Is My Invention Patentable?

Is my idea patentable?

 To find this out is sometimes very difficult. Initially, you should do a bit of research on your own, usually by looking up in journals and on the internet.

Try to understand if there are patents in the field of your expertise and what is really patentable.

 The next step is to document your idea thoroughly and then seek expert help from a patent attorney specializing in the particular technical field. As the titles “patent attorney” or  “patent agent” have different meaning in different countries, find out what meaning is applied to them in your country and which services the organization or the person you would like to start working with provide.

At first they will have to get you the indication of idea evaluation before you spend money on patent lawyers, business consultants etc.

To check if there is a necessity for your future product/service, try to identify or look for trends, that will prove the necessity you are going to answer. Try not to underestimate the time limits: if your product will see the light in a year and there is an urgent necessity in your product now, you may find yourself missing the opportunity, when you finish your development. There may be other companies that have identified this necessity and the trend prior to you, they may have applied for a patent in the same field. You should take this into account, when you start planning.

 Most of the inventors know what will the future product do and how it will be used, but less of them think who and why should or shouldn’t pay for it. There is an endless number of business models and you may not be sure enough about the one you should apply to your future product/service. This is one of the critical points in the idea evaluation, for may be your invention is nice, but no one will want to pay for it. And unless you wish your invention to fit in one of the lists of “All Time Useless Inventions” like this one:

http://www.gadgetell.com/tech/comment/10-all-time-useless-inventions/  or this one : http://villageofjoy.com/30-worlds-strangest-inventions/ you’d better be thinking about who is going to pay a bill for using it.

 How do you know, that your idea is enough elaborated to go for real? Does this question bother you? Even the most self confident people try to get the answer to this question. The point is that a slight change in the concept may change the whole future of your invention.

Think about it.

 So once again, in order to know whether your idea is patentable:

1. Do your own research over the web and in professional literature.
2. Document your invention in your own words.
3. Seek for expert help from a patent attorney in your field.
4. Do not think that patenting your invention will solve your marketing problems: check if there is a real necessity for your future product
   1. Take time limits into consideration,
   2. Look for trends/future trends,
   3. Think about the end user – the reason he will want to pay for your product.
5. Think your invention over and over again – give it the deepest thought ever. Remember: even a slight change in concept may influence the future success of our invention, so better patent something valuable.