I have been working on an invention for the past 12 years and have read over 25 books on the subject. If you are a novice inventor, then do yourself a favor and read this book first. Mr. DeMatteis writes in an upbeat, energetic style and that is just the type of mindset a novice inventor needs to develop. This book fills you in on why 97% of the patents issued in the U.S. are utter failures. From Patent to Profit reveals the secret strategies employed by the other 3% inventors who turn their dreams into dollars. Inventing is not a get rich quick scheme. An inventor must be prepared to work in obscurity for upwards of five years. During this period you will become an expert in your field of invention. Manufacturers prefer to license products from experts in their chosen field. Read this book, purchase a scientific journal, become an expert in your field, develop your idea, hire a marketing expert, pitch a manufacturer, secure a licensing agreement, research and develop your product, file your patents, sell your product and live off of your royalties. All this and much, much more are included in this MUST READ book. There is a 3rd revised edition of this book, so try and get your hands on that edition. This book is an instant classic in its field. I would not be where I am today, without having read this book!

This book is extremely well written and organized. I have read lots of books on the general subject and find this book an excellent source of practical tips for the inventor.

This was one of the best books I have ever read on the entire process of inventing, from the concept of an idea until its finished. Big book with many useful resources and information

This was one of the best books I have ever read on the entire process of inventing, from the concept of an idea until its finished. Big book with many useful resources and information

Some background on the author is helpful if you are considering purchasing this book as a means of learning the invention process (the following is a summary of the introduction): Prior to inventing several highly successful products, the author was a professional trainer. As a means of service and a way to fulfill his love of training, the author decided to teach an invention course at a local school and sought out a textbook from which to structure the course. No adequate book existed, so he wrote his own based on the insights gained from his experience.

There are many books on invention, but this may be the only textbook I've found. Have you read a textbook lately? They tend to be very comprehensive with a lot of pages. That describes this book as well. However, unlike many textbooks that are written by people who only know theory, this book was written by someone who achieved tremendous success turning patents into profit.

Conclusion: If you are looking for a fun ride, don't buy this book. There are many other excellent, inspiring, easy-to-read books available that fulfill that need (I benefit from those books, too!). If you desire a thorough textbook that comprehensively describes the entire invention process in great detail, and throws in some fluff to keep it interesting, this book is a must for your collection.

Some background on the author is helpful if you are considering purchasing this book as a means of learning the invention process (the following is a summary of the introduction): Prior to inventing several highly successful products, the author was a professional trainer. As a means of service and a way to fulfill his love of training, the author decided to teach an invention course at a local school and sought out a textbook from which to structure the course. No adequate book existed, so he wrote his own based on the insights gained from his experience.

There are many books on invention, but this may be the only textbook I've found. Have you read a textbook lately? They tend to be very comprehensive with a lot of pages. That describes this book as well. However, unlike many textbooks that are written by people who only know theory, this book was written by someone who achieved tremendous success turning patents into profit.

Conclusion: If you are looking for a fun ride, don't buy this book. There are many other excellent, inspiring, easy-to-read books available that fulfill that need (I benefit from those books, too!). If you desire a thorough textbook that comprehensively describes the entire invention process in great detail, and throws in some fluff to keep it interesting, this book is a must for your collection.

Since 1987, this author has received 14 patents and has achieved a 100% success rate in developing and marketing them. This is particularly impressive when you consider only about 3% of patents earn any money at all for their inventors. In this handbook he shares his hard-acquired knowledge concerning product creation, patenting, licensing, manufacturing, and marketing.

The author, Bob DeMatteis, offers several opinions that differ from what other writers in the field currently offer. For example, he puts down the need for a business plan if you go the licensing route. He never wrote one and feels that the company licensing your invention should and will do their own plan. However, getting an honest, unbiased evaluation is good even though potential licensees will want to gather their own facts.

In his chapter on invention strategy, he calls attention to the fact that inventors often fail to grasp that marketing and manufacturing can take 68% to 93% of your time.

