Anyone ever file for a patent

copertop80 · Jan 22, 2012

So it's getting close to time to file for a patent on one of the many ideas I've got running around in this scary place I call my mind. I've contacted a good patent atty. but the costs, thus far, have been a deturant to me. Anyone ever file their own patent and if so are there any tips, tricks, and or pittfalls to watch out for. I am going to file a pending so I can put it out there to see what kind of interests are out there in my product.

thanks in advance.

bsdubois00 · Jan 22, 2012

Get ready to spend a lot. I've done the research. It's not cheap to do it right. Be prepared for your first filing to be denied also. It almost always is.

benjamin-benjamin · Jan 22, 2012

i have done 2 patents but both with a patent lawyer, if you ideas are good then don't try to do it on your own and get screwed... to do the patent pending it should only be around 2 to 3 and then if you idea doesn't work then you don't have to file for the full patent....

drmitchgibson · Jan 22, 2012

You need at least $10K cash for a patent lawyer to take your case up, do the research, pay the fees, etc. Get ready for a long haul, and possible huge disappointment. I had a few patentable ideas, but no money. The best way to do it, if you have an idea for a product, is to make it or have it made, sell it, and use the funds to finance the patent. Document everything in case someone copies it. If someone copies it, you'll need way the hell more than $10K in raw cash to defend your idea, and if you've infringed upon someone else's patent, you'll also need that money to either license their idea, or start a new business.

benjamin-benjamin · Jan 22, 2012

Mitch Gibson said:
You need at least $10K cash for a patent lawyer to take your case up, do the research, pay the fees, etc.

for a full patent, but not with the initial filing, if the idea bombs then you are only out about 2500 or less..

sefentress · Jan 23, 2012

If you can use a patent atty who has been HIGHLY recomended and if you are SURE your idea has commercial potential for payback, otherwise its expensive and frustrating

The Antichrome · Jan 24, 2012

I have a buddy who is currently engrossed in a lawsuit over his patent. He invented an item, spent thousands on the patenting process, went to a manufacturer, who immediately ripped the idea off. His lawyer says he could win, but it'll take years. The best he can hope for is a modest settlement offer which may be enough to cover most of the legal expenses. So while he searches for another lawyer a chinese company also copies the product...and the saga continues.

I've worked in the outdoor gear industry for years. Many many of my ideas have made it to the market place. Some were products or tweaks, some were names or marketing ideas. But I have never been paid a dime for any of them, or even been given credit (well there are a couple of exceptions)

I have a couple of fantastic, simple, product design ideas...and I know the people who could bring them to the market. But I'd like to be paid for them and get credit for them. But the process works against you.

I guess my point is that the patent process is stifling to ingenuity.

jtischauser · Feb 6, 2012

10k is the number my former employer three around for a full patent as well. My take on patents after seeing lots of law suits and threats of law suits over patent infringement is that a patent is a road map for reverse engineering another product that is slightly different and sometimes better than the original product you spent a bunch of money trying to protect.