Topic: Any one ever patented a product? New update :-)

[seaweb11]

I have an auto safety product I have invented, any one here ever gone the patent route on a product?
I have done some internet searches, just want to cut to the chase and get er done

[BlindJoe]

Probably contact a patent attorney?

[nickjtc]

And don't tell anyone about it until you get 'patent pending'!

[seaweb11]

Yeah, I thought if someone here could spread some love, I could avoid the $10,000.00 legal bill

[754]

I have worked on a few prototypes on pieces of inventions.

One guy told me something worth checking out. He said, get al your material ready, drawings prototype etc. Book a flight to Ottawa, and go to the patent office. then they will help you there. Basically he said, they will help you, same as they help the patent lawyer you would hire, who then would go there for you.. The staff there is being paid to help whoever comes in.

Probably not quite that simple but you get the idea. Do as much research online as you can though, before you get ready to go

[gerhed]

In the U.S., once the patent is applied for and/or granted ,  all of the
info  (drawings etc.) are available for anyone to look at.
Not that I would take advantage of this situation.
Sometimes it's better to keep something secret rather than patent it.

[SD750F]

Gerhed had the correct answer. Your patent will become public domain and open for review.

I have a patent, and I have helped several people with patents. The one question I always ask is the patent required for marketing? That is, can you increase your product sales with the simple statement "Patented" or "Patent Pending" If so then get the patent, but be aware that this marketing technique will cost you another $10,000 so make sure you have good return on investment. And get ready to enforce your patent in the US market. Forget Asia, because if the idea is good and has valid sales, then Asia WILL copy it in a couple months. So plan to hit the market running and expect a year, maybe two life cycle.

If the item is more specific and has an exclusive or niche market, then consider nothing more than a trade secret and copywrite were you can. A trade secret is nothing more than detailed documents that are notarized and locked up in a third persons safe. Then you pull it out when you need them in court.

Bottom line, if you have a good idea, it will be copied. But that is the natural process of technology advancement. Count on a year or two of sales, or sell your idea after protecting yourself to one of the big guys. They have said in multiple publishing's that they are no longer in the business of ingenuity, but buying valid ideas and using their superior marketing skills to sell products. It is much cheaper for them to buy new technologies, than to have them created internally.

Scott

[Bob Wessner]

I don't recall the name of the movie or the gentleman, but there is a recent one detailing the woes of a guy who invented the intermittent windshield wiper and attempted to sell it to the autos. No takers, in a manner of speaking, but they used his invention anyway. It was a long time/fight, but he finally won in court. I believe he passed away recently.

[gerhed]

Back when panoramic photography was a "mechanical art", I spent some time
nosing around the U.S.patent office archives.
It's amazing how smart some people are !

[rhos1355]

I read somewhere there are 2 options to follow when patenting a product:

a) Highly detailed drawings and instructions.
    Disadvantages: Patent Office will nit-pick everything you state on yr application. and it will take longer to be processed/granted.
    Advantages: The detailing might deterr someone to copy the patent because it will be more recognisable as your product.

b) Simple straight-forward drawings and instructions.
    Disadvantages: Easily copied and repatented by someone else by just changing a couple of details.
    Advantages: Patent Office will fast-track your application and it will be granted a lot quicker.

[ofreen]

My brother applied for a patent a few years ago.  Be prepared for huge frustration.  The system is not set up for the little guys.

[seaweb11]

Soooooooooooooooo...........
Things are getting interesting

My web site is still paying the bills, but I'm bored   The US exchange rate has drastically cut into my gross $$$ as well.
Between a $2400.00 dental bridge in 2 weeks, $3000.00 in property taxes and another $1200.00 to have my Tracy 836 engine rebuilt again I decided it was time to pull my idea out of my back pocket and do something with it.

On Monday morning I had a meeting with the guy on Island who has the "fastest bicycle" on the planet and also holds a few patents.
http://vodpod.com/watch/471645-fastest-bicycle
I showed him my "deer collision warning" device concept.
He spun around in his chair slowly a couple of times looking at a picture and finally stopped and said I was brilliant
Now it's been a while since anyone has accused me of that so I used that positive feedback to fuel my next step.

Anyone seen the movie 6 degrees of separation?
Theory is.......... within 6 people you should be able to get a hold of anyone you want.

I set my goal on Monday of having lunch with the one of the richest men in Canada, someone whose holdings and group of companies was exactly what this product needs. "The emails I received back from overseas regarding manufacturing were over my head"

I called my Best friend in Vancouver and told him I wanted to take.___________ out to lunch. He has known me since we were 5, so he didn't even blink at my request.  "Buddy is a corporate travel agent now"

He emailed ________ right arm person within 15 Min's.

