A Board Certified Patent Attorney

Posts Tagged ‘prototype’

Are prototypes necessary before you get a patent?

A prototype for your idea is an important part of building the actual product. But for the patent process, it is not necessary. In fact, there are only three things the US Patent Office requires to review your idea. And those are:   1. The application 2. Drawings 3. The application fee   That’s all you need to apply for a patent.   And in fact, building a prototype in some cases could be a huge waste of time and money.   For example, a few years back an inventor came into our office with a huge lawnmower blade. What was special about this particular lawnmower blade was that it had smaller blades (about 1 inch tall) welded on both sides of the main blade. This was to help cut up the grass into smaller pieces.    He had obviously spent a lot of time making this thing. All of the welds were sand