If you published the complete idea then it is now public domain. The law changed a few years ago where it first to file and not who had the idea first. The process is to file either a full patent or a provisional patent first. If you go the provisional direction you have one year to file for the full patent. My understanding is that after the one year the provisional is published and becomes public domain and is no longer patentable. There are three different types of patents. Design, Utility, and Agricultural. Design patents are where it is an original idea and there isn't anything like it. Utility patent is where lets say you had a jet fuel patent and I found it treated Covid 19. I could use your patent for own patent as an utility design and not infringe on your patent for the jet fuel. The first 5 patents you file are considered as a micro entity and the cost is far less then a regular filing. If you intend to file I would recommend signing up and getting an electronic filing number issued to you. This number is issued free of charge and allows the application to be filed with a lot less headache. Where people run into problems is trying to do the patent search yourself and not knowing some of the inside tricks. The USPTO office has some very good video to explain how to search without getting 50,000 returns. Before filing a patent you should always to your market research for the item to estimate the amount that can be sold. If you want 10 million dollars and you are only going to sell 10 then the price needs to be 1 million each. Are they going to sell at this price? If you want 10 million and you are going to sell 10 million then you only have to charge a dollar. Using these numbers would also provide information if choose to go the royalty direction. There is a lot of debate regarding whether is better to be the first to dominate the market or go for patent protection.

 

I am member of Latvian Inventors Association thus I know a bit about patents and patenting.
1) One rather eminent USA inventor gave us a hour long lecture about how things are going at US, he have about 750 patents on his name, including the patent of sticky paper pieces (nowadays called 3M stickers). Only about 3% of all patents EVER generates ANY income, but 99% of those income is 10-100 $ no more. Especially with those 3M stickers he spent a two decades telling 3M how good it may be, but then 3M just took and stole his patent thus the 20 other years of courts was imminent. Even after court said 3M have to pay him, they havent did it until today.
2) Very similar situation is at us too. For example, one of our last year patents shown innovative workhead to perforator drill-machine what is damn useful for different jobs and nowhere on planet nothing similar exists. Of course we made a firma, collected a money thus about 30 000 $ are inputed and first 1500 pieces are produced. Then Bosch (herr majesty) open it bit rusted eyelids and said, guys, I want to buy Your patent together with firma, but maximum price must be 50 $ and about 100 $ we may not dispute. By the way, it may be interesting to anybody, we use internet for dissipation but Google is not permitting to index the keywords, just is stopping them. So to see what is it, feel free to simply push the www.kalveri.mozello.lv and then look for choice of English language, russian language or Latvian language button.
So- my five cents on patenting - customarily inventors are folks patenting NOT for income generation, but SPENDING own income to become probably famous.

 

Thank you all,
But the main question "How Can I submit a novel patentable design idea to a company?" remained unanswered.
maybe it is an impossible mission and I should ask "Tom Cruise"!!!

 

Thank you shortbus for introducing ( inventhelp.com ). I will check it.

 

Thank you shortbus for introducing ( inventhelp.com ). I will check it.

Be afraid! Be very very afraid! I doubt that any body here can recommend these folks from personal experience because they provide no useful service. How do I know this? There are no companies in this or any other country that will listen to these guys any more than they will listen to an individual inventor - and for the same reasons. They will take your money and leave you with NOTHING. I promise you steer clear of these folks.

Shame on @shortbus for even introducing these folks to you.

 

If the Q was ""How Can I submit a novel patentable design idea to a company?"" then You have only one way to act - make the patent PENDING paper on own name, and MAYBE some company will call You. Bosch was calling us by own initiative, it means someone all the time are monitoring new patents there. At least with the paper at the hands You are able to drive around as mad (what accurately is the from of madness) and try to convince the firms found in phone book You have what they need harshly. However law of 3% and 1% of 3% will unavoidably push You calm soon, when car`s gasoline canister will become empty. Sorry.

 

Shame on @shortbus for even introducing these folks to you.

OK I am now isolating in place. You know it was a joke and I know it too, assumed the TS would too.

 

OK I am now isolating in place. You know it was a joke and I know it too, assumed the TS would too.

The TS is in a vulnerable spot. He wants something good to happen at what seems like any cost. It would not be funny if those folks fleeced him because of your say so.
If the TS does check them out, I hope he reports back to us on his experience. His report may save somebody else in a similar situation.

 

One of the inventors in my group invented the paper battery check strip many years ago. At that time there were only 3 battery companies. It took him three years of contacting the companies to finally get a meeting. His meeting was with Duracell which at that time was the small guy on the block. In the first meeting Duracell asked how much and he responded 22 cents each. Duracell said that's to much and the request was to shave the price to 11 cents. A month later they again got together and the inventor brought two other members to the meeting. They got to price right away and he was able to offer 16 cents each but had no way to reduce it further. Duracell said that's to much per case of batteries. One of the members said is the cost per case or the cost per package and the bean counter responded the cost per package. The member said "Can't you just sell a pack of 8 batteries instead of a pack of 4". The bean counter replied that would work. Duracell decided to to a test run and did it the Pacific Northwest. A normal case of batteries was supposed to last a retailer 4 months. The batteries sold out in two days. Duracell then went nationwide and the results were a little different. They sold out in three days and the vendors were screaming for re-orders.. After one year Duracell went to this inventor and purchased his patent for 110 million dollars. There are success stories out there. Duracell is now one of the largest battery sellers and It all belongs to the inventors persistence.

 

@RobNevada So did your friend act like an inventor, or did he act like a businessman? If he acted like the latter, then he deserves his success.