Do you need to know how to get patent protection? Before you can proceed to patent office you need to assess your invention and make certain you have a product or process that can indeed be patented. This is not to say something that has already been patented, for that you need to perform a patent search, but rather you need to examine your product and make sure it is more than an idea.
You cannot patent an idea, you need an invention. You can argue that this is semantics, and you are probably right, but the point is in order to protect intellectual property you need to have a unique solution to a problem.
This may sound obvious, but many people have the notion to seek patent protection immediately after they identify a problem. For instance “what if cars could fly using jet engines.” I have an idea! Obviously I have not invented anything though.
This is a far fetched example, but sadly similar to the mentality of many new inventors. In order to patent such an vehicle, I would have to work out the exact details on how the car accomplishes this feat – and ultimately I would end up having to apply for many patents.
Forgetting the example above and assuming I had a real invention that has not been patented yet, my best course of action would be to shop for a registered patent attorney. Attempting to file a patent yourself WILL be disastrous.
You need an experienced patent attorney in order to ensure you get the best patent protection possible for your invention. For more information on how to choose a patent attorney, see our article.
Your chosen patent attorney will perform a professional patent search and advise you on how to proceed, or if you should cease development on your idea.
If the attorney feels that you do have a patentable product, you can work with the firm to create your application and file with the United States Patent & Trademark Office for the appropriate protection.
