Get A Patent On Your Good Idea
“We can’t make this up — but someone else did.”
A patent attorney has many perks. You get to see the latest inventions and you get to see the latest laws and regulations governing those inventions. But another great perk of being a patent attorney is being able to meet all sorts of people from different walks of life. These people help introduce new and different inventions into society and help us advance as a whole. Some of these inventions help make life easier, some of these inventions help advance research, and some of them change life and society entirely. But at the end of the day, they’re all good ideas. But having a good idea alone isn’t enough sometimes. The idea has to be made into some real life application. This application usually comes in the form of an invention.
Good ideas should be protected
After bringing the invention into the world, the invention should be protected. After all, making the invention itself was probably a costly and time consuming endeavor. The inventor probably spent a large amount of his time and resources coming up with the idea and perfecting its application. It would be unfair if other people or companies can copy and appropriate the idea when they did not spend any resources or time coming up with the idea or invention. That’s why the government has made laws to help protect inventors and invention. This usually comes in the form of patent protection.
What do you get with patent protection?
Generally, a patent holder will have the right to exclude others from making, using, selling, offering for sale, or importing into the United States a device covered by the patent. This protection will generally last for about 20 years or so. Patent holders can also license their patent so others can use the invention without infringing on the patent. In a sense, having a patent is like having a monopoly over it, which is an extremely valuable asset.
Your idea matters
Whether it’s a life saving drug, some device, or an improvement on something, your idea is still an important that could help benefit society. No matter what it is, you should protect your idea. Maybe its a huge significant idea from the get go. Other times ideas show their significance as time passes. But nonetheless, a good idea is a good idea, and good ideas should be always be protected.
Why having a patent attorney helps
Getting a patent on your invention is a difficult process. An invention needs to meet several statutory requirements before it qualifies for patent protection. In addition to meeting the requirements, several steps and measures need to be taken to ensure that the invention remains patentable. Inventors can always try to patent a invention on their own. But an experienced patent attorney knows what to look for and the process of getting a patent, inside and out. A patent attorney can evaluate the invention to see if it meets the statutory requirements while helping you take the necessary steps to ensure you don’t destroy your patent rights.
What are some examples of patented inventions?
Let’s look at some patented ideas and inventions:
Process for treatment of sewage sludge, U.S. Patent No. 10,010,827 which is described as a “method for pathogen destruction in dilute sewage sludge or other dilute streams containing pathogens, including Helminth ova, while minimizing vapor generation and atmospheric emissions. In addition to conventional waste treatment steps, including grit removal, clarification, and concentration of waste material, vaporized waste treatment compounds are recycled to treat divert untreated waste in a scrubber.”
Device for extracting a cork from a bottle, U.S. Patent No. 9,790,071.
It is described as “[t]he device leverages an axial and rotational pulling force, and pressurized gas in the interior of the bottle to displace a cork from a bottle. The device provides a helical-shaped lever that axially and rotatably penetrates through the cork to forcibly extract the cork from the bottle neck. The helical-shaped lever has a hollow passageway that is in communication with the interior volume of the bottle. The device further includes a gas cartridge operated by a pressure release button that discharges pressurized gas through the hollow passageway of the helical-shaped lever, and into the bottle. The moment at which helical-shaped lever fully penetrates the cork, tension is removed from helical-shaped lever, releasing a compressed spring to expand.”
These are just some of the examples of the many patents out there. We have some other really neat inventions that were patented in our latest video, which is shown below.
Is patent protection only for the most advance inventions?
Some people may think that patents are only available for the most advance and sophisticated invention. But that is simply not true. An invention qualifies for patent protection as long as it meets the statutory requirements. Even the simplest invention could qualify for a patent if it meets all the needed requirements. So don’t worry!
What are your thoughts on ideas and patenting inventions? Leave a comment below to let us know what you think!
Check out the video here! See some of the many cool inventions that Vincent LoTempio had a chance to work with.
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Disclaimer: This article is not legal advice. It is only for educational or entertainment purposes only. Please do not use the article or contents of the article without permission. For legal advice and questions, please contact registered Patent Attorney Vincent LoTempio.