Destroying your chance to patent an invention is easy. Here are several traps and how to avoid them.
The trap of early disclosure. Every couple of weeks or so, I receive an enquiry from a business owner with an invention they wish to protect with a patent. We have a very pleasant conversation about how effective the invention is. Then I am unexpectedly deflated by their revelation that their invention is selling well.
Disclosing the invention before filing a patent application restricts, and in most cases destroys, your chance to patent the invention. Disclosing your invention generally includes, for example:
- Selling, or offering to sell the invention
- Telling others about the invention
- Providing gifts or samples of the invention