I am very new at this and I need a lot of help. I have an idea that I took to a marketing firm that could help me market and build my product for a small fee ($14,000). Of course I did not go along with this, but they atleast gave me some response to my idea. They made it very clear that I should go along with my idea and try to have it patented as soon as possible. I have no clue as to what I'm supposed to do next. I really don't have any extra money to put into this, so how could I do this? Please help me.
Thank You

mrsfort40,

Your issue is very common. In fact, I bet you called one of the companies that advertises on TV? I did the same thing when I started. You have to be careful about those and it's smart you didn't work with them. They promise every inventor the world, and don't deliver.

Since you're starting out, I suggest you begin with our 5 Stages of Inventing Guide: Stage 1. Go through each of the steps and make sure you're covering your _base_s BEFORE spending money. Hope that helps! Keep asking your questions here.

Welcome to the world of Inventing! I totally agree with el presidente. Doing some research on your idea, market research, patent search, etc. would all be a good idea and you can do that totally for free, and is absolutely the next step regardless of your budget.

Happy Inventing,
Lisa

I am just starting out and its a lot i started my patent search and wow it is very confusing please tell me were to start.

thinks sandra

Patent searching doesn't need to be confusing. Try www.google.com/patents. Use it the same way you would search the internet, key words.

Good luck!

Lisa

Hi -

I would not go ahead and patent your idea just yet!
FIrst, you need to do a patent search and I do recommend that if you are serious about bringing your idea to life that you have either a patent agent or a patent attorney perform the search for you.

Secondly, 14k gets you what with this other firm?

Before you jump in, you need to know the proper steps as Lisa and others may have mentioned to you. You can also email me and I can email you a Steps to Inventing sheet with no charge or any obligation I just think you need to get this type of info from either someone like myself or Lisa or other experienced and reputable people in the business.

Regards...Jim

I am a little late with my reply - but I feel compelled to give you some advice: So far I have successfully patented 3 ideas and have 5 more in various stages in patent pending status. I did my own search, I wrote my own patents - with a little help and coaching up front from a patent attorney. How did I do it: I invested $55.00 in two books "Patent pending in 24 hours" and "Patent it yourself"(NOLO publication). Granted I did a lot of studying and reading before I jumped - but it was a great help to me. You need to IMMEDITELY you have your idea formulated file for a Provisional Patent Application - that is the book "...24 hours". To do this is no major task, reasonably formatted text describing your invention with sketched drawings - clean and _title_d. You do this and you have a priority date once you file for a full application (must be within 12 months) AND you have your idea protected (the strongest protection you can have). This whole thing will cost you $105 appliaction fee. I filed 18 of these at one time or other. After this you do your detailed search - which you do as described in "Patent it yourself". The USPTO has great aids via internet. Hope this helps.
Volker

I guess we will have to agree to disagree...but I do appreciate your opinion!

I see no reason to spend time and money filing patents for products that you have not validated with potential buyers. If you or anyone else has plenty of free time on their hands or money to spend filing patents for ideas they come up with all the time then great but most people don't have the time or extra money to do so. I also strongly believe and have seen the disasters that come from people trying to file a full and complete patent on their own. That is like going to court without an attorney...the risk you put yourself at with infringement, etc is too great and to patent yourself to save money can be a dangerous way to proceed for sure. I stand firm by my suggestion that people ALWAYS consult with a patent agent or attorney (even attorneys I know use other attorneys to do their patent filings) and I also know you must do some form of consumer research and/or market research before you spend money filing for patents when you may not have a market for your product. Would you go for surgery without knowing if you really need it? Would you have a mechanic fix your car when you are not sure it is broken? I wouldn't...and getting your advice from a book is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. I guess I can go and buy a book about how to repair my car but that does not mean I will actually be able to do it and I know that the book is guide and cannot replace the live advice you get from an experienced professional...

Now, that being said, filing a provisional patent is not the same as filing a non provisional patent so I do not have a problem with some people filing provisionals on their own...

Anyway, I talk to hundreds of inventors a year and have seen many horror stories so it is critical for anyone to get the proper advice BEFORE taking steps into a serious business such as this.....Jim

I guess we will have to agree to disagree...but I do appreciate your opinion!

