Who do I contact if I have an invention?

Visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website and investigate any patents on items similar to the one you want to make. If you have questions or want to ensure your invention is legal for you to create and sell, consult an attorney who specializes in patents and IP law.

Who do I contact if I have an idea for an invention?

Whether you want to produce and market your invention yourself or license it to another company, the only way to make money from your invention and to guarantee that no one will steal your idea is to file a patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

How do I bring an invention to life?

How do you legally protect an invention?

First, you can file a provisional patent application (if your invention is patentable). Second, you can use a nondisclosure agreement (regardless of whether it is patentable). (Remember that inventors do not always need to license their invention in order to make money.

How much does a patent cost?

A patent can cost from $900 for a do-it-yourself application to between $5,000 and $10,000+ with the help of patent lawyers. A patent protects an invention and the cost of the process to get the patent will depend on the type of patent (provisional, non-provisional, or utility) and the complexity of the invention.

What to do after you come up with an invention idea

How do you sell an idea to a company?

How much is my invention worth?

Unfortunately, there is no magic formula for determining this. The value is determined by whether the invention is patentable, by the amount of money you can make through selling products or services under the patent, and by any licensing fees you can obtain from others interested in your invention.

How do I get a prototype of my invention made?

What do I do with a new invention idea?

How do you sell an idea without it being stolen?

You can sell an idea to a company without a patent. You need a way to stop them from stealing the idea from you. One way to do that without a patent is with a nondisclosure agreement, aka NDA. The NDA would limit the company's ability to use your idea without paying you for it.

Does InventHelp steal ideas?

Is InventHelp legit? Yes, InventHelp is a legitimate way for inventors to bring their ideas to market. The company has been in business for more than 35 years and helped inventors secure more than 10,000 patents.

How do I sell my invention?

How much does it cost to invent something?

The cost of patenting an invention will range between about $1,500 and upwards of $10,000 depending on the complexity of the invention and on how much of the process you handle yourself. Filing fees are $65 for a provisional patent and between $130-400 for a non-provisional patent.

How much does it cost to have a prototype made?

Prototype costs can range from a $100 to upwards of $30,000 for high fidelity connected devices. One of the most common questions we get is how much does a prototype cost to make? This is a tricky question, as prototypes can be free or cost upwards of $100,000.

How do I turn an idea into a prototype?

How do I know if my idea is already patented?

Search the USPTO

Check out the official website of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and click on the Full Text and Image Database. Search for existing patents, images and patent applications by using words that describe your idea.

Can an invention make you rich?

You can also get more money if your invention turns out to be popular. However, you get less money at first in exchange for that leverage. For instance, a first-time inventor can expect a royalty rate of around 3 percent, and an experienced inventor may see up to 25 percent of the gross profit.

Can a patent make you rich?

This just isn't the case. And while we would love nothing more than for everyone to share in the wealth created through patenting an invention, there is simply no guarantee that patenting an invention will make an inventor money.

How much royalties do inventors get?

The Entrepreneurial Inventor

Royalties often range from 2% to 10% of net revenues. Such inventors often choose to form a business and to manufacture and market the product themselves. Of course, this will require considerably more financial input than licensing.

Can a company steal my idea?

Ideas alone are not protected under intellectual property law. There are two primary ways that you would be able to sue the company for stealing your idea. The first is if you did, in fact, reduce the idea to a protectable form before telling the company about it.

How much will a company pay for an idea?

Many apps will sell for between $500-$5000, but, every once in a while, you may find a company willing to pay much more, sometimes up to $50,000 for a really great idea. Either way, an extra $100 or $500 from just an idea sounds good to me.

How do you license an idea?

How can I patent my idea for free?

Filing Process

You can file a patent online using the patent office's EFS-Web service. The USPTO's website includes detailed information on what should be in your application on its "General Information Concerning Patents" page under Inventors Resources and Guidance.

How do you get an invention started with no money?

What is the cheapest way to patent an idea?