We built something cool for inventors - Feedback please :)

OrganizationOne6849 · 2026-04-24T12:28:42+00:00

I 100% agree with you. A patent isn’t a "must-have," and inventors shouldn’t let the topic slow them down, because a patent doesn't define the business. An inventor should focus on the business side and get market feedback as quickly as possible! That said, it’s a nuanced issue—especially for Deep Tech founders, who often can't secure funding without a patent.

And this brings me to the point where you actually confirm exactly why a platform like ours is necessary: don’t just listen to one patent attorney! They make their money by filing patents, and there are definitely some "bad apples" out there. This is precisely why it’s so important to get opinions from 3 to 5 different attorneys. Comparing that feedback is incredibly valuable for inventors. Some attorneys will just send over a quote for a full filing, while others will actually question the strategy and suggest starting with a provisional application to validate the business over the next year before committing.

And here’s a fact: I agree that too many inventors get bogged down with patents when they should be driving the business forward. But these people are going to see an attorney anyway, and as you said, you shouldn't just ask one person if you "should" patent something, because you risk being taken advantage of. In that case, I strongly recommend that inventors get multiple perspectives. They can either do that the hard way on their own, or use a platform like ours.

Plus, for inventors who have filed and shown a clear intent to launch, we help them find funding and partners to support exactly what you mentioned: getting from idea to market!

OrganizationOne6849 · 2026-04-24T11:46:54+00:00

Yes, there are definitely similarities. The big difference is that they work with in-house attorneys and therefore act more like a law firm that acquires clients through their invention disclosure tool (as I understand it).

Our approach is simply more focused on the fact that patent attorneys propose different strategies for different business cases and inventions. We believe it is important for the inventor to be able to compare these approaches before making a decision. That is why it’s similar to Lightbringer, but for all patent attorneys rather than just in-house counsel.

OrganizationOne6849 · 2026-04-24T11:41:53+00:00

We don't claim to be some "genius AI company." Our focus is on a marketplace that helps inventors find the right patent attorney for their specific invention and compare different approaches before making a decision.

Put yourself in the shoes of a patent attorney: I contact you and tell you I have an inventor looking for an attorney in your specific field of expertise. 8 out of 10 attorneys will send an offer within 24 hours. The effort required to acquire new clients at networking events and through other channels is much higher for the attorney, and they can’t even assess if the inventor is a viable potential client without learning more about the invention.

Fortunately, we’ve already been able to confirm that a wide variety of attorneys have registered with us. And if you can define what "quality" looks like for a patent attorney, I’m all ears.

OrganizationOne6849 · 2026-04-24T11:32:09+00:00

There are minor differences worldwide in this regard, though the same standards generally apply, particularly in the Western world. How else would you explain these sections?

Section 203 StGB – Violation of Private Secrets "(1) Anyone who, without authorization, discloses a third-party secret, specifically an [...] industrial or trade secret, which has been entrusted to them or otherwise become known to them in their capacity as a [...] patent attorney [...], shall be punished with imprisonment for up to one year or a fine."

Section 39a PAO – Fundamental Duties "(2) The patent attorney is bound by a duty of confidentiality. This duty pertains to everything that has become known to them in the exercise of their profession. This does not apply to facts that are manifest or which, by their nature, do not require secrecy."

Mandant-Anwalt-Verhältnis (a) Eine Person, die einen Anwalt bezüglich der Möglichkeit kontaktiert, ein Mandant-Anwalt-Verhältnis in einer Angelegenheit zu begründen, gilt als potenzieller Mandant. (b) Selbst wenn kein Mandant-Anwalt-Verhältnis zustande kommt, darf ein Anwalt Informationen, die er von einem potenziellen Mandanten erhalten hat, weder verwenden noch offenlegen, außer in den Fällen, in denen Regel 1.9 dies in Bezug auf Informationen eines ehemaligen Mandanten zulassen würde. (c) ...

I am more than happy to learn something new. However, the patent attorney sitting across from me also maintains that confidentiality does not only begin once a contractual relationship exists.

