Patent Pending in 24 Hours (Paperback)

by Richard Stim Attorney Nolo Legal Editor (Author), David Pressman Attorney (Author)
Key Phrases: ergonomic computer mouse, electronically programmed chip, gang condenser, Express Mail, Quick Search, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A great resource for inventors who want to quickly, efficiently and safely protect their precious ideas." -- Ron Docie, Sr., author of The Inventor's Bible

"An invaluable tool in my business of designing and licensing toy concepts. Required reading for all inventors." -- Andrew Bergman, inventor of "Pick Me Up Dolly")

Product Description
Take the first step to protecting your invention!

Ready to stamp "patent pending" on your invention? Then you need to file a provisional patent application (PPA), an inexpensive way to claim your hard work. With a PPA, you'll have time to figure out whether you can make a profit from your creation before you invest more time and money.

With Patent Pending in 24 Hours, you have all the forms and information you need to get the job done! Find out how to:

*evaluate hurdles to patentability
*write a clear PPA
*prepare informal drawings of your invention
*conduct a patent search online
*understand basic patent law
*complete all forms required by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
*file your application
*modify your invention after filing

The book also includes important legal forms to help you preserve your rights when showing or selling your invention:

nondisclosure agreement
patent assignment
prototype-maker agreement
joint-ownership agreement

The 4th edition is completely revised with updated case law and patent regulations, updated filing information and new application examples.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 438 pages
• Publisher: NOLO; 4 edition (January 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1413305113
• ISBN-13: 978-1413305111
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,725 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Introduction to Provisional Patent Applications, January 13, 2006

By	B. Ward "The Experimenter" (Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Patent Pending in 24 Hours, Third Edition (Paperback)

I'm a budding inventor who wanted to protection for a children's toy I invented recently. Using this book, I filed a patent application in about 15 hours.

To understand the value of this book, you need to understand that there are two types of patent applications.

The first is a Provisional Patent Application (PPA) which is an informal patent application that simply establishes a filing date and allows you to legally use "patent pending" for 1 year, when sharing your invention with others and testing its marketability. The second is a Regular Patent Application (RPA). This is a formal application at which the Patent Office looks closely and can result in patent protection for the next 20 years if it's granted. The PPA costs $100 for most, and the RPA costs thousands upon thousands.

This book helps you file a Provisional Patent Application (PPA).

I found it to be very clear, and told me what I had to do. It assumes you know nothing. I found it's example illustrations very helpful as I made up drawings, and particularly helpful was how to navigate the US Patent and Trademark Office site to download and fill out applications. It also gave some good tips for patent searching. The sample PPA, a doll that has "light-up" tears, gave me a good idea how to write the PPA.

I did find, however, that the author constantly uses phrases like "For more information, see my book "Patent it Yourself" which I found a little frustrating. I ended up finding a copy of Patent It Yourself in the library to get some of my questions answered.

Also, some foreign offices require information that is not explained in Patent Pending in 24 Hours (at least one "claim"), so I had to use Patent It Yourself to get this information, and include it in my PPA, so in this respect, Patent Pending in 24 Hours is not complete if you want international protection eventually.

I recommend that you get both Patent It Yourself and Patent Pending in 24 hours if you want all your questions answered. They both contain information not found in the other.

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quick, entertaining, and complete, August 14, 2003

By	Bert Poly "polygrfx" (Apex, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Patent Pending in 24 Hours (Paperback)

Just what I needed! I can protect my idea, try to market it, and then determine if I should invest in an official patent. This book describes how to prepare a Provisional Patent Application (PPA) which will guard your idea for 12 months while you try to prove the worth of your idea. Only 3% of patents make any money for the inventor. Submitting a PPA to the U.S. Patent Office protects your idea, but doesn't require the investment of a full patent. The book goes into detail about how to prepare a PPA, what steps to take, what forms to include, and gives lots of examples. Sidebars tell entertaining patent-related stories. Recommended!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid practical information., February 25, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Patent Pending in 24 Hours (Paperback)

This book is a solid introduction to the provisional patent application (PPA) process. By the end of the book you will be able to develop your invention and file a ppa. For instance, I filed a PPA within 24 hours of purchasing the book. The language is very clear, and there is also a clear example running through the chapters that provides another effective pedagogical tool for conveying the information.

Note, eventually you will have to follow the regular patent application process, however, this step is a great way to protect your idea without spending thousands of dollars on legal fees while you evaluate the commercial merit.