I see no reason to spend time and money filing patents for products that you have not validated with potential buyers. If you or anyone else has plenty of free time on their hands or money to spend filing patents for ideas they come up with all the time then great but most people don't have the time or extra money to do so. I also strongly believe and have seen the disasters that come from people trying to file a full and complete patent on their own. That is like going to court without an attorney...the risk you put yourself at with infringement, etc is too great and to patent yourself to save money can be a dangerous way to proceed for sure. I stand firm by my suggestion that people ALWAYS consult with a patent agent or attorney (even attorneys I know use other attorneys to do their patent filings) and I also know you must do some form of consumer research and/or market research before you spend money filing for patents when you may not have a market for your product. Would you go for surgery without knowing if you really need it? Would you have a mechanic fix your car when you are not sure it is broken? I wouldn't...and getting your advice from a book is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. I guess I can go and buy a book about how to repair my car but that does not mean I will actually be able to do it and I know that the book is guide and cannot replace the live advice you get from an experienced professional...

Now, that being said, filing a provisional patent is not the same as filing a non provisional patent so I do not have a problem with some people filing provisionals on their own...

Anyway, I talk to hundreds of inventors a year and have seen many horror stories so it is critical for anyone to get the proper advice BEFORE taking steps into a serious business such as this.....Jim

All in all - well said. You are making some very good points which I am fully agreeing with. Marketability of an invention is always a big question as much as patentability and should determine a go or no go prior to investing a great deal of money for a Patent Attorney. There are thousands and thousands of patents issued that all are written by good and not so good patent law firms which are abandoned after the first due date of maintenance fee. There are so many more applications written by good and not so good patent law firms that do not even make it to an allowance status and are abandoned after the first or final office action. And then there are the ones which are rejected. Then when one looks and studies these it becomes clear why that is. Lack of obviousness of the invention and lack of feasibility to bring it (the invention) to market. Patent law is a huge and low risk business and I question why most of these abandoned and rejected patents have been written in the first place. In how many instances has a Patent attorney adviced an inventor of not proceeding with a patenting process for his/her idea for reasons of non feasibility and/or lack of obviousnes? May be if ethics would be practiced at a greater extend by some of these attorneys and the would be inventor will take the time and effort to painstakingly study and evaluate his/her idea for worthiness and value prior to entrusting this idea to a patent law firm we all(inventors) would not have to wait 3+ years to get a patent issued in the first place.
I would advise anyone (especially the ones with a limited budget)to study "Patent it Yourself" a NOLO publication written by David Pressman, Patent Attorney and pay for some coaching by an entrusted (retired) Patent Atorney and of course do the worthiness evaluation of ones idea.
Volker

I have been involved with inventor groups for 30 years, have developed products for corporations, for myself and for entreprenuers, and there is one big lesson that stands out..... research everything. With the tools available today, the internet and the research department at the local library, you can find out if your idea is different enough to have a unique selling proposition.
With solid modelling ( design in 3D on the computer) you can get the images needed for catalogs sheets, and if it is a plastic part,you can get functional plastic parts for demo prototypes and production costs. Misto, the olive oil sprayer did 10,000,000 in sales by the second year. He tested the concept by placing a small add in Gourmet magazine. He got a great response. That and conditional orders from showing a prototype at a trade show interested a supplier to be an investor. No patents, just agressive sales and distribution.
At best, write and file a provisional and start the marketing effort. If you cant make it succesful in one year, drop it and go on to the next idea.

perhaps all of us should connect since we all seem to have been in this business quite a while.....

Jim, good idea. I would initiate although do not know how to proceed at this point. I definitively need some good advice in the marketing department for my ideas and inventions. I admit to be very slow and WEAK in this department - almost to the extent to be intimidated to do anything aggressive and PROGRESSIVE. And I will refuse to committ to any of the dozens of patent promotion/marketing firms. I do my own SolidWorks modeling and have some prototypes and am in the progress to build more. May be I can help in some of the tasks required to get a patent and help with virtual prototyping. Let's connect?
Volker

sure...call me at 770-880-2606 when you get a chance and also check out my website which is www.jimdebetta.com

Jim

Thanks, Jim - nice website. What is a good time to get a hold of you?
My P. 310-710-5812