The reason for urgency is usually either the approaching date of patentability expiration or fear to lose patenting priority.
Luckily, this problem has a solution. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) permits you to file a so-called provisional application for a patent. It is not a full-fledged patent application, however, its filing date counts as a priority date when asking for a real patent, as well, after that date your invention may be publicly disclosed with no risk to break the U.S statutory condition of patentability according to which your invention may not be disclosed for more than a year before patenting. You have to keep in mind that if you want to preserve patentability of your idea outside the US, you should not disclose your invention before filing a provisional application.
Provisional patent has a number of benefits: it is much easier and faster to prepare, it is extremely low cost and it gives your invention "patent pending" status that can help you to negotiate with a potential investor/manufacturer. On top of that, it provides you with some extra time to estimate the marketing potential of your idea and realise if it is worthy of patenting at all.
Remind, if you decide to apply for a non-provisional patent, you have to do it within a year after filing a provisional one. In some cases, there is an option of filing another provisional application but it means losing your previous priority date.
So, as you can see, there is no need to risk your patenting rights, time and money. You are able to protect your idea fast and relatively easy.
For more information on patenting, consult How to patent an idea and Inventors guide
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