Any Experience Filing for a Patent?

[Spiderman]

I'd love some advice from a patent lawyer (but I think the odds of me finding one on here are somewhere between slim and none), so I'll just ask if anybody out there has any experience filing for a patent?

TIA 8)

[rforsythe]

Dude, I keep telling you the edible Man Candy suit has probably already been done!

[MetaLord 9]

It's a Canadian Catapult that lets him get past border patrol

[Filo]

I've filed for a couple at work. We have our own patent lawyers, so the process is probably different than what you would experience. It goes something like this:

We fill out an invention disclosure - a description of the invention, what area the invention pertains to, and what we think is the patentable part of it. This includes copies of our lab notebooks that show the original dated work and has been witnessed by two other engineers (the witness statement is on each page and says "Witnessed and understood" and is dated).

The patent lawyers send their band of minions out to do a patent search. This is where they go and look for similar ideas to 1) reference as different or 2) rule out the applied for patent as viable.

They put together the patent application with circles and arrows and stick figures of the Candy Man suit.

We review it and send it off to the Patent office.

We wait, sometimes forever it seems.

That is pretty much it. Sometimes it goes through. Sometimes it takes a few revisions. The whole process takes over a year.

There are a bunch of patent lawyers who will give you a free consult if there is something specific you are wondering about. You can search your own patents at places like freepatentsonline.com.

[asp_125]

You can do a google search to see if it's been patented before:
http://www.google.com/patents?hl=en

Also just do a web search for completeness. I'm pretty sure edible underware's been done though.

[Shea]

Doesn't Frank do something along these lines (or used to)?

Anyway, my own limited experience with it was pretty expensive. But I hear LegalZoom on the radio all the time touting their wares. Might be a relatively inexpensive place to start...

http://www.legalzoom.com/trademarks-patents-copyrights/patent-overview.html

Good luck on whatever it is (make a shit load of money from it :))

[Kim-n-Dean]

...also, you can do a "provisional" patent. It costs about $80 instead of $10,000 and locks you in for a year to see if there's any market value and whatever else you might want to learn before going full tilt.

Hint - hint, I do patent drawings too, if you need them...

[TFOGGuys]

I

The patent lawyers send their band of Evil flying monkeys out to do a patent search. This is where they go and look for similar ideas to 1) reference as different or 2) rule out the applied for patent as viable.

...


http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/flying%20monkey.gif

[Spiderman]

Thanks for the input, everybody.


It's a Canadian Catapult that lets him get past border patrol
It's called a "Trebuchet"


You can do a google search to see if it's been patented before:
http://www.google.com/patents?hl=en

Also just do a web search for completeness. I'm pretty sure edible underware's been done though.
I was aware of the Google patents search, as well as the US Patent & Trademark search (http://www.uspto.gov/main/sitesearch.htm (http://www.uspto.gov/main/sitesearch.htm)), but am a bit wary of not searching thoroughly enough, missing something, and having it bite us in the ass down the road.


...also, you can do a "provisional" patent. It costs about $80 instead of $10,000 and locks you in for a year to see if there's any market value and whatever else you might want to learn before going full tilt.

Hint - hint, I do patent drawings too, if you need them...
Dean, I'll look into the provisional patent & keep you in mind for drawings. :up: 8)

[Pandora-11]

I think inquiring minds want to know what you invented.

[Spiderman]

I haven't invented anything, and I'm not at liberty to disclose the reason behind my inquiry at this time, but thanks for playing! :)

[Devaclis]

Is it purple?

Does it fit in a cooler?

[Spiderman]

:no:

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

...also, you can do a "provisional" patent. It costs about $80 instead of $10,000 and locks you in for a year to see if there's any market value and whatever else you might want to learn before going full tilt.

Hint - hint, I do patent drawings too, if you need them...
There are drawback to provisional patents. If I remember correctly, the real patent must have exactly the same claims as the provisional, you can't add any later. So, if there's a better claim you think of after the fact, you can't add it and someone else could circumvent it.

Best to talk to a lawyer. You CAN do it yourself, (NOLO press: Patent it yourself), but I'd hesitate to do it the first time. Before you spend the money on a patent, REALLY sit down and see if it's a commercially viable idea. Make a prototype and document everything about it with dates on the materials receipts. Ask people NOT your friends, unbiased observers to give honest opinions about whether they'd buy one at $X. Make sure your cost estimates for manufacture and retail are good. Make people sign non-disclosures who see it! A patent is NOT a guarantee of anything except the right to sue (at your cost) for infringement. I'm working with an Engineer here on a personal Idea I've had for a while and we might just partner up and get things rolling. Anything I find out, I'll pass on.

Best of luck bro!

[pilot]

Bob,

I have a patent research specialist in D.C.--Dennis. That is the first route you take. They know the in's and outs of the biz. He's been at it for over 30 years. After that, you move on to the attorney. Research specialists cost $$$-$, Patent attorneys cost $$$$$ and up for all-inclusive. If you are interested, PM me. If nothing else, he might be able to point you in the right direction for self-starters. Good luck with your invention submission.

BTW, Steve, an associate, did not file for a patent on his "photochromatic" face shield. Several top-end helmet and bike manufacturers have been itching for his formula to be released in the patent filing. He prefers to keep the secret sauce to himself:) He's a pretty good guy. You may want to touch bases with him through his website. He might have a few ideas for you.
http://www.wikihelmets.com/skin/frontend/default/wiki_theme/images/home/helmets.jpg (http://www.wikihelmets.com/)

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Bob,

I have a patent research specialist in D.C.--Dennis. That is the first route you take. They know the in's and outs of the biz. He's been at it for over 30 years. After that, you move on to the attorney. Research specialists cost $$$-$, Patent attorneys cost $$$$$ and up for all-inclusive. If you are interested, PM me. If nothing else, he might be able to point you in the right direction for self-starters. Good luck with your invention submission.

BTW, Steve, an associate, did not file for a patent on his "photochromatic" face shield. Several top-end helmet and bike manufacturers have been itching for his formula to be released in the patent filing. He prefers to keep the secret sauce to himself:) He's a pretty good guy. You may want to touch bases with him through his website. He might have a few ideas for you.
http://www.wikihelmets.com/skin/frontend/default/wiki_theme/images/home/helmets.jpg (http://www.wikihelmets.com/)
Excellent point Pilot. Reasarch, then patent.

Keeping the "trade secret" to himself has benefits, and drawbacks. If he can keep it and the other guys can't figure it out or another method he's golden.