You have a great idea. Is patenting the best way to protect it? How much do patents cost? How do you find out if your idea is patentable?
	Robert M. Hunter, Ph.D. Registered Patent Agent WebPatent.com

The following table presents the results of a survey of the cost of recent projects. It is evident that the cost of patent services is a function of the complexity of the invention. It is also evident that rush projects cost more.

Task	Nature of invention and disclosure	Size	Cost
Novelty search	Mechanical invention	8 example claims on 3 pages, frequent coordination with inventor	$1,000
Novelty search plus patentability evaluation	Straight-forward mechanical invention	drafted 7 example claims on 2 pages	$900
Novelty search	Straight-forward mechanical invention	drafted 5 example claims on 1 page	$600
Novelty search	Electro-mechanical invention	used provisional to focus search	$1,000
Novelty search	Straight-forward mechanical invention	drafted 7 example claims on 3 pages	$900
Novelty search	Straight-forward mechanical invention	drafted 11 example claims on 2 pages	$800
Novelty search	Biotechnology invention	drafted 9 example claims on 2 pages	$1,800
Patentability opinion	Straight-forward mechanical invention; reviewed 1 reference	2 pages	$500
Provisional patent application (draft)	Straight-forward mechanical invention; drawings prepared by inventor	24 pages; 15 drawings on 2 sheets	$1,300
Provisional patent application	Software invention; based on patentability analysis; informal drawings prepared by inventor	124 pages; 33 drawings on 33 sheets	$4,100
Provisional patent application	Software invention; much of text and informal drawings prepared by inventor	51 pages; 11 drawings on 11 sheets	$1,400
Provisional patent application	Straight-forward mechanical invention; annotated informal drawings prepared by inventor	15 pages; 8 drawings on 8 sheets	$1,300
Provisional patent application	Mechanical invention	20 pages; 17 drawings on 5 sheets	$1,200
Provisional patent application	Biotechnology invention; annotated informal drawings prepared by inventor	19 pages; 4 drawings on 4 sheets	$1,600
Provisional patent application	Straight-forward mechanical invention; annotated informal drawings prepared by inventor	10 pages; 8 drawings on 5 sheets	$1,200
Provisional patent application	Electro-mechanical invention plus operating software	44 pages; 11 drawings on 11 sheets	$2,100
Provisional patent application	Electro-mechanical invention; annotated informal drawings prepared by inventor	17 pages; 15 drawings on 11 sheets	$1,900
Regular patent application	Electro-mechanical invention plus operating software; based on provisional and results of novelty search with few changes to text and drawings	52 pages; 12 drawings on 7 sheets	$2,600
Regular patent application	Software invention; based on provisional and results of novelty search; formal drawings prepared by inventor; inventor added a substantial amount of information to the application less than a week before filing deadline	142 pages; 12 drawings on 12 sheets	$8,100
Regular patent application	Electro-mechanical invention plus operating software; based on provisional, results of novelty search and patentability analysis; drafter converted mechanical drawings to patent drawings and created new software block diagrams; inventor changed subject matter on every drawing in the provisional less than a week before filing deadline	61 pages; 51 drawings on 19 sheets	$8,400
Amendments (3); issue fee	Straight-forward mechanical invention	20 + 11 + 1 = 32 pages	$1,500
Amendment; formal drawings	Straight-forward mechanical invention; application prepared by inventor	10 pages; 2 drawings on 2 sheets	$1,500
Amendment; formal drawings; issue fee	Straight-forward mechanical invention	2 pages; 4 drawings on 4 sheets	$1,300