Best way to patent idea

[Michaeljc]

Jurisdiction

North Dakota

First off, love the forum.

I was hoping if I could get help with patenting an idea. What would be the best way of going about doing this? I suppose I would have to submit the idea to someone who would have to check and make sure that the idea isn't infringing on anyone else's patent. If you go to google and type "patent your idea" you get tons of hits, and quite frankly I am unsure of where to start.

I really appreciate the help!

Thanks
-Mike

 

[Tax Counsel]

What you do is see a patent attorney. The attorney can do a patent search to see if the idea has already been patented and if not the attorney can guide you through patent application process.

 

[Michaeljc]

Thanks, anybody got any recommendations?

 

[zddoodah]

I was hoping if I could get help with patenting an idea. What would be the best way of going about doing this?

Hire a patent attorney or patent prosecutor.

Thanks, anybody got any recommendations?

For particular attorneys? We don't do that here, but a "find a lawyer" link is displayed near the bottom of every page at this site.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

I've done some patent review and I can tell you that it's very difficult to ascertain where the line is drawn as a layperson. I have difficulty believing that a number of patents have been awarded but they have been. In addition, reading a patent can be an exercise in frustration and is its own art. Filing a patent slightly too narrow allows for others to potentially file. There are self-help books but this is a challenging area. Glad to help you find a patent attorney if you truly need one - but they are expensive and different financial arrangements are possible.

 

[Michaeljc]

Yeah, there are patent attorneys versus patent agents. There are also online sites like "invention home" that look a little gimmicky; but who knows maybe that site works wonderfully. So I really have no idea what to choose. Moreover, I am sure it also probably depends on the individual: some good, some not so good. So you can see why it would be nice to get some direction if not a referral.

Patents are difficult... I believe I read someplace that 97 percent of all patents don't work out well. And a big part of that might be because somebody found a way how to break the patent...

Regardless of all that. A good amount of people around me have been pushing me to try and patent something... so the next step was to get in touch with a lawyer or other to try and discuss. However, I really don't know where to start, which is what brought me here.

Thanks