Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Adult Patents and Trademarks and Rights, oh my...!

Has anyone been through the patent process...?
Patent applied for...? Patent Pending...? Patent received...?

Has anyone preserved intellectual property (IP) rights with a trademark...? A formal copyright...?

Any thoughts, ideas, recommendations...?

Links:
- https://www.uspto.gov/
- https://www.copyright.gov/

I don't have any knowledge about this. I have a friend who has a lot of patents. You might find some useful information on his blog http://www.askingwhynot.com/
The post for Monday, January 13, 2014
General thoughts on the question "I have an invention and I want a patent ... what do I do?" may get you started. Good luck

Thanks knute974 and Portia.

My nephew, an engineer, filed a bunch of patents when he was young. You can just file. But it is good to do a search for similar inventions. i looked at the process when I was involved in a dot.com and you can make slight modifications and then file a separate patent. It can be somewhat simple to go around an invention that way.

I've been awarded a few dozen patents in the US, many more if I include the corresponding PCT patents. They were defensible and successfully commercialized. The most important recommendation I can make is to find a law practice that specializes in intellectual property and has extensive experience in the subject matter of your idea or invention. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you might have.

Thanks Wren and Z7E.

For others reading this thread, here are some links regarding the PCT patents mentioned by Z7E:
1) https://www.wipo.int/pct/en/
2) https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/search.jsf

Here is a starting point for searching existing patents in the United States, including a seven-step strategy:
https://www(dot)uspto(dot)gov/patents/search
https://www(dot)uspto(dot)gov/learning-and-resources/support-centers/patent-and-trademark-resource-centers-ptrc/resources/seven

Searching the patents is fascinating:
- some of the products and ideas are futuristic and/or complicated,
- others are elegantly simple and clever improvements on everyday items,
- a few cause me to wonder how a patent could have been granted!

Talk to an IP lawyer.

Indeed! Similar to all discussion topics on this Gifted Issues Discussion Forum... find the right professional to provide experienced guidance.


As professionals are typically not too interested in teaching free 101-level courses in their discipline to each person who contacts them, but seem to appreciate putting their effort into helping those who have at least a rudimentary understanding of the topic, tips for learning a bit about the topic (vocabulary, process, and more) may be key to facilitating a newcomer's formulation of questions for finding the right professional. Gaining a knowledge base in preparation for contacting a professional may also aid the newcomer in understanding and evaluating what the professional advises, determining a good fit, and in ultimately hiring and collaborating effectively with the right professional.

Some people may be born to parents who are professionals in a particular area, and/or may have professionals in that area among their extended family and/or friends of the family... and/or they and/or their friends may earn degrees in that area and enter that field. For those not born into a set of contacts within an area, and who have their careers in other fields, some tips for developing a knowledge base are helpful. Gathering such tips is the purpose of this thread.

In addition to tips found upthread, including reading the material available to the public at the USPTO website, introductory books may be helpful in getting up to speed. One such book (don't be fooled by the title) is:
Patent It Yourself, by Patent Attorneys David Pressman and David E. Blau (NOLO.com )

A website which allows anyone free access to read "prior art" and existing patent applications including history (such as whether a patent was granted, whether a patent expired, was abandoned, was assigned to another entity, etc.):
Google Patents - https://patents.google.com/