Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire patent question

i've designed a simple device for time conversions and been told that i should patent it.so when do you need to patent and how do you go about it

You sink all your life savings in to it, morgage your house, and sink that money in to it also, get the patent granted, only to find the Chinese can build it smaller and cheaper!

Locate a patent attorney and he'll walk you through the process - and will take some of your money.

You need to decide if the value of the invention is worth the cost of filing.

Good luck

You can also search online for existing patents, which might tell you if it's been done before. Assuming the "time conversions" you have in mind are possible.

Start documenting everything you've done since day one. This has a lot to do with time lines towards an award. As another said you can access the uspto & Edgar database at will. Although, nothing beats actually going to the offices in Crystal City, VA to see for yourself what others submitted and awarded. My favorite is the Pet Rock.

http://www.uspto.gov

If you decide to go for the Patent. Hire an Attorney do not go threw the sevices that advertise on TV or the radio they have way's of ripping you off.

About the money yes it will cost you. I spent about $80,000 on a product that I was able to get Patented (not all of the costs were Patent oriented) it has been a long time but I think I gave the Attorney's about $8000 and after you get the Patent the US Government wants maintenance fee's to keep the patent and if you do not pay them you loose the patent. my second maintenance fee is due by june.

My product is pretty much a white elephant. I think I have given more away for advertising than I have sold. Even with that I think that I would do it again.

Good luck with your endevore, which ever way you decide to go.

Like the others said... Online patent search. Whe you find something even remotely matching, look in those patents prior art declarations. After you have seemingly exhausted every possibility that what you are considering is NOT PATENTED ALREADY, IT IS UNIQUE, IT IS NOT OBVIOUS AND NOT DESCRIBED IN ANY PRIOR ART, then you need to consider is it worth the cost of pursuing a patent, if you are granted a patent, can simple redesign which likely will not be patentable but also will not infringe you patent, and if having a patent and defending the patent is worth it.

Successful defense completed without litigation will run many thousands of dollars. Litigation will raise that number 100 fold. Successful litigation will likely bankrupt an infringer meaning you get nothing out of a judgment, and still get to pay your legal bills.

I have been there and done that. All of that. You would be surprised at how many people will flat out copy your work. This is a very, very expensive road to start down. Think three times before you do anything and then go over it twice more before you make a decision.

Yep---there's a HUGE difference between an idea and an invention.