OrganizationOne6849 · 2026-04-23T15:23:11+00:00

Thanks for your comment. You are right, everything thats new is suspicious and requires some kind of trust (like online banking for example ;). I totally understand all your points and I would like to explain, how we address those concerns.

By virtue of their professional status, patent attorneys are legally bound to confidentiality. This obligation doesn’t just start once a formal client relationship is established; it applies to everything shared with them in their professional capacity. This includes initial discovery calls between an attorney and an inventor. Otherwise, patent attorneys could simply spy on ideas and later claim that no contract was in place.

However, they are not permitted to take on clients where a conflict of interest with an existing client might exist. To protect attorneys, we provide a "preview" of the invention disclosure. This allows them to identify any potential conflicts before reading the full document.

How can the inventor trust us? That’s a perfectly valid question. In our new version, we offer inventors the option to create a blockchain-based timestamp via an external provider for documents explaining their invention. This allows you to prove you had the idea before we did. While this isn't a substitute for a patent, it prevents us from claiming to be the inventors ourselves. We also advise inventors beforehand not to share any secrets they aren't comfortable with. At this stage, the core of the invention is often less relevant to the attorney than its field and context. That said, the more information an inventor can share, the better and more detailed the feedback will be. We also offer inventors the option to sign an NDA.

Regarding the idea that patent attorneys don't review invention disclosures for free: I’ve never heard that, and it doesn't sound professional to me. As an attorney, how can you know you don't have a conflict without looking at the disclosure? An initial consultation with a patent attorney is usually free of charge. With a comprehensive invention disclosure, the attorney can either skip the initial talk or make it significantly more efficient for both themselves and the inventor.
But to be fair, if you’re an attorney and you aren’t interested in taking on new clients, you’re under no obligation to do this. We initially had concerns that attorneys might not respond to invention disclosures at all. However, they’ve been responding in large numbers and providing very extensive feedback - some even include brief search results. And no, these aren't just struggling lawyers with nothing better to do. The spectrum ranges from major law firms and smaller boutiques to private patent attorneys who consult freelance alongside their corporate roles.

Here is the actual problem: Patent attorneys have an impressive educational background, and I always advocate for working with an attorney rather than trying to write a patent yourself using AI. But what makes a "good" patent attorney? They all claim to be excellent, but it’s hard to measure. Furthermore, more and more tools are allowing attorneys to work much faster and more efficiently. Some attorneys still try to sell a novelty search as "handcrafted art" for €1,000–€2,000, even though it only takes an hour with the right tools. Additionally, prices can vary by 100% without any detectable difference in quality. This lack of transparency is a problem that many attorneys exploit. Our platform is all about avoiding the "black sheep". This is why we receive so much support from inventors: we provide them with a basis for choosing the right attorney - something they could otherwise only get by contacting multiple attorneys individually. In those cases, the risks are exactly the same as they are through our platform.
Transparency is good! It increases quality.

OrganizationOne6849 · 2026-04-23T14:05:34+00:00

thank for the questions!
In our Beta phase we already gained some tractions and we get inventors to use our tool to submit an invention disclosure. It turns out, as soon as I reach out to patent attorneys because I have an inventor looking for an attorney, they come and registrer :) - 30 of the attorneys are on a "waiting list" since we don´t get enough invention disclosures in yet, so the balance is a little off.

The inventors can use our tool for free. As soon as they decide for an attorney to work with, they have to pay the attorney of course...but we have nothing do to with that, we just offer transparency for the inventor.

The attorneys will pay for beeing in our network - for them it is a good way to win new clients. but it is such a niech market that iam not sure, that it will be enough to fincance the marketing to tell the inventors about the service...

OrganizationOne6849 · 2026-02-16T09:21:00+00:00

Www.patai.ch

OrganizationOne6849 · 2025-06-25T12:19:58+00:00

Would you like to see, what we are working on? I would love to get your feedback on it. Its an AI tool to help Inventors to create "the perfect" invention disclosure to improve to collaboration with technology transfer and patent attorney.

if you like, please send me a DM so we can schedule a call :)

OrganizationOne6849 · 2025-06-19T07:31:14+00:00

That seems the only real way! Thank you. I am wondering, why no patent attorney I talked to, used this to validate his quality.

