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Nades
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21 May 2021, 8:39 am

I found a problem with equipment in work which annoys me. I thought of a crafty and cunning solution to said problem and a patent attorney is going to scrutinise it today.

I heard the process of getting a patent is long winded and expensive but think I might get my arm chomped off for the new product I have in mind but knowing my luck someone has already thought of it anyway.

Has anyone tried getting a patent here and can offer some advice on what the process is really like?



QuantumChemist
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25 May 2021, 11:03 am

It is expensive and can take months to complete. Beware of companies trying to “help” you get a patent. They will often cost you more money and want a cut of the profit if there happens to be any. They get money whether or not you are successful in getting a patent or not. You need to read the fine print if you decide to use them. If you go it alone, you will need to be able to read the accepted patents to make sure your application does not infringe upon another patent on the books. Some of them are written in a way that is very hard for an average person to understand.

I started the process once when I was in grad school, but backed out due to the cost/time involved. It was for something that greatly improves the function of a popular device that is on the market. There is nothing quite like it patented yet. It can still be done, as the device still does not have those improvements. Maybe someday I will do it. If not, I have research projects that may still yield a patent or two, but that is a different story for a later time.



Nades
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29 May 2021, 5:00 am

QuantumChemist wrote:
It is expensive and can take months to complete. Beware of companies trying to “help” you get a patent. They will often cost you more money and want a cut of the profit if there happens to be any. They get money whether or not you are successful in getting a patent or not. You need to read the fine print if you decide to use them. If you go it alone, you will need to be able to read the accepted patents to make sure your application does not infringe upon another patent on the books. Some of them are written in a way that is very hard for an average person to understand.

I started the process once when I was in grad school, but backed out due to the cost/time involved. It was for something that greatly improves the function of a popular device that is on the market. There is nothing quite like it patented yet. It can still be done, as the device still does not have those improvements. Maybe someday I will do it. If not, I have research projects that may still yield a patent or two, but that is a different story for a later time.



I was quoted a toe curling price of £4000 to apply for the patent but getting a search done alone to ensure no other similar patents are about costs £1500 anyway and the solicitor told me its best to search for similar patents myself (she linked me to an excellent website to search on) and was very upfront about everything which I liked. She said if I didn't anticipate on getting my money back via royalties or some other contracts then it's a waste of time getting the patent. I've called a few companies asking them for some info on their sales and the prospect of modification to install what I have in mind. It's a very niche market to be involved in but one that could in theory could get some results.



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29 May 2021, 5:25 am

Be very careful especially in Wales because too many times large companies here steal other peoples ideas. I don't know what it is about Wales, but I have had many ideas stolen from me and my mother by large companies who then claim it was their idea (They lie) because they want the profits from it.


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Nades
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29 May 2021, 5:59 am

Mountain Goat wrote:
Be very careful especially in Wales because too many times large companies here steal other peoples ideas. I don't know what it is about Wales, but I have had many ideas stolen from me and my mother by large companies who then claim it was their idea (They lie) because they want the profits from it.


I'm being very ambiguous about what my idea is when contacting these companies. They don;t have a clue what it is that I'm planning or designing.

Out of interest, what were the idea's that the other companies stole off you? You don't have to say if you don't want to.