Getting a patent

[Cuervo25_1]

I have been tinkering with some fishing lure ideas and have a few promising ones. My question is how the heck to you go about getting patents ect when you dead broke? Anybody have any ideas on this? should I have my wife draw them up and describe them and date them first (my descriptive and artistic abilities stink and hers excells). Would that offer some protection?

 

[CygnusXII]

Nolo Law Resources is a one stop place for you to check out.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/patent-law

 

[kieveryuu]

The cheapest first level way is to draw up everything you need for a patent application (pics, dates, info, concept, etc) make some good copies, number them and the mail a full set to yourself. Keep this set, unopened with the package receipt and date stamp on the package, in a safe place while you proceed to the next step and an official patent filing.

This way you at least have a provable date for your idea incase someone should ever challenge you.

Hope that helps.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

The cheapest first level way is to draw up everything you need for a patent application (pics, dates, info, concept, etc) make some good copies, number them and the mail a full set to yourself. Keep this set, unopened with the package receipt and date stamp on the package, in a safe place while you proceed to the next step and an official patent filing.

This way you at least have a provable date for your idea incase someone should ever challenge you.

Hope that helps.

It has to be certified mail in an approved "security" envelope for it to even be considered in this "poor man's patent" method. Guy I knew invented a pretty cool coffee maker, did this, someone else did it, he tried to use this method and the judge threw out his case. Apparently people can open envelopes and reseal them. Who knew?

Get a lawyer and do it right. 8)

 

[monbla256]

The Patent/Copyright process is sadly no longer an easy "do it yourself" thing in today's world. To truly protect your property ( which YOUR idea IS) you need to work with a good Patent Attorney. Welcome to the 21st century :roll:

 

[Rad Davis]

Even if you get a patent, you're rarely truly protected.

I remember when the guy who invented the Weed Eater was suing everyone in sight for infringing on his patent, and the cases were dismissed because his idea was "too obvious", and therefore not patentable. There was a story about it on "60 Minutes" years ago.

Good Luck!

Rad

 

[Rob_In_MO]

Even if you get a patent, you're rarely truly protected.

Even if you go through 100% of the motions, the Chinese will just copy it anyway and sell them cheaper - patent or not... :evil:

 

[sstodvictory]

The patent statutes recently changed in the US. It is now "first to file", not "first to invent" as it was formerly. There is no chance of intellectual property rights under the current system unless you file, and then only if you defend the claims of your patent over any objections of the PTO examiner until the claims are allowed and the patent issues. If you can pay the USPTO fees it can be done without a lawyer if you know what you're doing, but you'd have to learn a lot to get it right.

Steve

 

[MartinH]

I'm a librarian and have helped countless people with this in the past. You're local library will probably have the Nolo Press "Patent Yourself" book, which is pretty much everything you'll need to file. However, you also need to search the Patent and Trademark database to make sure it isn't already on file, and searching that is pain in the a**. You can search it at the US Patent and Trademark Office

http://www.uspto.gov/

That's all I can think of for now. Good luck!

 

[loki993]

From what Ive heard its pretty expensive to get a patent. Kinda sucks. Seems silly to me too, the fact that its expensive that is, not patents in general.