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A patent is a legal right granted by the US Federal Government to prevent other people from using a particular idea.

To obtain a patent, you have to go through an application process with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to determine whether your idea is new.

This process will usually take a couple of years. Due to the patent process being regulated by federal law, the process is the same for all of the states.

Before releasing your idea into the marketplace, you may want to consider applying for patent protection. Patent protection may require a substantial investment depending on the complexity of your idea as you can read from https://www.techtimes.com/articles/246245/20191127/why-inventhelp-is-essential-for-entrepreneurs.htm.

Many inventors like to perform a search through previous inventions before deciding whether to apply for a patent themselves. This search is a good way to get a feel for whether your invention is on the cutting edge of your particular technical field before investing in a patent application.

There are plenty of quality options for having someone perform a patent search for you. There are a couple of drawbacks to this approach though.

First, you have to disclose your idea to someone else. While it is very unlikely that whoever is performing your search will try to use your idea for themselves, it is certainly understandable that you want to try to disclose your idea to as few people as possible.

Second, the searcher will perform the search only once and in a close time frame to when you first enlist their services. So, if you are not ready to file your application immediately after having the search performed, it is entirely possible that a new application could be filed between when the search was performed and when you are ready to file your application.

The patent process can seem a bit overwhelming if you are entirely new to it. A goal of Patent agencies, such as InventHelp, is to help you make sense of the patent process. The better you understand the process the more it allows you to be involved in the process of securing the highest quality patent protection for your invention.

After all, no one knows your invention better than you do!

Only invention doesn’t mean that it is qualified for filing patent invention. The invention should be useful, original, unique and of great design. Before going for a patent filing, it is required to make sure that the invention is qualified enough to obtain a patent.

After identify the type of patent, it’s time to fill the patent application form. This process requires a patent attorney to support in the application process. The patent attorney can fill and answer any questions related with the invention on behalf of the inventor. The filing process includes the details of the invention, how it actually works, designs and so on. Patent attorney can successfully respond to the entire patent application requirement by applying the knowledge of patent law.

Once done, it is required to check and verify the information filled in the patent application. It is required to ensure that correct invention description, functions, and advantages are filled in the patent application form. The name of inventor/inventors along with the invention name should be communicated in the patent application form. You can find detailed explanation on https://www.ispot.tv/brands/dQR/inventhelp.

The next should be followed by filing the patent application form. The application of patent can be filed in two ways. One is called the manual filing and the other is the electronic filing. Manual filing is submitting of the patent application form directly in the patent office. All the three types of patents can be filed by using the manual filing system.

Filing a patent requires fees. The fee structure depends on the type of petition and the time of filing the patent application. More fees are charged for quick processing of the patent application form as written in this post on https://www.tmcnet.com/topics/articles/2018/06/13/438460-how-inventhelp-change-business-destiny.htm.

The submitted form reaches the patent examiner. The patent will be approved or denied as per the examination of the patent examiner. If the patent is approved, the patent filer will receive the patent approval letter from the patent office. The patent processing requires more than a year. To get a patent, it is necessary to file for one that is original, productive and something new and unique.

You have invented a unique idea and want to make sure that no one copies your idea; do you know what you need to keep your idea under security? The answer is a patent that will prevent others from imitating the concept and prove the invention is purely yours. But you need to know what a patent is before you file a petition to get a patent.

A patent is a document that provides details of the invention. More importantly, it contains legal rules and obligations that prevent others for practicing (using) the invention without the knowledge of the owner. Patent rights can be applied and granted to individual inventors, corporate groups or group of inventors.

However, before submitting a patent application form and getting a patent, it is necessary to be educated on the patent types and ways of obtaining one. The first step is to identify the type of patent, as mentioned on https://www.licensingexpo.com/vibe, before you apply for a patent.

There are three type of patent. They are:

Utility Patent: This patent type is reserved for products invented for the benefits of society in general. This type of patent lasts for a maximum of twenty years with effect from the day it is granted.

Design Patent: This patent is granted for modifications of an existing invention or product. However, the new invention should have improved functionalities and should not affect the function of the existing one. Design patent lasts for a period of fourteen years from the date and year of filling.

Plant Patent: As the name suggest, this patent is applicable for invention of reproductive plant variety. The validity of the plant patent lasts for twenty years with effect from the patent date.

After knowing about the details of the type of patent, it’s time to conduct a market research. This is searching of similar patents on inventions to ensure and satisfy that the invention is purely original. The suggested idea is to visit a patent depository office and get the details of the patent invention records and database. A free patent repository library is also a way of getting the result. This will support to a great extent in the patent research program. For more useful info about patenting process you can visit https://www.dailypress.com/blogs/dp-ugc-article-inventhelp-provides-the-necessary-help-to-nav-1-2019-01-03-story.html.

