I've filed my first patent application...

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
Here is a submission for your book:
An app like Google's reverse image search, where instead of pictures, you upload sounds. Specifically, sounds that your car makes. It provides a likely diagnosis without having to go to the mechanic and make an embarrassing vocal reenactment of the sound you heard. No more "sometimes when I turn left it makes a sound like 'gr-gr-gr-wah-wah'gr...pop!"

Wow. Synchronicity. I was just at the mechanic today trying to mimic the sound my car was making.
 
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DickCappels

Joined Aug 21, 2008
10,152
@ericgibbs turned me on to this site, it's a way of disclosure to others that there is a patent pending, protecting your intellectual property giving it time to get off the ground or fall flat. If it gets stolen, it means that it's a great idea and worth investing time and money in it.

http://www.researchdisclosure.com

kv
Be careful what you learn...

Years ago I was in an industry standard committee meeting. One of the member was describing his company's solution to a problem when another interrupted him and said "such and such a company has already patented that..." To which the speaker replied "Stop! STOP! Don't tell me that! If I know about it and my proceeds , that makes us willing infringers and subject to treble damages!"

Patent attorneys I've talked with discouraged patentability searches, stating something similar and noting that patent examiners will do that anyway in the course of doing their jobs.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
The searching is OK but making any judgement is a fool’s errand. And certainly writing something down in your notebook could come back to bite you. Patent cases have been won or lost over such things.

The merit of a patent claim can be completely different to a lawyer than it is to the inventor. You need to know the litigation history of the patent, all the prior art and more. Ultimately it comes down to a decision by the court. To speculate and try to predict the outcome years in advance is a waste of time.
 
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