Patent pending......

mistergixer · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Karma :

I've come up with a cracking idea/invention, built it, tested it and it works.

My next step, i guess, is to apply for a patent for it.

Anyone on here have any experience of patenting an idea/invention?

(obviously don't want to discuss the actual nature of the invention, suffice to say it is fishing related)
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Moonie · World Chat Champion Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Karma :

One thing I was told is that you have to hire an expensive patent lawyer and that it takes years to complete.

So it best be good to make it worth the cash.
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Itchy · Super Spammer Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Karma :

Trawl trawl and trawl to see if your idea has been done before , I always think of things and build prototypes which work , but invariably have been done before. And jot them down in a little note book of mine.

Something Owldamner said years ago:

Keir · World Chat Champion Joined: 11 Apr 2006 Karma :

carvell · Scuttler Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Karma :

I have a patent that is current pat pending, so have been through the application process.

https://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/patent.htm

That website tells you everything you need to know. You need to pay a variety of fees and have a very good grasp of report writing and English in order to create the documentation.

https://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/patent/p-formsfees.htm

Fee structure is there. You need to pay £30 for the application and £130 for the search. Once that's completed they send you their search results which tell you if there are any other similar patents. It's up to you if you wish to proceed. If you do, there's an extra £70 to pay, then it gets examined and published and all sorts. Then a couple of years later the patent is granted.

You can accelerate the process if you have £££.
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GhostRider · World Chat Champion Joined: 31 Jan 2008 Karma :

I remember in a lecture about drug patents, an example was given about how you need to trawl to see if the idea has already been done.

The idea was for a door switch for a dog to press which would open a flap and let the dog in. Ignoring the potential for burglars, the idea was rejected based on a comic strip from the 1970's in the beano, in which Walter the softy has the same device for his dog foo foo.

How the hell they found something so obscure is beyond me, but shows the lengths you need to go to in order to ensure it hasn't been done before.

GhostRider
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carvell · Scuttler Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Karma :

Well, you don't actually have to do a search yourself. You have to pay them £100 and they do the search for you, it's a compulsory step.

However, you can obviously save yourself some wonga if you have at least a quick search yourself first.
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benvanwell · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Karma :

The first thing to do is have a search to look for anything similar, pay particular attention to the idea rather than the intended use. A lot of applications fail because someone has covered the idea for use in a completely different field. The best place I've found to start searching is here.

If you are confident that a patent could be granted, and you want to go down this route, then personally I'd look for a patent agent who is interested in working with you. By this I mean that they will work on your behalf for a stake in the venture. Normally the best way to start looking for these people is to find someone with loads of experience (read: old and wealthy) who have already 'been there and done that'. Often these will have worked with academic departments, and of course individuals.

If you have massive aspirations for your idea then obviously you would be best placed to exploit the idea if you paid for the patent work up front. This can, however, prove very costly.
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