I have a good idea for a marketable product but no resources to create a prototype. How do I market an idea?

Question

Can a person be granted a patent without a working prototype, or would I be stuck with one of these late night TV commercials where they give you a tenth of a percent of the profits from the initial run and keep the rest for themselves?

Answer 1

First let me say that the invention submission companies are all crooks. They steal from inventors.
Next a simple non-disclosure agreement is all you really need at this point. Perhaps you can do alot of the research yourself. You say your product is marketable yet you have no idea how to market it? You will definitely need a prototype. Perhaps you can make it yourself. If not, then your going to need to pay to have one made. This is money well spent, I would rather see you spend the money on developing your idea, that spend thousands trying to get a patent. The patent process is long (30 months) and can be expensive. A business plan might also be worth looking into. You can do it your self and it will force you to look at marketing and costs. With a plan and a non-disclosure agreement you may be able to get funding for your project. Add the prototype and your chances are even better.

Answer 2

you can seek a patent without a prototype, but it is near impossible to do this without paying a patent attorney to do all the patent search and applications.