October 8, 2025 • 3 mins
What Every Inventor Needs to Know Before Filing
Thinking about patenting your invention? Before you spend a dime, listen to this. Inventor Coach Brian Fried explains the must-know basics about patents — types, timing, costs, and how to use them strategically. A must-watch for every inventor getting started.
📌 What You’ll Learn:
👤 Work with Brian: https://BrianFried.com
📱 Join the community: https://InventorSmart.com
Subscribe to The Inventor Coach Podcast for new episodes, tips, and stories to help inventors succeed. Join the community → InventionPlaybook.com
Thinking about patenting your invention? Before you spend a dime, listen to this. Inventor Coach Brian Fried explains the must-know basics about patents — types, timing, costs, and how to use them strategically. A must-watch for every inventor getting started.
📌 What You’ll Learn:
- The 3 types of patents and when to use each
- How to avoid filing too early or too late
- Why patents don’t guarantee success
- What records you must keep to protect your idea
👤 Work with Brian: https://BrianFried.com
📱 Join the community: https://InventorSmart.com
Subscribe to The Inventor Coach Podcast for new episodes, tips, and stories to help inventors succeed. Join the community → InventionPlaybook.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Hey, it's Brian Freed, your inventor coach. Today we're going
to clear up one of the most confusing and most
important topics for inventors patents. When to file, what type
you need, how much it costs, and how to make
smart decisions before you spend a dime. Let's jump in.
A patent is simply a legal shield. It protects your
(00:37):
idea from being made or sold by somebody else. But
not all patents are the same. Here's the quick breakdown.
Utility patents protect how something works. Design patents protect how
it looks, and a provisional patent application gives you patent
pending status and a low cost way to lock in
your filing date while you refine your invention for one
(01:00):
year before you convert it into a non provisional otherwise
called utility patent. The timing matters. File too early and
you might waste money on something that's not ready. File
too late and someone else could beat you to the
patent office. The sweet spot is usually once your idea
is developed enough to describe clearly, but before you start
(01:21):
showing it to the world. And remember, a patent by
itself doesn't guarantee success. It's just one tool in your
business strategy. What sells your invention is your product, your pitch,
and your market, not just the paperwork. Also, when you
have an issued patent, you're building an asset and have
more options to either license your invention to earn royalties
(01:43):
and give a company a competitive advantage in that industry,
or manufacture it and be the only one selling that
product your invention. Here's something I always tell inventors. Protect
your idea, but don't rush the process. Talk to a
patent attorney or agent early you understand your options. And
one last tip, keep good records, notes, sketches, dates, everything.
(02:07):
They can become valuable evidence if there's ever a dispute. Patents,
protect your invention, your plan builds your business. Get both
right and you're setting yourself up for real success. When
I'm working on new invention ideas or marketing materials, I
use pickfood to get quick, honest feedback from real people
in my target market. It's a game changer because I
(02:30):
don't have to guess what will work. I get clear
answers fast, which saves me time, money, and guesswork. Whether
I'm testing a product, design, tweaking my messaging, or deciding
on packaging. Pickfoo helps me make smart decisions backed by
real consumer insights. Thousands of businesses rely on pickfoo every
day to avoid costly mistakes and improve their products. If
(02:54):
you want to take the guesswork out of your invention process,
head to pickfood dot com and start pulling your customers today.
That's pickfood dot com feedback made simple and powerful. If
this episode helped you, hit subscribe and leave a review,
it helps more inventors. Find us and check out Invention
Playbook dot com for free tools and resources to guide
(03:17):
your next steps to invention success. Stay smart about patents
and keep your invention moving forward Until next time, inventor
coach out
Hey, it's Brian Freed, your inventor coach. Today we're going
to clear up one of the most confusing and most
important topics for inventors patents. When to file, what type
you need, how much it costs, and how to make
smart decisions before you spend a dime. Let's jump in.
A patent is simply a legal shield. It protects your
(00:37):
idea from being made or sold by somebody else. But
not all patents are the same. Here's the quick breakdown.
Utility patents protect how something works. Design patents protect how
it looks, and a provisional patent application gives you patent
pending status and a low cost way to lock in
your filing date while you refine your invention for one
(01:00):
year before you convert it into a non provisional otherwise
called utility patent. The timing matters. File too early and
you might waste money on something that's not ready. File
too late and someone else could beat you to the
patent office. The sweet spot is usually once your idea
is developed enough to describe clearly, but before you start
(01:21):
showing it to the world. And remember, a patent by
itself doesn't guarantee success. It's just one tool in your
business strategy. What sells your invention is your product, your pitch,
and your market, not just the paperwork. Also, when you
have an issued patent, you're building an asset and have
more options to either license your invention to earn royalties
(01:43):
and give a company a competitive advantage in that industry,
or manufacture it and be the only one selling that
product your invention. Here's something I always tell inventors. Protect
your idea, but don't rush the process. Talk to a
patent attorney or agent early you understand your options. And
one last tip, keep good records, notes, sketches, dates, everything.
(02:07):
They can become valuable evidence if there's ever a dispute. Patents,
protect your invention, your plan builds your business. Get both
right and you're setting yourself up for real success. When
I'm working on new invention ideas or marketing materials, I
use pickfood to get quick, honest feedback from real people
in my target market. It's a game changer because I
(02:30):
don't have to guess what will work. I get clear
answers fast, which saves me time, money, and guesswork. Whether
I'm testing a product, design, tweaking my messaging, or deciding
on packaging. Pickfoo helps me make smart decisions backed by
real consumer insights. Thousands of businesses rely on pickfoo every
day to avoid costly mistakes and improve their products. If
(02:54):
you want to take the guesswork out of your invention process,
head to pickfood dot com and start pulling your customers today.
That's pickfood dot com feedback made simple and powerful. If
this episode helped you, hit subscribe and leave a review,
it helps more inventors. Find us and check out Invention
Playbook dot com for free tools and resources to guide
(03:17):
your next steps to invention success. Stay smart about patents
and keep your invention moving forward Until next time, inventor
coach out
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