i have emailed them twice on dec 4 & 6 thut about an idea i have wanting to know how i could find if it had a patent or not from which i have not received an answer.
2006-12-27 07:20:43 · 4 answers · asked by maciesgma 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Try giving them a call at 1-800-786-9199. It says on their Help page that they are experiencing longer than expected response times for email.
2006-12-27 07:25:27 · answer #1 · answered by penpallermel 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The patent office isn't going to answer your inquiry. It's up to you to do the research necessary to determine if your invention is patentable (which includes knowing whether it's already been patented). Similiar articles should already be referenced in your patent application.
An EXCELLENT book on the subject is "Patent it yourself" from NOLO press. It will guide you through everything you need to know. A word of warning, however... creating and filing a patent application is a complicated and time-consuming undertaking, especially the first time around. Receiving an actual patent is even more difficult, and can take longer than a year after filing. But the book will explain the details, and you can make the decision how to proceed (or if to proceed) from there.
2006-12-27 15:29:03 · answer #2 · answered by Just Some Guy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You could go to the USPTO site and do a search for products similar to yours that have been patented. It's not perfect, but it will give you an idea of what inventions have already been protected.
If you think the idea has merit and is a potentially profitable one, it might be worth hiring a patent attorney. They have access to the most up-to-date databases, and will do a thorough search to ensure patentability.
2006-12-27 15:35:58 · answer #3 · answered by Average Joe 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They don't respond to that type of inquiry. You have to get that info yourself.
2006-12-27 15:23:33 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