Well, first of all you need to familiarize yourself with the way the patent process works. America Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) administers patents to inventors who is able to prove there's a novel concept that nobody else has been doing before. Even though many people state that there's really nothing new under the sun, in reality, last year there have been over 400,000 U.S. patents filed. So, other inventors are more than prepared to keep solving the earth's problems with original ideas.
When you're just beginning the patent process, the first thing you should do is make certain you document your entire idea in some recoverable format. Including documenting every little benefit with the way your invention was created and how it's going to work. The harder details you record, the more unique the thought becomes. The thing is, while there may be another product that is similar, it cannot be exactly like yours. Your invention must be the only one of it's kind in order to qualify for patent protection.
Another thing you'll have to do is always to hunt for patents which are already on file that may be similar or identical to your idea. If somebody has recently thought it and declared the patent, you're at a complete loss. Let's pretend that you're located on a thought for a really cool ipod that may store digital music therefore it may also store a lot of photos along with other cool stuff. It's got an extremely sleek design and includes detachable earplugs. Hmmm. That sounds a great deal like an iPod, and you're simply right. You can't file a patent to get a ipod that looks and functions the same as what's already in the marketplace.
However, if you created a music player that can bounce like a ball and glows at nighttime, since will be something could patent as unique. Anyway, you need to do a thorough patent search to ensure that your idea hasn't already been claimed by someone else. You can do this yourself, or pay a professional to conduct searching for you.
When you have established that who else had the idea of your bouncing very good music player, you would like to spend cash on getting a prototype made. A prototype can be a demo form of your product that lets you see results for yourself in real life. Until you find an investor, the amount of money with this must come out of your personal pocket.
Now you must to attend the USPTO and file a software to get a provisional patent. This is not the ultimate patent, however a preliminary one that enables you to keep focusing on marketing your invention while supplying you with full legal protection. For example, there is a company interested in marketing the bouncing very good music player, nevertheless they want you to make a few tweaks. Result in the tweaks after which submit an application for the last patent. You might be then able to license it for the highest bidder to make big money.