Our Character and the Services we provide.

AFFORDABLE, CONFIDENTIAL, HONEST, and DILIGENT.

As an inventor seeking to develop and market an invention or idea, one needs knowledgable, honest, dependable and aggressive sources for various services.  We are it.  Western Patent Group was formed by an independent inventor who was appalled by the high prices and runaround he got from various "professionals" when he patented his own inventions.

I began conducting patenting searches in 1990.  In 1993 I began writing patent applications and provided consulting to small-entity inventors.   My knowledge base is very broad in several different fields from employement in various industries.   My formal degree is in Chemistry, but I also took several courses required for the mechanical engineering curriculum in college.   I have completely rebuilt 4 automobile engines, repaired various electronic devices including television sets, invented patented processes for reclaiming precious metals, invented novel printed circuitboard elements, invented a new trailer hitch, and hold 5 patents, including two for compositions of matter.    I have worked in the plastics industry as a Patent professional, the construction chemical industry as a researcher, the electroforming industry as a researcher, pharmaceutical manufacture industry as a technician, and the automotive industry as a laborer. My various experiences in corporations at all levels has provided me with hands-on insight as to what one can expect to get from big companies when negotiating time comes.   I also have 9 years experience dealing with corporate attorneys on a wide range of intellectual property matters.  I know this business from the perspective of the inventor, because I was an inventor first who later became a Patent Agent.  Most lawyers charge big $$$ to inventors without an ounce of understanding of what it is like to be in their shoes.

I am a Registered Agent of the US Patent and Trademark Office, and can accordingly represent inventors in all matters in the US Patent Office related to patents.   My experiences as a private inventor, as a member of various Inventor's Associations, as a research scientist, as a member of the Patent Bar, as a contract negotiator with large corporate attorneys, and as a Corporate Intelligence Professional has earned me understandings which most lawyers will never know.    My affiliation with various inventors groups in the Great Lakes Region has provided me with knowledge of who to refer my clients to, when they need a source of services or info.

I am also knowledgable in the Law, although I am not a member of any State Bar association.  I have successfully sued inl the courts.   The key to success is aggressive reasonableness.

One of the easiest ways to save money on an invention is to engage the services of experienced Registered Patent Agents. This typically cuts the costs of obtaining patent protection in half.   Registered Patent Agents have a college degree in a technical discipline, and have demonstrated competency on the stringent bar Examination given by the U.S. Patent Office. Accordingly, the government licenses them to represent inventors in patent-related matters. (A Patent Attorney has these qualifications, and is also a member of a State Bar Association. This permits them to represent Clients in courtroom proceedings.) It is important to realize that to going to court is not a requisite to obtaining a patent on an inventiont.  Everything is done before the Patent Office.   Therefore, if one hires a Patent Attorney to help them obtain a patent, they are enlisting (AND PAYING FOR) services they may not really need. In fact, many Patent Attorneys are inexperienced at litigation. This is because patent litigation is a very complicated matter and patent litigators are a highly-specialized breed of individuals who almost never write patents. This begs the question of how can one justify paying the big bucks for the services of a Attorney whose additional credentials over an Agent enable them to litigate, when they never litigate anyway ?

Of course, there are a great many good Patent Attorneys out there, some of whom are my closest friends. When one of our Clients needs one, I'll refer you to one whom I would use myself.

Our PATENT SEARCHES are top notch thorough at an extremely reasonable rate. You will see other firms advertise patent searches for $ 100-200. I could do these cheap, quick searches also, if you want me to, but this is a compromise of quality which I feel borders on malpractice. First of all, the others are only doing a US Search on their computers using free databases. My search is done through DIALOG/DERWENT which, although costing more, provides a more in-depth search. Frequently, the on-line charges I incur exceed the total cost the other cheaper searchers charge for their whole search. This is how I know they are using free databases having only limited information. I get the European Patent Application art related to your invention. Our Patent Examiners in the US almost always cite Eurpoean prior art. It is unexcusable bad practice to not consider the European art when conducting a patent search, because when the patent application is written, the claims will have to be drafted in order to avoid certain rejections the Examiner will raise. If you haven't considered the European Art, then you run the high risk of an extra rejection and the associated time delays and added expense. So it might appear as though you save a couple hundred bucks in the beginning, only to lose valuable length of your patent term at extra delay in addition to added costs. DON'T be fooled by cheap searches - they are not worth your time or money. Consider what John Ruskin (1819-1900) said:

"It is unwise to pay too much, but it is worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money - that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot - it cannot be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better."

How true.

All searches are performed by either myself or my top-notch Associate in whom I have full confidenceand trust. I take my high standards of professional and ethical responsibility very seriously, and I guarantee that your patent experience will be rewarding when you enlist our assistance.   I will not hesitate to sign confidentiality agreements at the request of Clients (many other service providers won't sign them - beware) and I will do whatever is necessary to make an Inventor comfortable.

Although highly professional, I tend to deal in a somewhat casual format, like a country doctor. I learned long ago that to succeed in satisfying Clients, one needs to be highly customer-driven. You won't be "just another client". My goal is 1) to get you a patent quickly at the lowest price consistent with high quality; and 2) to provide you with good resources which will help you sell your invention as quickly as possible. Satisfying these two goals will make you a satisfied Client.

Unlike most other intellectual property service providers, we are willing to provide you with references . Rather than tell you how great we are, I think it best to let our past clients do the talking for us. Just ask for references. Chances are there is someone near you whom we have served.

I should stress that we are not an "invention marketing" outfit.  We can provide free websites for our Clients at http://www.inventorweb.com and may even charge a nominal sum to a non-Client to create and host them a website, as others and myself have perceived having one or a series of color photos of an invention on the world wide web to be of immense value owing to the breadth of coverage (global) for the amount of $$$ spent.   This idea of mine was even copied by another not-so-creative individual in Virginia at http://www.inventorsweb.com  (who added an "s" to the domain name).   Thanks for the flattery.

Anyway, if you need a marketing outfit, we know of some good ones whom we would be happy to point you towards.   But be extra careful.   There are many marketing companies out there who give little in return for good money.  Call us if you are thinking of hiring one of these types of firms, and we'll direct you to a reputable one. Otherwise - CAVEAT EMPTOR.

Our services cover all types of inventions: machines, articles of manufacture, processes. We also do design patents, patent drawings, trademarks, and copyrights.   We don't get into computer software, pharmaceuticals, or biochemical inventions, but would refer you to top-notch lawyer for each type of subject matter.

We also do some consulting . If you have an invention and have no idea as to what to do with it next, we are a good sounding board.  For a nominal fee (like$ 100) we will (CONFIDENTIALLY, OF COURSE) provide our opinion on the potential of your invention or idea and inform you as to what options we perceive that you may have from both the patenting and the marketing standpoints.  Once you are aware of your options, you can make your own  decision.   Further, this fee is applicable towards our patenting services, should you elect to use them.

Please contact us for further information. We consider it a privilege to be of service to you, and will do whatever it takes to add you to our growing list of satisfied clients. We are not an agency of any government or governmental organization.

If you can think of any way we can be of better service to you as an inventor, please let us know. Our goal is to be of the most client-driven provider of intellectual property services in the world.

Thank you for visiting.

Yours very truly,                                                    EMAIL me by clicking here

Jean E. Whewell

(888) 301-6774  TOLL FREE

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