Patents...Where to get em?

[CKY_Alliance]

Ok i know there is a patent office or whatever...right?..well if i wanted to see if a product or idea was patended then how would I go about that?..and how long does it usually take to get patents?

Thanks for any help in advance...

[Glickman]

http://www.uspto.gov/main/patents.htm

they have a HUGE database of info that should help you. and yes, thats the united states patent office

[CKY_Alliance]

ok, after searching i haven't found my idea...so if i do apply for a patent i assume they will let me know if the idea is taken already? Might sound dumb,but there is no penalty for applying for a patent of an already patented idea right?


Also do i need to just have the idea on paper explaining it or do i need an actual working model?

[Glickman]

http://des.uspto.gov/OEDCI/

that is the patent office's directory of patent attorney's. they will help you with that part. you could search for yourself but that might be exhausting

[MANN]

correct me if Im wrong, but I beleive there is a charge to patient something. My friends dad is a patient attourney, and I think he told me 10k. Might be wrong tho

[Glickman]

correct me if Im wrong, but I beleive there is a charge to patient something. My friends dad is a patient attourney, and I think he told me 10k. Might be wrong tho

i did forget there is a charge yes, for filing and for the attorney's reseach.

[Pacifist_Farmer]

Good luck if you actually go through with it, it has been my very limited experience that patents are like history.

It has all been done before, nothing is actually new. Most of the patents I have had the pleasure of reading are minor changes to the function or application of something already patented, which you hope and pray some one will let through.

If you want to have some fun go look for mouse trap patents.

[PyRo]

Their is no penalty for patenting something that's been patented. It happens all the time. If you start making a bunch of money off your patent though that's when you have to start worrying about lawsuits.
Applying for a patent can be expensive or cheap. If your Intell patenting a new processer it will easially cost 10k plus for prototypes and legal fees to make sure no one can steel your idea. You can without a lawyer just send in an application and it shouldn't be very expensive. Without the lawyer though the chances of your idea being stolen go way up. Basically if you have a billion dollar idea, get a lawyer. If it's not worth that much you may just want to do it yourself and pay a couple hundred to have a lawyer do a search and look over your information.

[PyRo]

Good luck if you actually go through with it, it has been my very limited experience that patents are like history.

Just like movies. What new movie isn't a rip off of an old movie? Once a year or so you'll get one based off a book. I think they ran out of ideas in the mid 90s.

[Altimas]

Just like movies. What new movie isn't a rip off of an old movie? Once a year or so you'll get one based off a book. I think they ran out of ideas in the mid 90s.

Yeah hence all these remakes. I, for one, am sick of remakes.