Desperate for help!!

[BLIGHTY1973]

Hi Guys

I have an idea that I think could be succesful however I now want to develop the idea into reality.

I am not technically minded whatsoever so dont know how to turn the idea into reality.

Ive found a few companies on the internet that develop ideas however I dont quite know if I should trust them so i'm stalling in going forward.

I would be a lot more confident discussing my idea if it was protected by a patent however companies offering to do this charge up to thousands of pounds.

Does anyone know the process on how I could patent my idea myself and cut out the middle man?

 

[red-source]

Dont bother with patents, unless you have pockets full of cash!

 

[Salt & Paper]

Well for a start I would think you would need a patent lawyer just to tell you whether or not the idea is patent-able and not already patented- then you will need to go through the process of actually obtaining a patent, which is not cheap or fast!

I'll tell you now- unless you have hit on something really amazing, people are very very unlikely to bother stealing it or developing it themselves- most people already have too many other things going on.

What is it? software? a product? a process?

 

[Mike tells it like it is]

Most patent attorneys/lawyers tend to be in London and Cambridge and charge a fortune.

 

[belmorefinance]

Hi there

Not to be rude or misundersood but I think you are worrying too much. We all here think we have marvellous ideas, that`s why we all started a business in the first place. I guess time and a little bit of luck will tell how great our ideas were, so for the time being I am convinced your main concern should be on how exactly will you promote your business idea so that it turns out to be such a good one, than fear that people will steal it away from you. As a member mentioned in one of the above posts .. People are busy in developing there own great ideas so I doubt they even have time to consider yours ...
So have the courage to start working on it, otherwise you will shortly find yourself in the situation thinking that once you had such a great business plan and you did nothing about it.

Hope this helps

 

[Spearmint]

I am a relatively new inventor and a few months ago I was in the same situation. I haven't made much progress with my invention in terms of applying for a patent yet, but I have spent a considerable amount of time studying the subject, seeking advice etc, etc.
First of all keep it to yourself for the time being. I wouldn't rush to seek help from the invention companies that you refer to but try and understand more about the actual process.

Take a look at the IPO website, do patent searches to see if your invention currently exists. Do google searches etc, etc. You can pm me if you want if you'd like to know more information.

Its quite likely that some Patent Attorneys will reply to your thread to advise you as well, but try and do your own searches first of all, as you may already find that your idea isn't new.

Best of luck with it

Peter

 

[firstmarket]

Hi Guys

I have an idea that I think could be succesful however I now want to develop the idea into reality.

I am not technically minded whatsoever so dont know how to turn the idea into reality.

Ive found a few companies on the internet that develop ideas however I dont quite know if I should trust them so i'm stalling in going forward.

I would be a lot more confident discussing my idea if it was protected by a patent however companies offering to do this charge up to thousands of pounds.

Does anyone know the process on how I could patent my idea myself and cut out the middle man?

My company has worked with a few of inventors helping to get their product to the end consumer usually after they have secured a patent. We meet a lot of people who have spent money on prototypes, patent protection etc but in reality their just isn't the market or interest for their product. So what I would advise is taking time to see who is going to buy this product prior to spending any money on development.

Just because a product solves a problem or makes things easier it doesn't mean it will sell.

Good luck

 

[The Paws]

If the idea is just for the current trend (eg. something to do with mobile phone technology), do it now and do it fast. Earn your profit as soon as possible in the next 12-18 months before competitors copy it.

Patenting is both time consuming and costly. Don't forget you will have to patent in many countries that can costs over £50k a year depending on how many countries you are protecting your rights. Many products in one way or another will be copy anyway (or make better with variantians), so my advise is do it fast and make the big bucks before copycats come in.

On the flip side, many so-called fantastic ideas are often already been attempted by someone years ago and found to be unsuccessful. It can be the timing is not right then, or it can be the idea just don't work. Do your research is key.

All the best.

 

Hi Guys

I have an idea that I think could be succesful however I now want to develop the idea into reality.

I am not technically minded whatsoever so dont know how to turn the idea into reality.

Ive found a few companies on the internet that develop ideas however I dont quite know if I should trust them so i'm stalling in going forward.

