Becoming a Patent Pending Inventor!

It's actually pretty easy!

May 28, 2023

If you’ve watched any of ABC’s Shark Tank, you’d know that having a patent seems like a must, for a successful business. In the cutthroat world of business, copycats and idea thieves lurk around every corner, or at least that's what my imagination tells me.

I go by the name of Zwigs, and I've decided to share my business journey as it unfolds, rather than waiting until I achieve massive success or hiding it away in case of a miserable failure.

This is how and why I got my first piece of intellectual property, transforming from an average joe into a ~patent pending inventor~

From Fear to Action

To tell my business story, I would need to share my idea. Initially, I wasn't concerned about the possibility of my unprotected idea entering the world. However, mere days before publishing the content detailing my idea, the fear crept in.

What if someone snatches it away? What if all the hours I've dedicated to this project are stolen by some multinational corporation lurking in the shadows? And why shouldn’t they try to steal it? If I ran a giant corporation, I look to copy any idea that was a threat to my business.

“Good artists copy, great artists steal” - One of Steve Jobs’ favorite quotes from the legendary painter Pablo Picasso

For quite a while I had been aware that obtaining a patent would likely be necessary for my idea. However, that problem always seemed distant and far off. It wasn't until the moment approached to unveil my idea to the world that the fear of idea theft plagued my thoughts and gave rise to nightmares. I had always assumed this would be a problem for the future because, as I knew, patents usually came with a hefty price tag of around $15,000-$20,000 and could take up to twenty-two months to be fully granted.

Provisional Patent

Luckily for me, there was a different option: a Provisional Patent. A provisional patent is like a patent’s little brother. A provisional patent provides legal verification that the idea is truly mine, protecting it from potential theft and subsequent patenting by others. The best part? Unlike the hefty price tag of $15,000-$20,000 associated with a regular patent, a provisional patent costs a mere $65. Essentially, it grants me a full year of protection to further develop and refine my "invention" before I apply for a formal patent.

Acquiring a provisional patent meant I had to face my arch-nemesis:

Government Paperwork

If you've ever struggled with maintaining focus on tasks during your school days, then imagine the unique torture of filling out forms on a government website that appears to have remained unchanged since 2002.

At one point, while conducting “thorough” research online on how to file for a provisional patent independently, I stumbled upon an official-looking article that strongly recommended seeking professional assistance… until I realized the website hosting the article conveniently offered patent advisor services themselves. A little bit of a conflict of interest if you ask me.

Plus, I wasn’t totally without legal assistance! I had an individual in my corner who was in the top 10% of Lawyers with me every step of the way!

The Process

What I needed:

Drawings of my invention
Specifications- Written descriptions of my invention, claims, and drawings
Legal Documentation as a micro-entity (someone who makes less than $100,000 yearly)
A Patent Cover Letter

Let me tell you, those four tasks took me a solid eight hours to wrap up! Dealing with all that paperwork was a serious energy drain. I mean, slogging through endless forms and documents can really suck the life out of you. Countless YouTube guides were watched during this process.

And hey, no offense to the lawyers out there, but I can't help but find it a little insane. It's wild to think that one of the most prestigious careers in our society revolves around wading through mountains of mind-numbing paperwork. The job is literally like a glorified translator converting regular speak into lawyer language.

Yes, I knowww and see the value in lawyers and there are lots of different kinds of lawyers, and the courts are the backbone of a civil society blah, blah, blah — but still.

The Real Patent

When it comes to deciding whether to pursue a real patent and what type of patent to go for, I honestly have no clue at the moment. That's a problem for future me to tackle. Right now, I'm leaning toward getting some form of legal protection, but I'm not sure which route to take.

But you know what? My biggest weapon against copycats is… me! This project is MY project, my obsession. I eat, sleep, and breathe this idea. Seriously, I spend way too much time thinking about it. I've invested so much of myself into this, I genuinely believe that no one else can fully realize its potential as I can.

Sure, exploring legal protection options is important, and I’m confident future me will have that covered but my personal dedication and passion give me the biggest edge.

Anyway for:

1 day if hard work
A few lawyer connections
$65

I got a provisional patent! They even sent me a letter!

So now my idea is protected for one year, and I’m ~legally~ a patent pending inventor!

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