The Patent Process Determine the type of intellectual property you need. Determine if your invention is patentable. Determine what kind of patent you need. Get ready to apply. Submit your application. Work with your examiner. Receive your approval. Maintain your patent.
I would suggest you file a Provisional Patent Application (PPA) on your own for about $60 with the US Patent Office. Once you have filed the PPA (which is never examined and isn't a real patent), you have 1 year to claim ``patent pending'' before you must file your utility patent (maybe $5000 or more).
Patent applications must satisfy the following three criteria: Novelty. This means that your invention must not have been made public – not even by yourself – before the date of the application. Inventive step. This means that your product or process must be an inventive solution. Industrial applicability.