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!
