How to patent a product by tomorrow morning? If you fit the profile I'm about to reveal, you could be mailing your provisional patent application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in the morning.

Is this you? You're a novice inventor. You've got an innovative new product idea, and you've spent lots of time, effort and probably money, bringing it to the point where you want to get it produced. You've done online patent searches and market research. You believe your product is both patentable and marketable.

You're all ready for the next step - but you just cannot spend two grand for a patent agent or patent attorney. That's about the minimum you will spend on a full U.S. patent - it can also take quite a while. But here's the most commonly pursued alternative, for inventors just like you - a Provisional Patent Application.

These are perfect. They are easy to get and very inexpensive - just a $110 filing fee for 'small entities' like individuals. The benefits of provisional patents are great too. They protect your idea for a full twelve months. It gives you the right to display 'Patent Pending' on the descriptions and drawings of your invention - this puts would-be copiers or potential thieves of your idea on notice. They are on notice that the U.S. government has granted your invention its protection, under the law.

You now have ample time to move forward. You will use this time to negotiate with prospective third parties, who will bid on producing your invention. Your negotiations will include possible licensing fees, royalties, signing fees, bonuses, etc - not bad, eh? Once you've decided which group or company offers you the best deal for developing and distributing your invention, you will 'assign' them the right to complete the full patent filing - at their expense, of course. This will protect them as well as your invention.

One problem - not major... Discovering which half-dozen or so forms you need from the USPTO website - and then interpreting the government-ese language instructions - could take you lots of time and agony. Others have spent up to 12 hours over several days, only to "hope" they figured out the forms and which lines and sections needed to be completed.

Good news! If this type of intense research in not your cup of tea, you can use one of the many available 'Provisional Patent Application Kits', available online or in hardcopy publications.

Using a kit that lists or contains only those forms required (and could allow you to complete the application in an evening - this evening perhaps! So this is how to patent a product by tomorrow morning!