Inventions and the Patent Process
While inventors like Nikolai Tesla and Thomas Edison came up with hundreds of inventions, inventors today still come up with useful ideas every day. If you have an idea for an invention, it is important that you get a patent on it so that you can protect your work from others.
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United States Patent and Trademark Office
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When you invent something that you want to protect, the patent will provide you with legal protection. To file for a patent, contact the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This is a government entity that handles all of the patents in the United States. You can fill out an application for a patent on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website. Several different types of patents are available for you to apply for.
Assessing Potential
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Before you try to get a patent, you need to assess the potential of your invention. The invention that you come up with has to be new and useful. You also must determine whether the invention that you came up with is unlike anything else that has already been patented. You will need to do a patent search to make sure that your idea is a first, and to determine whether the idea is commercially viable. If you cannot make money with it, it does not make much sense to patent the invention.
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Completing the Application
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If you decide that you want to proceed with the patent, you will need to complete the application. When filling out the application, you will have to give a detailed description of your invention so that someone else can understand what it does. You will need to title the invention and give some background on the device. You should also include some drawings or diagrams so that the patent office can understand exactly what it is that you have to offer. You will also have to pay the fees associated with applying for a patent.
Patent Examiner
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Before your patent can be completed, a patent examiner has to look over your invention. The patent examiner will review your application and talk to you about your invention. In most cases, the patent application is not approved on the first try. You will need to talk to the examiner several times over the course of the application process. This can take as long as three years to complete. Once the examiner is finished, you will find out whether your patent application has been approved.
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