Questions about Knife Invention

[borrowed time]

I have come up with an idea that may possibly be a great mod to a knife to impove its useage in one specific area of its utility.

one of my question is, what is the process for getting it registered in my name and with whom, and then marketing to knife companies for a bit of green my way?

The other one is, how would i be ble to see if something simillar was/wasnt made in the past?

Any other words of advice would help alot... thank you

----- Eric

PS. this invention would make a knife a 3-in-1 tool.

 

[Halbie]

I have come up with an idea that may possibly be a great mod to a knife to impove its useage in one specific area of its utility.

one of my question is, what is the process for getting it registered in my name and with whom, and then marketing to knife companies for a bit of green my way?

The other one is, how would i be ble to see if something simillar was/wasnt made in the past?

Any other words of advice would help alot... thank you

----- Eric

Any patent service can help you with this. If you think it's a big-time improvement with real commercial possibilities, you might want to consult with a patent attorney, first. People can and do make mistakes even when going through a service that is legitimate (but maybe too easy).

 

[CWL]

The first thing you do is run a patent search, nowadays this means international and not just national.

You want to make sure that your idea hasn't already been filed by someone else. If you don't do this step first but go thru the labors of creating an new design, you may find that you just spent a lot of time and money on something you cannot legally sell.

A good law firm specializing in patent law will advise you on the feasibility of filing patents.

I wouldn't trust those companies that advertise patent ID help on TV, most of them are scams that take your money but don't do anything.

 

[TheFlash]

First try here:
http://www.google.com/patents

Then, go to legalzoom.com

I recently took a class locally that was excellent for a working method for patenting and moving forward on a design. I'm starting along the path as taught by the class for some non-knife designs myself. (BTW - the instructor has >25 patents himself and does this to help other people. You know at the grocery store when they put your items in a plastic bag, pull the bag away and your bag pulls open the next bag for use? That is one of the patents from this classes' instructor.)
http://www.frompatenttoprofit.com/

Best of luck with your designs...

Regards,
Mike