I am trying to educate myself with patenting product. I have some ideas that I would to get patents ideas I have. Getting a lawyer is out of question because the charge too much. I am wondering if anyone knows a source or easier ways to get patents without loosing an arm. 
if you go to www.uspto.gov site they explain everything there.
after that you need to do two things:
1- search for any similar patent:
a- if thereās nothing like your idea then should go to next step
b- if thereāre similar ideas you should find out what your idea incorporates that is different, therefore can be considered either an improvement or additional function which could be patented
2- write up your idea with diagrams and send it to uspto via internet.
3- a rep from uspto will reply. if thereāre problems with your text and/or diagram theyāll ask you for correction or further explanation.
4- then you can seek some advice either from a lawyer or someone who has done this before.
uummm, thatās not quite right. Actually not right by a lot. Go get a book like āpatent it yourselfā by pressman. Nolo press. If your invention is worth something a patent attorneyās advice is worth alot. A quick question - are you talking about a utility patent or a design patent? They are very different things.
Well, I am not sure what the difference between the two is, but I know that one of the ideas is an improvement of a product.
a design patent protects only the shape/surface ornamentation of a product and is generally less valuable than a utility patent, which protects the function/configuration. You want a utility patent if possible. Design patents CAN be very valuable, depending on what weāre talking about.
Chris is speaking from the perspective of someone who works for a large corporation with an army of lawyers who take care of all the annoying yet important details for him. right Chris?
a design patent protects only the shape/surface ornamentation of a product and is generally less valuable than a utility patent, which protects the function/configuration. You want a utility patent if possible. Design patents CAN be very valuable, though, depending on what kind of product/design weāre talking about.
Chris is speaking from the perspective of someone who works for a large corporation with an army of lawyers who take care of all the annoying yet important details for him. right Chris?
The chances of Joe Nobody successfully getting a utility patent without a lawyer are low. The USPTO is an arcane place, and they expect you to follow their arcane ways. You will be going back and forth for years. Even if you do manage to get one, a DIY patent is likely to be poorly written, with narrow claims, and therfore easy for someone to circumvent. Or if the idea is really worth stealing, someoneās good lawyers will just get your piss-poor patent invalidated. Even professionally written patents are often easy to work around. Unless you place a very low value on your time (and your idea), it will be cheaper to use an attorney.
Your DIY patent is going to be worth exactly as much as you pay for it. Nearly nothing.
The USPTO will shortly be in the midst of a total much anticipated revamp designed to bring the whole system back to the original intent for which it was created - protecting the inventor, eliminate patent sharks and other nuisances.
If you can at all, wait until that whole bloated crappy mess it is becomes something more useful. Right now it is a waste of time and money for all but life-saving inventions.
I heartily āsecondā what Badge says.
I would, however, highly recommend āPatent it Yourselfā as an introduction to the process. Itās helps a great deal when you at least have an understanding of the process, and helps you, and a patent attorney, zero in on the details.
Think of it as knowing the town in which you are a taxi passenger. If you know the way, the driver isnāt going to cash in on your inexperience.
Start by editing what you write ā for instance your posting ā or having someone edit it for you before broadcasting your āabilititesā (or lack thereof) to the world. If you donāt have the discipline to check your spelling and grammar, you start to lose credibility. Fine, great invention, but bad English when youāre writing in English is an invitation to sharks and/or dismissive bankers/lawyers.
Iād never write in messy Dutch or Arabic or Chinese or Russian asking for legal help for anything.
Clean it up.
If you canāt afford a lawyer to get your patent, how do you expect to defend it if and when the time comes?
A patent is only worth something if you have the cash to defend it.