What do you need to successfully get your invention on the market?

What's the process of getting your invention from being in the idea stage to getting it into the hands of the consumer?

• How to do a patent search. You can do this yourself using the internet.

• How to protect your idea, including patenting information. We also show you how to file a particular "document" with the Patent Office that will help you protect your invention until you get your patent. What this "document" will do is establish a date you came up with your idea.

• How to get a proto-type made. This is a working model of your invention.

• How to establish a price for your invention. We want you to be aware of all the hidden costs involved in getting your product to market.

• How to export your product for international sales.

• How to get your product in mail-order catalogs.  There are catalogs for every item you can think of. Being in a mail-order catalog can bring large orders for your product.

• Get you product on TV. The Steps to take and how to be prepared.

Maybe You Don't Need a Lawyer to Get a Patent . . .

Thousands of inventors have successfully obtained patents without hiring lawyers. Here's how.:

You've got an invention -- a product or technology that would fill a need or solve a problem. You might even make some money, if you could get the exclusive right to produce or to license your invention.  In other words, you need a patent.  But you have more imagination than money, and a patent attorney wants $7,500 to file a patent application for you. Must your invention gather dust in the garage, or can you apply for a patent yourself, without a lawyer?

Thousands of inventors have successfully navigated the patent system on their own. In fact, federal law requires patent examiners at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to help individual inventors who apply for patents without a lawyer's help.

To obtain a patent, you need to make sure your invention qualifies for a patent and you need to be able to describe all aspects of your invention. These aren't "legal" skills, and learning them is no different than learning any other skill, whether it's auto repair, deck installation or gourmet cooking. Some steps are easy, others are more difficult. As with all new endeavors, you will succeed by trial and error. But by taking the process one step at a time, you can acquire a patent.

Here's a quick look at the basic steps you need to take before filing a patent application. You'll see that nothing about the process requires a lawyer. There's no court, no judge, no "legal" research. The USPTO has specific rules, but you can follow them just as you would a recipe in a cookbook.

1. Keep a careful record of your invention.

2. Make sure your invention qualifies for patent protection.

3. Assess the commercial potential of your invention.

4. Do a thorough patent search.

5. Prepare and file an application

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