Ok, I have to ask and hope maybe with all of the creative people on this site maybe there is someone here who has had some experience with this. I have an idea for a product that I think will sell. I am leery of the "Invention Submission Corporation" and others who advertise to the Jerry Springer audience. I don't know how to go about getting my idea protected so I can go out to try and have the product made or market the idea to an existing company. Has anyone ever done this? Has anyone ever done anything through the invention submission corporation? Have you been screwed over or has it been a positive experience for you? If you have experience and are willing to give pointers, let me know and we can take this to private email. I'm posting here so I can get a broad audience I hope.

xjohnx

Newark, DE

December 2003

NOV 04, 2004 11:32 AM

I don’t know in-depth and detailed information, but I can give you an overview as someone who looked into this a year or two ago, hope it helps…

Getting a patent just became a whole lot easier for the non-professional inventor/corporation. Recently, as in the past 5-ish years, the patent office introduced a new type of patent – the Provisional Patent. What a Provisional Patent does is give you ownership of your invention for a period of 1-year (which, I think, can be extended to two years) for the low cost of, I believe, $75.

The form they send you to fill out is also written in a language that the common folk, such as you and I, can understand and fill out. This is a big change from the previous standard, which required anyone writing a patent to involve, oddly enough, a patent lawyer. The lawyer would write it in such a manner that, to quote my friend Steve who went through the process, “I didn’t even understand what my invention did when he got done writing it up.”

This is the type of patent you would use if you only intention was to invent something and immediately (as in, within 1-2 years) sell that idea off to some corporate entity that could use/mass produce it. They pay you, you transfer ownership of the Provisional Patent and you’re only out $75 (and plus whatever sum you settled on with the buyer).

If you plan to invent something you want to maintain ownership of for a long, long time then you need to go through the old standard (and costly) process.

Good luck, I hope you make a bank.

Dan76

Seattle, WA

February 2004

NOV 04, 2004 11:37 AM

Filing a Patent is easy. Don't do it with a 3rd party company, they're a rip off. Go to the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) where there are plenty of instructions on filing. Do this before you speak of your product to anyone. It's like fifty bucks.

You can also do searches there to see if anyone thought of your idea before you. Also looking at similarly themed inventions' patents give you an idea of how to word it.

[Edited on Nov 04, 2004 by Dan76]

illstabyou

Brooklyn, NY

March 2004

NOV 04, 2004 11:43 AM

I don't know about patents, but if your looking for a quick copyright (i.e. with music) here's what you have to do.

If you have a piece of art, or a blueprint, or something to that nature, make a copy of it and mail it yourself. From there on keep it in the sealed envelope until your copyright (or patent) goes through and the post-mark date will act the day you claimed it.

I'm very serious, this holds up in US court.

BOARDS:

TOPICS:

ADVICE: Anyone filed a patent ever?

Midnyte

SUICIDEGIRL

Arizona, USA

NOV 04, 2004 11:05 AM