Patent an Idea in the US |
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If you willing to do a bit of work to describe your idea in the kind of way the
US Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO) likes to have it, then I offer the following patent
services for a fixed fee of £200 (if you are a micro-entity) or £250 (if you are a small entity)
check your draft
make any minor changes or report major changes you need to make
prepare the main invention statement/claim to cover your idea
put together the forms for a provisional patent application
file the provisional patent application and pay the fees
report back on the work done, send the filing receipt, etc. |
Any Questions?
click here |
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Get your idea into a form that you can send to me for checking and
filing, following the pointers below.
Note that there are various pitfalls with this
"do-it-yourself" approach, which can be avoided to varying extents. |
| How to prepare your draft: |
- Read through the IPO's excellent information on online brochure.
- Use my template as a framework, and replace the text in each section with a description of your invention.
For further assistance, the sections of the brochure you can refer to which describe each section in more detail are as follows:
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| What to do with your draft: |
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You may apply
directly yourself directly at the USPTO, sending your draft and Application Data Sheet,
Oath or Declaration,
Information Disclosure Statement, and
Transmittal Sheet either by post, fax or online submission. |
Or, if you wish to take advantage of my "fixed fee" offer:
- if you need a formal confidentiality arangement, download this Non-Disclosure Agreement
and edit the information in italics. Sign it and mail two copies to me; I will
countersign and return a copy to you.
- Download this file and enter your name and contact details.
This file also includes my Terms and Conditions. Send
it to me with your completed draft and cheque for £200 or £250 (payable to Dr S Harbron), and I will assess it for completeness. I will then either
submit your invention to the USPTO, or report back to you on any shortcomings.
- Contact details are here
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| What if your draft isn't
in the right form? |
| If your draft needs more than minor changes
in order to describe your invention, or you haven't drafted in the proper way,
then I will send you comments as to how I think you should amend it. You can
either make the alterations yourself, or if you prefer, I can do them for you,
which typically costs between £50 and £250, depending on how much work is
needed. |
| Benefits: |
| A patent application, often
referred to as a provisional application, gives your
invention provisional protection for a year after filing. But you can only
enforce your rights once your patent is granted. It also means tha: if someone applies for a patent for the same notion after the
date on which your application is filed, and your application goes on to
publish, they will not be able to obtain
a patent for the same invention. Equally of course, any applications filed before
today that cover the same or a similar concept would prevent you from obtaining
one. But it means you can approach investors, show
prototypes, and market your invention without fear of it being "stolen". There
is value however in keeping your innovation confidential, and using a suitable
Non-Disclosure Agreement in your dealings with investors. And if you "improve"
on the concept you have disclosed in the provisional application, you should
ensure that these improvements are protected in further provisional applications
before disclosing them publicly. |
| Note that there are certain inventions that can be patented in the US
but which are excluded from patentability elsewhere. These include patents relating to software and business methods, amongst others.
It is thus advantageous to file these applications in the US first. |
| Further action after filing: |
| Note that at this stage no
searches have been made, and the USPTO will not make one for provisional applications.
I can commision a Search of US and European patent documents
for around £800, and this provides you with a report on what other people
have done in the area. If you have a good knowledge of the field, you may be
happy to have this done later. |
| More links: |
| Use the box below to search for related information from sites that I have selected.
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