A patent allows the creator of certain kinds of inventions that contain new ideas to keep others from making commercial use of those ideas without the creator's permission. Trademarks, on the other hand, are not concerned with how a new technology is used.
Generally, yes, they are useful books. They tend to be written by well-versed experts, and despite the title, they go into a fair amount of depth for each topic.
The series is now published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., which acquired Hungry Minds (the new name for IDG Books as of 2000) in early 2001.
I understand that Wiley's policy is not to accept unsolicited proposals for For Dummies books, so if you want to write one, you could try approaching them through an agent, or see whether you can work with the publisher on other series first. It also helps to raise your online visibility in your area of expertise.
While you can't trademark a method, understanding how to adapt and think creatively can lead to effective solutions. If you've developed a unique method, consider how you might be able to transform it into a product or service.
That said, the term “for Dummies” is a registered trademark of Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Patents can protect the functional features of a process, machine, manufactured item, asexually reproduced plant, or composition of matter, for example. TRADEMARK LAW. Trademark law protects words, phrases, logos or symbols used to distinguish one product from another.
Examples of trademarks from the publishing industry include the Penguin Group's illustration of a black and white penguin on an orange background and the words “For Dummies” in a series of books from Wiley.
The patent application generally contains a description of the invention and at least one claim purporting to define it. A patent application may also include drawings to illustrate the invention.
A standard patent application (also called a complete or convention application) gives long term and control to a claimed invention based on your technology. Standard patents in Australia last up to 20 years from the filing date or priority date of your application.