I have an idea for an invention that I would like to take further but have no idea where to start. Have spoken to Davisons in US who are interested in producing it but don't know anything about the company and they are asking for a lot of money. I realise it won't be free. I am in UK. Any ideas?
2007-04-09 02:20:14 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Business & Finance ➔ Other - Business & Finance
It's something I would deffinitely use and I believe would be very useful for other people with arthritic hands. I've checked out the Patent Office website and couldn't find anything else even remotely similar.
2007-04-09 02:37:52 · update #1
Because you are in the United Kingdom I have some good news and some bad news: But before I get to the news there is a more important topic to address:
As a US patent attorney who has successfully represented small inventors in securing multi-million dollar licenses I always advise people to find the money to pay a professional to help in protect their invention, if the invention is truly worth anything.
Other people on Yahoo! Answers disagree with this opinion and will advise you to do the patent work yourself; however, I have yet to find an example of a case where a successful inventor also patented their invention by themselves.
In fact I have posted this very question ("Can anyone give me an example of a successful invention where the inventor was also his own patent attorney?") here on Yahoo! Answers to see someone will answer it. At present I have not received an adequate answer.
Ok now to the good and bad news:
First the bad news: You need to file a patent on your invention as soon as possible. It's as simple as that.
For small inventors outside the USA with little money one solution to their problem is to file a provisional patent. But the phrase "provisional patent" is actually a misnomer. It is not a true patent application, it is a document that buys the inventor one year of time in which to file their patent applications. During that one year the inventor needs to find the funding for these applications.
Also the provisional patent is less than adequate sometimes when seeking funding for your invention. First, because you have not filed a real (i.e. nonprovisional) patent application and your patent will not be granted for at least two years after you file the real application, no investor is willing to put their money behind an invention. It's just too risky.
But on the other hand this risk can be offset if you sucessfully sell your invention during the first year and its long-term market looks good.
Also the provisional patent can be problematic if the invention disclosed in real patent application is different. How different? Not much actually. If during the year you have made an improvement to the invention that could support its own patent over the one described in the provisional patent then the patent office could rule that the real application can't have the benefit of the earlier provisional patent filing date. For this reason many patent practioners don't advise provisional at all. They advise that you should spend the extra money to file a real patent application.
Oh, the good news you ask ? I happened to be in the UK for a while. If you send me an email with more information I might be able to assist you a little more. Check out my profile on Yahoo! Answers for more information.
Good Luck in your endeavor!
2007-04-09 17:15:13 · answer #1 · answered by Mark D Fox 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would have thought a patent would be a good idea, especially if your idea is unique. Then no one can copy it and rip you off. Try the patents office in the uk. They may have some advice on this matter
2007-04-09 02:26:29 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
slow down! their are many steps you need to take...
- have you researched the reaction to the product by other people?
- you need to patent the idea then...
-.. if its allowed to be patented, then you can get it into production
2007-04-09 02:25:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