Great Invention! Now What? gets your best new idea to the marketplace fast. This quick-read will ask you the key questions every inventor needs to answer. You'll get steps to evaluate the marketability, easy tips on patents and trademarks, lessons on how to license your product, invention or ideas at any stage.

Great Invention! Now What? gets your best new idea to the marketplace fast. This quick-read will ask you the key questions every inventor needs to answer. You'll get steps to evaluate the marketability, easy tips on patents and trademarks, lessons on how to license your product, invention or ideas at any stage. Author Dr. Charles B McGough is a veteran chemical engineer and inventor of products selling at major retailers including Sam's Club and Lowe's. He has six issued patents, one trademark and seven provisional patent applications. His products currently available at retailers sell in millions of units.

Notice to Readers ixAcknowledgments xi1 The Inventor’s Yellow Brick Road 12 Who Are These Independent Inventors? 53 Evaluate Your Idea 11. Research Similar Products 112. Ask for Feedback 123. Be Honest with Yourself 134 Build a Working Model 151. If You Can’t Build It, Ask for Help 16vi Great Invention! Now What?5 Test, Test, Test 171. Record Your Data 182. Test Your Product 186 Estimate the Cost of Your New Product 211. Calculate the Cost 222. Reduce the Cost of Your Product 237 File Your Provisional Application for Patent 151. Complete the Provisional Application for Patent 162. Available Resources 188 Name Your Product and Apply for a Trademark 391. Create a Great Name for Your Product 392. Trademark the Name of Your Product 419 Identify Your Market and Find a Licensee 471. Identify the Market for Your Product 482. Send a Proposal Letter to Potential Licensees 4810 File Your Nonprovisional Patent Application 531. Apply for a Nonprovisional Utility Patent 551.1 Conduct a patent search 551.2 Elements of the nonprovisional application 561.3 Specification 581.4 Drawings 601.5 Filing fees 612. Find a Patent Attorney or Patent Agent 6111 Negotiate the License Agreement 751. Prepare the Memorandum of Understanding 7612 Don’t Relax after Signing the Agreement 791. You’re Not Done Yet! 791.1 Improve your product 801.2 Monitor the competition 80Contents vii1.3 Support your licensee 801.4 Create more inventions 801.5 Avoid scams 80Conclusion: Congratulations for a Job Well Done! 83Download Kit 95Samples1. Provisional Application for Patent 302. Specification (Provisional Patent Application) 323. Certification of Micro Entity Status 374. Trademark Certificate of Registration 445. Proposal Letter 516. Utility Patent Application Transmittal(Nonprovisional Application) 647. Fee Transmittal 658. Declaration for Utility or Design Patent Application 669. Specification (Nonprovisional Patent Application) 6810. Drawings 7311. Approved Patent 85