I would be a lot more confident discussing my idea if it was protected by a patent however companies offering to do this charge up to thousands of pounds.

Does anyone know the process on how I could patent my idea myself and cut out the middle man?

Hi apply to the patent office for there pack.

It will explain what is required.It used to be free for initial registration may be a small charge now.

Once registered you will have protection for 1 year.

You don't need detailed drawings ,just a sketch to explain the princible and

A description.e.t.c.

http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/patent/p-formsfees.htm

Earl

 

[Davek0974]

Hi apply to the patent office for there pack.

It will explain what is required.It used to be free for initial registration may be a small charge now.

Once registered you will have protection for 1 year.

You don't need detailed drawings ,just a sketch to explain the princible and

A description.e.t.c.

http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/patent/p-formsfees.htm

Earl

Apart from this gem of advise, i was once told that if you cant afford to fight in court to protect your patent then don't bother getting one. Having a patent alone will not stop someone copying it, if you cant stand your ground when it comes to fight, whats the point?

 

Apart from this gem of advise, i was once told that if you cant afford to fight in court to protect your patent then don't bother getting one. Having a patent alone will not stop someone copying it, if you cant stand your ground when it comes to fight, whats the point?

The point being that if you have a patent you can not lose.

Earl

 

[Davek0974]

The point being that if you have a patent you can not lose.

Earl

But would you still not need lawyers etc? Just asking that's all, its an interesting thread.

 

But would you still not need lawyers etc? Just asking that's all, its an interesting thread.

Yup but.

I suspect lawyers would be lining up for cast iron cases.

Earl

 

[The Paws]

The point being that if you have a patent you can not lose.

Earl

Only if you can splash out cash to fight in the court. This happen so many times than small fish just give in to save $$$.

 

[Salt & Paper]

The point being that if you have a patent you can not lose.

Earl

True, but the expense comes in seeing whether or not something really does breach a patent. Your patent would have to be extremely tight to give you a good degree of confidence about fighting off infringers in a court of law...

 

[Kevh1981]

I am a patent associate working for Loven Patents & Trademarks based in Lincoln. As some previous posts state, applying for a patent is not cheap. That is because when you go through a patent attorney you are paying for their time and experience in obtaining the best possible protection for your idea.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) does have some information relating to making your own patent application. It is possible to file a very basic application yourself which will not attract any fees but fees are then payable within 12 months.

I would certainly recommend speaking to a patent attorney in the first instance. Many patent attorneys will offer half an hour of their time for free to new clients. You should at least then get some idea of whether your idea is actually patentable. I agree with advising clients to do their own searches before paying for our services as often they are able to find any knock out prior art.

If your idea is patentable and does not appear to have been anticipated then you may have a chance of obtaining patent protection. At this point you really should engage a patent attorney's services.

The scope of your protection is defined in the claims. Unless you have substantial experience in drafting patent specifications, you may find that what makes sense to you, doesn't really protect your invention. You may be able to save money by providing your own drawings and detailed description but I would advise to get the claims professionally drafted.

Some of the posts on here do not really give a fair or clear description of the benefits and cost of applying for a patent. Most of our clients only apply for patents in their key markets which may include the UK, US, Europe and Japan. A granted patent prevents anybody else from dealing with what is covered by the patent in any country where protection is in force. So if you plan on selling your product in the UK and Europe, there is no point getting patent protection in China or India as nobody can import their goods which use your patented producted into the UK or Europe if you have a valid, granted patent.

You do have to pay renewal fees to keep a patent in force and they increase year on year. You certainly would not pay anywhere near £50,000 per year unless you had applied for a patent in many countries. In the UK, year 5 renewals (The first time renewals are payable) cost £70 rising to £500 in the 20th year. In Europe renewal fees are 420 EUROS for the 3rd year rising to 1420 EUROS in the 20th year.

A patent is certainly the most effective way of protecting the intellectual property in your idea but it is only worth proceeding with an application if there is a commercial advantage from doing so. If your idea is genuinely new, inventive and there is a market for it then definitely apply for a patent. You may also want to look at filing a registered design to protect the appearance of your product and trademarks for protecting its name and maybe your business name.

If you would like any more specific advice please message me.