Patenting an idea is necessary if you want to earn money out of your ideas. If you patent your ideas then it is not possible for other to copy your ideas and make products out of it and sell it without your consent. If they need to do so, they have to pay you and get a license to get it done. By selling licenses for your ideas that are patented you can earn a lot.
To patent an idea you have to apply with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office. First file a provisional application along with the detailed diagrams of your ideas. After filing such an application you have to file a regular patent application within one year of filing the provisional application. This is mandatory. To get more details on the different applications you can visit their website at www.uspto.gov. Filing a provisional application is very easy as you can do that yourself. But for the regular application you might need the services of a professional drafter.
[tags]Trademark, Provisional Application, Licence[/tags]