Obtaining a patent

[Grey Vw]

From a quick Google search I found out it will easily cost a couple grand to start the process. Does anyone have experience with patents or words of wisdom?

I came up with an idea for a wrench that is legitimately useful. I searched youtube and tool catalogs and did not find one like it.

[kellen302]

I saw a tv ad a while ago for a law firm that does that kind of stuff, also you don't have to give CLASSIFIFED technical details, but what does your wrench do? Double as a Crane

[anomoly40]

Draw your design and mail it to yourself. Don't open the envelope. This shows what date your idea was concieved. Or go to a notary public.

[Grey Vw]

It's a a better ratcheting wrench. I bought a craftsmen open end ratcheting wrench set and it's hard to keep the wrench on the nut so I thought of something better.

Draw your design and mail it to yourself. Don't open the envelope. This shows what date your idea was concieved. Or go to a notary public.

As funny as this sounds I understand the reasoning. Thanks

[econoaddict]

I looked into this about 8 years ago.
I had an idea for a special application alignment tool, built one and it worked awesome.
Did research, no such thing out there.
Started into the patent process and the actual development stages and found out real quick it takes literally thousands of dollars before you have an actual product you can safely sell to the public and have the patent protection.
I still have the tool and no one has came up with one yet.

[DrMaxwellEdison]

if you do go into the marketing of said wrench, I'd be willing to buy them in various sizes to help defer the thousands of dollars, I'm sure if you went into details and stuff with some members if you save up some $$$ and come to one of the big meets or set one up local.... I want to know more about your idea, I'm working on a few ideas I'd like Patented someday as well.... maybe we can brain up together...

[GenevaDirt]

you need to sell the idea to someone that does that kind of manufacturing or distributes those kinds of items. You sell and make big money....then you come up with something else and do it all over again or start development yourself since you now have your own money.

[DrMaxwellEdison]

yeah, what Willie said ^^^ but do all you can do

[Hot_Wheels]

tell the Ron Popeil, he invented the pocket fisherman!! he can help you!

http://www.ronco.com/rco_aboutus.aspx

[Grey Vw]

My ideal situation would be to get the patent and get a big corporation to produce and market them but that is just dreaming. I just remembered that my library has free lawyer advice on Wednesdays. I'm going to see what comes of it.

I just don't want something like this to happen http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/f...3431/index.htm

tell the Ron Popeil, he invented the pocket fisherman!! he can help you!
http://www.ronco.com/rco_aboutus.aspx

I want one now.

[GenevaDirt]

My ideal situation would be to get the patent and get a big corporation to produce and market them but that is just dreaming. I just remembered that my library has free lawyer advice on Wednesdays. I'm going to see what comes of it.

I just don't want something like this to happen http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/f...3431/index.htm

dude.....I am telling you....sell the idea and let them worry about the patent and such. You can always take a percentage of the profits plus money if you like. But it would be far less of a hassle for someone that has no clue or the means to pay for all that it would take.

Talk to craftsman or stanley .... but don't do anything till you mail all the info back to yourself....do not open the envelope at all unless you need it as proof in court or presence of lawyers.

[Grey Vw]

I will try to do that, getting a patent sounds like a PITA. Time to do some research and make a couple prototypes if I could stop spending all my money on the festiva!

[sc72]

Have you seen the show Shark Tank, as Whillie SAID, find an invester and sell your idea to them, and yes you will need a lawyer, back in the day of film cameras, you took a picture of your idea, had it developed and sent to a patent office, if you were lucky, the person who developed the film would send all copies for the film back to you, BUT alot of ideas were stolen at the camera counter, but with the age of digital cameras our ideas are alot more safe. Good luck and only show it to people you trust.

[Charlie1717]

dude.....I am telling you....sell the idea and let them worry about the patent and such. You can always take a percentage of the profits plus money if you like. But it would be far less of a hassle for someone that has no clue or the means to pay for all that it would take.

Talk to craftsman or stanley .... but don't do anything till you mail all the info back to yourself....do not open the envelope at all unless you need it as proof in court or presence of lawyers.

I definitely agree the easiest thing for you to do is to sell it to a company and try and get a percentage as well. Easier money, less liability, less investment.

As for the mailing it to yourself. I'm not sure how well that would hold up. In the Music Biz we call that The "Poor Man's Copyright" essentially you mail your song, poem, book or something to yourself so you can prove the day you had created it.

Unfortunately the "Poor Man's Copyright" will not hold up in court, however, any form of art that is "fixed" (meaning it is captured on some type of tangible format such as a CD, mp3, sheet music, etc...) is automatically covered by copyright laws regardless of you registering it. The problem then is not whether your work is copyrighted, it's whether or not YOU are the owner/creator of the work. To prove this, people try to use the "Poor Man's Copyright", unfortunately this method is not credible because it's easily manipulated.

So how this relates to patents I'm not 100% but I have a feeling mailing it to yourself will not protect you.

[Larry Hampton]

I'm working on a mower patent. I got a packet from Oklahoma State University on most everything you have to do the research on yourself so that you don't have to hire a patent research attorney. Luckily for me, I go to church with a patenet attorney that will help me out. My plan is to obtain the patent and sell it, if not, then I'll produce it.