Also, please realize that the majority (I don’t know the actual percentage, but I’ve heard it is very high), of people who try to get a patent, lose an awful lot of money.
Patent Lawyers are very expensive, and it can take a lot of work to do all the research yourself.
Back in the early 90’s, I consulted a patent lawyer. Initial
costs then would have been in the area of $10,000. I’m sure it’s much higher now.
The patent process is both expensive and difficult.
A single patent can cost $10K to $30K easily.
You can, however, get protection for the first 30 months with a lot less money. File for a provisional patent first. It will cost less than $1K. It is good for 1 year. Just before the year is up, convert it to a PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) application, this extends protection to 30 months, Before the 30 month mark, you can convert the PCT application to a full patent application (now we start talking expensive).
In 30 months you should have prototypes to test and verify that your invention actually works and is worth patenting.
I have acquired just over 30 patents using this method, mechanical and electro-mechanical designs all.