If you happen to find themselves in court over your invention, you will need conclusive proof of once you looked at your idea. In the United States the rightful who owns a patent may be the person who looked at it first, not the individual that patented it first. So that you should be in a position to prove whenever you looked at it.
One method to protect your idea is always to jot down your idea as simply and plainly as you can, then have 3 or 4 credible non-relatives witness your document stating that they do know the patent idea and dating their signature. It's often best if you include drawings or sketches too. In the future, if you have any dispute concerning once you developed your idea, you've got witnesses that may testify in the courtroom, concerning whenever you showed them your idea. Proof positive is exactly what you need.
You might want to consider writing it in a approved inventor's journal - a magazine engineered with numbered pages that it is challenging to add information later. There are several sources, just look the web for the kids. It his harder a minimum of in theory to later modify the items in the journal, making it better evidence while in court.
When you have established the date that you simply looked at your idea, you need to follow a few simple rules to prevent losing your protection. Unless you do just about anything to develop your idea within 12 months, your idea becomes part of the public domain and you also lose your right to get yourself a patent. So maintain a file where one can put notes, receipts, etc. in, and at least do something that leaves a paper record it is possible to file away in case you find themselves in court someday. Be able to prove in the courtroom which more than a year never passed that you simply didn't for some reason work on the thought.
In the event you disclose your idea in a publication like a newspaper or magazine, that starts a 1 year period in which you must file a patent, otherwise you lose your to file.
Just because you've never seen your idea inside a store doesn't mean it's patentable or marketable. In line with the patent office, under 3% of issued patents ever make it to industry. The correct answer is possible your idea was invented but for any number of reasons wasn't marketed. If an invention has ever existed, anywhere, at any time, produced by anyone, you can not patent it - it's already been invented! And the U.S. Patent office searches worldwide when they process your patent application.
You can do your personal patent search using several online learning resources, but if you have determined that there is a viable and marketable invention, I would recommend which you hire a competent patent attorney to get a professional prior-art patent search done, to make sure your idea has never been thought of, costing you time and money.
I've tried doing patent searches by myself, and I was stunned when I saw the final results an actual patent examiner found. They are professionals plus they understand what they do.
Be careful of patent clubs and organizations that offer discount patent services. Any patent search has to include a globally search, because that is what the patent office does.