In America, he points out; we have a fascination with thinking big. But the key to success is often in thinking small. That is filling a small (niche) market. He notes that it is often the fourth or fifth improvement patent that results in a commercial breakthrough. He notes how the Japanese have applied this principle with great success.

He stresses the importance of customer-driven innovations (CDIs). He lists a dozen areas where the right invention can turn customers on. For example, the environment area is now a hot button area and if you can double the life of a product, you also reduce trash by one half.

In the past, a basic design guide was "form follows function." Today, he suggests that "form follows emotion." He writes, "Don't kid yourself. People usually buy because the purchase raises a positive emotion." He discusses 14 ways to arouse emotions.

He observes that today's inventors are living at the right time because "in the world of patents, it is well known that patent values have increased 20-50 fold in just the past several years." He explains how the "Doctrine of Equivalence" and the 1997 Hilton-Davis case justify this observation.

Bob disagrees (and explains why he does) with some patent attorneys that feel a provisional patent application should include claims. He is strong on inventors using provisional patent applications, but cites several precautions to observe when doing so. He notes that while many worry about possible interference proceedings, it comes up only about once in 1500 patents filed.

He strongly recommends doing a preliminary patent search. It can save you a great deal of time and money. He stresses not overlooking similar words when searching. As an example, he lists 14 words that may be used in place of an ordinary word like "glue," such as "binder," "conjoining compound," and "adherent."

He takes note of how often inventors endure negative comments from pessimists. Many of his patents deal with plastic grocery bags and their racks and dispensers. Yet people will say "You can't patent a hole in a plastic bag." They see only the hole and not the function it serves.

The author suggests, like many do, that approaching very large corporations with your invention is very often a waste of time. Their billion dollar research labs haven't come up with it, therefore they can't believe anyone can.

He reminds us that trademarks can grow and grow in value and in time may exceed the value of the patent that inspired them.

He is often asked, in his seminars, as to what is the first thing an inventor should do. He replies that as soon as you can, get a marketing expert on your team.

He points out at least six times in his book how scam companies, "invention assistance companies," defraud U.S. inventors of 200 million dollars each year. Their ads run on radio and television and appear even in reputable magazines and newspapers. Donald Grant Kelly, a director at the U.S. Patent office is quoted as describing them as "ruthless highwaymen," "scoundrels," and as a "national disgrace." Their success rate is typically about 1 in 10,000! Avoid them as you would the bubonic plague. Heeding just this one bit of advice may save you between 20 and 300 times the price of this book.

I doubt that you will find an inventor anywhere--even Edison--who has capitilized on all of his patents. Bob Dematteis has. I have read his book and have participated in his seminars. His is the most down-to-earth and valuable advice I have ever read in the intellectual property field. Rarely is one individual able to lead the way through the land-mine of steps it takes to turn an idea into a profitable venture. Just in writing a patent application the use of the word "and" instead of "or" can be enough to disqualify a patent's value before it is even issued.
Bob is clear and consise and takes you every step of the way. I have recommended his books to countless individuals and no one has ever been disappointed.

I read the 3rd (Orange cover) latest edition. A "wannabe" who is prototyping a software idea, I have looked at about 4 books to help me in the patent process.

The Good:
He tells you not to rush your invention. Instead of rushing to file a Provisional Patent Application, I am slowly building the prototype.

The Bad:
1) In the section on patent searching, He mentions only PatentHunter to download patents, which has a per year subscription cost of about a hundred dollars. (On the PatentHunter website I read that it was designed by patent attorney Michael Neustel).
That is fine but I was annoyed to find that no mention at all is made of the completely free resources that can help you download patents like pat2pdf, patentfetcher (you can find them using any search engine).
2) Some places in the book seemed unrealistic and rather exaggerated. He mentions that it costs $250K to fight an infringement and 10 times that for a software patent; that attorneys will be glad to help you fight (for free) if you split the proceeds, so dont worry about infringement.
Who has that much money lying around to spend defending an idea? (Not me). For a more realistic true account, read the good book "Inventing Made Easy" by Tom and Roger Bellavance. One of his inventions was repeatedly and blatantly infringed upon and he lost a lot of money and became disillusioned by it. His conclusion: patents do NOT provide you with any protection unless you are a corporation with deep pockets.

