I just had an invention. WTF do I do now?

[TheMadMonk]

I know this isn't exactly GD, but it doesn't really fit anywhere else either. (Hey Skinner, how about a general "Help me out here" Q&A forum?)


I just had an idea for stringing together a number of proven concepts, in a way that I have never seen done before. It's one of those ideas that (if it works) is forehead smacking simple, so I'm not saying anything about it. I just want to know what the hell I should do next, when I have nothing in my pocket but lint?

[MADem]

1. Get a patent or a copyright on it....?

Maybe start by doing a little reading, here?

http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/basics/trade_defin.jsp

Good luck, hope it makes you rich!

[TheMadMonk]

6. It definitely falls in patent territory. And that's most of the problem.

I know patents are notoriously difficult to defend at the best of times.

At least one component of my idea is under patent by someone else.

It really is a very linear combination of proven concepts.

The truly unfortunate bit. If it works, and I truly can't see why it shouldn't, it's primary applicability is to an industry worth upwards of tens of billions.

IT'S TOO MUCH OF A FUCKING GOOD THING.

[hfojvt]

14. then you need to sell it to some member of the industry

Write a contract that provides you with a certain percentage of the profits gained from your idea, get somebody to sign it and then pitch it to them. You may, however, not get anybody to listen to somebody off the street who says they have an idea, but will not describe it. And how do you describe it without giving it away?

[truedelphi]

20. You say thaif there is a patent on one compnent of your newly invented item.

Can you jimmy around that one component so that you re-invent that part of the design? Then that should make it easier to get your invention patented.

[Chan790]

21. Call a patent attorney.

Unless you're going to simply drop the idea, you're going to need a patent lawyer. Also, the best buyer for your idea is probably the holder of that one patent.

[bhikkhu]

2. Crowd-sourcing funds?

Not that I know anything about it from personal experience, but google could probably lead you somewhere.

[pnwmom]

3. Some info.

How to file a patent:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/new-inventions/how-to-file-a-patent.htm



How to do a patent search:

http://inventors.about.com/od/inventing101patents/a/patent_searchin.htm


Govt. patent site:

http://www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/

[NYC_SKP]

4. I have two patents and years in industrial design.

I'm not sure what category fits your invention but my very first bit of advice is to write it down in the greatest detail you possibly can, and soon.

After that it's hard to give advice without knowing what you've got.

You can consult an attorney, join online inventors groups, or learn how to do basic patent searches online.

My two patents are for consumer products but I have another invention, my favorite, that I keep as a trade secret-- no patent, just a useful invention that I've used to make money in the past.

So there are a lot of options for you, and many don't cost money.

[TheMadMonk]

11. You know the jingle about Ford.

Litte bit of tin. Little bit of board. Nail 'em together. That's a Ford. (or something like that.)

THAT'S my problem. It's not quite a patent on the wheel. It's damned close to a patent on the motor carriage.

[William Seger]

16. Write it down and mail a copy to yourself as soon as possible

... and leave the envelop sealed to establish a date, which might be important if someone else tries to patent something similar.

I have a couple of software patents that my company paid to register, and one thing I learned is that in addition to the importance of the search for similar patents, the precise language of the patent application is crucial -- what I wrote to describe the ideas needed to be completely rewritten -- and probably is best left to an expert.

[TheMadMonk]

18. Now that is sound advice. Will do. Thankyou. /nt

[NYC_SKP]

19. This is a common practice, recommended often. It serves a couple purposes.

More than anything, it gives the inventor some peace of mind.

In the rare instance of a court battle over dates and origins of intellectual property, such a sealed dated package can be useful.

And I agree with the patent language. Patent writing is difficult, it's an art, the description makes or breaks the patent.

These days the last thing anyone wants is a legal battle. Whichever party has the biggest warchest wins.

The inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper won his case, finally, but spent tens of millions of dollars to fight for it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kearns

.

[A HERETIC I AM]

5. I am by no means an expert, but I think first you need a working prototype

Which isnt always easy if you need parts machined for instance and no access to a 3 Axis Bridgeport.

Next you need to Patent it and for that you're probably going to need an attorney or a firm that does patent searches.

That's a start, anyway.

Best of luck!!

Some very wealthy people got that way because they, to paraphrase an old George Carlin bit, nailed two pieces of wood together that had never been nailed together before and some schmuck bought it off them!

[William Seger]

10. No, a working prototype is not necessary to file for a patent

... which is why a lot of impractical ideas get patented.

[A HERETIC I AM]

13. Fair enough. n/t

[OnyxCollie]

7. I thought you wrote, "I just had an intervention."

I don't know what to tell you to do with your invention, but I suggest you have a drink.

[TroglodyteScholar]

15. I saw the same thing!

Wtf does that say about us? heh

[xfundy]

8. Go for it, dude.

Just don't lay out the specifics in any one place.

Ideas can't be copyrighted, and there are TONS of sharks in the water.

[morningfog]

9. I wish you luck in your effort!

[Wilms]

12. Nolo Press

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/patent-copyright-trademark

[William Seger]

22. Yikes! $139 to file a provisional patent, and that doesn't even include the USPTO fee?

I don't see the need for that. If you can wend your way through the documentation, filing a provisional patent only costs $65 for a "micro entity" (which is an individual who earns less than $150,000 a year, lol).

[Wilms]

23. I should have been a bit more specific.

Indeed, filing a provisional shouldn't require help. But the regular patent app. might.

Nolo's book "Patent it Yourself" can help you make the preparations even if you have an atty complete it. It can save a few bucks.

[Fumesucker]

17. I used to subscribe to magazine called Midnight Engineering, largely about inventing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Engineering

Don Lancaster was a major contributor to that magazine with a column called "The Blatant Opportunist", here is his column for the magazine on patents and patenting, it's an interesting read.

http://www.tinaja.com/glib/casagpat.pdf