alice InWonderland
aaagrace
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I decided to take it one step at a time about our invention(s) and not jump into it, so we don’t get burned later.
I want to start by finding out if this idea is truly new. I have searched internet and looked over US patents issued and found there is nothing like it.
What else can I do? Can I do my own novelty search? If so how do I go about it? What are your experiences with using atterney or agent to do that? How do I know that the person I hire (if I go that route) will do a quality job and not just take my money and tell me what I want to hear?
Thanks in advance!
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Ken Somerby
reddawg
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Start by searching google and try http://www.google.com/patents
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Nanette Ocana
nlocana
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Do you have a provisional product protecting your idea. If not, you should do that right away. It is worth the expenditure because once the idea is out there you have no protection. I do not know your experience, so I apologize if I am telling you something you already know.
As far as your questions here are my experiences, because I have a patent pending and am in the final stages of approval. I did a search on the internet and also the stores that sell products similar to mine. Also, sharper image, brookstone, and others that carry novelties. Of course the first place I checked was the patent website. I entered any name that the item can be called.
I found my agent on the patent website, because they list all of those approved and those they have experience with, also. I called several attorneys and agents. Since I had done quite a bit of my paperwork, I needed to know if it was correct. It was the best thing I did because they have the latest information. When I called the attorneys they wanted to be paid just for me to show them and leave them my documentation ($200plus for an hour), then they expected for me to pay by the hour just for them to tell me if the documentation—not to edit it. They would not answer any of my questions. When I called my agent he answered several questions I had and never charged me for the first visit even though it was 2 hours long. He is excellent, but he is in California. I went with the one that would talk to me over the phone and answered my questions over the phone. That showed me that it was not all about the money for them. I hope this is helpful.
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dond invents
dond
298,250
Insider Points
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Hi Alice, I would first go back to looking online and the patents to see how folks are managing to live without your product given that there is “nothing like it”. If you have solved a common problem faced by millions, chances are solutions do exists and you need to find them early to understand how yours might be different and hopefully better in one or more ways before spending a bunch of money. If you search the EN forums using “patent”, I believe there is a reference to a company who performs searches and includes a legal opinion about patent-ability of the idea for $250. The same company was written up in Inventors Digest a few months ago. Good luck.
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