Anyone gone through a patent process?

[sportsjock]

I have designed, developed and constructed a practical everyday use                                                                                                            
product and have been using it successfully for about 8 months.
It is a product that would have wide appeal for the average householder, bringing greater organization and convenience to their daily household functions.
There is very little question, it would be quite marketable.

Initially, I designed and constructed this item for my own personal use and convenience, then I began to think; if it fits and fills my needs with great satisfaction, then it stands to reason, others would want this product to work for them in their home.

Thus, my thoughts have turned to investigating and educating myself in the procedures for initiating and procuring a U.S. Patent.
It is a daunting task for the small, amateur inventor, with a dizzying array of fees for basically every move or request.
For example.  Here is the menu of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Fees a person like me would encounter:

Patent Application Fees
Patent Search Fees
Patent Examination Fees
Patent Past Allowance Fees
Patent Extension of Time Fees
Patent Maintenance Fees
Patent Post Issuance Fees
Patent Trial and Appeal Fees
Patent Petition Fees
Patent Enrollment Fees

Most of these fees range from a couple hundred dollars into the thousands of dollars, that would result in a rather stunning total sum.
That's not even factoring in the recommended patent consultant and patent attorney fees.

I have a great product, but the road is very bumpy and winding and where it all would end up is anyone's guess.
It pretty much goes without saying, a lot of great ideas and potentially great products never came to fruition and died with it's inventor, because the process was far too overwhelming.

[Willard Fillmore]

I knew very little about the patent process until I invested in a small bio-tech company. Other than, if your "product" is unlike any other product patented, you can get a patent. As a matter of fact they give them out like the proverbial campaign brochure handed out at high school football games. This company has literally dozens of patents, but in 30 years has never brought a product to market. If they make a miniscule change to a patent they already have, they apply for another patent and ALWAYS get their patents approved. US Patents are somewhat of a scam in that respect. It costs quite a lot for the little guy to get a patent application approved, but it guarantees nothing other than no one else can make something similar. And you might not even get your "product" to market. 

Not to be negative, but if your product is really good and easy to make, why isn't the product already out there? The real question is, how much will it cost to mass produce it? Who will make it? Who will sell it? Making a few in your basement and selling them online won't be worth the cost of a patent. More likely that's why great products die with their inventors.  

There have been over 8,000,000 US patents awarded. 97% of those patents never made any money. 

Good luck on becoming a millionaire. 

[Deleted]

May 31, 2017 23:51:23 GMT -5 Willard Fillmore said:

but it guarantees nothing other than no one else can make something similar. And you might not even get your "product" to market.

It will not guarantee that nobody else makes something similar, it only allows you to enter into a lengthy and expensive court battle to stop them once they do.


The first step is to do a patent search and familiarize yourself with the process. This is all free and can be done through the US patent office website: www.uspto.gov/ They even offer free tutorials on how to do a comprehensive search and what is required of a patent. If you do it first and correctly you won't have to pay the patent search fee multiply times, or worse, find out your idea is already patented after you have paid a large amount of fees/time.

[sportsjock]

Thanks for the input and my inclination is to be over cautious and skeptical when entering any kind of agreement.
I have talked with an agent of 'Inventors Platform', my research has revealed they are not an accredited BBB company and I then read a litany of customer complaints, mostly promises that were never delivered and the fees not refunded.
Entering into an agreement can be a money pit, as there are scammers and crooks using clever schemes to defraud millions of people every year. They often combine new websites with old tricks to get people to send money or give out their ideas.
This company puts up their exact fees upfront, with written guarantees of no hidden or unexpected fees, and it seems that part of it is true, but that's when the dark side begins.

Essentially, they do the patent search, research plausibility, involve their patent attorney, develop design graphics and presentation to potential marketers. In the end, they get a small share of the royalties, but the lion's share of royalties would go to the inventor.
That would be wonderful in a perfect world, but the old adage still remains the same.....buyer beware!

[CEOSouth]