Patent lawyers also termed as patent agents are lawyers who have that authority to stand as guide for inventors in the patent process. The person has to represent the client by making sure that all documents are in accordance with the law and in connection with what the invention is supposed to stand. There are not much of patent lawyers in the whole world for this is a specialization which requires much more tests.

First and foremost, patent lawyers must have acquired license from the Patent and Trademarks Office in order to function as such. There is a process to be followed before you will be granted the title. A test conducted by the Patent and Trademarks Office must first be passed in order to get approval as you can read from https://www.linkedin.com/company/inventhelp as well.

Though these lawyers can have their own private practice, most of patent lawyers concentrate on the specialized job. Lawyers have much to do with the patent process. The Patent and Trademark Office has even recommended having a legal counsel in the person of patent lawyers to help inventors in the process of patent.

Application is really a delicate job to do. Lawyers are the one to prepare the documents for their clients. Each statement must be checked carefully and must be further checked for lacking information. One lacking detail can cause the application to be rejected. The documentation process is considered to be vital and delicate and a lawful attorney is the right person to do the job.

There are times when a certain invention may not be approved by the PTO. During these times the inventor must not lose sight of the goal for a reconsideration r appeal is acceptable. A good lawyer to do the documents including letters of appeal must be in action. There has to be a strong defense for the invention to be approved. If objections are resolved then the process will be approved.

Lawyers play an important role in the whole process of application for patent. Candidates should really be the ones who possess the characteristics of a focused person. This is primarily the reason why there has to be a test in order to be one with the team. Like any other specializations in the field of law, this has to embody the real essence of a different branch of law.

It can be considered a great need to have people knowledgeable with the process to be able to build that confidence on the client that everything is taken care of well. It is common knowledge that not all inventors are attorneys and that they have special needs. The process is so delicate that a focused mind is needed to analyze all the documents to make it free from errors and lacking details. You can find many more tips on patenting process from https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Inventhelp.

Patenting is a process which involves filing up the patent application and conducting through patent search. If you have an invention which is unique and holds promise for future use then you can apply for patent.

However, make sure that you do understand the essence of patenting before filling the patent application. Patent is a legal right provided by the civil servant or the government representative to an individual or an entrepreneur for a unique and novel invention.

As per the patenting process, the inventor makes disclosure of the novel invention thus created. The disclosure is made by the individuals in written to the patent examiner. An application is filed by the inventor in which a particular invention is disclosed.

Together with the disclosure of the invention, drawings outlining the components of inventions are projected. The drawings are helpful in making the claims as it help in distinguishing as to how the invention is different from others as was described in https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/inventhelp article. However, if you are applying for a process or idea to be patented then the drawing might not be that useful.

The second step of patenting involves hiring of patent attorney. A patent attorney helps in applying for the Patent. As he is aware of the legal procedure of filling the patent application, he can prove really helpful in dealing with the patenting process.

As mentioned earlier the patenting process isn’t easy. Once you are done with the application filling process, the patent examiner would scrutinize your application. Random searches would be conducted by the examiner to make sure that the claims made by you are true and not fabricated.

The working of the invention and its usefulness would also be checked by the examiner. If the patent examiner feels that amendments are required to make in the patent application then he or she would ask the applicant to do so. Once the amendments are made and the application is filled by keeping the patent laws, patent would be granted to the invention for a particular set of time.

Patenting is bliss for the entrepreneurs and inventors who have come up with a novel idea. But one would be required to go through the painful process of patenting to get the patent. Remember without hard work no goals can be achieved. If you have put efforts in coming up with the invention then put some more efforts to go through the patenting process. There are really good helpful guides such as this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/INPEX.

No matter how hard and difficult the process might appears to you it is going to yield profits as you would get to earn from your innovation. Moreover, the patenting would prevent yous innovation from being misused by others.

Once someone has developed an idea, and has taken the necessary steps of consulting a patent attorney or patent law firm, they usually wonder what happens next. Of course the legal representative will explain the process of getting a patent, but it’s advantageous to have some advance knowledge of how the process works and what the inventor can do while waiting for a decision from the Patent Office.

If the a patent attorney has already filed a patent application for the invention, then that suggests that a successful, comprehensive patent search has found that no similar patents. Once a patent application has been filed, the applicant’s status is referred to as “Patent Pending”. The next step in the application process is referred to as the “patent prosecution” phase, which generally proceeds as follows:

First, an examiner from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reviews the application to make a decision on whether the invention is patentable. The USPTO provides a manual (Manual of Patent Examination Procedure) to help them determine what is patentable as you can read on http://classifieds.usatoday.com/blog/business-spotlight/business-spotlight-inventhelp/.

