any one ever applied for a patent?

[curtis rosche]

ok, so would a regular lawyer/attourney be able to help with some of the basic things? i.e. forms and wording? i have unlimited free access to one.

[Dennis Brooker]

Curtis - Maybe, but not likely - My best guess is you would need the help of a Patent attorney - I would check to see if any of the state or local colleges offer free legal assistance in applying for a patent - sometimes retired attorneys offer their help for free through such venues - It might be worth checking into - just a thought - DB

[Scott Shepherd]

Curtis, I have an old friend who's patented dozens of things and he did them all himself. He swears it's dead easy to do. However, I've been told by others that it IS dead easy to do (and only $300-400), BUT, the problem is that you, or someone without patent experience will be writing it, while the big corporation with deep pockets will be putting a highly skilled, highly paid patent attorney on the case to find the loopholes. So essentially, they will find the way around it easier, because the loopholes weren't plugged by a person who knows how and what to do. It's like hiring an English Major to find grammar issues in something a 12th grader writes. If they want to find something, they can and will.

I don't know if any of that is true, but it's what I have been told. Take that for whatever it's worth. I'm sure some of the guys on here with first hand knowledge can verify if it's accurate.

[Pat Germain]

I was told my best course of action would be to produce the items, flood the market as quickly as possible, take all the money I could make from it and get as far as I could before it was copied, which it would be.

I agree that's a good plan. Money can be made from manufacturing, marketing and selling a product. It's very difficult to make money from a patent alone. And, as mentioned, even if your product is patented, it will be easy for someone else to copy it.

Thus, you're back to the basic game of capitalism. Make a good product with good value and be competitive. Let someone else fight in court.