No, You Can’t Patent An Idea, But…
You may have had the most brilliant thought or breakthrough but, no matter what hucksters try to tell you—you cannot patent that thought. What you can do, though, is recognize that that imaginative, unique idea is a good, solid step toward getting to something you can patent. So, don’t give up—the idea is the just the beginning, and then it’s time to move on to the next steps.
Nail Down the Details
A general idea cannot be patented, but detailed plans, drawings, are first steps to getting to where you can obtain a patent. Once you get past a certain point in your descriptions, schematics, details and plans, your idea goes from simply a brain flash to an invention. And inventions are what the patent process was made for.
Not Just for You
Before your idea becomes an invention, you must get it to the point where, with your explanation, someone else could make and use it. Mind, this doesn’t mean you are giving your work away, or that you need a prototype. Simply, is that it must be able to be created by you, and by anyone else who might read your invention. That’s what sets it apart from simply a good idea.
Television, back of magazine ads and other venues are used be unscrupulous operators to convince the unwary that they can patent their ideas. For a fee. Avoid these scams by reading up on patent law or consulting a patent attorney. And, if you do have a good idea, work and work on it until it becomes an invention—and then patent it.
