Cool patent search tool....

Thanks Jim,

You are probably aware of this, but I'll post anyway.

One of the most important factors overlooked in the patent process and the end result sought from it is SPEED to Market.

Depending on the type of product, that can be far more important.

Not how do I protect this idea, but how can I produce and get it on the market, FAST!

Every so often, you see a nice story in the press about an ordinary Jane or Joe who invents something cleaver, then never hear about them again.

But, the market gets flooded with that product.

What happens is they spend too much time and money trying to protect their idea, and not enough on how to actually produce and sell it!

Anyway, a patent can be a very expensive and risky undertaking to secure and uphold.

And the best strategy can be to file the most detailed Disclosure Document you can, go with a Patent Pending, and focus on bringing it to market.

It's a tough cookie to face when somebody floods the market from China with your own product.

On a smaller scale I've had something like that happen to me, and have seen similar things many times.

Cheers,

Rod

Rod is absolutely correct about speed versus protection. Patents are not always the best way to go...especially so if it's a current fad/trend or in the toy/entertainment field...or any field that moves very fast with innovations.

FIRST beats PROTECTION a lot of the time. This is one reason we are seeing more and more 'incomplete' products on the market that only get completed or actually fully working after they're on the market. Think Microsoft for one example. The Intel/AMD or Apple/Microsoft battles to be first are legendary.

Sandi Bowman