Individual Inventors

Every great invention starts with a little idea!

Little ideas have become revolutionary inventions--everything from lightbulbs to board games (Monopoly, Scrabble) to personal computers. The social network, Facebook, is an invention, too--a very profitable one!

The first (and most important) step in the invention development process is research. Thorough research will help you determine:

1. if a patent or trademark for your idea already exists

2. if a similar product already exists in the commercial market

Before investing thousand of dollars obtaining a patent or developing your product, do your research. You'll be glad you did!

We suggest beginning with a basic keyword search in Google Patents, followed by a search on the United States Patent and Trade Office website. This United States Department of Commerce site is free to the public and provides detailed instructions on how to search for patents and other forms of intellectual property. It also offers numerous tips and suggestions on everything from filing patent applications to avoiding invention scams.

We also recommend visiting the USPTO Patent and Depository Library website at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for an extensive guide to researching patents and trademarks.

Little Idea offers thorough patent and product searches as one of our many services. Our rate is $50/hour with a maximum $150 fee.

Regardless of who does your research, be sure you don't skip this critical step in successful invention development.