Patent It Yourself - PDF Archive

178 | Patent it YOURSELF
Patent Application Software Now Available
To facilitate and partially automate the preparation of
a patent application, a computer program PatentEase
is now available. This program will take you step-bystep
through the entire process of preparing a patent
application. The program contains copious examples of
every part of a patent application. Further, it automates
many tasks associated with the preparation of an
application. The PatentEase program runs under the
Windows operating system and is available from Nolo.
J. Summary
After you make your patentability decision and evaluate the
commercial potential of your invention, you have a number
of possible routes to take. If you feel that your invention
lacks commercial potential, drop it and move on to
something else. If you feel that it has commercial potential,
but you can’t prepare a regular patent application, file a
PPA or try to sell it without filing a PPA or an RPA. If your
invention is patentable, file first and then try to sell it to a
manufacturer. (You should file first to secure your rights,
especially if you sign a manufacturer’s waiver form.)
If your invention isn’t patentable, you may be able to file a
design patent application, secure trademark rights, copyright,
or trade dress rights before offering it to a manufacturer. You
can make and sell the invention yourself with or without a
patent application, and you can keep it a trade secret after
putting it on the market if it’s the type of invention that can’t
be reverse engineered. Although test marketing before filing
can provide helpful information, it also involves risk of theft
and loss of foreign patenting rights.
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