Protecting Your Ideas: The Inventors Guide to Patents

Intellectual property law is currently exploding, as demonstrated by the growth of technology transfer offices in universities. More and more scientists, companies, and institutions are rushing to secure intellectual property rights for their ideas and inventions. This process frustrates many people; patent laws are constantly changing, and most books about them are either overly technical or boring.

Protecting Your Ideas: The Inventor's Guide to Patents is a succinct, straightforward guide to the system. This guide presents the steps involved in obtaining patent protection for inventions. It is easy to read and brimming with essential information and advice compounded from FAQs posed by the author's academic and industrial clientele. The text includes tips, warnings, and examples that guide the reader through the invention process so patent rights are not jeopardized. Checklists and other helpful information are provided to assist the inventor preparing to enter the patent process. The book includes valuable resource information and business guidance to protect the inventor from consumer fraud that is sometimes associated with the patent process. Protecting and Idea is a must read for every engineer, scientist, or amateur inventor.

Simple, easy-to-read format demystifies the patent processNumerous example patents help to illustrate the issues involvedProvides an overview of the types of intellectual property protectionIncorporates up-to-date information about U.S. patent lawsAdvises inventors about the do's and don'ts of patentingIncludes useful resources for helping inventors safeguard their ideas

Choose the Right Protection The Types of Patents and Patent Applications The Invention Process. Documenting Your Ideas Researching Your Ideas Protect Yourself. Preparing the Patent Application Filing and Prosecuting the Patent Application Deciding to Patent Appendix I: Resources Appendix II: Patent & Trademark Depository Libraries Appendix III: Tips Regarding Invention Development Firms