The process of obtaining a patent, from conception of an invention to issue of a patent, is a unique combination of technology and business. It begins in the minds of the inventors, and should end with a business asset that accurately reflects and contains the value of the creative, scientific, logistical and financial efforts that went into development of the invention.
A patent application goes through several processes from drafting to issue that can affect its final value to you as a business asset. Whether you are an independent inventor, or an inventor working for a company to which the invention will be assigned, you need to be confident at each stage of the overall process that you and your agent are communicating well enough that you understand exactly what you will be receiving from the patent.
In order to optimize the process of obtaining intellectual property rights, a USPTO registered agent or attorney with a comprehensive technical and managerial background in your field is important. She or he will understand clearly what you are trying to patent and how it fits into the field of prior art. Also critical is an understanding of what you are trying to accomplish for your business with this application.
Your agent should be the person that you look to in order to get the value from your patent that you had planned for.
The story does not end with the issue of the patent. Your agent or attorney also needs to be up to date with how the courts will read your patent once it is issued. You will find that I am committed to continuing education in this area, in order to ensure you the best claim coverage that can be obtained within the context of the prior art.
Finally, as you will see from the list of links on the resources page, many of the tools that you will need to move forward with your application are available for free, or at a very reasonable price, on the internet. Making sense of this plethora of information and navigating your application through the prior art, the regulations, and the forms is where, as your agent, I can help - and you will find my fees to be reasonable also.
Finally, here is an independent (from me) article about selection of a patent attorney. There is a link to an example of good and bad patenting also that supports the messages that I try to convey on these pages.