For example, slogans, logos and names are considered trademarks, while music, art and writings fall under the category of copyrights. These types of intellectual property are not patentable. Patentable subject matter would include: business methods, processes, compositions, products and machines. The examiner must ensure that the actual invention falls within one of the established categories of patentable subject matter.

If the examiner finds that the request falls within one of the acceptable categories, the USPTO must then investigate whether the patent is for an actual new invention of a product or process. The patent office will conduct another detailed search to help determine if the invention is new. Should there be a similar patent pending application, the inventor with the earlier date of invention gets awarded the patent. (The date of invention is legally established as the date when the inventor has proven it works, or the day on which a workable process was conceived).

Once the patent prosecution phase is underway at the USPTO, the company or entrepreneur will have completed and signed documentation that can be used as evidence of their conception of the idea. The inventor can then claim ownership of the product, composition, process or machine. As such, they should start labeling the product or process awaiting decision on the patent application as “patent pending”. Appropriate markings on the product or process include: “pat. pend”, “pat. pending”, or “patent applied for”, followed by the application number.

This gives warning to others that the inventor may be able to bring a legal suit against any individual or company who utilizes, copies or sells an invention if the patent is awarded. Those who infringe a patent could be sued for damages as well as back-dated and future royalties and have their productions or manufacturing processes seized.

After eighteen months, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office publishes the application. (note: An inventor can request Non-Publication at the time of patent filing to avoid publication.) However, should the USPTO publish it prior to the patent being granted, the inventor has provisional rights during the patent-pending stage and can sue for damages from the date the application was published. Once the patent application is approved, all patent rights begin and infringement issues may be pursued as was explained in https://www.collegian.psu.edu/xpert_advice/article_1c0ae35e-1916-11e9-a355-13e0947b8cdc.html article.

Patent protection allows the creator of an idea to exclude others from making, using or selling the product, method or process. The patent owner can then sell rights to companies or other parties in exchange for royalty payments or some other form of compensation. An inventor should therefore seek patent protection for their invention as soon as possible.

The tips we are about to share with you are based in part on the experience of inventors who successfully patented, developed and marketed their inventions. These tips may or may not work for every inventor and will likely require you to adapt them to your own unique situation.

Keep a notebook or log to record concept development

A notebook or log can be helpful for several reasons:

(1) it helps you keep track of your progress and testing results, so you don’t repeat steps;

(2) it can serve as evidence of date of conception in the event another inventor claims that they invented first.

When you have a completed concept for your invention order a patent search

A patent search is a relatively cost effective way to determine the likelihood of getting a patent for your invention. A patent search may also inform you about other similar inventions and help you differentiate your invention from these inventions. Also, a patent search may also be used as evidence to help establish date of conception. There are very good patenting companies, such as InventHelp – https://www.facebook.com/inventhelp/, that can do a professional patent search for you.

Avoid any public disclosure or offer for sale of your invention before you file a Patent Application.

If the patent search suggests that there is a good likelihood of getting a patent for your invention, then you should file a patent application as soon as possible. You should not make any “public disclosure” or “offer for sale” of your invention before filing a patent application, as it could result in a loss of patent rights. An “offer for sale” might include working with invention promotion companies who may try to sell your invention to third parties and should be avoided as explained in https://campuspress.yale.edu/tribune/inventhelp-gets-great-inventions-from-the-mind-to-the-market/ article.

File a Patent Application

As you can imagine, we recommend using a licensed patent attorney or agent to draft and file your patent application. A patent application is one of the most complicated legal documents that exist and should not be taken lightly. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has stringent requirements, as provided in the Manual of Patent Examination Procedure (MPEP), for proper format and contents of a patent application.

In addition, the strength of your patent often depends on how the legal claims are written. The claims define the legal boundaries of your invention and ideally should be drafted to cover your invention broadly, while avoiding any conflict with another patent reference. Therefore, you should work with an experienced patent attorney or agent who is familiar with MPEP requirements and is skilled at drafting patent claims.

If you wish to patent an idea in the United States, you must file an application through the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO.gov) which is the US government department that issues patents and trademarks. By securing a patent against your idea it gives you the ability to take legal action against anyone who attempts to take advantage of your idea. This is because you are legally identified as the ‘owner’ of that idea. But patents don’t remain in force forever lasting between 14 and 20 years depending on the type of patent issued.

However, getting a patent is not an easy process and can be potentially very costly. Even if you apply for a patent you are far from guaranteed success and the legislation is incredibly complex for most people to understand as described in http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2019/07/22/should-i-use-inventhelp-to-bring-my-invention-to-life/. Let’s look at the basic process you must go through in order to secure a patent.

Check if your idea has already been patented – You can do this on the USPTO website which provides a variety of search options. There is no guarantee that even if your idea has been patented you will necessarily find it through a search but it is a great starting point and will potentially save you lots of otherwise wasted money and effort.

