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patent question
so i have this tool that i made. it automatically cleans gutters without the person having to get on the roof or getting on a ladder.
just exploring if this is worth even patenting. what do you guys suggest?
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Ben 1987 190d 2.5Turbo |
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do a patent search to see if a product already exsists like yours, I'd hire a patent researcher to make sure it's really done well. if nothing exsists like it. Patent it. try to sell it.
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hum..... 1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed |
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is a patent researcher a lawyer? how do you find such a person?
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Ben 1987 190d 2.5Turbo |
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Its accessable via the internet ,at least 15 yrs ago it was ,govt / patent office ,I remember having to call someone to get the direct link.Interesting stuff when browsing around.
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You can search online for free, it takes some digging.
If you're serious about it, and it *loks* like an original idea, hire a patent attorney. DO NOT use one of those shady $100 patent kits. It's going to run you around $5k-$9k from start to finish to everything properly & airtight. If you DIY it's significantly less, but then you potentially open yourself to loopholes. Basically, pretend you're another company and try to disprove your own patent using existing patents. If your patent is airtight, then you're golden. PS-remember, a patent only gives you the right to sue others for stealing your idea. So if another company starts producing it you have to fight them in court.
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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges $110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges No merc at the moment |
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that stinks. how in the heck am i supposed to sue an unpronounceable-named chinese company from stealing it..... I guess it's the same thing US companies have been fighting for years. I don't have $5k to blow on this. But it sure would be nice to be like that '2000 flushes' guy on TV. Remember him?
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Ben 1987 190d 2.5Turbo |
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A disclosure document signed before sitting down with an invester gives you a little comfort,if money is tight and you want to get the ball rolling youll need private capital,banks dont take risks ,I think they own the US govt right now because of this fact ,only an investor will be willing to gamble with his money but the split on the profits will usually be in his or her favor.You become just the middle man to the idea.Do you remember The Heart Beat of America slogan Chevy had back in the 90s ,that was a covered under a copyright ,the guy who pitched this to Chevy was sent checks over the term of the ad ,it exceeded over 2 million $ when Chevy finished the pitch,a good return for 5 words on a bumper sticker ,tv spot ,or newspaper add.
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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges $110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges No merc at the moment |
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Thats one of the reasons that the US does better at capitalism than other countries - we have and enforce IP (intellectual property) concerns.
(mostly...or at least better than China ?) -John
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2009 Kia Sedona 2009 Honda Odyssey EX-L 12006 Jetta Pumpe Duse (insert Mercedes here) Husband, Father, sometimes friend =) |
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I have a feeling this has already been done.
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#11
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Blackwater? I use BC. Cheaper and more effective.
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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes 1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod 2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die." |
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Iorder to sue someone for patent infringements--They have to have a lot of money to bother. Usually what happens is you have some lawyer send them a letter saying stop--and thats as far as it goes. Patents are for Apple, microsoft etc these days, not for gutter cleaners. |
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How much protection does patent pending give you I wonder?
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I have watched that TV Show Shark Tank. People bring in their Business ideas and Businesses that they need more investment on and the People on the Panel either invest in it or not.
Example. A Couple invented a different type of Sippie Cup; different enough to obtain a Patent on it. They started producing the Cups on their own and were having success but did not have enough Capital to expand their business. But, Banks would not loan them the Money. They came to the Show and sold of a part of their Business to one of the Persons on the Panel. Besides more Capital the Person that bought a share of the Business also brought in a lot of expertise on where to go to increase the Manufacturing and how to Market the product and the results a Year later were that the Couple and their Family were no longer working day and night trying to keep their Business a float and they were now Rich; even though they sold part of the Business. I recommend watching a that show if they have it in your Area. What I saw was is that the Inventor/Produces even when successful could not push their Business forward due to lack of Money and lack of knowledge if business practices. Also the Panel of Investors was not interested in just a Person with an Idea and a Patent. They wanted to invest in a already started Business that had some record of sales success. The Investors also did not want to invest in a Business with someone who did not know how to keep proper records or have some sort knowledge of running a Business. When they ask how many did you sell in X amount of time, how many unfilled orders do you have how much Profit have you already made they expect that info right now. My Father has a Patent on something that is not as useful or saleable as your Idea. What He found is that there is plenty of People that are willing to produce the item for you as long as you can "Foot the Bill" for the production and met their minimum Production requirement. Of course they were not concerned if My Father could actually sell those items or not.
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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel |
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goggle has a good patent search engine.
For a start, you should look at a provincial patent which gives you a years worth of protection. If you cant get financing in year, its a bad idea usually
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1985 300D 198K sold 1982 300D 202K 1989 300E 125K 1992 940T "If you dont have time to do it safely, you dont have time to do it" "The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." |
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