Great Invention! Now What?

Notice to Readers ix Acknowledgments xi 1 The Inventor's Yellow Brick Road 1 2 Who Are These Independent Inventors? 5 3 Evaluate Your Idea 1 1. Research Similar Products 11 2. Ask for Feedback 12 3. Be Honest with Yourself 13 4 Build a Working Model 15 1. If You Can't Build It, Ask for Help 16 vi Great Invention! Now What? 5 Test, Test, Test 17 1. Record Your Data 18 2. Test Your Product 18 6 Estimate the Cost of Your New Product 21 1. Calculate the Cost 22 2. Reduce the Cost of Your Product 23 7 File Your Provisional Application for Patent 15 1. Complete the Provisional Application for Patent 16 2. Available Resources 18 8 Name Your Product and Apply for a Trademark 39 1. Create a Great Name for Your Product 39 2. Trademark the Name of Your Product 41 9 Identify Your Market and Find a Licensee 47 1. Identify the Market for Your Product 48 2. Send a Proposal Letter to Potential Licensees 48 10 File Your Nonprovisional Patent Application 53 1. Apply for a Nonprovisional Utility Patent 55 1.1 Conduct a patent search 55 1.2 Elements of the nonprovisional application 56 1.3 Specification 58 1.4 Drawings 60 1.5 Filing fees 61 2. Find a Patent Attorney or Patent Agent 61 11 Negotiate the License Agreement 75 1. Prepare the Memorandum of Understanding 76 12 Don't Relax after Signing the Agreement 79 1. You're Not Done Yet! 79 1.1 Improve your product 80 1.2 Monitor the competition 80 Contents vii 1.3 Support your licensee 80 1.4 Create more inventions 80 1.5 Avoid scams 80 Conclusion: Congratulations for a Job Well Done! 83 Download Kit 95 Samples 1. Provisional Application for Patent 30 2. Specification (Provisional Patent Application) 32 3. Certification of Micro Entity Status 37 4. Trademark Certificate of Registration 44 5. Proposal Letter 51 6. Utility Patent Application Transmittal (Nonprovisional Application) 64 7. Fee Transmittal 65 8. Declaration for Utility or Design Patent Application 66 9. Specification (Nonprovisional Patent Application) 68 10. Drawings 73 11. Approved Patent 85