Decide on the type of patent – There are three major categories identified by USPTO which are Plant Patent (Patenting of different type of new plants), Design Patents (related to specific designs) and the Utility Patent (relating to processes including those used in manufacture) which is the most common.

Decide on Coverage – Do you need United States only patent protection or international protection. You can apply for international protection through the Patent Corporation Treaty (PCT) which seeks to offer additional protection by means of an agreement between the US Government and the European Patent Office.

Utility Patents Type – Specifically for Utility Patents you can go for the full non-provisional patent requiring the more rigorous application process. Alternatively, you can apply for a Provisional Patent which lasts only 12 months and cannot be extended but is a much simpler and cheaper process to work through. ‘Patent Pending’ can be assigned to the idea and once this more limited protection is in place you can still go ahead and file for the full non-provisional patent as well.

Prepare all the paperwork and evidence – Whether you do this yourself or hire a professional is a matter of choice but USPTO recommends hiring a professional to do this for you.

Online Application – Apply online through the EFS (Electronic Filing System) once you have registered and you can manage your application and track progress through the EFS portal. Details of this service are on the USPTO website.

Yes or No? If your application is approved you will be liable for the appropriate fees. If it is not approved you can appeal and ask for it to be reconsidered. This will be at an additional cost as written on https://www.sfexaminer.com/marketplace/how-can-you-benefit-from-inventhelp/.

Fees – These include a filing and examination fee which is charged whether your patent is ultimately granted or not. Once approved you will need to pay an issue fee and maintenance fees every three to four years. There are a number of additional fees that may be levied for example if your application paperwork is over 100 pages. All these fees can quickly add up to be in the thousands of dollars. The fee schedule can be found on the USPTO website.

The process for registering a patent with the United States Patent & Trademarks Office (USPTO) is complex and costly and therefore it makes sense to hire a professional patent attorney to support you in making your application. The process of becoming a patent attorney is very lengthy and involved.

To give you an idea every US Patent Attorney must possess an appropriate undergraduate degree THEN pass the incredibly difficult U.S. Patent Bar examinations and THEN graduate from law school before finally pass their state’s bar exam.

However, even with all of this education and all of these examinations under their belt there huge variety of potential patents that could be filed means that no single patent attorney can handle every application. You will find in larger firms that they will have patent attorneys that specialize in specific areas and it is worth considering a specialist attorney for very niche ideas as discussed on http://blogs.bu.edu/suechen/inventhelp-taking-inventions-from-paper-to-the-global-marketplace/.

So what can you look for in a patent attorney?

Here are some pointers:

Are they qualified? – This is very easily solved by searching the USPTO Attorney / Agent Search online. At time of writing there are over ten thousand active agents and thirty two thousand active attorneys.

Attorney or Agent? – There is a world of difference between a patent attorney and a patent agent. An attorney is technically and legally qualified whereas an agent does not need to be legally qualified but can support the completion of applications from a technical standpoint. Ensure that you are employing an attorney not an agent if this is what you require.

Are they able to handle your particular application? – It is worth inquiring if they have previously (and ideally successfully) secured patents for similar types of applications to yours. This need not be a deal breaker but you want to feel confident that they have the skills, knowledge and understanding required to complete your application successfully.

Don’t necessarily go with the biggest or the one that advertises the most – You are looking for the most appropriate attorney to handle your application. Bigger firms do sometimes have the advantage of having specialist divisions but smaller, more specialized firms may be more effective for you. There are no definitive rules about this. Just simply be aware of choosing the most appropriate firm for you.

Gather the evidence – Shortlist a number of patent attorneys to investigate further. Look for independent reviews of their services, ask others for recommendations if you are able to do so and if you have any doubts then ask the questions. Ask them for sample applications, terms of business, their fee schedule and any other information you may require.

Who is the expert? – Remember that you are the expert in your idea. The attorney is the expert in navigating the legalities and processes required to secure your desired patent. The attorney can only work with the information that s/he is provided with and therefore you have a responsibility to ensure that you communicate your idea clearly. A good patent attorney will help you to structure your idea and put it into your application in a way that supports the patent process.

Take your time – Do not feel rushed or pressured into choosing a particular patent attorney. After all you are going to potentially be spending a lot of money with them and on your patent application. Therefore, it is essential that you ensure that you are happy to proceed both with your application and the particular attorney.

You are not alone if you start investigating a patent attorney and find out that you are not ready to begin the process. If this is the case, be honest with the attorney, take some time to get yourself prepared and then you can approach them when you are ready to begin.

There are a number of things to consider when hiring a patent attorney or an patenting agency. Luckily, there is a rigorous qualification process and you can easily check their credentials online in the United States as stated in http://www.sfweekly.com/sponsored/why-inventors-turn-to-experts-like-inventhelp/ article.