Because there are no inexpensive or low-cost patent attorneys and lawyers, hiring us is Dallas’s most affordable patent service. Still, you can take the “do-it-yourself” approach and pay only the USPTO fees. On the other hand, you can hire a costly patent attorney and law firm with high price tags and spend tens of thousands of dollars. The final cost will depend on your invention’s complexity and the law firm you might hire; larger firms will charge you a premium price. You pay for the high cost of their overheads.
Do-it-yourself may be the most affordable patent and low-cost patent filing available to you. However, this inexpensive patent has several downsides. With the “do-it-yourself” approach, a lot can go wrong. A lot can happen during the process, from errors in filling forms to missing crucial aspects. These will result in no or little protection for your innovation; you may even lose USPTO fees and your time spent. Therefore, the USPTO warns inventors to be mindful of their risks when preparing and filing patent applications, trying the do-it-yourself approach, or hiring an unregistered patent practitioner. According to the USPTO’s site, “inventors may prepare their applications, but unless they are familiar with these matters or study them thoroughly, there can easily arise some problems during the process that compromise value.” Thus, it would be best if you considered the cost of not protecting your product after spending valuable time and resources developing your idea into a product.
Beware of cheap patent services.
Because writing a patent application is a highly complicated, time-consuming, and detailed process, using “fill-in” shortcut strategies offered by cheap patent services may cause more harm to your long-term business goals. USPTO, for this reason, recommends that patent applications must always be written and filed by a registered patent practitioner. Here, you can check if a person is registered with USPTO and is qualified to write and file patent applications. Consequently, your first step should always be contacting a patent practitioner who understands your innovation and the patent law because they can fix problems before or when they occur.
Do you know that 90% of patent applications are rejected at least once?
At Affordable Patents Agency, we offer affordable flat fees without compromising quality. So you’ll still get quality, affordable patent service and protection for your idea without spending too much time or money. Still, you can do several things before contacting a patent practitioner to ensure that your time, money, and resources are wisely used.
The cost of not using affordable patent services or not getting a patent
The cost of getting a poor patent or not getting a patent can be all your hard work and product development resources. Consider your product development, marketing cost, profits, and business plan. If your product is successful and profitable, others will copy it cheaply and sell it. In addition, today’s technology makes it possible to make any product cheaply by reverse engineering. Thus, making your market size smaller, if any market remains. Larger and major companies in your field will overtake your product’s market. They will also have the resources to file patents and completely exclude you from the market. If you don’t start the process first and protect your idea with a patent application, they will quickly secure protection by filing their patent applications; the USA is first-to-file and not who invented the product first. Therefore, protect your product from being taken away before it can even get off the ground by coming up with a product others need.
Due Diligence
The visionary inventor knows that to turn their lightbulb moment into potential monetary gain, they need to do some preliminary research and diligence on whether or not their innovation is original without any similar or identical products in the public domain and already patented.
Every inventor should take time before talking with a patent attorney about what others have invented in their innovation’s technical field. This due diligence will ensure both patent protection and profits.
Marketability and utility of your patent
Your innovation must have an unmet need, and people must be willing to pay money for it. If your product satisfies these two criteria, there’s no reason why the public won’t buy your product!
I’ve found success in determining this by looking around and asking – does my invention solve a problem? Can I charge money for it? Is my product new and unique? If not new, is it improved enough that people will buy my product even though other similar products exist on the market?
Patentability
It is essential to understand what can be patented. Patents protect new and unique inventions that were not previously patented. Your invention must be either the machine, a process, a composition of matter (including new chemicals), or an article of manufacture to qualify for patent protection. Often inventions can be more than one of the categories. For example, suppose your invention is a new medical device made of a unique alloy. In that case, you can patent the medical device itself, the method of using and making the medical device, and the composition of the alloy.
Patents can be costly and complicated, requiring extensive research to determine if your idea is eligible for protection under the law. To save time, you may consult a low-cost patent attorney or practitioner who will provide the necessary information without any charge! Call us for a free initial consultation.
Types of USPTO patent applications
You must understand what type of patent application is best for your situation:
A provisional patent application
This type of utility application is less expensive than regular patents and is quick to file with the USPTO for a priority date. The sooner you start this process, the better your chances of getting a patent grant. If your competition applies with an invention with the same or similar concepts, you have an earlier priority date, which increases your probability of a patent grant. You don’t need any claims but must convert a provisional into a nonprovisional application within 12 months, or your patent will be abandoned one year after filing. Additionally, you get a “Patent Pending” for 12 months. Provisional patent cost: Most law firms will charge you between $3,000 and $10,000. Our affordable price is between $1,650 to $3,000
Non-provisional applications
This non-provisional application entails a formal format and document requirements. It must follow the specific layout of an official patent application and documents. It will also need claims that establish the boundaries of what belongs exclusively to you; if issued, they will last 20 years from the date filed. USPTO will examine this application, and it may become a granted patent. Although it is more expensive, USPTO highly recommends hiring a licensed professional to file this application. Most law firms will charge you $ 7,000 to $40,000, but our affordable fees are between $2,900 to $9,000.
Free initial consultation at the affordable patent agency
The process must be done correctly when you are ready to start protecting your invention. Consulting with a patent attorney or agent can ensure that all requirements for patenting your product are fulfilled. When you’re ready to apply for a patent, a patent attorney must do the first step of your research. Hiring a patent attorney or agent to do your initial research for you will save time and money in the long run. However, please check their credentials with USPTO here.
An initial meeting can be 30 minutes to an hour. During this meeting, you will discuss your invention so that we have all relevant information; this includes details of your invention, previous patents, where you are in your business plan, etc. Most patent attorneys bill $495 per hour, but we offer a free initial consultation. So call us for a free initial consultation.