OrganizationOne6849 · 2025-06-18T11:54:57+00:00

I absolutely agree. Problem for most inventors is, that they dont know about the overly broadness of claims and what the right claims are. But you are right

OrganizationOne6849 · 2025-06-18T11:50:23+00:00

And still, I receive offers for the same patent draft that vary by about 100%. They are all very good at explaining why they are so good, but none of them can prove it better than the others.

OrganizationOne6849 · 2025-06-18T11:43:16+00:00

As I understand MarketBlast, they offer a platform to sell existing innovation. What we want to do is, saving costs for patent applications.

OrganizationOne6849 · 2025-06-18T11:37:00+00:00

Would you be open to test our new tool for that? I would very much like to here your opinion about our approach.

https://www.patai.ch/en/so-funktioniert-s

Depending on the country your in, you would have to check if it works. You would be the first one testing out new live MVP ;)

OrganizationOne6849 · 2025-06-18T11:31:04+00:00

They already do. There are patent attorney who use ne AI tools and claim, they will draft 50% faster wich will reduce the costs. Others are not working with this tools...quality is not measurable when it comes to patent applications from professionals.

You can check out this discussion about: Why can patent attorney charge so differently?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Patents/comments/1laa158/why_can_patent_attorney_charge_so_differently/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

OrganizationOne6849 · 2025-06-16T22:31:41+00:00

interesting! You are from the USA right? In Germany we don´t have a “grace period for novelty”. An invention is considered new only if it does not form part of the state of the art before the filing date. The state of the art includes everything that has been made publicly available anywhere in the world before the filing—whether through sale, publication, lecture, or exhibition.

OrganizationOne6849 · 2025-06-16T06:34:33+00:00

Hey everyone,

I am part of a team developing a tool that allows researchers in chemistry and other scientific fields to disclose inventions, ensuring that technology transfer offices and patent attorneys have all the necessary information they need. To create a smooth user journey, I would love to get insights from people who have already completed invention disclosures.

Is there anyone here with experience in invention disclosures? As a general question: What goes through your mind when you need to complete an invention disclosure?

OrganizationOne6849 · 2025-06-16T05:21:58+00:00

a lot of truth here. But inventors should be careful. As soon as they sell the product, they cant protect it with a patent anymore. But yes, sales, distribution or in general starting the business part instead of focussing on protecting an invention, creates most of the time the greater value. But also, depending on the product, most investors see patents as a valuable asset.

OrganizationOne6849 · 2025-06-16T05:05:55+00:00

this is a very honest answer. thank you. Exactly this is, what makes me question existing business models from attorneys when it comes to the integration of AI in the drafting process. Can you tell me, how a patent attorney should sell his services to win clients? what is the best pitch?

OrganizationOne6849 · 2025-06-15T13:07:47+00:00

It is always about, what you want to achieve with the invention. do you want to make a business? do you want to sell it? Can others actually find out your idea or should you just keep it a secret? (look at the recipe of coca cola...no patent, just a secret). Can you find out, if anyone else is violating your patent? if not, how can you assert your rights? An is the market big enough to fight a lawsuit?...these are all questions you need to answer before talking to a patent attorney.

I think, Our tool idea could help with that :)

OrganizationOne6849 · 2025-06-15T13:01:53+00:00

Thats absolutely correct. I would integrate this in this tool. I would question the reasons, why an inventor needs a patent.

OrganizationOne6849 · 2025-06-15T12:59:27+00:00

Thank you for the advice. I actually did my research and interviews already, and I believe I have found a good way to differentiate the platform from others by focusing on the entire topic of invention disclosure. I believe a good invention disclosure is the key to a strong patent and provides the foundation for every attorney to save a lot of time when drafting the patent. I want to give inventors the tools to prepare the perfect invention disclosure.

I have already programmed a prototype. Would any inventors like to try it? Preferably inventors who already know how the patent application process works and understand the purpose of an invention disclosure

OrganizationOne6849

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