Patent It Yourself: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Filing at the U.S. Patent Office Sixteenth Edition

Good clean copy.

Pros:- Detailed explanation of patent writing, how to write wide claims, what makes a good claim.- Great insight on how the USPTO operates internally and how to maximize your chances the claims will hold.- Very easy-to-read, even for someone who has no experience in law or writing patents. The author explains some legalese without boring you.- Good discussion on licensing.- Strong explanations for filing the patent, prosecuting the patent and maintaining the patent.- The author makes a great effort to tackle on foreign filing and PCT despite it being very confusing and complicated.Cons (all minor)- There are a couple of sections that may be best left for the appendix, e.g. I saw several pages about how to fill an application form and attach a receipt, what address to send it to, what to click on the website, which were a little wordy.- The images are almost impossible to see on the Kindle even with the max zoom since some of them are patent/license pages. Would be great if that got fixed.- Some of the areas seem to be a little out of the layman's league - I can understanding writing the patent on your own, then prosecuting/responding to OAs on your own, but some of the scenarios that arise afterwards occasionally seem too complicated to tackle on yourself.Overall I'd highly recommend this outstanding book and I am planning to use it to write my own patents.

Still working on it

I successfully filed a provisional patent using this book, the filing date of which I intend to claim with a full RPA within a year's time, depending on the market success of my invention.I could not have navigated the highly ambiguous and sometimes contradictory statutes of patent law without this excellent book, written by a guy who has worked both as a patent attorney and USPTO examiner.I will note that, though the author stresses that 'anyone' can write their own patent, with some hard work and determination- I will submit that you will have to have a mind for analysis, a somewhat advanced vocabulary, and that depending on your invention you will have to do a lot of research, and have a lot of time on your hands.That said, this book offers you the potential to save yourself tons of money- It's still somewhat of a gamble, because you will be submitting a patent with an unseasoned understanding of patent law, newly garnered from a book. Be warned there are issues that can arise from this, and that if you have the funds to pay a good patent attorney, you should.This book provides a very clear guide for those who are willing to read, re-read and attentively study it's contents, in order that one may make the most educated choices (and sometimes guesses) during the writing of one's own patent.If you are good at splitting hairs, have a good vocabulary, have time, and do not have $5-20K to spend on a potential patenting costs through the use of a patent attorney, this book is for you.

It helped me to get a patent on my own. I knew just a little before I read. It will be helpful if USPTO's examiners read this book as well, as there is some dissonance between the theory (explained in the book and USPTO MPEP) and practice (how the examiners, I am referring to my single case only, examine applications).

I was stuck and ready to go to a schister lawyer. I read this book and it answered all my questions and resolved all doubts and points of confusion.IF you are a good writer AND you have a working understanding of legal concepts, THEN this book can help you write a more solid application than if you handed it off to someone that doesn't understand your inspiration or invention.Otherwise, get a lawyer.

I have been considering writing a patent and was just going to go to an attorney, but I'm glad I picked up this book first. This book does an amazing job of explaining what patents are (as well as trademarks, copyright, and trade secrets). It explains and gives advice on which structure to use (patents, trade secret, etc) based on the circumstances of the invention.I feel confident after reading this that I have the tools to write a patent application.One comment I have is that the patent laws have changed significantly in 2013 and I although I would like to know a little about the previous law, I wish that there was a book that focused on the new law.

As an R&D person, I have filed 30 patents over 20 years while working with many top patent lawyers.I thought I knew all about patents what I needed to know, until I read this book.A great book even for those that think they know it all. This is a very well written book and explains it all, and in a very clear language. It deserve 5* and more.On a side note, filing a patent is a no different than signing any contract. If you know legal issues involved and understand its implications, then you sign yourself. But, if you don't understand the language in a contract then you seek proper legal help.