Critical Steps For Submitting A Patent Application

It is not uncommon to find numerous products and services in the market, which have very minor differences from each other. Not only are patent frauds on the rise, duplicates, counterfeits and pirated versions of many items are increasing by leaps and bounds. To protect their own creativity, original idea and inventions, new inventors are rushing to get their inventions patented. Gaining a patent would normally take a couple of years. Add to this the number of changes/modifications that may legally be required. Even the legal hassles which most of the time are not predicted take up time and cause further delay in the patent process. To ensure that this time is shortened as much as possible and you can obtain patent for your invention without any unnecessary delays you could get help for your invention, and there are some steps to be followed before making a patent application.

First and foremost, you must do a thorough patent search before making a patent application. This search will ensure that your idea or invented has not been patented before. Ultimately this search can save you valuable time, money and other resources, and you will be spared of the disappointment which follows a rejected application. It is important to note here that a patent application cannot be made public for 18 months, unless the patent application specifically demands an early publication. Be that as it may, the applications which have not been made public can not be referred.

A patent application can be made by the inventor directly or through the hired services of a patent attorney or patent agent. The patent application is filed in the relevant department of the patent office. These applications are then examined by the USPTO office and the inventor subsequently advised to make alterations. The examiner may also raise objections to the patent application.

In case some modifications are needed in a patent application, the inventor needs to amend his or her patent application within 12 months. In case on non-compliance within the stipulated time, the patent application may be abandoned. Once the objections or desired changes are complied with, the application gets published in the official journal. This is usually the time when others may file objections. Finally when the patent application has met with all necessary requirements and obligations, the patent is open for public inspection. The time period from the date on which the inspection starts till the end of one year, is the time during which oppositions are recorded.

There is another way in which you can make a patent application. This is called the provisional patent application. A provisional patent application gives the inventor one years’ time to further research, do modifications, etc, before filing the final application.

If you think the whole process of patenting your invention is too complicated, then hire the services of a patent agency such as Invent Help who will provide professional help and guide you through the process.