3) Patent Attorneys are not infallible and I think that they can make mistakes every step of the way and simply spending a lot of money and hiring one will not insure you from mistakes. (David Pressman's book "Patent Pending in 24 hours" quotes a mistake made by an attorney in the prior art search)

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I feel that a book like this is better written by a panel of specialists with the inventor's thread running through it. For example, the Inventor writes the inventing section, a patent attorney; the patenting section, a manufacturing person on how to find and negotiate with a manufacturer. etc. That way, you know that he really knows and the book becomes more valuable.

One book I really liked was "How to Go from Brainstorm to Bingo!" by Charles Chick.

I read the 3rd (Orange cover) latest edition. A "wannabe" who is prototyping a software idea, I have looked at about 4 books to help me in the patent process.

The Good:
He tells you not to rush your invention. Instead of rushing to file a Provisional Patent Application, I am slowly building the prototype.

The Bad:
1) In the section on patent searching, He mentions only PatentHunter to download patents, which has a per year subscription cost of about a hundred dollars. (On the PatentHunter website I read that it was designed by patent attorney Michael Neustel).
That is fine but I was annoyed to find that no mention at all is made of the completely free resources that can help you download patents like pat2pdf, patentfetcher (you can find them using any search engine).
2) Some places in the book seemed unrealistic and rather exaggerated. He mentions that it costs $250K to fight an infringement and 10 times that for a software patent; that attorneys will be glad to help you fight (for free) if you split the proceeds, so dont worry about infringement.
Who has that much money lying around to spend defending an idea? (Not me). For a more realistic true account, read the good book "Inventing Made Easy" by Tom and Roger Bellavance. One of his inventions was repeatedly and blatantly infringed upon and he lost a lot of money and became disillusioned by it. His conclusion: patents do NOT provide you with any protection unless you are a corporation with deep pockets.

3) Patent Attorneys are not infallible and I think that they can make mistakes every step of the way and simply spending a lot of money and hiring one will not insure you from mistakes. (David Pressman's book "Patent Pending in 24 hours" quotes a mistake made by an attorney in the prior art search)

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I feel that a book like this is better written by a panel of specialists with the inventor's thread running through it. For example, the Inventor writes the inventing section, a patent attorney; the patenting section, a manufacturing person on how to find and negotiate with a manufacturer. etc. That way, you know that he really knows and the book becomes more valuable.

One book I really liked was "How to Go from Brainstorm to Bingo!" by Charles Chick.

Since there seems to be some interesting, even irresponsible, comments being made, I thought I would set the record straight. First, I am Bob DeMatteis, the author of this book and I recommend you be careful when purchasing. Do not buy the 8-year old, outdated edition (blue cover). I am shocked amazon carries it. Instead buy the new 3rd edition (c) 2005, (ISBN 0-7570-0140-8) in the orange cover.

About the irresponsible comments. You must be careful of advice from patent attorneys or anyone making snap judgments thinking I winged it, or a patent cited in the book is easy to design around. They don't have a clue. The inventions in both editions are covered by more than one patent and both have made a lot of money. Those making irresponsible, unqualified assumptions are jumping to laughable conclusions and are not experts in inventing or marketing. The new 3rd edition shows you how to hire a trustworthy attorney who is truly interested in your success and not billing you for his hours.

Setting the record even straighter, all of my 20+ patents have been licensed before or during the patent pending process. All have made money. So, do you want advice from someone who hasn't a clue about profiting from an invention? Or, would you prefer advice from a successful inventor who's commercialized all of his? Besides, when purchasing From Patent to Profit, you can return it if you don't find it helpful. However, an attorney will still charge you if you decide you are suddenly unhappy with his services.

