so i need help?

[mnwildpunk]

Please no ney sayers I work with a lot of cars that have no power steering and are a pain to drive. So I came up with an invention I guess u would call it to make my life easier and my wife thinks its a million $ idea (ha ha) I know its not but it does help. so I'm asking what should my next step be? Blueprints? Patent? So far what I have is very rough it is made of stuff that already exist and is cabuled together. I do want to persue this a bit and jacqui wants me to keep my mouth shut and not share to much

[1930fordpickup]

She is right about keeping your mouth shut.

You will need drawings and you need to check to see if someone has filled a Patent also.

Not sure how you check for Patents though.

[mikemodeler]

Pursuing a patent can get expensive, especially if you enlist a patent attorney to help (I know from experience). Yes, drawings and a prototype help, but it should be something very clearly understood as someone else can come up with a similar product by having just some slight differences from yours.

It can be an expensive journey with no payoff if there isn't any interest in your idea. Check and see if there is a local inventors network near you , they can help guide you and give you some feedback. Wish we had done that before spending $15,000 pursuing patents and attorney fees only to find no interest from companies in a product many friends and family said they loved and would buy.

I recommend that you research this idea thoroughly and try to get a good idea of the market for it, the cost, and whether it has mass appeal. The majority of patents never see a store shelf or production lines. Just because you have a patent doesn't translate into riches, otherwise my wife would be rich 4 times over!

If you haven't watched Shark Tank, you should. The things you would think make sense don't always and the people on that show are pretty savvy when it comes to investing in a product.

[disabled modeler]

Dave... get nice blueprints of it drawn up.

look at patents on line at there site to see if anyone has any on a item like yours already...yours has to be different than a existing patent.

Hush- hush is a good idea

You can also apply for what they call a provisional patent....ether way its not cheap to do but it might protect your idea and product.

[Roadrunner]

Yes, by all means keep most of the salient details to yourself, lest someone "borrow" them. I've already had one modeling product lifted from me by asking for input on forums, so I discuss these ideas no more in public. The advice from the others seems sound.

If there's a point when people with good ideas falter, it's when it comes time to get out the wallet.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I've done patents for clients, as well as all of the required drawings, etc. I have references.

Whoever you use to do your work...MAKE SURE TO GET A NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT signed BEFORE YOU TELL ANYONE ANYTHING.

You need to file a provisional patent FIRST, which protects your idea for ONE YEAR, while you do all of the necessary research. It's cheap. Prepare it yourself for around $120.

There are reasons to do a provisional patent first, BEFORE you do your research into whether anything similar has been patented already, and I'll be glad to explain them to you.

If you want real answers and real help, feel free to PM me.

I can turn you on to reference material that is understandable (which I used to get my own first successful patent for a client), and you can do the entire process yourself if you can follow written directions very carefully. Patent attorneys get a minimum of $3500, and you won't get far on that these days. I had a doctor client who had paid out over $10,000 before the attorney bothered to tell him his idea was already patented.

The actual fees you pay the government for a patent are nothing compared to what some legal assistance might cost you, and as an individual, you qualify for reduced patent office fees as a "small entity"

Edited January 13, 2015 by Ace-Garageguy

[Quick GMC]

Listen to Bill.

My partner and I patented a very simple tool, it wasn't cheap.

A provisional patent will protect you, but only for 12 months. If you do not file a utility patent within the 12 months, your provisional becomes void and you have exposed yourself. If someone swoops in before you file the utility patent, you're screwed, in a sense. You can protect yourself, but it is incredibly expensive.

You NEED a patent attorney. I say this because my partner and I filed our own provisional patent. I though we did a thorough job, but compared to what needed to be done, it was laughable. We ended up selling the rights for the patent to a manufacturer in exchange for a royalty agreement. Worst thing we could have done, in our situation, but it was the only way to get the patent completed.

We were extremely lucky, and our patent was granted on the first application, Even that took 2+ years. From what I'm told, most of the time, they deny the application and you back to your attorney for revisions, etc. the average time it takes to get approved for a patent is 3-5 years, and 1-3 or more revisions. This gets incredibly expensive.

The manufacturer we worked with told me recently they are at about $20,000 in with our tool, for the attorney and filing fees. I think it took a few years to break even. It's a very niche tool in a somewhat niche market. Not the best idea for royalties.

Like Bill said, Non Disclosure Agreement is important.

Also, if you are granted a patent and end up making the tool, expect to see a knockoff from overseas within a few years. Protecting intellectual property off shore is incredibly expensive, and not worth the time or money.

A design patent will protect what your part looks like. A utility patent will protect it's form and function. If you file a design patent, someone can recreate your part as long as it looks different. If you file a utility and somebody figures out how to make the same thing, but assemble it and make it work a little differently, they will do it.

If you overprice it and it's a popular item, you are inviting heavy competition.

Depending on how many units you want to make, machining vs. molding can be a huge deal. You can machine ABS plastic now, but it's the same or even more costly than aluminum. Molds are expensive, like mind blowingly expensive. If you want to pump out a ton of pieces, buying a mold may be the way to go. Machining costs typically go down as the number of units per run goes up. Also for molds, you have a minimum cost for having a mold made, but that doesn't mean you own the mold. If you want to own the mold, it costs even more.

There's a lot to it.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Quick GMC

[Ace-Garageguy]

Quick GMC (Cameron) is 99% right, 99% of the time on what he's saying. It IS possible to do your own without an attorney (I've done it) but it is complicated and the language you have to use is somewhat arcane. The drawings have to be done exactly according to the rules, too. The first one I prepared went through with zero technical revisions because I followed the instructions I mentioned EXACTLY.

Be VERY WARY of the patent mills that advertise a low filing fee, etc. They take your money to do crappy searches, and you usually don't ever actually get anything.

If you have a patent attorney in your town, schedule a free meeting to get a feel for what they do, and GET A NON DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT SIGNED BEFORE YOU TELL THE ATTORNEY ANYTHING.

This is one of the patents I prepared, entirely without an attorney, for a client. http://www.google.com/patents/US6003333

Edited January 13, 2015 by Ace-Garageguy

[mnwildpunk]

Thank you bill

[High octane]

Wow, I would never guess that there would be so much involved, however it does make sense.