Patents and inventions

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Has anyone here had any expierience of the above.

I have an idea for a product which is unique in the market area I am looking at but not unique generally, there are variations of the item used in a very different field.

I have rough drawing and will be looking at mocking up a working model this weekend.

Its not the next big thing but there is a unique market to tap into.

Im going to speak to the Patent office tomorrow to try and clarify the terminolgy when it comes to Patents.

She i pursue this further what is the best way to safegaurd my idea/design/concept etc

Thanks !
 
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There is a website you can visit that tells you all the items and inventions that have been patented. I honestly cant for the life of me remember the site name, but i'll have a look around. Its also full of details about obtaining a patent, etc.

Someone might link to it before I find it, but its exactly what you are looking for IMO
 
Soldato
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Some of the things I did at uni, that required patents, went through the uni, but I think its a case of contacting the patents office directly and applying for one.
 
Soldato
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It's certainly worth investing in a patent lawyer. Won't be cheap, but at the end of it you'll have a patent that will actually stand up in court and is worth the paper it's printed on.

Getting a patent isn't the hard part, enforcing it is :)
 
Soldato
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Patents are very, very expensive. I covered patents in my law for managers course last week.

A patent is an exlcusive right to use and exploit an invention for 20 years. There are 4 requirements:

1. The invention must be new.
2. It must involve an inventive step going beyond the state of the art,
3. It must be capable of industrial application.
4. It must not fall into the classes of non patentable material ie plants animals business methods.

The procedure for applying is long and costly, so you should ask yourself if a patent is really necessary bearing in mind alternative methods of protection, size of the prospective market, likelihood of competition, cost and time involved and the expected commercial life of the invention. Before an applicaiton is made oyu need to decide on the market to be targeted, choosing between the Uk, Europe and international. The wider the market, the longer the patent takes and the more it costs.

The stages are as follows:
1. A patent agent drafts and submits the application, then you can develop the technology safe that any applications after that date by anyone else will be blocked.
2. The patent office examines the specs and searches other existing patents to ensure novelty.
3. A full examination takes palce to ensure the requirements of the patent legislation have been complied with, then the patent is granted.

The whole process usually takes around 4 years and then you pay an annual fee.
 
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homerio said:
Patents are very, very expensive. I covered patents in my law for managers course last week.

The procedure for applying is long and costly, so you should ask yourself if a patent is really necessary bearing in mind alternative methods of protection, size of the prospective market...................

Taking the above into account what other forms of protection are there?
 
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