How to Patent an Idea or Invention

If you want to know how to patent an idea you first have to understand how patenting works in the first place. In the US, a patent is a measure taken by someone who wants to prevent others from producing and selling the item within the US. This also includes importing a patented item into the US.

Patents allow someone to be the sole owner of an idea. In order to patent your idea, you have to more than just having the idea in your head, you have to actually make it a physical reality first. In other words you have to have a marketable product to show.

After you have made your idea into a prototype, you will be ready to move into the process of patenting. The first step to take is one that is often in disagreement among attorneys. Some recommend you to begin producing and developing your product, others say you should have it documented.

It is highly recommended to seek the advice of an attorney once you have the finished product. The reason for this is because it may take just a few prototypes, or several hundred, the only way to be sure is to get proper advice from an professional patenting agency such as InventHelp.

How to Patent an Idea

One of the most important parts of how to patent an idea is the disclosure of your idea. In the US, you have a one year deadline for the invention to be patented once you have disclosed the idea publicly or privately. It does not matter whether the product has been invented yet.

A disclosure might include a sale offer of the product before it is invented. If the one year period expires, then you will lose the patent rights automatically. It is recommended for applicants to file as soon as possible.

Importance of an Patent Agency

Once you have proceeded with the patent application, your agency, for example InventHelp is responsible for drafting this important document. If you decide to draft the application on your own, it may be deem the invention useless. This is because there are rules that need to be followed in the patent application process which is best to be left for the patent attorney to handle.

The patent attorney will work closely with you before filing the application. The reason for this is because all possible variations of the invention must be considered and factored into the application. When the application is nearly ready for submission, your signature will be required on many papers. The patenting office will also need to settle different fee payments which take a long time to receive a response.