If I have an idea to improve an existing product, can I do a patent pending on the existing product?

[chavivi]

I believe you could only use "patent pending" on the actual improved model when the paperwork is actually in the works.

[caelin]

Inquisitive...

The answer is YES YES YES.... You see... most patents are just that... Improvements on EXISTING products... Like the tire... there are THOUSANDS of patents on them.. Various ways to change the TREAD for snow, racing, cornering, speed, quiet ride, and sand and MANY MANY others..

AND... You can get Patent Pending TONIGHT if you work SUPER DUPER HARD... Read on.... If it is a HOT HOT HOT niche, like games and phones, you might find this of EXTREME value...

I will give you links so you can search for patents that are SIMILAR to your idea..

You are ALSO BRILLIANT to go for Patent Pending, which the lowest cost.. I assume that you know about the Provisional Patent Application? It only costs $125 and was designed by Congress to give individual inventors a chance at bringing their inventive ideas to market easily. It is SUPER EASY to do..

To see the top 10 reasons to file a Provisional Patent Application please watch the second video in this blog.
http://www.filepatentapplications.com/blog/

If a provisional patent application looks like the right thing for you to do then take a look at another website that shows EXACTLY how to file one using a video format.
http://provisionalpatentvideo.com/

If you need to know how to get your product sold on TV or to Costco, or Home Depot, or Target and the like then you might also enjoy reading this information by the Ginsu Knife guy! It is pretty cool. He gives you all his contacts and personal email!
http://bit.ly/GinsuKnifeGuy1

Of course you could ALSO just go to the US Patent Office and figure out how to file a patent yourself. Here is the link..
http://www.uspto.gov/patents/process/index.jsp
The flow chart there is pretty nice to give you an idea how to do what you want to do!

Their patent search is hard to use and you need special programs to look at the patents… Instead, consider using Google Patent Search!

Here is how you can use Google Patent Search to search for an "Oscillating inertial microbalance"
http://www.google.com/patents?id=M5GRAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA6&dq=Oscillating+inertial+microbalance&hl=en&ei=vrbGTvGeDoXhiAKWpfXxDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Just type the term you want to search for in the search box. Play with MANY variants of your inventive idea.

Also, for a more global patent search look here:
http://worldwide.espacenet.com/advancedSearch?locale=en_EP

Remember... Patents are MOSTLY "Improvements" on other inventions.. So, while you may see something SIMILAR to your inventive idea it does not mean that you cannot patent your IMPROVEMENT.. Example... A tire is an IMPROVEMENT on a wagon wheel. A radial biased ply tire is an IMPROVEMENT on a non radial biased tire. There are over 10,000 patents on tires... Nearly every single one is an improvement!

And… a special gift for you is a sample Non Disclosure (also called an NDA) that you would have folks sign when you show them your inventive idea. You can change it up and use others but if you have NOTHING now it is a very good start written by my lawyer who charged me a TON for it!
http://www.4lowprice.info/images/NDA_GeneralMutual.doc

For EXTRA credit take a look at getting a free website widget here. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING. Just use the FREE widget thing..
http://CBproAds.com/refer.asp?id=50245 It will allow you to put adverts to eBooks on nearly ANY subject. If you had a store that sells horse blankets then you would include a widget that featured an eBook on how to stop horses from biting! You get 50% of whatever book folks buy. Pretty nice!

If you like my answer can you vote on it? I ask you this because there are lawyers who read my posts and HATE them because my telling you how to do this WITHOUT their help... HOWEVER... many of them realize what I have to teach actually HELPS them do their job a bit easier because YOU are more educated if you choose to hire an attorney! Therefore it is important to LIKE the answer if it is helpful to YOU.

Thanks,

Dave

Let me know how it goes by PM'ing me!!

[darik]

No, you cannot patent an idea. You can, however, apply for a patent on an improvement of an existing invention. You just need to properly document your invention (disclosure), file a provisional application for $125, and you have "patent pending" on YOUR new invention. You do not own any rights to the inventions (if any) that may still be under protection by patents on the existing product.

You then have a year in which to find investors to bankroll your next steps, including hiring proper patent counsel to plan your filing strategy. That will cost upwards of $5,000, if it gets that far.

If you come up with other nifty ideas during that year, feel free to file MORE provisional applications, and you can merge them all into one or more "national" applications within their respective expiration dates.