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

One recommendation: If you use this book to write your first patent filing, let a patent lawyer review the filing before you submit. This shouldn't cost you more than an hour or two in attorney fees and from my experience can enhance your submission and improve its chances for allowance significantly. I did this for my first several submissions and learned something each time. Eventually there was little the attorney could offer, and I then ceased the practice.

Wish I could give 6 stars for this remarkable book.


Patently Wonderful.   June 3, 2000
T. O. Whitehead (El Campo, Texas)
85 out of 86 found this review helpful

If you're contemplating a patent, this book is a treasure. It is thorough and well-organized, a wealth of relevant material articulately presented by a writer who obviously knows his stuff. Patent attorney David Pressman guides you step by step through the process -- conceiving your idea, adequately documenting your invention, successfully writing and obtaining your patent, avoiding legal pitfalls, and profitably marketing your intellectual property.

At each step along the way Pressman presents insiders' information without which you could easily trip and fall. And at each step he offers practical "laundry lists" of issues to consider, facilitating a level of thoroughness that would be hard to achieve without them.

It's easy to recommend this valuable work, both to inventors who want to seek a patent on their own and to others who just want a comprehensive overview of the law, the issues, and the process.


Patent It Yourself by David Pressman is a sure winner!   August 24, 1996
67 out of 68 found this review helpful

If you have a great idea, but don't know what to do with it, "Patent It Yourself" by David Pressman is here to help. This book is a true blessing to both novice and seasoned inventors alike. It's organized format and light-hearted illustrations make this a truly enjoyable read. Packed to the gills with information, "Patent It Yourself" will answer virtually any question an aspiring inventor may ask. It covers everything from avoiding invention marketing companies to patent searching, from drafting a patent application to licensing your creation. The author is a practicing patent attorney registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a former patent examiner, as well as an inventor himself with his own patents. His experience definitely shines through in each page of this work. As an inventor myself, I have truly put this book to the test. With the aid of "Patent It Yourself", I have taken two ideas from images in my head, to patented, finished products that are supplementing my income. This book has saved me thousands of dollars in legal fees and has also saved me from many a headache. I would definitely recommend "Patent It Yourself" to anyone interested in turning an idea into profit. Christine Hanisco - Lansdale, PA


Great Book . . . And A Good Reference For Patent Attorneys   April 22, 1999
51 out of 52 found this review helpful

I'm a patent attorney, and I've kept this book near my desk for years. I recommend it often to clients. Even if they really don't want to file their own patent applications, the book helps them to better understand patent applications. After reading a few chapters, they're often able to make well-informed decisions about their patent matters. And many patent attorneys can benefit from reading parts of the book, such as the chapter on marketing inventions.


Great Do-it-yourself Manual   February 3, 2001
Eric J. White (Windsor, PA United States)
44 out of 46 found this review helpful

I have all of David Pressman's books on patenting, you know why? Because I filed my own patent using these books. That's how good they are. They really do have step by step instructionsAgain, reasonable priced, and useful. I strongly recommend these books for anyone that wants to File a Patent. They will allow you to do it yourself without an attorney. You MUST purchase this bbok if you plan on filing a patent with or without an attorney. It really will let you do it without. He also has software that helps you prepare the docs. If you don't have a good word proccessor like WORD, this software will prepare all the docs with an outline. If you have your own favorite Word Proccesor, use the software with it, and you won't go wrong. I was worried I'd screw up the paperwork til I read and used this book.