I've got an idea about a new invention that I am working on and was curious if anybody here has dealt with pursuing a patent or know of a good patent lawyer around the San Antonio area.

I don't know one in SA, but I refer all my clients to Alan Herda at Haynes Boone in dallas. We went to law school together and he is top notch.

Tell me your idea and I'll let you know

Lol

I appreciate the reply, but would really like to find one in San Antonio if anybody has a contact.

Employer has used Ted Lee at Gunn-Lee in the past. I have dealt with them some, but primarily with describing to them prior art I was aware of.

We used to joke that there were no good patent attorneys in San Antonio. Look in Austin instead.

But Ted Lee is fine. You can also check with Kirt O'Neill. Both in SA.

I have 41 patents. Approximately 2 are commercial. Be careful before you spend a bunch of money.

I will check into them, thank you for the responses.

94chem said:

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I have 41 patents. Approximately 2 are commercial. Be careful before you spend a bunch of money.

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Seems obvious, but this. A patent will give you a monopoly on your product, but that's not a guarantee that your product will sell. Since patents are very expensive and the prosecution time consuming, make sure you're confident in your product before pursuing one.

I'd consider filing a provisional patent application and launching your business to test your product's commercial viability before deciding to go full steam ahead with the patent. That will give you a full year to decide your next step.

If you don't mind me asking for your email, to pick your brain a little more in detail.

Just wanted to bump this topic one more time.

Here's a summary of my situation. I have an idea of an invention I want to pursue. I feel like I do not have the time, knowledge or skill to be able to actually make a prototype of my idea but want to somehow still pursue the idea. I searched on the internet for companies that could help with the whole process of inventing a new product starting from just an idea and bringing it all the way to a finished product on the shelf (if my product worked). I found a company called Davison. I signed an initial contract with them (and gave them 10% royalty if my product was successful) that required them to do a products relatability and existing patents search to see if my idea for the invention was already out there. The results they sent back to me came back positive in that there were no patents that pertained to my idea. Now they are offering me a second contract (for 15% more royalties) to do the rest of the process as far as making a working prototype, pitching the product to large manufacturing companies within the industry, patenting, packaging and selling (the whole nine yards). I've read some bad reviews on Davison saying they don't reply after they get peoples' money or that the prototype they make is not even close to what/how the original idea was. Now I am starting to feel skeptical with this company and feel like I may be back at ground zero. I asked the lady I've been dealing with from Davison about these issues and she claimed they get over 10,000 ideas a week and that most of them are not even realistic or that some are and when building prototypes, they obviously have to make changes in order to make the product work. I feel like those are legitimate answers.

My questions for Texags is this, would you guys trust this company or not? Would it be wise for me to pursue a patent before signing a second contract and spending the extra time/money to help give myself some insurance? I've heard patents take a lot of time and money. I don't want to spend the time or money if Davison would do what they say they'll do and actually help me make a successful prototype (if possible) and put a patent on it.

Thanks for any responses.