundred bucks...

Here is Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminals leaning shoes patent filed in 1992:

smoothcriminalshoes.jpg


Edit: Just checked, here is a website where you can file for a provisional patent online on the cheap:

http://www.thoughtstopaper.com/pate...ication.html?gclid=CMO7t6XDnLICFcHe4AodVxEAGQ
 
But you need a patent attorney to determine that your invention is really new, to write it in such a way that it is defensible, and to defend against those that try to steal your idea.
 
spidergoat said:
But you need a patent attorney to determine that your invention is really new, to write it in such a way that it is defensible, and to defend against those that try to steal your idea.
Click to expand...

The above quoted website does that. Their basic patent search is $245...

As a quick cost summary, the provisional patent filing (including patent search) can cost just $520... That is not so bad....

(Site's price for filing $150, government fee $125, patent search $245)
 
spidergoat said:
You get what you pay for.
Click to expand...

Apparently, I can do the research myself for free... :)

http://www.asktheinventors.com/faq.html

"...perform both a market search and a preliminary patent search . These searches can be time consuming but it is crucially important that both be performed as thoroughly as possible before proceeding further. The good news is that both of these searches can be done for absolutely no cost at all because you can do them yourself.

Thanks god for Google Patent!:

http://support.google.com/contact/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2539193

They made the whole US Patent Office searchable. Now that's what you pay $250, when all it takes is typing in some words...
 
I patented a device in ~ 1984 (US Canadian patents now expired - public domain). Made a few $K manufacturing/selling on my own. Was worth the expense (~ $3,000.00) for attorney fees, application fees, etc. A time-consuming process and I did most of the patent search myself. If your invention "flies" . . . . I'd recommend going for an international patent. In the future, I would not likely patent the idea . . . just "Build it, and they will come!". By the time someone else tries to steal your idea, you will have come-up with new ideas, and can thus keep ahead of the leeches, who have no inventive creativity of their own.
 
No, I don't have LexisNexis, but I think Google Patent just does it fine.

As I mentioned, I don't care for pursuing the manufacturing part, so I would be happy to sell the idea for a small amount after patenting it, and if it takes off and makes a shit load of money, so be it.
 
Syzygys said:
The above quoted website does that. Their basic patent search is $245...

As a quick cost summary, the provisional patent filing (including patent search) can cost just $520... That is not so bad....

(Site's price for filing $150, government fee $125, patent search $245)
Click to expand...
Be sure you understand the difference between a patent application and a provisional application. A provisional application is not examined by the PTO, and basically only serves to prove that you had invented something by a certain day, which can be useful if you want to file an ACTUAL patent application later, which will probably cost a lot more money, and will be a much more complex process. Indeed, part of the point of a provisional application is that it cheaply and easily buys an inventor time to decide if his invention is worh the trouble and expense of an actual application, without having to worry about problems that might crop up later if he didn't file an application right away.

Bottom line: don't think that the fee quoted on that web page is the price for actually getting a patent.
 
Thanks for the clarification. Yes the fee is just for the provisional patent...
 
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