Thread: invention from idea to production

Well the first thing is that you're going to need a ton of money to start this off. Once you have everything in order, in terms of sketches, steps to create, steps to do this and that, you will need to make sure you have all drawings and instructions.

You will then need to make sure the patent does not exist or that there is something that is not similar.

Once you've gone through that and you KNOW or have an idea that it will be of use, you can send your details to the patent office. The thing is, this is where it gets tricky. Patent offices. Once it's submitted (by this time you'll be paying patent fees of 20000 plus it's maintenance) and you'll need to work on creating a prototype for your defense as well (it will help).

This prototype will allow the patent office to see how it works and whatnot. If it's accepted, the patent is yours for 20 years and then it goes public. Patent trolls will challenge it if they can so you will need to be able to defend this very well.

Usually at this point, you may need to find some VC's or Angels to help you get this into production, at which could be really hard if no one likes the idea.

To help put it in perspective, only 1000 of 100000 patents and ideas actually succeed. Of that 1000, only 1 - 10 get looked at by investors since many can never get them off the ground. Of those 10, usually only 1 will be accepted and brought to life for a successful run.

You mentioned production rights/selling, that is up to you once you have the patent, but remember that if someone can change the instructions enough and get the same item, if there is enough of a difference and enough of a use, AND it is more efficient than your method, that patent may be accepted. Also once you get a patent, everyone will see how you did your product thus being more accessible to being copied as close to as possible without infringing on the rights. But you can sell the patent off to someone else and they take over, or you can contract them to use it, both are valid.

Trademarks and Copyrights go through a similar process but last for a different amount of time. Copyrights are 50 years I believe, and Trademarks are 10, If i remember correctly.


P.S. I am missing a few things and have simplified some things, but that's ebcause I honestly can't remember them for sure, but that is the basic gist of it.

Good post. Thanks for the info.

here for more

Found a decent article that seemed to fit this thread well(worth the read to anyone with ideas):

How to Patent Inventions – Inventors and Patent Laws - Popular Mechanics

Haven't read the article above yet, but unfortunately there's one (and probably a lot more no one knows about) case which shows that a certificated patent can also be worth nothing in the end.

brand eins Online: "Die Marathon-Männer oder Drei Freunde gegen einen Milliardenkonzern" - brand eins 08/2007 - SCHWERPUNKT: Fehler

It's a German article, so all the German guys over here can have a quick look. I'll try to sum up the article the best I can, as it's about two years ago that I've read it.
Basically three guys over here in Germany had the brilliant idea of connecting an advice, I think it actually was an iPod, to their running shoes,
so that everyone can monitor their time, route and whatever else they'd like to. Unfortunately they hadn't the proper financial support to market and produce their idea
on a wider scale, so they presented their idea to bigger companies like Adidas, Puma last but not least, Nike. Which should've been their biggest mistake.
Not one single company decided to take any interested. A couple of months later, despite their waterproof patent rights, Nike and Apple introduced a
"brand new" combination of both their products (Apple - Nike + iPod). Of course all three were pissed and filed legal charges
against both companies. I think they spent like six figures and at one point they and their lawyer resigned. Funny thing was/is
that they the copyright was 100% theirs and they did every proper step to protect it. Only problem was/is that Nike and Apple have a bigger budget when it comes
to their legal departments and so they stretched the case for years, since they had to give up due to the costs. Think they received $680 000 in the end.
But it took them eight years and they had to split it. As for 2007 Apple only made €75 mil with the set.

Not the most motivating story I guess, but I think this shows us that we should all be very, very careful when it comes to searching for a suitable business partner.

Yup, patents are not the end all, they are a deterrent for most. For those with bigger pockets, patents in their way are not that big of a hurdle.

Good discussion of bringing your idea to development in the July Webinar- Link to the recording was posted!

Another good one:

How to File a Patent for Your Invention - Creating, Patenting and Filing an Invention - Popular Mechanics

I am currently doing this! It sure is a pain in the ass, and pricey