I bought this book to work an idea I had. This book put me on solid grounds from, how to think like an inventor to how to file for the provisional patent. Loved reading this book. Very informative for newbies. Loved it. Will recommend it.

I bought this book because I needed to file a Provisional Patent Application (PPA). However, I found it to be somewhat incomplete and other information wasn't updated from older editions. There is even a reference to floppy disks! There are also lots of references telling you to buy their other book Patent It Yourself for a full description. They do this quite a bit. They even say this in the other book I purchased How to Make Patent Drawings: A Patent It Yourself Companion. I couldn't believe it! I bought that book because I thought it would cover everything about the drawings. I honestly wish I had bought Patent It Yourself instead. Even though I'm not filing a full patent yet. The other thing that annoys me in this book is that there is no section that simply outlines the structure of a PPA. They do it over a series of chapters. But they don't have a simple outline to follow once you have read all those chapters. The last half of the book (actually more than half) has nothing but other people's Provisional Patent Apps. Every single one of which you can find for free online. They also don't provide a CD or downloadable document template. They even have a few sample legal documents like Non Disclosures and Joint Ownership. But they expect you to photocopy these out of the book which measures approximately 7" x 9". How unprofessional would that look walking into a meeting to license your idea? Overall I found the book to be quite bare and the victim of too many sloppy edition updates. Save yourself the money and just buy Patent It Yourself.

I followed this book's content, and indeed got a Patent Pending in 24 Hours.
It is important to note that applying for a patent is an overwhelming and intimidating, yet absolutely worthwhile effort. By its nature it is complicated, and it is better to hire professional Intellectual Property (IP) people to do serious work that follows after you file an application - which is really just a DATE STEMP- ensuring that you have 12 months to be recognized as the owner of the idea and to do the full fledge job of getting the Patent Grant.
I found Chapter 1 helpful since most of people who are interested in Provisional Patent Application (PPA) will find this helpful, and it does break the ice. I am told that majority of applications are PPAs and for Utility Patents.
Chapter 2 (which does not need to worry you) talks about seven hurdles you need to pass.
Chapter 3 is about a search for previous inventions that might negate your chance of getting a PPA approved and converted into a Patent Grant, and Patent Grant is the name of the game. But Patent Grants take a lot more effort, and again, in my not so humble opinion, I think that it is much easier to pay what it costs and get professionals do it for you.
Chapters 4 and 5 are easy to read and easy to follow.
Chapter 6 is about Electronic Filing, and I think the most important part of this book for those who really want to do what PPAs are all about and want to do it on line in a "Do It Yourself" fashion. I hope that this chapter is beefed up with some more practical "Do It Yourself" Oriented approach in the next edition. Even though I think that this does do the job!
Let me, as a person with one patent grant and several PPAs, "Patent Pendings", share my experience:
Use the Toll Free Number listed for the USPTO.GOV as much as you need or like. You find helpful and nice people trying to really help.
NOTE: Most electronic files MUST BE in Adobe PDF format! Microsoft Word (.doc format) is not enough. And you must have a minimum of a Cover Page, specifications and Figures in your submittal, and a valid credit card. In 2007, for an individual of small company it costs $105 to file a PPA of less than 20 pages or so.
Seriously consider getting a Customer Number, and do what it takes to be able to do PAIR on line, if you will be filing several patents on your own.
My special thanks to Patent Experts at Sunnyvale California Public Library for their introductory lectures and immense help to me, and others regarding patents process.

Bruce Razban,
Founder, President Razban Internet International (RII)

There were three major problems with this book. The first has to do with drawing requirements. The book doesn't tell you whether or not you need professionally rendered drawings in the style required by the USPTO. (It turns out, you don't...hand drawings are acceptable.) The second problem is the exampes provided of provisional patents. They each consist of a long block of text without a correct sequence of subject headings and drawings, probabably for the reason that the reader might just copy the same format where other formats that differ slightly might also be acceptable. In my thinking, I would rather have a template as a starting point than none at all. The third problem, also with the examples, is that each is a radically unique idea whose description can be conveyed with everyday language. None show the rigorous language required by incremental advances to prior art in a modern-day patent. I eventually gave up on this book in frustration.

This book thoroughly explained the process for obtaining a provisional patent. The instructions were very easy to follow, and it provided numerous helpful examples.

We the freeNezy testers at eJawab Inc. found that the book works, is easy to read, and will save you big bucks if your product does not take off.

- Virkam Jhaveri, Chico

Protect your invention with the latest legal information on the PPA - provisional patent application - covered in this updated and expanded fourth edition of a comprehensive reference which includes all the forms and advice needed to conduct a patent search online, understand basic patent law, and file an application. From applications to common problems, PATENT PENDING IN 24 HOURS reveals all the pros and cons of patents and their management and is a 'must' for any general public library lending reference section.

This book is very well written and shows you exactly how to write your patent step by step. I followed the instructions, wrote my patent, asked an intelligent friend to review it and filed it according to the instructions. A fews weeks later I was awarded my patent pending. Now I've got to see if I can make some money from my product within the year to afford to file a full patent.

I'm a budding inventor who wanted to protection for a children's toy I invented recently. Using this book, I filed a patent application in about 15 hours.

To understand the value of this book, you need to understand that there are two types of patent applications.

The first is a Provisional Patent Application (PPA) which is an informal patent application that simply establishes a filing date and allows you to legally use "patent pending" for 1 year, when sharing your invention with others and testing its marketability. The second is a Regular Patent Application (RPA). This is a formal application at which the Patent Office looks closely and can result in patent protection for the next 20 years if it's granted. The PPA costs $100 for most, and the RPA costs thousands upon thousands.

This book helps you file a Provisional Patent Application (PPA).

I found it to be very clear, and told me what I had to do. It assumes you know nothing. I found it's example illustrations very helpful as I made up drawings, and particularly helpful was how to navigate the US Patent and Trademark Office site to download and fill out applications. It also gave some good tips for patent searching. The sample PPA, a doll that has "light-up" tears, gave me a good idea how to write the PPA.

I did find, however, that the author constantly uses phrases like "For more information, see my book "Patent it Yourself" which I found a little frustrating. I ended up finding a copy of Patent It Yourself in the library to get some of my questions answered.

Also, some foreign offices require information that is not explained in Patent Pending in 24 Hours (at least one "claim"), so I had to use Patent It Yourself to get this information, and include it in my PPA, so in this respect, Patent Pending in 24 Hours is not complete if you want international protection eventually.

I recommend that you get both Patent It Yourself and Patent Pending in 24 hours if you want all your questions answered. They both contain information not found in the other.

This is a wonderful introduction to PPA's. They can be an efficient method of establishing a evidentiary date of invention. The danger is if you let your year lapse (and 12 months in the process goes very quickly) without filing an application you've disclosed your idea to the public and it is not protected.

One other note, for inventions of great value never bypass the counsel of an Intellectual Property lawyer - a patent attorney. The experience and understanding of the patent system is invaluable and it can get very complicated. Intellectual property deserves every protection afforded but you have to know how to be sure it's protected correctly and only an attorney can truly provide that case by case understanding.

Just what I needed! I can protect my idea, try to market it, and then determine if I should invest in an official patent. This book describes how to prepare a Provisional Patent Application (PPA) which will guard your idea for 12 months while you try to prove the worth of your idea. Only 3% of patents make any money for the inventor. Submitting a PPA to the U.S. Patent Office protects your idea, but doesn't require the investment of a full patent. The book goes into detail about how to prepare a PPA, what steps to take, what forms to include, and gives lots of examples. Sidebars tell entertaining patent-related stories. Recommended!