OT/Has someone ever applied for a patent? Options

[computers4kids]

I have this widget that I've built 30 of so far that I believe has true marketing potential. Sorry, it won't bolt on a 914. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) The idea is novel, unique and inexpensive to make, but has a worldwide audience. Anyway, I was toying with the idea of mass producing several thousand for a first run but if this takes off like I think it might--some big company is going to replicate it.



The patent process?
Any idea how difficult it is to get one....costs? From what I've read you can do it yourself or hire a patent attorney.

Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thanks, Mark

[stugray]

"If it's been in commerce for more than a year it's already no longer patentable."

That's funny. I was arguing with someone about that very topic when all the news came out about Apple suing Samsung for infringing on the patent for the iPad.

I said "Apple cant patent the iPad, Stanley Kubrick invented the tablet computer when he filmed 2001 a space odyssey"

So the tablet computer has been in the public domain for over 40 years.
Apple gets away with it by patenting obscure software tidbits.

Stu

[dlkawashima]

I said "Apple cant patent the iPad, Stanley Kubrick invented the tablet computer when he filmed 2001 a space odyssey"

Yes, the "tablet scene" got a lot of exposure after Samsung pointed to it as evidence that the computer tablet was "invented" long before Apple ever thought of it. But frankly, it's a silly argument. There's no evidence that the tablet in the movie is even a computer ..... it could simply be a flat screen TV. A close-up look of the device reveals that it has 10 buttons across the bottom of it, which could very easily be interpreted as buttons for changing channels. And frankly, it was just a mock device, a prop used for the movie, so one could call it anything because in fact it was really nothing at all.