What would it take to apply for a patent for an improvement to a common household item?

Question

What would it take to apply for a patent for an improvement to a common household item?

Answer 1

Provided the Item isn't already under Intelectual Liscence (ie A Dyson Vacum Cleaner) you should try this link.

http://www.ipo.gov.uk/patent.htm

This is the UK Office but you could Google/Yahoo for your local one.

Answer 2

A patent attorney is your best, but most expensive option.

Assuming you are in the U.S., you can file a provisional patent application with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (www.uspto.gov). The provisional application fee is around $100. It is important that you prepare the application in the proper way and with good attention to detail. You may want to have an attorney, experienced engineer and/or business professional in the area of your invention review it (if other than an attorney, have them sign a nondisclosure agreement first). The provisional application will give you 1 year before you need to file a full application. So, it doesn't replace the application, just delays the expense. You can file either application yourself without a lawyer but the process can be confusing if you have no experience. There is a good book; "Patent it yourself" by Pressman.  Another consideration, has your idea already been patented? Before you spend the considerable cost (typically 5 to 10 thousand $) for the full application by an attorney, you should search to see what other patents already exist. Again, you can do this yourself, but it may be difficult unless you have some experience. You can pay a patent attorney or agent to conduct a search, but that may cost several hundred to a few thousand depending on the area of your invention. You can do some searching yourself for free at the USPTO search site: http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html