The 3rd edition is endorsed by leading experts in the field of inventing and patenting, including Don Kelly, former director of the U.S. Patent Office and Andy Gibbs, CEO of PatentCafe, who sits on the board of the Patent Advisory Counsel to the U.S. Patent Office. It is endorsed by dozens of respectable patent attorneys, successful inventors, marketers and government agencies like the SBA and SBDC. After you read it, I'm confident you'll endorse it too.

Last, be aware that 97% of all patents don't make the inventor any money. The 3rd edition of From Patent to Profit shows you how to do what I and many other successful inventors have done...that is, commercialize and profit from ALL of your inventions. Follow the advice of a patent attorney or a book written by one, like Patent it Yourself, and you will be assured of two things: 1) You're about to become a statistic in the 97% failure category, and; 2) You're going to spend a lot of money getting there!

I am a patent attorney and was shocked after skimming this book. In my opinion, many aspects taught in this book - especially the patent-related aspects - are absolutely not in line with sound patent practice. I doubt that the example patent that is provided as a "go-by" would even satisfy the patent office's minimum technical requirements - especially the claims, which are just plain scary (for example, the dependent claims would surely be rejected for "improper antecedent basis", which the author seems to know nothing about). You would think that the author would have had a patent attorney (or at least a patent agent or somebody else who had formal training in patent law) review the book (and especially the example patent) for mistakes, but he apparently did not do this. Instead, he apparently "winged it" and produced an amaturish book and an example patent that would take a real patent practitioner about 2 seconds to invalidate or design around.

One of the most shocking examples of plain old stupidity taught in this book is the suggestion that, to determine whether your idea would be patentable, you should ask a store manager if they have ever seen the idea before. What a great idea! Tell the people who sell the product about your idea BEFORE you patent it. Run from this book...and if you have read it...forget everything you read.

Better to find a book written by an actual patent attorney or agent - like "Patent It Yourself" by David Pressman, or, for a more detailed treatment of patent strategies, try "Patent Strategies for Business" by Stephen Glazier.

... The information was repetetive and unhelpful. The main advice in this book was to get a group of manufacturing, marketing, and patenting "experts" that would guide you through the whole process of product development ..!! The whole book keeps referring to these "experts" numerous times in almost all the chapters. I also didn't like the side quotes found on each page. They were distracting and offered no real useful information.

Do not buy this book.. The information was very repetetive and worthless. The main advice in this book was to get a group of manufacturing, marketing, and patenting "experts" that would guide you through the whole process of product development ..!! The whole book keeps referring to these "experts" numerous times in almost all the chapters. I also didn't like the side quotes found on each page. They were distracting and offered no real useful information.

"From Patent to Profit" by Bob DeMatteis stands out among all the books on the subject. Bob's book has literally become my guide from the patent stage to selling our product on the market. Bob is very knowledgeable. His own success with patents and product development helps him guide the beginner. He takes you step by step through the process in a very precise and understandable way. I am so pleased that I became involved with Bob's teachings early on in my journey to product development. I've purchased other books on the subject and 'From Patent to Profit" says it best, especially for beginners.

This is absolutely a great book full of candid and to the point answers. I would recommend it to anyone. However, the quality of the binding on this books is terrible. It fell apart in two days... pages actually fell out of the book. You will need a 3 hole punch and a 3" folder to put it in.

I feel that this is one of the best books, if not the best, on how to invent. This book is written by a serious minded inventor who makes a difficult subject seem E-Z by presenting it in an engaging way. The book has extremely comprehensive information on idea protection, prototypes, manufacturing as well as marketing and selling your invention.

He provides many anecdotes from his personal inventing experiences over many years, and gives excellent strategies and methodologies on approaching companies, how and when to have a non-disclosure signed, how much to divulge, etc.

I highly recommend the audio tape series to complement and supplement the book. This way, the tapes can be listened to when driving to and from work, while the book can be read and studied in the evenings. These items together are a "must" investment. Dematteis also received rave reviews on his seminar presentations as featured speaker of the Invention Convention® "Masters of the Invention Process"? seminar series.