Product Patent - possible/worth it?

[Smiler.]

I always read with interest the threads about patents that are posted in PH.

I have a question which I hope doesn't come under the "piece of string" category.


The scenario is:

A product fabricated from sheet metal/off the shelf formed parts, all in the UK.

The fabricated parts are nothing that someone else could easily not copy & have fabricated.

The perceived barrier to entry for others is that they would have to be able to copy & fabricate but a cheap design house in South Asia/Far East could do it for chips.

In light of the above, is a patent feasible or even possible?


My limited understanding is that policing/pursuing infringement would be cost prohibitive for those without very, very deep pockets.

Or does it not "work like that"?

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anonymous said:

[redacted]

In the US, so many umbrella-related patents are being filed that the U.S. Patent Office employs four full-time examiners to assess them. As of 2008, the office registered 3000 active patents on umbrella-related inventions.

If it's "is it worth patenting if someone else in the far east could rip it off anyway?" then maybe. Maybe not. It could, in theory, put reputable companies off from making/selling exactly the same thing. But then, as you say, you'll likely need deep pockets to enforce it if someone really wants to nick your market.

Thanks for that.

I suppose one could view the product akin to a pallet or base. The parts design/assembly is novel, in that the parts go together a bit like a piece of Ikea furniture. But nothing someone else couldn't do if they put in the time.

Food for thought

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bucksmanuk said:

As those above have pointed out, if you aren’t prepared to back the idea in the courts, then tread VERY carefully.
This is not a cheap process, I know, I am going through this myself. You really need a manufacturer/business to buy into your idea as well, both in terms of support and cold hard cash. All things going well with a patent, and you are looking at £5k for starters.

My afternoon (3.5 hours) with a legal patent specialist was £825… and we haven’t got anything in writing yet.

There are other ways of protecting your work, and I would advise money spent on, and reading this - is an excellent place to start.


don't buy the US version as pictured above, you need the UK version with the foreword by Trevor Bayliss...

Just getting your head around the licensing possibilities has taken me ages…

That's really helpful, thanks