First call
Free
30 minutes. You pay nothing unless you decide to go ahead.
Cost
A clear price before I write anything.
These are flat fees for typical cases. After the free first call, you get a fixed quote. The patent office charges its own fee on top of mine.
Patentability search and opinion
$450
I search for earlier patents and tell you whether the idea may be patentable. This fee is credited toward any filing.
Provisional application
$1,500
It puts the idea and today’s date on record, lets you say “patent pending,” and gives you 12 months to test the market. It is not examined. The full application has to be filed within that year, or the date is lost. Only what the provisional describes gets that early date, so I write it with the same care as a full application. Patent pending for about $1,630, including the patent office fee, for individual inventors and small businesses.
Design patent
$850
Protects how a product looks. Professional drawings are extra.
Full utility application
$4,950
A simple mechanical or everyday product. Software, electronics, and chemistry are priced after I hear the idea.
- · A plan for what the patent should cover
- · A draft written so you can follow it, and one round of your corrections
- · Filing, and reporting the similar products you already know about to the patent office, which the law requires
Utility after my provisional
$4,250
For clients who filed the provisional with me.
Office action response, routine
$850
A reply to a straightforward letter from the patent office, so the application stays alive.
Office action response, complex
$1,250
Several references, major claim changes, or an examiner interview. I tell you which before I start.
Foreign filing start
$1,500
If you want protection outside the United States, the process has to start within 12 months of your first U.S. filing. This is my fee to start it. Each country charges its own government fee, and most require a local agent, whose fees are separate.
Work beyond a quote
$275 an hour
Only after I tell you.
To get started
The first call is free.
If you decide to go ahead, half the quoted fee is due at signing and half at filing. Your payment is held in a client trust account and drawn only as work is done.
- These are my professional fees. The patent office charges its own fees on top, billed at cost. USPTO fee schedule
- Many individual inventors and small businesses qualify for reduced patent office fees. I check this for you.
- The search is paid upfront. A full utility application can be split into three payments.
- A professional drawing, a translation, or extra items in the patent can add cost. I say so before that work starts.
- A very crowded product area, or an idea with many versions, moves the quote.
Questions people ask
Does my idea have to be something the world has never seen?
No. A useful improvement can qualify if it is new and not obvious to someone in that field. The stories on this site were specific changes to ordinary things, written up with care. A trivial change does not get a patent.
Will a patent make me rich?
Most patents do not make their owners rich. A patent is a right to stop copying. Money follows only when someone wants the idea. I cannot promise either an approval or a payday.
Can I just file it myself?
If you personally own the idea and live in the U.S., the rules let you file alone. The patent office will not fix a weak write-up, and most of the value is in how the protection is written. A company that owns the idea, or an inventor who lives outside the United States, must use a registered patent agent or attorney.
What is a patent agent?
A person registered with the U.S. patent office to prepare and prosecute patents. A patent attorney is a lawyer who can also handle licensing contracts and lawsuits. I file patents. For a deal or a dispute, I refer you to a patent attorney.
How long does it take?
For a typical product, expect a few weeks from our first call to a draft you can read, then a short revision, then filing. After filing, the patent office usually takes two years or more to decide. If you have a public launch date, tell me at the start.
What if the search shows my idea is not patentable?
Then you have spent $450 instead of thousands, and you know where you stand. Sometimes the search points to a narrower version that can still be protected, and I will tell you if it does.
Will I have to pay more later?
Usually, yes. Most applications get at least one letter from the patent office, and each reply is a separate fee. If the patent is approved, the patent office charges an issue fee, and later it charges maintenance fees at 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5 years to keep the patent in force. I tell you about each cost before it comes due.
What if the patent office says no?
A first rejection is normal and often not the end. Many applications are approved after one or two replies. If the objections cannot be overcome, I will tell you honestly rather than keep billing you for replies that will not work.