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A Step-By-Step Guide To Getting a Patent

Customers had been asking Mike Clarke the same question for years: How did he get their jewelry so clean?

The answer was simple. Mr. Clarke, the 43-year-old owner of the DFW Diamonds jewelry store in Dallas, had access to equipment his customers didn’t: a specialized $1,500 machine for jewelers that cleans gold bracelets and diamond rings with a heavy burst of steam — a big improvement over the usual toothpaste-and-toothbrush home remedy.

Two years ago, Mr. Clarke realized there might be a market for a home version of the steamer. His first step: securing a patent. "I wanted to get a head start on a great idea," he says. "There could be a flood of copycats."

If you’ve come up with a better mousetrap, a patent can be crucial for protecting your idea in the marketplace. But the application process can cost thousands of dollars and take years to complete. And even when you’ve got the patent in hand, the challenges aren’t over: The burden falls on you to keep an eye out for copycats and enforce your patent rights.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to filing a patent, and what you can expect to pay at every stage along the way.

By RAYMUND FLANDEZ
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal Online

Full Story: http://www.startupjournal.com/howto/ip/20050510-flandez.html?sjcontent=mail

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