Some may think that brilliant men like Thomas Edison and Nicolai Tesla are rare these days but I know better. As a matter of fact I have a friend who is a certifiable genius inventor, inventing things like an engine that runs on tap water and a device that increases gas mileage by nearly 40%.

For those who cannot afford to dish out thousands of dollars for a patent lawyer, do it yourself patents can be a great alternative. Do it yourself patents can be done if you are up to the challenge. It is not impossible although the biggest drawback on do it yourself patents is that you are not afforded the luxury of having professional advice.

If you have an idea or invention you may need a US Patent to protect it. Someone else could steal your idea, so it is always a good idea to understand patents and what they can do for you.

You may have a fantastic invention and obtained a patent for it but you will fail to stop the infringer if any one of the many formality requirements of the patent laws are ignored when writing the patent.

To win in a patent lawsuit, you must have a strong patent, a patent that contains a broad as well as a narrow definition of your invention.

If the proposed new rules take effect, the patent applicant must excercize great care in disclosing documents that pertain to the invention. It is important to secure a patent and not create potential ammunition for a competitor to defeat the patent.

A patent application is a serious legal document and should be prepared with great care. This requires knowledge of the industry, i.e., what has been done before and what the competition might try to get around the patent. In the wake of the proposed rules, the importance of writing a good patent application cannot be overemphasized.

A patent does not guarantee that you will be able to stop an infringer. Just make sure that the patent is strong and squeaky clean, and that there is no skeleton in the closet.

Chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology companies spend large sums of money so that their employees burn the midnight oil and come up with great inventions, be it on a novel drug treat heart disease or a process to make large quantities of a chemical used in the manufacture of a plastic. Those inventions may be of little value if the company did not file for a patent in a timely manner.

Chemical and pharmaceutical industries protect their inventions by securing patents. However, they realize, much to their surprise and their bottom line, that the patents do not hold up to scrutiny by lawyers and courts. This article provides practical tips to securing strong patents.