Question

How can I obtain a patent for my invention?

Answer 1

There is a "poor man's copyright," wherein a person writes down the full details of his/her idea(s) and then sends it via letter to him/herself. This can be used as legal documentation of having had the idea before another person and can be a good way to keep your ideas safe if you haven't got the resources to completely produce your idea as of yet.

Answer 2

I don't think you can patent a mere idea. You have to make a working model. or at least a proveable blueprint of how the gizmo will definitely work.

Answer 3

It is not possible to protect ideas but rather the representation of that idea. . . NOLO is a great, free informational site. Also, be sure to read what the USPTO (United States Patent & Trademark Office) has to say about patents.. . Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can. Here are some book titles that are relevant:. . * Patent It Yourself (11th Edition) by David Pressman. * Patents and How to Get One : A Practical Handbook by U.S. Department of Commerce. * How To Make Patent Drawings Yourself: A Patent It Yourself Companion by Jack Lo. * The Inventor's Notebook: A Patent It Yourself Companion by Fred E. Grissom. . There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.. . Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 4

Well, you have to hire a patent attorney. Plan on paying a lot of money to get a patent, likely to be $20,000 or more. I would suggest you go to the US Patent Offices website, and look at the patent archives and do a search yourself to save yourself some money. You just put in key words and start looking for where someone has patented the same idea, or somethign super similar.. The website is www.uspto.gov - click over on the search link on the left