Molson Hart

That's wild. IMHO (very humble), I feel like the submission of a prototype for certain small mechanical inventions would be very helpful.

For simple things I think a prototype may not be much better than the “constructive reduction to practice” on paper. I think for computer implemented inventions ad other more complex and potentially “abstract” things prototypes or code would be helpful to clarify the invention.

Very cool. We filed a patent app recently and the office action is not as good as I hope, I'll be tempted to send in the invention. It speaks much louder in person than on paper.

Office actions can look worse than they are at first (especially when you are inventor—in my experience). Often, it is productive to do an interview with the examiner — IMO they like talking with inventors. May be opportunity to demo also.

Great advice thanks. I filed this one with an attorney. I'm not at your level (nowhere near it), but I am proud to say that I once had a claim allowed on a non-provisional application. I ultimately abandoned it because the product wasn't doing well, but proud of that!

Glad to hear you have rep on current app! (So many ways to mess up a patent.) And that is awesome that you have gotten an allowance before - no small task. It is expensive to issue & maintain so makes sense to be judicious with fees if no business case.

I used to have no money and a lot of time, so I filed my own app! Yes, absolutely. And they're also a bitch to enforce!!

When I had no money and some time (was a patent agent and in law school and had to learn while doing) I filed this one https://patents.google.com/patent/US20080248815 … — glad I did. On some of my others I wish I had more success w/ online commerce (like you have achieved) vs patents!