[vash]

ok, i am sorta in the same situation. but my sister is a patent attorney so i got some advice. she said the very first step is to log onto the website ( i dont have the exact website on hand, but it ends in an ".org") and to check whether the damn widget has been applied for yet. if yes, kick yourself and wonder out loud, why you didnt get off your ass faster.

then you go from there.....
as soon as i talk to her later, i will post the website. anyone looking for an attorney, she is the hardest working human i know.