For the Inventor:

My name is Patrick L. Sullivan. I have been providing patent research services to patent attorneys, patent agents and inventors for the past 30 years. I am quite experienced with the classifications of patents, which is at the heart of patent researching, as I have dealt with most technologies in my researching, with the exception of those areas involving in-depth chemistry and electronics.

My most common efforts are directed towards finding out if an inventor's idea is novel, or at least an unobvious combination of present or previously developed devices or mechanisms. Some questions to be first considered and answered are:

Are you sure that you are the first come up with this idea or invention, or are there others previously found in the marketplace or patented?

The most common misconception I've heard is "I haven't seen it in the stores, so it must be new!"

If there is others, are there differences in your idea and the others? Are the differences significant?
Is your idea or invention unique, or is it a combination of known ideas or devices?

If the above stated questions can be answered ,and you still keep a positive attitude about the uniqueness and/or novelty of your idea or invention, there are further things to consider. Going through the patenting process is relatively expensive (with the Patent Office fees and the attorney's or agent's fees if you use their services), and getting an idea or invention patented DOES NOT guarantee success in profiting from your idea. Most attorneys or agent do not engage in the marketing of patents, and it has been noted (and the considered opinion of most professional searchers) that invention marketing companies are not worth what they charge for their services.

I believe that a more significant bit of research that should be done before any consideration of patenting, is what you are going to do with your idea or invention.

Questions such as:

Are you going to try and sell the idea or invention to a company and profit from just selling the invention?

This can be a difficult way of going. You have to find the company (or companies) to contact, and the right people within the company to deal with. Many companies won't deal with outside individuals, and those that will, more often won't until the individual(s) unitl they have a patent, or will require a Non-Disclosure Agreement. The companies are considered that their Research & Development department may be working along similar lines.

Are you going to try and market the invention yourself?
If so, how are you going to get it manufactured?
Do you have contact with a company that can make your invention? If not, there are resources available, such as here on the Internet or at your local public libraries, to find manufacturers

If you are interested in finding out whether or not your idea or invention is novel, I can provide an initial research, what we refer to as a preliminary patentability or novelty search, for what can be considered a moderate fee (plus costs). You can contact me by E-mail at sulres@erols.com. Or you may contact me at the phone numbers and the snail mail addresses listed on the HOMEPAGE.

If instead you are simply interested in consulting with a patent attorney or agent, I would be happy to refer you to a number of my clients. It is my normal practice to provide several contacts, since I don't know exactly your individual needs or wants, and I have clients with a wide ranges of expertise and services. Simply E-MAIL me for a request for a referral to patent attorneys and/or agents.

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