I actually started my whole journey with Patent It Yourself (13th addition) a few years back. Its extremely informative and a valuable resource. Its like a college level class on the subject. I read most of it and began the process. Then I got a new job where I worked 50+ hours and my motivation slipped away. Now I’m through with that job and I actually have time for myself. I was curious about the software because I was unaware of it when I was working on my idea before. I was kind of hoping that it would be a good asset to accompany the book. I imagined it as something to build a base to work from. I would still bring the finished product to a professional to be reviewed before submitting it. Still, $300 is a lot of money. I wouldn’t spend that kind of money with out some success stories. I just started re reading Patent It Yourself and I think that is going to be the path I take for the time being.

The only good I got out of “Patent-Pro” in 1997 was to realize it does not work. I can NOT work. It will NOT work. There is a lot of analysis in drafting a patent application. No artificial intelligence will do that for you.

Then, I realized I needed to become the software myself. I bought my first copy of Patent-It-Yourself by David Pressman. I think it was the 3rd edition. Then I bought a new copy about 7 years ago, and I recently bougth a copy of the fifteenth edition $49.99 at B&N. You also get Trademarks and Copyright education.

I am not promoting that anybody do-it-themselves, but knowlwdge is a great thing, even if you have a pro doing it for you. The PTO has all the Manual of Patent Examination Procedurees (MPEP) on line, and other references are also available.

I do think that trying to learn yourself is by far much better than relying on software.

You get what you pay for and a poorly drafted patent will likely not hold up in court and can turn away potential licensors . My first advice is to do a prior art search to see whether your idea is even worth a patent application. Second, I would consult with a patent attorney or agent and at least get some claims drafted. The claims are the most important part of the patent application and claim drafting is an art. Legalzoom may be ok for a design patent, but even then a prior art search should still be conducted before considering a patent application.

I used to have a copy of patent pro and tossed. Can’t believe I did that, but was sort of fed up with the whole patent/invention world. I didn’t think it was that easy to understand anyway though. I recently bought patent wizard for $150, but I’m not feeling I understand it enough to file for a good PPA with it. That’s only for a PPA. I’ve heard others on here talk about legal zoom.