whats the story with getting an invention patented?

[biglongdarren]

i made up a small mating hive that won first prize on saturday at a local honey show,everybody was talking photos of it and a few were saying i should get it patented,has anybody on here ever got anything patented before,is it expensive or hard to do?
Darren.

 

[Tom Bick]

This may help we all know Trevor Balylis he has a website that is of good help.

The best thing though is to patent the idea before you let people see the product.

http://www.trevorbaylisbrands.com/?gclid=CPe-lOfFhasCFdQOfAodVHWyzw

 

[drstitson]

Once the item is made public you can't patent.

I used to work for Prof Sir Alec Jeffreys - back in the 1980s he was going to give a talk about his new discovery (DNA fingerprints) but had to cancel at last minute due to daughter being ill. Luckily that meant that he was able to patent the technique subsequently.

 

[roche]

I think patents are a bit of a waste of time. They tell people, in detail, of the invention. This enables them to make sufficient changes to the product to avoid the patent yet use its concept.

Generally it is better to figure out how to manufacture the product better and cheaper than anyone else can, so it is not worth their while to copy it.

 

[Luminos]

i made up a small mating hive that won first prize on saturday at a local honey show,everybody was talking photos of it and a few were saying i should get it patented,has anybody on here ever got anything patented before,is it expensive or hard to do?
Darren.

This link may be helpful:
www.ipo.gov.uk/patent.htm

 

[For want of a better word]

A quick cautionary tale...............

I was once was employed by the BBC in research and they owned all of my intellectual property, whatever I may have dreamed up all the time I worked for them, and also once I was not in their employ if it could be deemed I had that idea whilst working for them!

Patents are an 18th Century minefield..... how do you know that "your idea" has not been patented already..... better off getting the item manufactured PDQ as the Chinese / Far east will copy it and flood the market ... if the idea is that good... patent or not

Any thoughts of REGISTERED DESIGN ???

 

[For want of a better word]

Once the item is made public you can't patent.

I used to work for Prof Sir Alec Jeffreys - back in the 1980s he was going to give a talk about his new discovery (DNA fingerprints) but had to cancel at last minute due to daughter being ill. Luckily that meant that he was able to patent the technique subsequently.

AND he used to ride a 350cc MATCHLESS !

"How can you get a DNA fingerprint from a virus Dad? they don't have any fingers!" to quote my littlest one afer an exceptionally interesting presentation she managed to wriggle through........................

 

[For want of a better word]

AND he used to ride a 350cc MATCHLESS !

"How can you get a DNA fingerprint from a virus Dad? they don't have any fingers!" to quote my littlest one after an exceptionally interesting presentation she managed to wriggle through........................

 

[redpola]

In the world of computer software, I was once told that ignorance is a reasonable defence when producing so-called clean-room implementations of software algorithms. So if I invented something I called a "web browser" provably from first principals then I'd have a sturdy answer when I was sued by everyone and his dog.

The point being that in effecting your due diligence you may in fact be tainting yourself with knowledge of possible similar inventions. For this reason many small software companies will deliberately avoid patent searches etc. so they can cite the cost of patent searching as preventing them from carrying out due diligence and thus tainting themselves with knowledge of a similar product to there already.

Funny world!

 

[huntsman666]

<Once the item is made public you can't patent.>

Correct! Even a provisional patent would have protected it.

 

[Adam]

i made up a small mating hive that won first prize on saturday at a local honey show,everybody was talking photos of it and a few were saying i should get it patented,has anybody on here ever got anything patented before,is it expensive or hard to do?
Darren.

You've displayed it publicly so it's too late to patent it - assuming that there was some novel invention as part of it's design.

If it's just a good design, you could register it, like Philips used to have the design of it's 3-head shavers registered.

Adam

 

[Steve Dyer]

Even if you have patented something if somebody else breaks your patent you will have to sue them, probably in the Chinese courts. The cost of a lawsuit against possibly a large manufacturing company will break you, not the cost of getting the patent!

 

[keith pierce]

I think patents are a bit of a waste of time. They tell people, in detail, of the invention. This enables them to make sufficient changes to the product to avoid the patent yet use its concept.

Generally it is better to figure out how to manufacture the product better and cheaper than anyone else can, so it is not worth their while to copy it.

yep...i agree
post us a few photos and show us what you have got

 

[alanf]

is it expensive or hard to do

It's the steps after patent that are expensive (lawyers) and hard (defending the patent against incursion). You have to consider why you would patent anything. There has to be a realistic prospect of making enough money to to be worth defending your invention while you manufacture it or someone else does under your licence.

Given the basic principles of a mating hive are public is there enough innovation to easily out compete the established suppliers at a similar profit level? If not, it's unlikely to make you much money.

As already mentioned you have already displayed the prototype, so it's not actually patentable. The fact it won a prize suggests your version is well made and looks capable to doing the job. You might make money selling a useful and efficient product regardless of patent. Or gain reputation by publishing the design on a forum such as this and make money lecturing on it's use at conventions...

Good luck with it whatever

 

[biglongdarren]

yep...i agree
post us a few photos and show us what you have got

i'll maybe just keep it for Gormanstown nexst year Keith and let yous see it then now that my dreams have been dashed,every beekeeper that i have showed it has said its the best they,ve seen in a long time..
Darren

 

[roche]

yep...i agree
post us a few photos and show us what you have got

Engineer the cost of production. Remove/minimise labour content. Manufacture in the UK, not the far east.

 

[alanf]

every beekeeper that i have showed it has said its the best they've seen in a long time..

Seems like your marketing effort is underway then. When will the web site to order them be up?

 

[Tom Bick]

You could just put it out there and if it catches on you will go down in beekeeping folk law similar to snelgrove and hoarsely.

Just imaging the Darren mating nuc.

I can just imaging conversations, “apidea no not for me the Darren every time”

 

[huntsman666]

You could of course simply be 'first to market' and wait for the competition if any.

You can also copyright the name you give it, which if you get the accolades, impedes the competition.

Get the timing right and you should have your first season to yourself.

Keep in mind, if you haven't patented it, neither can anyone else once you have it in the public domain.

 

[Nose Ma]

About showing it, here's a quote from the IPO (it's a great website):

"By far the most common mistake made by people new to the world of patents is to reveal their invention too early.
If you reveal your invention in any way – by word of mouth, demonstration, avertisement, article in a journal or any other way – before you apply for a patent, you are making your invention public. This could mean that you lose the possibility of being granted a patent." (emphasis mine).

There is a guide of people to talk to as well.

As noted, it would protect you in the UK only. If a Chinese firm chose to make it, you could stop the import of it. If you had patents in every country you can stop them making it. Given enough money for lawyers. Witness Apple and Sam Sung at the moment over tablets.

I have no idea what your invention is, but I know it must be non-obvious, and contain an "inventive step".

As others have noted, a registered design (think marmite jar, for example) may be a useful protection. It's cheaper, and may be more applicable if you can't pass the "inventive step" test.

Have a look on the website - it is really good, clear and well written. Don't dash your dreams on the rocks!