Almost every day I get a question from someone asking about protection with their provisional patent application (PPA). This is always tricky to answer because first we need to understand what is meant by the word “protection”. I usually try to break it down into two types of protection: Protection from people trying to copy […]
How much does it cost to patent an idea? It depends. There are two ways you can patent an idea: Write and file your own patent application (the cheapest way) – total cost about $900 for most inventors to get an issued patent (USPTO government fees only). Hire a registered patent attorney or patent agent to […]
No doubt you or someone you know has come up with a clever way to solve a problem and has heard it said, “You should patent that idea!” For many people, inventions and ideas are the same. To the Patent Office, ideas and inventions are very different. The Patent Office requires Non-Provisional patent applications to […]
Many inventors that write their own patent applications use the term “consists of” instead of the preferred term”comprises”. For example, if their invention is a new mixture, they may write “my invention consists of A, B, and C”. To the Patent Office, these words (consists of vs. comprises) have very different meanings. While this […]
Just about every patent application submitted to the patent office will face an obviousness rejection. But what exactly makes an invention “obvious” to a patent examiner? According to the law (35 U.S.C. 103), even if a claimed invention is not identical to an earlier inventio, a patent on the invention cannot be obtained if the […]
Have a new product idea like a cell phone case that works the same as other products but looks different? A design patent may be the way to go. A design patent covers the ornamental design, not the functional design or aspects, of an object. An ornamental design refers to the visual ornamental shape of […]