I know Patent Lawyers arent cheap. I know alot of the cost in getting one is the massive amount of research that they have to do to insure that by giving you a patent that they are not infringing on someone elses...looked into a while back and it was to cost prohibitive at that time in my life(15 years ago), in that tome the automotive industry went a different dirrection and my design wouldnt of worked anymore.

I read somewhere that you should send a registered letter to yourself, outlining the details and mentioning the date.  Then I think you don't open it when received.

I just finished up with my new "invention". I came up with an idea to improve an already existing product. I'm in the electrical business and came up with a cool idea to combine two products into one. I called on a company that makes the parts that I improved on. I came up with a drawing and submitted it. They liked my idea alot. Instead of going throught the patent process, I sold my idea to them for over $5500. I could of negoiated more but being my first time I was happy getting anything. Now I know how it all works, I have some more ideas I want to bring out. Good luck with your idea.

I have a customer that I do work for whos dad has many patents and ill be at her house tomorrow ill ask her some chit 

I have two. Paid for by the company worked for at the time. 90% of the time they are a waste of time. Another 8% is just to impress customers or investors. 2% are truly revolutionary and will make big $'s for the holder. Here's my $.02. If you have $25k then you can afford the process. If you have another $100k then you can defend it if someone infringes. If you have another $250k and 10 yrs then you can ultimately prevail in court if you have the balls and stamina to go that far.

Finally, if your idea is very "narrow" (patent speak) then it will be easy for someone to figure out another similar way to get around it. Only broad based patents can really protect anything. Narrow is like "I made a blue colored cell phone." Broad is like "I came up with the I-Pod nav wheel and software - eat me."

my personal opinion on patents is they are a waste of time just as tom said....minor changes can pretty render your patent useless.

my best advice is to just get your ducks in a row and dominate the market with your product....whore it out....be #1....then sell sell sell....even your idea...cash out.....just as your competition starts to chime into your customers, youre laughing on the way to the bank.

Good advice here IMO !! The Best example I can give you  right now is a very popular jet drive piece (add on).
The "inventor" paid an astonaomical amount of money (30K +) to patent lawyers to get the patent researched and filed then set out to try to recoup all the patent and R&D $$ while simultaneosly trying to defend the product and patent against all commers legal and otherwise . The fight to deal with this IMO was very likley a factor in this mans untimely death.
Theres more to this story but a lesson learned ,when we have come up with products at JBP we have "marketed' them to others to research and develop and rather than go thru the heart-ache ordeal . We currently have a half dozen things in the works as we speak and all will be approached this way just my 02 Tom

Thanks for the great advise from everyone.

Hey Tom,  wanna buy an idea?   

Just trying to save ya the grief Crew That story is true and I talked to the guy a few days before he "passed" to me he was litterally "consumed" by the frustration that he felt some one had stolen his idea ! IMO the real culprits are the money grubbin ambulance chasing scum that advised him ! Re your Idea ,pm me I might be able to point you in the right direction , Its real hard right now to get anybody to hot to trot right now if it involves "investment" we were very fortunate with ours Tom