A patent

Can this be patented?

[FridayNight]

I would like to do a website where you can search by certain characteristics, for example: website where people sign up, enter their name and date of birth.

Then there would be a search where you would have to put in date of birth and exact name and it would find corresponding user.

I was wondering if I can patent something like this? What I don't want to see is that someone else does a same site (talking about search on name+date of birth). Is it possible to protect that "idea" somehow and how?

[jmccormac]

Well you have disclosed the idea. Therefore you cannot theoretically patent it. And there is nothing in the idea that is non-obvious to those skilled in the art, as the patent lawyers say. If you think that you have a good idea worth patenting then I suggest that you contact a patent attorney. But merely having a patent is not enough, you have to be able to financially protect it.

Regards...jmcc

[rubenski]

Your invention will have to be investigated for 'uniqueness'. That sort of investigation can take a lot of time and money. If your invention can earn you money than it is worth considering applying for a patent. If not, than I think it would be way too much trouble.

To be honest, I don't find the invention as you describe it very unique. It sounds like a simple application of existing techniques, but I could be wrong.

Perhaps you'll find more info at uspto.gov/main/faq/

[johntabita]

Your invention will have to be investigated for 'uniqueness'. That sort of investigation can take a lot of time and money. If your invention can earn you money than it is worth considering applying for a patent. If not, than I think it would be way too much trouble.

To be honest, I don't find the invention as you describe it very unique. It sounds like a simple application of existing techniques, but I could be wrong.

That's correct. If some or all of the elements previously exits ("prior art"), then the patent will be denied - at least, in theory. That hasn't prevented the U.S. Patent office from granting patents that have allowed companies to make claims on the hyperlink, ecommerce, frames, streaming audio/video, the GIF and JPEG and virtually every other conceivable Internet technology. So you might actually be able to get a patent granted... How well it would hold up if challenged in court is another matter.

[hp11]

I was wondering if I can patent something like this? What I don't want to see is that someone else does a same site (talking about search on name+date of birth). Is it possible to protect that "idea" somehow and how?

Treat any idea that you would like to patent as a national security secret. Don't speak about it, or post your ideas, with anyone except your patent attorney.

[diamondgrl]

Patents can cost many thousands of dollars to obtain, then many thousands to maintain. Most small-time web businesses will find it difficult to pursue this as a legitimate option, even for genuinely novel ideas.

[Eltiti]

There's an excellent book by David Pressman called Patent It Yourself. Even if you don't end up going the DYI route, read it before talking to a pat att!