Patent Guide: II. CONCEPTION AND FIRST MEETING WITH ATTORNEY
Conceiving of Your Technology to be Patented
The first thing you need to do is understand what you want to patent. If you have a concept, so long as you can reasonably make it work by hiring the right people to develop it, we're ready to get started. An inventor, according to the U.S. Patent Office, is someone who conceives of an invention. "Reduction to practice" is also important, but this can be "constructive" or "actual." We won't delve further into this here.
What to Bring to Your First Meeting
While you can just describe your concept to us, it is also a good idea to write it down. Reduce your concept to tangible form. It is not, strictly speaking, required, but you may need it to prove your invention date, and it helps when explaining your concept to us. As your patent attorneys, we need to understand your technology. Even better, if you have a prototype, working model, flow charts, business plan, white paper, or whatever else describes your technology, bring it along to your first meeting.
In our RFID bingo ball example, the inventor, Mr. Erickson, brought us some actual bingo balls with transmitters inside along with a computer software program to read the correct number and print it on a lottery board on the screen of his laptop. One doesn't have to go this far, but when your patent attorney can play with your concept, they are sure to understand it and be able to ask the best questions.
How Our Firm Works
At our firm, we do charge a nominal fee (to make sure a potential client is serious about moving forward with a patent application / to compensate us for the expertise provided) for the first meeting, whether in New York, New Jersey,Pennsylvania, or via Skype (especially for international clients). At this meeting, we'll discuss your technology and whether it is likely to be patentable.
If your concept is something which we feel is potentially patentable (see: What is Patentable), we'll move on to, what will be shown on the next page: III. Novelty Searches and Written Patentability Opinions.