Before lunch I had called her and left a message on her personal phone line along with an email that included I was once.__________s' .paper boy in the 70's and in fact had helped him put up his Christmas lights one year.  and I had an idea.  (BIG CHRISTMAS LIGHTS) Anyone from Vancouver should know who I'm talking about now, but I would appreciate it if you did not mention it here just yet.

She called me back!!!!!!!!  We had a chat.
Next Day, Tues morning at 7:00 am, I received an email from her and she was going to have the President of their sign Division give me a call. After not one wink of sleep that night I received a call from the President of one of ____________s' companies. We had a chat. He is now bringing together their automobile division, sign division, lighting division, R & D division and Legal for discussions on how to proceed.

On closing he said thank you for bringing this to us 1st, he was keen and will get back to me early next week
Not a bad 24 hours

I just had to let it OUT!!!!!!!!!!

It may not save as many lives as seat belts, but it will certainly do more for mankind than intermittent windshield wipers

I may fall flat on my face, I may not. It's the trying that counts.

[Borkunit]

Nice work hob-knobbing.... But when will I be able to buy the device??  Would have saved my ass a year ago...

[seaweb11]

Yeah, my as as well!
Where do you think the idea came from?        I'm sure there is still deer sh*t & blood on my front fender somewhere?

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

F'N A. Go for it.

[fuzzybutt]

i killed a moose with a subaru once, could have used something like a collision warning device that night. it killed the subaru too 

[DammitDan]

Fantastic Seaweb!

Just don't start spending the $$ yet 

[ttr400]

In my past dealings with patents, I have found that a registered design or idea can work better to protect your invention than a patent. You can even register the concept of how the idea works. In SA a registered design is a lot less $$'s than a patent. 

Example: if you invented a unique chair and wanted to protect the design, it would probably be very hard to patent, as a chair is a chair and has been done a million times over. But you could register the design of the chair which would stop anybody copying the design.

Here in South Africa during the sanctions of the eighties all international patents were ignored and the country was producing everything from fighter jets to pc's.

Kevin

[DammitDan]

So far as Copyright law goes in the US, creative content is protected as soon as it is reduced to a tangible form (i.e. write out the lyrics/music to a song, sketch a drawing, etc.)  You can register for an "official" Copyright from the Federal government, but it is not necessary so long as you can prove that you created it on a specific date.  This is where the "poor man's Copyright" method of mailing a certified letter to yourself (to prove the date) to get around Copyright fees comes into play.  Of course if someone steals your creative content, then the registration for a Copyright is required to sue for damages.

Do patents work in a similar fashion?  In other words, if you can PROVE that you designed it first, can you claim it as your intellectual property should someone steal the design?

[754]

Actually I am not sure thats true, several people may think of the same idea, and get it in workable form.. but regardless of how many registered letters you send to yourself or Santa Claus.. it really wont do any good, if someone beats you to the patent office..
 Unlees you can prove they stole it from you, you got an expensive letter & an idea.



Seaweb , I hope that train collector, does you right & helps you along.. I think its the guy that tried to buy that vintage train set off a guy I knew here in town...

[seaweb11]

"if you can PROVE that you designed it first, can you claim it as your intellectual property should someone steal the design?"

I believe so. In this day of emails to and from "said corporation................ "Yes 754"..... and even this post will become wide spread from a single date and time on computers. This Forum is it's 1st on line outing. Your all witnesses right?

 I have picked a company I would like to emulate, and one I would be very happy to work with. My second conversation with one of the presidents regarding confidentiality did not fall on deaf ears. His response was "Your here for a reason right"/ and expressed that it is and always will be my intellectual propert in their eyes.
That's enough for me,......... going with my gut. The funny thing is.............I know this is a goer and if they are smart and equipped with an open mind and my same style of design and marketing, we'll get along just fine.

If not, I'll move on......

[seaweb11]

Thought I would update this, Don't want people thinking I'm a loony.

My negotiations with the "Jimmy Pattison Group" unfortunately came to a end.
I made it through three subsidiary Company Presidents with glowing results, but one guy at corporate said NO.   Unfortunately he was the one to pull the trigger

He said the cost of the marketing was more than they wanted to get involved with. I have to agree, but I thought they would have been prepared for that.

I now have a patent lawyer in Ottawa looking into getting my idea sorted out so I will have ownership.

I plan on following through with this one

[gerhed]

Seweb,

Sounds like a well thought out plan of action.
I've let a few ideas slip by myself--shouldn't have.
But at some point you've got to "bring it".
as they say on the "pitch.
Good luck--keep us posted.

grhd