Patent Law Firms provide many different services to help inventors protect their intellectual property. Their patent service includes searchings both domestically and internationally, as well as filing a patent application. Houston Patent Attorneys also provide trademark registration services, business formation, trade secrets, and patent prosecution.

Finding a patent agent who can help you file your U.S patent application

Finding a licensed US patent agent should be easy if you ask around. Make sure you’re getting legal advice from someone that knows much more about these things than you do.

Start by finding an inventor friendly lawyer/law firm. Be sure to ask how many patents he/she has filed before. Don’t hire a patent attorney who hasn’t filed a few patents. A good patent attorney should have experience filing patents, and know the ins and outs of the USPTO.

Don’t try too hard to save money… you need to work with a skilled patent agent who understands how to protect your investment. Working with a less-experienced patent agent may lead to costly mistakes. Your risk of losing everything is high if you make errors during patent prosecution.

Don’t be afraid to ask your attorney questions during the interview process. Ask him or her what he does before and after your interview. Make sure you’re prepared well enough by asking these questions before the interview occurs.

How to File a Texas Provisional Patent Application

A provisional application helps you get your idea into the public eye, and allows you to file for a patent before the bigger fee of a formal (non-provisional) patent registration.

A provisional patent is an early stage of a patent process. Inventors submit their ideas to the USPTO for approval. The USPTO makes decisions about whether or not to issue a patent based on information submitted by the inventor. Provisional patents expire after 4 years. An inventor needs to file a formal patent application within 1 year of receiving their provisional patent.

The USPTO Process for Filing Non-Provisional Patents

Utility/Design Patents are the simplest kind of patent application, as they do not require an inventor to file any drawings. Design Patents are more complicated because you must submit a drawing of your invention along with your petition. Plant Patents cover plants, seeds and other living organisms. All three kinds of patent petitions require payment of fees.

Design Patents expire 20 years after filing, utility patents last for 14, and Plant Patents have 17-year life. Patents are nonrenewable in the United States; after expiration, exclusivity is lost, rights to the invention can enter the public domain, and can only make a new patent about the invention if the patent is for an improvement or modification.

Your patent attorney should be ready to file your application as soon as possible after you decide that it needs to be filed. Once your application is actually filed, it takes anywhere from 3-5 years before the patent office even looks at it. And if it does get looked at, it could take another 9-12 months or more until any type of decision comes back.

You can learn more about the patent process at houston-legal.trends.us.com.