There are two types of inventions that we prefer. First, we like to work with simple improvements to existing products currently on the market. Second, we like to work with specialty tools that are used to perform specific tasks.

Depending on the complexity of your product idea, it takes us, on average, 3-4 months to fully design, develop, illustrate and patent a new invention concept.

Utility patents protect inventions that are a novel, non-obvious, and useful:

Process

Machine

Article of manufacture

Composition of matter

Or an improvement of any of the above items. Most patents are for incremental improvements in known technology; the innovation is evolution rather than revolution.

We strongly encourage you to do some background research into our company. Our reputation within the invention industry is second-to-none, something we are very proud of, and one we are absolutely committed to maintain.

Laws of nature

Physical phenomena

Abstract ideas

Literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works. These can be Copyright protected.

Inventions which are considered not useful or possible by the USPTO for example perpetual motion machines; or offensive to public morality.

A Utility Patent is issued for the invention of a new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or a new and useful improvement thereof, it generally permits its owner to exclude others from making, using, or selling the invention for a period of up to twenty years from the date of patent application filing, subject to the payment of maintenance fees. Approximately 90% of the patent documents issued by the USPTO in recent years have been utility patents, also referred to as “patents for invention”.

Maybe, but it is likely to be an uphill battle. Why pay for an unprotected idea that anyone else can copy Protecting your idea with a patent creates value for a potential purchaser. If a company purchases patent rights, they are buying an exclusive monopoly on the inventive concept for the term of the patent. They are the only entity that can make, sell, use or import a product embodying the inventive concept. Money the company invests in developing the product and bringing it to market can be recovered when the product has no competitors in the marketplace. Inventors reap what they sow. The more they invest in developing and protecting the invention, the more value it has in the marketplace.

The process of “arguing” the merits of your application is referred to as “prosecuting” the patent application. This process typically takes from one to three years and is often similar to a negotiation with the patent office. A balance is reached between the limited scope of patent protection offered by the Examiner and the broader scope of patent protection sought by the inventor. This discussion is not intended to cover the full scope of patent prosecution practice, but to familiarize a non-patent professional with a typical prosecution scenario. It should be understood that additional and other actions may be taken by the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). After filing a patent application, an Office Action from the United States PTO will usually be received within 18 to 36 months. (Some art units are so overwhelmed with applications that it may even be 40-44 months.) Typically, the first review of the application by the United States Patent & Trademark Office examiner is sent to the applicant in the First Office Action. This may be final or non-final In some cases, the First Office Action on the merits is preceded by a Restriction Requirement from the Examiner. The Examiner may break the claims into distinct inventions and ask the inventor to elect one such invention for prosecution. The remaining claims may be immediately prosecuted by the inventor via a continuation application, or held in abeyance until the first application is allowed and prosecuted via a divisional application. Of course, the inventor may elect not to prosecute on the non-elected claim Typically, in the First Office Action, the Examiner will reject some or all of the claims of the patent under 35 USC 103 when the Examiner believes it would have been obvious to create your invention in view of the prior art located by the Examiner or disclosed by the applicant. Other typical grounds for rejecting an application include 35 USC 102 rejections for lack of novelt It is then necessary for the patent professional to argue that your invention is patentable based upon specified differences between the invention and the prior art cited by the Examiner. Prior art may generally include other domestic and foreign patents (both published and unpublished), articles, thesis, conference papers, and other literature. Legal arguments and case law may be used to refute the Examiner’s position. A telephone or in-person interview with the Examiner may also be arranged to find agreement on any issues of disput Typically, the Examiner responds to the inventor’s Reply to First Office Action with a Second Office Action. While this may be final or non-final, it typically is final. The examiner may reject all of claims a second time, indicating that the inventor’s arguments were not persuasive. The examiner may set forth conditions (in the nature of required changes) upon which a patent would be allowed for some of the claimed subject matter. The inventor may make the “suggested” changes and request the patent to be issued in accordance with the Second Office Action. Alternatively, the inventor may request continued examination and another opportunity to address the Examiner’s rejections. The inventor may also make improvements or revisions in his invention, addressing the issues raised by the Examiner, and file a continuation-in-part application requesting priority to the parent application. The new subject matter will not be granted priority if not enabled in the parent case and the application may have some claims with one prior art date and other claims with a second prior art date Once put in condition for allowance, the United States PTO will issue a Notice of Allowance. Upon payment of an issue fee (you have 3 months to pay) and attention to any formalities raised by the patent office, a patent will normally be published and issued within 3 months. These formalities typically include replacement of pending patent application or published patent application references with the issued patent numbers for any such patents that issued during the pendency of prosecution.