Well, initially you have to understand the way the patent process works. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) administers patents to inventors who can prove there's a novel concept that nobody else has done before. Although people state that there's really nothing new under the sun, in reality, in '09 there were over 400,000 U.S. patents filed. So, other inventors tend to be more than willing to keep solving our planet's issues with original ideas.
When you're just beginning the patent process, first thing for you to do is make sure that you document your complete idea on paper. This consists of documenting every little aspect of how your invention is made and how it's going to work. The greater details you record, the harder unique the concept becomes. The truth is, while there might be another creation that is comparable, it wouldn't be the same as yours. Your invention has to be the only one of it's kind so that you can qualify for patent protection.
One more thing you'll have to do would be to hunt for patents that are already on record that could be similar or exactly like your idea. If somebody has already thought up and declared the patent, you're out of luck. Let's pretend that you're looking at a thought for a great ipod that can store digital music also it can also store a lot of photos as well as other cool stuff. It's got a very sleek design and includes detachable earplugs. Hmmm. That sounds a lot like an iPod, and you're right. You can't file a patent for any ipod seems and functions exactly like what's already available on the market.
However, should you developed a music player that can bounce like a ball and glows in the dark, now that would be something you could patent as unique. Anyway, you must do an intensive patent search to make sure that your idea has never been claimed by somebody else. This can be achieved yourself, or pay a specialist to conduct searching for you.
When you have revealed that nobody had the idea of the bouncing very good music player, you need to spend some money on getting a prototype made. A prototype is a demo version of your product that lets you see results for yourself in person. Unless you find an investor, the money for this will have to come out of your own pocket.
Now it's time to attend the USPTO and file a software for any provisional patent. This isn't the final patent, but a preliminary the one that enables you to keep focusing on marketing your invention while giving you full legal protection. As an example, there exists a company thinking about marketing the bouncing music player, but they would love you to create a few tweaks. Make the tweaks then make an application for the final patent. You might be then prepared to license it to the highest bidder to make a nice income.