Anyone ever file a patent?

[SplitG2]

Need some advise on filing for a patent...anyone ever do this?

[phade]

Patent pending it pretty easy and straightforward. Getting the actual patent is a PITA.

I strongly suggest a patent attorney. Not cheap, but again, worth their weight in gold.

[SplitG2]

Thanks phade. I was trying to avoid the lawyer route but it is the way to go.

[Early]

I agree with phade...use a patent attorney. I tried to do it on my own...got close, but not quite.

[Doc]

The patents that I have were handled by the company that I worked for. I never got one on my own outside of work. However, I understand that it is not a cheap or easy thing to do. lawyers, infringement searches, and all kinds of expensive legal nonsense.

[SplitG2]

cost money to make money!

My ex wife's grandfather worked for Kodak and he and another scientist developed color film..Kodak gave them a dollar for the rights..they had no choice since it was developed on the job.

[Doc]

cost money to make money!

My ex wife's grandfather worked for Kodak and he and another scientist developed color film..Kodak gave them a dollar for the rights..they had no choice since it was developed on the job.

It's standard practice for these larger companies to have you sign a waiver that gives all rights to intellectual property that comes as a result of your employment to the company.

He was lucky to get the dollar for each patent. I got nothing but a copy of the paperwork to sign .....lol.

[noodle one]

First you have find out if something like what you have in mind is out there.You can do that on the computer to do the search. You have to know what you are looking for. There is a Gov. site, but I forget what the site name is.. You can always go to patent search and see what you find. No matter what you do in the end you will need a patent lawer.. Make sure he or she is a good patent lawer not some fly by night. First you should go to the lawer to consult about what you have in mind and if you can take something along to show what it is (prints) and what it can do or how it works all the better. You will need all your ducks in a row. If he or she thinks that you have something they will tell you up front. Most patent lawers have some kind of engineering back ground. Fee for this is some where around ( $200.00 to $250.00) up front. If you want to go on from there and hirer them to do a search it will cost between $5,000.00 to $6,000.00 up front to start. The search will take up to a year or more. The patent office will turn it down the first time and sent it back for a rewrite , another $1,000.00 to $3,000.00 for the rewrite. If you get a patent it will cost you between $10,000.00 to $12,000.00 for a US patent alone and if you want to go international it will cost more for each country.. If and when you get a patent there is a yearly upkeep cost of. $500.00 . Not all patents work and pay off.. It's a gamble. You have to sell it and that can be hard. Before you start ,you want to make sure you can make back the money you invested to get the patent first and than maybe make some money.Good luck to you . If you want to talk more about this , you can PM me through this site. I wish you all the luck in the world. noodle one