What are three of the nine questions you might ask yourself to determine whether your invention is it worth patenting?

Before you do anything, here are some questions to ask yourself when assessing the viability of an invention idea:

Is the idea unique? Uniqueness is one of the most important factors to consider while assessing the potential of a new product.
Is the idea technically feasible?
Is the idea commercially viable?

Do patents really protect?

A patent is important because it can help safeguard your invention. It can protect any product, design or process that meets certain specifications according to its originality, practicality, suitability, and utility. In most cases, a patent can protect an invention for up to 20 years.

What should you know before filing a patent?

Before filing a patent, you have to know more than what is new about it: you have to know if it’s novel. For a utility patent application, no other invention, publication, or product for sale can contain all of your invention elements. In the example above, your foil guard is an improvement to an existing machine.

How to determine if your invention is novel?

Before you can determine if your invention is novel, you must first know what makes it different than everything else. Sometimes the determination of the new part of your invention will broaden its scope. For example, you invent a new configuration of the machine that adds a foil guard to a machine to protect the gears.

How to make an argument for an invention?

To make an obvious argument, the examiner must find all the elements of your invention in one or more references. For instance, the examiner may point to the existing machine with the rigid guard and a similar machine used for a different application with a rigid guard.

How is the price of a patent determined?

Often the price and method of payment for the licence are determined by the bargaining power of the parties and their extent of private knowledge. When the patent holder has complete information about the bargaining power, they may prefer to take an upfront fixed fee.