Hi:

Well, I've taken the plunge, and I have an idea that I think can be turned into an invention. It's nothing big, but I've heard of lesser ideas that not only sold well, but became a new standard for improving life in general.

Now that I'm here, I know that I need to take immediate steps to protect my intellectual property.

What I don't know yet, is how to get a patent search. Is this something like doing a "Name search" so that you can make sure someone is not already doing it?

Is the patent search the first step towards getting your own patentable idea protected?

At this point I don't even know what questions to ask, so I guess I'll poke around in this web site and see if I can get some more info. Then, I'll come back with more questions, I'm sure.

Absolutely. All you need to do is go to www.USPTO.gov and click on the _link_ that says Patents. From there follow the _link_s to do a basic boolean search. Good luck! Lisa Lloyd