[Greg Needel]

I have been looking into/ working on patenting things for a while and this is what I recommend

1) Use the patent office website search feature; try searching with tons of different terms and key words (this is just to give you a general idea if something like this exists)

2) go talk to a patent attorney (most will give you a free meeting) there is the perfect time to ask about time, how much it will cost, what their fee is, etc From this meeting you can also judge based on the reaction of the attorney if he thinks it is a good idea (it isn’t a requirement but if you have a proto type bring it with you to the meeting and make sure that the attorney signs a non-disclosure agreement before you show him/ say any specifics

3)if you decide to proceed, ask the lawyer to do a patent search for you (there is an independent fee for this) in return you will get all the patents in written form that are anywhere close to your idea.

4) decide if you want to proceed if yes then fill out the paper work and start along your way.


A standard patent can cost also so it is worth the initial investment to see if it is worth it. Also when you go to "patent pending" status it is just as if you have the patent so you can start looking for investors.

Also for cost check your school, I know RIT has a patent program where they will pay for the whole patent process in exchange for half ownership of the product.

I hope this helps, if you have any other questions feel free to PM/IM me


Greg