Patent Application Process - How to Patent Your New Invention
Ideas are intellectual property, however, it is very hard to prove that it is your original idea.
Meticulous records must be kept as you are going through the process so you can prove that your idea is really yours.
Many people will claim they can help you patent an idea, however, very few can deliver on that claim.
When looking to patent a product or idea, an attorney or trained professional's help is not a necessity, however, it is certainly a good idea in most cases.
Hiring someone to help you will save a lot of time and frustration on your part.
You must have a complete knowledge of the process that was taken to bring the invention to completion.
This is a must.
If you can not or have not documented the entire process, there is a good chance you will not be granted a patent.
You may wish to hire a professional draft person to help with this process as it is critically important.
Many times the guides available are highly complex to the average person.
Once the patent office receives your completed application and accompanying fee, a receipt will be issued.
Do not lose this.
It is vital that you have it if asked to produce it at a later date.
Applications are processed in the order they are received.
You can not speed up the process and anyone claiming to be able to do that for you is a waste of money.
Your application will be assigned to an examiner who will go through all of the documentation provided.
The examiner will check your invention against existing inventions to be sure that yours is an original product.
This is where the actual process of obtaining the patent begins.
The patent office will determine whether your invention is original and unique to you.
The next step in the process is to grant you the right to profit monetarily from your invention.
A permit will be issued and guidelines will be set as to the process you may use to profit from your invention.
The patent application becomes part of the patent itself.
The entire process can be time consuming, costly and frustrating.
However, if your invention is a good one, the rewards in the end will well outweigh the time, cost and frustration of the patent application process.