In this episode I go through the four main types of intellectual property so you can determine whether you might need patent, trademark, copyright and/or trade secret protection.

In this episode I tackle the question of whether your idea (or embodiments of your idea) is even eligible to receive a patent. I go through inventions and discoveries that can be subject to a patent, and ones that cannot be subject to a patent.

In this episode I go through the next steps to determine whether your invention might be patentable. In order to receive a patent, your invention must be new, useful, and non-obvious. But how is that determined? This episode will give you a quick rundown.

In this episode I go through ways to do a patent search, including key word searches, classification searches, and forward/backward citation searches. I also go through an example patent search for an avocado slicer where you can follow along.

In this episode I go through the problems of telling people about your invention, who you should get to sign non-disclosure agreements, and the deadlines to file your patent application if you've already disclosed your invention to the public.

In this episode I go through a brief introduction of the main six parts of a patent: 1) the abstract, 2) background of the invention, 3) summary of the invention, 4) brief description of drawings, 5) detailed description of the embodiments, and 6) the claims. In later episodes I will go over more details about each of these parts.

In this episode I go through what happens from when you file your patent application until your patent issues. There are lots of twists and turns your application can take so this is just a general overview of what happens and what you should do when you get a rejection, and your options, such as amending your application, arguing for patentability, filing a request for continued examination, appealing to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Federal Circuit, and Supreme Court. Details will be covered in future episodes.

In this episode I go over what provisional patent applications are, the differences between provisional and non-provisional patent applications, the pros and cons of provisional patent applications, and the requirements for provisional patent applications.