Patent infrigment

[play_n_win2001]

What is the name of your state?CA

Hi, I've an orignal idea to make shoe lift because my family is kinda short and my brother would put socks in his shoes to be a little taller. After the idea I went online and search for anything similiar and found a few company that makes them. I feel like this is still the early stage on this idea. So I wanted to make my own and compete.

After trial and error on making my product. The only reasonable design which is comfortable is a high to low angle as you can see on this site below which "they claim is patent pending".

http://www.talleryou.com/catalog/catalog.html

Here is another site that makes them high to low too:
http://www.clearlyadjustable.com/?Oadjust

Another 1 that's high to low as well:
http://www.shoelift.com

My product is very similiar to the first site (talleryou) and the 2nd site (clearyladjustable). but my has color fabric on top to give a nice cool feet feeling and made out of a different materials and doesn't have the back edge like them.

Can they sue me? and I don't have enough money to patent my idea so if later on somebody makes the same materials and everything like me. Can they sue me too?

Thanks alot I'm only 21 and I don't want to get sue

 

[divgradcurl]

Can they sue me?

If they have a patent, and they feel that you are infringing on their patent, then yes, they can sue you. Will they? Who knows.

and I don't have enough money to patent my idea so if later on somebody makes the same materials and everything like me. Can they sue me too?

Only if they have a patent. If you (or anyone else) invent something, and fail to patent it (or can't get a patent on it for some other reason), then the invention becomes "public domain" -- anyone can make it. That's the whole prupose of patent law -- to protect your invention. If you don't have a patent, you don't have any protection, and the converse is true as well -- if you don't have a patent, you don't have any "right" to sue someone else for copying your idea.