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My Invention
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quincy
Senior Member
Others will post with more detailed information, but to start you off you can visit the following sites:
www.uspto.gov - this is the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's website
www.nolo.com - this site will give you basic information on patent law
Most inventors want to protect their patent ideas quickly, before someone else comes up with the same idea. You can file a provisional patent application (PPA), which should contain a complete description of your invention - how it is put together and how it operates, and any drawings that may help in understanding the invention. You do not need to include any formal drawings or a patent application declaration to file a PPA. The PPA's filing date will delay the examination of any regular patent applications received after that date for up to one year, while you wait to file a regular patent application yourself.
There are three different kinds of patents that can be issued - a design patent, a plant patent and a utility patent. Descriptions of each are available on the sites I listed above. Patents are granted on only new and nonobvious inventions.
Wait for the expert patent posters to post here, for more detailed information.
www.uspto.gov - this is the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's website
www.nolo.com - this site will give you basic information on patent law
Most inventors want to protect their patent ideas quickly, before someone else comes up with the same idea. You can file a provisional patent application (PPA), which should contain a complete description of your invention - how it is put together and how it operates, and any drawings that may help in understanding the invention. You do not need to include any formal drawings or a patent application declaration to file a PPA. The PPA's filing date will delay the examination of any regular patent applications received after that date for up to one year, while you wait to file a regular patent application yourself.
There are three different kinds of patents that can be issued - a design patent, a plant patent and a utility patent. Descriptions of each are available on the sites I listed above. Patents are granted on only new and nonobvious inventions.
Wait for the expert patent posters to post here, for more detailed information.
quincy
Senior Member
You don't need a lawyer to file a PPA. Since patents tend to confuse me, that is the route I, personally, would take, however there are many books available that can walk you step by step through the whole patent process so you can file an application on your own. This costs a lot less than a patent attorney would. 
One of the ones I have run across is Patent It Yourself by David Pressman, published by Nolo, although I am sure your local bookstore or library could offer you other suggestions.
One of the things you need to investigate, before filing an application, is whether there is a patent (or patent pending) on "your" invention already. The U.S. patent website I provided has free databases available, so you can search for patents granted since 1971. There are special libraries (Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries) which have all patents ever issued, as well. You can do free searches yourself or, for a fee, have someone search the databases for you. Again, all of the information on how to do searches is available at www.uspto.gov.
And again, wait for the patent experts on this forum to post.
One of the ones I have run across is Patent It Yourself by David Pressman, published by Nolo, although I am sure your local bookstore or library could offer you other suggestions. One of the things you need to investigate, before filing an application, is whether there is a patent (or patent pending) on "your" invention already. The U.S. patent website I provided has free databases available, so you can search for patents granted since 1971. There are special libraries (Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries) which have all patents ever issued, as well. You can do free searches yourself or, for a fee, have someone search the databases for you. Again, all of the information on how to do searches is available at www.uspto.gov.
And again, wait for the patent experts on this forum to post.