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Before consulting a patent attorney, you should do three things.  Do these things before spending any money on a patent attorney.  These things will help you to spend your money more efficiently and make your interaction with the attorney more fruitful.

  1. Conduct your own informal novelty search (e.g., google image search).
  2. Make sure your idea is a big-money idea (i.e., large market cap).
  3. Build a prototype (not required but very helpful).

Here is an in-depth article on each step: Steps to take before spending money on a patent attorney.

The video explains how to do these things.    

The costs for preparing and filing a patent application with the help of a patent attorney vary widely.  In general, my fees will range between $8,000 to $12,000 for a mechanical-based invention.    

If you have done the three things above and the fees are affordable and within your budget, please schedule your consultation.  

Schedule Consultation: Call (949) 433-0900

How much does a patent cost?

The average cost of a granted patent will be between $15,500 to $28,000. 

The average cost of a patent application will be between $8,000 to $12,000.  After filing, you’d incur additional costs to respond to any office actions from the Patent Office.  The cost to prepare those responses would be around $5,000 to $10,000.

Read my article on “How much does a patent cost?“

Do I need to pay the full cost of the patent up front?

The cost of the patent is incurred over a long period of time. 

Initially, you need to have enough funds to cover the cost of a patent search and an application.

A patent search costs about $1,500 to $2,000.

A patent application will cost between $8,000 to $15,000.

After filing the patent application, you are safe to commercialize your invention.  After 1 to 3 years, you will receive your first office action.  Hopefully, by that time, you can use the profits from your business to pay for those legal expenses.

How much does a novelty search and patent application cost?

A patent search costs $1,500 for a mechanical invention and $2,000 for a software invention.  

A patent application will cost between $8,000 to $15,000 depending on the invention being patented.

Read “How much does a nonprovisional patent application cost?“

When is payment made to you?

Payment is made after the consultation. 

The patent search cost is made before the search is completed.

For the patent application, 1/2 of the quoted amount is paid up front.  The second half of the quoted amount is made after presentation of the first draft of the patent application.

What is your hourly billing rate?

My hourly billing rate is between $395 to $600 depending on the type of matter being resolved.  Some matters are quoted as a flat fee.  If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

How do you conduct a patent or novelty search?

At a minimum, you can use the 7 Step Patent Search Strategy suggested by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

You can also conduct a google image search for your product.  Simple type a few descriptive words into google, click search.  Click on images and look through the images to find your invention.

You can also use these websites to search for your invention: Patent Search Websites

What is a big money idea?

A big money idea is an inventive product or service in which the market cap is very large.  The market cap is so large that even if you were moderately successful, you’d be able to make a substantial profit so that the costs of the patent would be inconsequential. 

How do I make the prototype?

The prototype shows proof of concept.  Put simply, the prototype shows that your invention can work the way that you intend for it to work.

If you can make a prototype of your invention cost efficiently, I suggest that you do so.  You will learn a lot about the invention.  You might also learn that it won’t work.  In that case, you saved yourself a lot of money and time.

How do I schedule a consultation?

To schedule a consultation, please:

  1. Review the cost of a patent search and patent application.
  2. If the costs are affordable and within your budget, please call me at (949) 433-0900 to schedule your consultation.  
  3. Alternatively, you can use my online calendar.
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