I have an Idea How do I get it patented?

[USMC7314FL]

Ive had the idea for awhile, I would like someone to help me get in contact with someone who either wants to buy the idea and make it or help me mass produce and publicize it. it involves the helping keeping the sleeves tight:)
thanks to all, and a BIG Oorah!
Pvt Engle
^Njp's suck supposed to be a Lcpl oh well, live and learn:usmc:
feel free to email me at kenny_engle@yahoo.com

[Dennis Kleitsch]

Not to discourage you, but you need to read this first:

http://www.tinaja.com/patnt01.asp

My father has a patent, he had to assign it to the company he worked for. Not long afterwards, they laid him off.

As an electronics consultant I designed some new product for the company. It won a 'best of' award at a trade show. The company applied for a patent (against my wishes), and was promptly sued. Both companies ended up going broke from the costs involved.

I recently made the mistake of thinking up another good idea. I am bound by an intellectual property agreement for the current company I am working for. Even though it is not related in any way, shape, or form to what we do at work, they will not give me a release. They told me to submit it to their legal department, and that they would pay me $250 even if they decided not to go ahead with it.

Read Don's book, and make up your own mind.

[Zulu 36]

Patents provide roughly the same legal protections to an inventor as a copyright does for writers. Or at least in theory.

Most people who write or invent for their employers will not normally get the rights to those works. You're doing those things on the company dime and time, thus the patent/copyright rights belong to the company just the same as the profits for whatever you produce as a wrench turner on an assembly line.

However, if you're inventing strictly on your own time and dime, patent right belong to you. The question remains: Is the invention a viable commercial product worth the costs of patent, product development, production, and marketing? Plus, any company that might be interested in taking your invention to the marketplace may require you to assign patent rights to them. They would pay you for them, usually a lump sum, but you would have no claim to further profit if your idea made them a massive bundle o'bucks down the road.

Getting a patent is probably the cheapest part of the deal. It's the rest that costs big in cash and time. It's the same thing for writers. It's easy to write something and get a formal copyright. Not so easy to get it published.

[lovdog]

USMC7314FL:

This is sort of a touchy subject and there are quite a few things to really think about before starting such a venture. Apparently you are currently underfunded to start the venture yourself and thats a major problem on the get-go. There are horror stories out there that people have been "taken" by swindlers of the "Patent Game" that look for ideas by entreprenuers and then end up with not only the Patent, but a product that makes them rich instead of the one who actually invented the item.
Its been awhile since I had my delusions of granduier myself, but there are web sites that you can talk things over with other inventors, get all the straight skinny from the ones that have been there, done that and the pitfalls to watch out for. The more information and education that you have before you attempt this the better off you will be. I would say that out of 100 inventors that are trying the same type ventures that your are, 90% will go nowhere for various reasons. The 10% that are successful are usually the ones that did their homework beforehand. And, some inventors are not so lucky either when their invention that is really selling well and they are making money suddenly gets "sideswiped" by a product liability suit for 5 million dollars because someone had the stupidity of using their invention in the wrong manner because of politically incorrect labeling on the wrapper!!
Sometimes I think it better to run a product thru an overseas market, get it shipped into the US. That way they do not run under the same guidelines as the US as far as taxes, liability, etc.
There are investors out there that are willing to take a chance on an invention if they know that they can make a decent gain off their money - but its like picking straws - you need to make a good choice in picking "who your friends" are, because there are persons out in the world that make a living off getting the money out of your pocket into theirs - with minimal return to you!!
Check out some websites, talk to some people in that game and hopefully they can give you some insight on where it is that you want to go. Perhaps work on a prototype of your product, produce a few drawings of the unit, work out costs per each, etc., who knows, maybe this one idea will pan out for you & make you disgustingly wealthy - stranger things have happened!! I wish you well. SF

[airframesguru]

www.uspto.gov

[USMC7314FL]

I dont have the slightest idea on some of these things I had the idea and would like to atleast make a few and maybe sell them to some of my buddies and see how they like them.. I mean its simple but Ive never heard of anyone else doing it yet.. Is there anyone in the Marines I can talk to since its a uniform based product. I want to just go ahead and tell you guys what it is, I trust my fellow devil dogs but I dont want someone to take my idea and ill be up the creek without a paddle
let me know and thanks for all the help so far
Kenneth Engle
Pvt, USMC

[USMC7314FL]

so are there any companies I Can submit my idea to and maybe get paid for it. I would be happy with a few thousand dollars for my idea, Im not greedy after all it was just an idea but I know marines would love it
Kenneth Engle
Pvt USMC