How to Patent Your Idea for Little or No Money

Patents are issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Patents are designed to protect inventors from having their inventions duplicated by others for profit. (See Reference 1.) All patent filings require fees, and hiring a patent attorney can make patenting an idea very expensive. However, it is possible to patent an idea electronically yourself, enabling you to eliminate costly legal fees and only pay the required application fees.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet access

Instructions

Prepare

1. Download and complete either the Declaration for Utility or Design Patent Application, or the Plant Patent Application Declaration. (See Resources 1 & 2.) Utility and design patent examples include manufactured articles and fabric designs, respectively, while plant patent examples include climbing roses.

2. Create an explanation of the idea according to the guidelines of United States Code Title 35, Section 112. (See Resource 3.)

3. Create illustrations of the idea if it improves the idea's explanation according to the guidelines of United States Code Title 35, Section 113. (See Resource 3.)

Apply

1. Register online with the United States Patent and Trademark Office as an eFILER. (See Reference 2.)

2. Complete the information requested under the "Application Data" tab, including idea title, inventor name, address and telephone number.

3. Upload the appropriate Declaration, and the idea's explanation and illustrations

4. Pay the necessary fees. (See Reference 3.)

5. Click "Submit" to complete the application.

6. Print receipt as submission evidence.

Tips & Warnings

• Filing electronically requires documents to be .pdf or .txt files.

• Utility and plant patents require maintenance fees.

References

• Patent Information
• eFILER Registration
• Fee Schedule

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Declaration for Utility or Design Patent Application
• Plant Patent Application Declaration
• United States Code Title 35--Patents