Services We Provide

Written by Gene Quinn
President & Founder of IPWatchdog, Inc.
Patent Attorney, Reg. No. 44,294
Posted: December 8, 2008 @ 8:21 pm
Page viewed 17,065 times

My name is Gene Quinn and I am a patent attorney. I provide my clients with a full range of patent services, including patent searches, patentability opinions and patent applications. I have a working relationship with attorneys at other firms who are capable of providing additional legal representation to compliment patent services, such as assistance registering trademarks and copyrights, as well as a full array of business law and corporate law services. If you would like my assistance with your invention, or if you need business or other intellectual property law or litigation assistance please contact me via e-mail.

For more information on our services please see:

Patent Searches & Patentability Opinions

If you are interested in filing a patent application to protect your invention it is always a good idea to first conduct a U.S. patent search to help make sure that there are no patented inventions that can be found that are to closely similar to your own invention. We can typically provide you with a search report and opinion for between $700 to $1,600, depending on the complexity of the technology involved and the amount of prior art to be considered. We also offer telephone consultations to review and discuss your invention in light of the prior art found, and we can provide a detailed patentability assessment (typically 3 to 4 pages single spaced) that discusses how we feel your invention differs from the most relevant prior art discovered and what we realistically believe you can anticipate in terms of scope of protection. This detailed patentability assessment can be particularly helpful to include as an exhibit in a business plan, to show potential inventors or to attract partners. A detailed patentability assessment will also give you a clear idea of what we believe can be realistically obtained in terms of protection. If you are interested in our search services send me an e-mail and I can give you a quote once I learn a little about your invention.

For more information on patent searches see:

Provisional Patent Applications

We can typically prepare and file a provisional patent application $1,500 plus the filing fee ($110 for individuals and businesses with 500 or fewer employees) and the cost of professional illustrations if required (usually $200 to $300). If your invention relates to software the cost is $3,000 because in order to adequately describe your invention a lot more needs to be done, hence the higher price. The big benefit with respect to provisional patent applications is that there are no formal requirements for filing, so they are quicker and easier to prepare. Thus, they can be filed faster with the Patent Office and cost less to prepare.

For this price we will draft your application and file it at the US Patent Office. For this fee we will not undertake a patent search, nor can we offer any patentability opinions. If you are interested in receiving a quote for our services please send me an e-mail.

For more information on provisional patent applications see:

Nonprovisional Patent Applications

It is impossible to give any general guidance with respect to the costs associated with preparing and filing a nonprovisional patent application, at least until a good deal is known about your invention. Notwithstanding, I have done my best to provide some information at Cost of Obtaining a Patent. If you have us prepare and file your provisional patent application and then subsequently want us to prepare and file a nonprovisional patent application we will start where we left off on the provisional application, so efforts will not be duplicated, which will translate into savings versus having another attorney starting from scratch. The filing fees (there are actually 3 fees all due at the time of filing) for a nonprovisional patent application are presently $540, assuming you qualify as a small entity, which is an independent inventor or company with fewer than 500 employees. If you are interested in receiving a quote for our services please send me an e-mail.

For more information on nonprovisional patent applications see:

Design Patent Applications

We can prepare and file a design patent application for you for $1,600, assuming you qualify for small entity status (i.e., an individual or company with 500 or fewer employees). This will include our legal fees, the filing fees due to the United States Patent Office and professional patent illustrations. Design patents have been issuing in about 7 to 9 months. You should budget about another $1,500 for additional fees. There will be additional fees due to the Patent Office for the publication and issuance of the patent, and there will be some additional attorneys fees. If you are interested in receiving a quote for our services please send me an e-mail.

For more information on design patent applications see:

Federal Circuit Decides Egyptian Goddess Case (extremely important)
Nike Sues Walmart on Design Patents
Surprisingly, US Design Patent Filings Down in 2009

Consulting Services

It is quite common for inventors, entrepreneurs and small businesses to become overwhelmed when trying to make determinations regarding intellectual property matters. Intellectual property is probably best thought of (at least in general terms) as creations of the mind that are given the legal rights often associated with real or personal property. The rights that are given are a function of statutory law. These statutes may be federal or state laws, or in some instances both federal and state laws govern various aspects of a single type of intellectual property. The term “intellectual property” itself is now commonly used to refer to the bundle of rights conferred by each of the following fields of law: (1) patent; (2) trade secret; (3) copyright; and (4) trademark and unfair competition law.

There is no great mystery lurking in the intellectual property world, but until one becomes acquainted with the fundamentals and basic principles this area of law can look more like black magic than anything else. The trouble with intellectual property law, licensing and invention marketing is not that it is to difficult to understand, but there are so many different facets of protection available, and many different strategic paths that can be followed, that figuring out what needs to be done can seem a daunting task. This is where IPWatchdog can help.

Rather than spending endless hours looking for answers I can answer your questions directly and explain any concepts that are unclear. I can also help you determine whether pursuing intellectual property protection is feasible and economically wise. If you do wish to move forward he can also help you create a plan of action to follow in an effort to protect, market and economically capitalize on your invention. My current hourly billing rate is $350 per hour. If you are interested in receiving a quote for our services please send me an e-mail.