How to patent?

[chevelle]

Have any of you every patented an idea? I have 2 ideas, i would like to patent, but don't have the financial means to pay for an attorney.

Can this be done by yourself? If so, can any of you steer me in the right direction?

Thanks-

 

[penkitten]

http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneursstartupsmagazine/2002/february/48746.html
Top 10 Patent Myths

 

[backbreaker]

i know a lawyer I can put you in touch with that is (actually kinda cute) that can take care of it for like $120 bucks.

 

[Bible_Belt]

Yeah, right, a $120 patent app. Good luck with that.

The first step is to search to see if your ideas have already been patented.

http://www.uspto.gov/

You can write your own patent, but if you screw it up, you'll get rejected and have to pay the filing fees again.

A very rough estimate would be 3-5 thousand for a lawyer to file an application for you. Even if you get the patent, you still have to pay over a thousand bucks a year to keep it. They do this to encourage you to develop the invention and not sit on the idea. Consider what it would take to build a prototype and begin production. For a very simple invention, one person might be able to do it themselves. For complex inventions, it can take a lot of money.

http://www.itspatentable.com/patentprocess.html#how
The cost of the entire process of obtaining a patent for a simple invention including fees payable to the Patent Office and to the attorney will be at least $5,500, assuming that your patent is allowed on a first examination. If the claims are not accepted on the first examination, the cost will increase. The complexity of the invention will increase the cost of writing the patent.

 

[backbreaker]

not for a patent app, I'm reffering to a trademark. which I would do before even considering going with a patent.

my company or old one, was built on one idea and concept that had to be patented. however, this took about a year. Trademarks don't take a year.

the patent itself ended up being about 7 grand