[Dantilla]

Helped a friend get a patent a few years ago. Interesting learning experience.

The most protected time is after filing a provisional patent, where the idea is recorded, kind of like a time stamp, but the details are not made public.

Once filed, the applicant has one year to file the full application. Getting denied on minor details is a good thing, as it further stalls the details from becoming public. After back-an-forth a few times between the patent attorney and patent office, the patent is granted, at which time it is made public. That's when the knock-off leaches begin their work arounds.

Got to work a trade show with him. I'm not a natural salesman, but it was fun to play the part for a while.
How to respond when one of the big-wigs from a another manufacturer stops by the booth asking questions?
Took his name tag off, but I knew who he was. Instead of the normal sales pitch, went into what a difficult product to make, hard to source materials, labor intensive, hardly any profit. Boo-hoo, hope we survive, yada yada...
So far, his company has not invaded this little niche market in the corner.