Can anyone help me?

[ci5ic]

Here's the situation...

I've come up with an idea for an invention that I think could potentially make me alot of money.

However, due to the fact that I lack the knowledge, materials, facilities, or capital to develop the invention, I'm thinking that it may be worthwhile for me to try and sell the idea to a company that already has those particular resources.

Does anyone have any experience with something of this nature? I have alot of questions as to what steps I should take... For instance, applying for a patent, etc. Should I apply for a patent and then try and sell the patent? Is it possible to recieve a patent without a working prototype?

What should I do?

[Oz]

License the patent.

[2strokebloke]

You don't need a working prototype to get a patent anymore.
I can't remember the different types of patents there are (but there are three of them) I think that there's a "design" patent, and a "utility" patent, and another one etc. There's actually a website made by the government to help you figure out which patent you need.
Then you just get the paperwork, and either write the patent description yourself, or get a patent attorney to do it for you (which is expensive, unless you have a friend who can get you a "good deal" if he knows an attorney)

[eversio11]

Originally Posted by 2strokebloke

or get a patent attorney

Its your lucky day ci5ic, I happen to be a patent attorney myself!

Just, tell me your idea, and I'll get the ball rolling.












on my early retirement. ahhahahahahhaha

[2strokebloke]

Don't tell him your idea, he's the devil, he'll just steal it - you know how "those folk" are. Patent folk.

[Amish_kid]

Just send me the detail and some blue prints I'll make sure it gets done.


BASTARD!!
someone beat me to it

[carguyinok]

I have three things waiting for me to save the money for the patent attorney. I have talked with a few patent attorneys and what I was told by more then one. Take some time and draw it up and do a write up on it. Now take that and send it to yourself CERTIFIED mail. DO NOT OPEN IT just put it in a safe place. With this you can prove it yours from the day you mailed it
Just alittle insurance.

[ci5ic]

Originally Posted by carguyinok

I have three things waiting for me to save the money for the patent attorney. I have talked with a few patent attorneys and what I was told by more then one. Take some time and draw it up and do a write up on it. Now take that and send it to yourself CERTIFIED mail. DO NOT OPEN IT just put it in a safe place. With this you can prove it yours from the day you mailed it
Just alittle insurance.

Yeah, that's the poor-mans copyright.

I imagine that the difficulty for me will be trying to determine wether a patent for a similar idea already exists, in which case I would certainly need a patent attorney. I just don't know if I have enough technical data to do a sufficient write-up on it. I've got the basic design and function, but not the working bits and pieces (electronics, etc.).

Here's a site I found on copyrighting, pretty interesting:

http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html

[ci5ic]

Just found this... very interesting...

According to my search, my idea does not currently have a patent...

www.uspto.gov