Sknzfan Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 I have a Pretty good Idea....and I was wondering how I go about Keeping it as MY Idea ? If I tell anyone about it then I would lose out on Any $$$ ....Do I need a Patent Attorney ? Please tell me their is a Simpler LESS EXPENSIVE way.....? It is NOT a LIFE Saving Invention just a No-Brainer Invention that I haven't seen before..... Any Help or Suggestion's would/are Appreciated...!!! Thanx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Why don't you start by telling me your suggestion... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sknzfan Posted March 28, 2005 Author Share Posted March 28, 2005 Originally posted by zoony Why don't you start by telling me your suggestion... Well, Where to begin...it came to me Early Sunday Morning and I ALREADY have a Prototype...... Does that help ? :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimster Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 I believe filing for a patent before you try to sell or produce the idea is enough as far as legal recourse if someone were to try to steal it, but I'm sure you could find out by doing some searching in Google,etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead Money Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 From what I understand it can be an expensive ordeal. Be wary of the invention hotlines and websites, I have heard that they are known for stealing ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 I worked for a company back in high school that did proto types. We did all the leg work for the cliants, patent searches, marketing research, and build the proto. This can cost a bunch, and with the internet now, you can do a lot yourself. I've seen a company on TV that offers the services, and if you get on the site for the US Patent office you should get a good Idea of where to start. I know you don't need a proto type to get a patent, just an idea and drawings. While the idea may seem like a no brainer to you, it may not to the general public, so marketing research is inportant. You don't want to lose your shirt on a product that won't sell, do your homework. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thiebear Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 My ex had an idea of One baby bottle cap segmented so they fit ALL baby bottles. Theres like 4-5 really that we found.. Got the paperwork off the internet to do it herself from the Government site. She was about 2 months short before it came out.... Almost a duplicate.. Don't tell anyone about my menthol beer... shhhhhh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 menthol beer... :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chomerics Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 I have a few patents, but it is not an easy process. There are certain things you must do before you can have one issued, that's why it is beneficial to have a patent attourney. BTW, I used a patent attourney through my company to get the patent, but the company owns the rights to my patents. You must research if there is another patent covering your invention. this is VERY time consuming. If there is a similar one, you have to explain how this invention is different, and why it should merit a patent of its own. You can find out basically all the information you need here. http://www.uspto.gov/ You should also look at the fees associated with a patent (note, you only have to pay SOME of these fees, not all of them) http://www.uspto.gov/go/fees/fee2005mar15.htm good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sknzfan Posted March 28, 2005 Author Share Posted March 28, 2005 Thanx for the Input....it looks VERRRRRRRRRRRRRY Expensive......I'll look into it more..... Thanx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnyderShrugged Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 You could go to the Fat Robot in the animated film "Robots". I heard he helped young inventors. Seriously, I think the patent office could help you through the preliminaries. Stay away from the scammers and don't spill your idea until you have it protected. It isnt my idea is it? Why don't we have one single machine that washes and dries your laundry yet? Why do we need two? I know there is the stackable kind, but if we can put people into space, wby can't we create one stupid machine that does both jobs? hmmmmmm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjah Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 I filed for a patent in late 2001, and I'm still in the process of waiting for the USPTO to get it done. My application is a bit more involved than most, and it's in a crowded part of the patentsphere, but you should still expect to wait a long time to actually get your patent (assuming the application is accepted, which you won't know until after you wait). Do the hours and hours of research legwork FIRST. Then spend your money. Also consider whether it's worth it to patent the thing in the first place. Are you looking to make money from it? If so, are you willing to put in the time, money and effort to make it financially worthwhile, or do you have an exit strategy that involves selling the patented idea to someone else? Who would that be and what would they pay for it? Why would they want it enough to pay for it? Are there other people out there doing similar things? Will they duplicate your invention in the near future? Are you sure you understand how much effort it would require to make the whole thing happen? Oh, and is the thing patentable? Eliminate as much guesswork as you can ahead of time. Talk with a patent lawyer, a lawyer familiar with starting concept-driven businesses and a good accountant. You should be able to get an initial consultation with all of these people for little or no money. But don't give the idea away, obviously. Describe in vague terms what general part of someone's life it would improve, how much it would cost to make/buy (e.g., between $10 and $25) and how big a market you think it could realistically find. Give order-of-magnitude estimates in response to pointed questions. None of these people should require any real detail about the idea during an initial consultation. If they claim they do, then go elsewhere. They probably have little interest in stealing your idea and running with it, but a bit of unjustified paranoia goes a long way at this stage. I'm not a fan of the TV "invention assistance" companies. I had a bad experience with a bizarre high-pressure sales job from one of them, and vowed not to bother with them anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLusby Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Patents are a waste of time unless you have deep pockets to defend them. If you have a great idea someone will copy it. The global markets do not care about U.S. patents and some (China) could care a less about Int'l patents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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