http://www.google.com/patents is a lot more user friendly than http://www.uspto.gov/patft/ The only drawback to the Google search is that it is about 6 months behind the Patent office. Google has to wait for the patent office to issue the information and then download it to Google. This process is not as current as the patent office’s site.

Thanks Roger for your valuable insight!

1. What do you guys think about disclosing your invention/idea in such a marketplace or on the internet?
Answer- It depends on what stage of development your invention is at the time. Is it protected in any way or just a idea on paper? What are your expectations from posting it on that site?

2. Is it worth it, have there been any success stories?
Answer- I have not heard of many successes in using these types of sites. You have to take into account that in order for the invention to be “Discovered” most of those sites rely on the potential company finding them. They do not actively present your invention to companies. So your chances of being discovered are low.

3. What else can I use the internet for as an Inventor?
Answer- You can search for similar items as your invention, seek sites like this for good advice, learn which companies are ripping off Inventors, learn from others experiences and help you avoid the pitfalls a large number of Inventors fall into on a daily basis.

Remember you can a lot of the research yourself and save yourself a lot of out of pocket money.

You can use the internet to search for patents.
Sites like these are made for it:

http://www.uspto.gov/patft/
http://www.google.com/patents