Others say...

"A must-read for serious, individual inventors"
(Be sure you order the latest edition - 13th at this June 2008 writing)
This hefty volume is the best I've seen for its detail and advice to serious inventors. It goes well beyond generalities and contains very specific advice on the idea protection process. Almost everybody has idea(s) that they consider patenting at one time or another. When you get to that serious stage with an idea (as I've been), and even if you plan to work with a patent attorney (as I am), the specific information in Mr. Pressman's series show a clear roadmap to follow to save time and money. He doesn't say, "Find a service to evaluate the marketability of your idea;" he gives companies, institutions, contact names, phone numbers, and Web sites. And very pointed advice to stay away from those close-cover-before-striking inventor services.
He includes the forms, language, fees, and instructions that will either intimidate you from pursuing a patent, or encourage you that your idea is patentable and how to get it done. I'm still reading my well-marked, dog-eared copy, working toward using his licensing advice.

"Adequate"
Nolo has the annoying habit of giving you diluted books that ask you to buy other books of theirs to round out your knowledge of a given subject. This is no exception. I was interested in filing a provisional patent. This book has info about it, but kept referring to another book. This is perverse given how easy it is to file a provisional patent. On top of it all, there was some misleading information about the order of sections, and no useful info on filing online (I had to learn this from the USPTO site itself through a lot of digging). What's more, the book is fairly simplistic and "for dummies" when it comes to discussion of patent law - I have read better books (not how-to guides) on that. The book is not bad, just keep in mind that it is limited and definitely not a one-stop shop.

"Can't go wrong for the price"
It's a good book for someone starting out with the patent application process. However, after reading the entire text, then re-reading specific sections, it felt like a lot of cheerleading. There are a ton of excellent examples and explanations on why certain sections should be written in specific ways. And you can't go wrong for the price. I'm now looking at the 'How to write a patent application' by Sheldon:

[...]

If it's your first patent text, it's a very good start.


"Very good book for do it yourselfers"
This book shows almost all of the steps needed to do a patent without a lawyer.

"Excellant"
When I first got the book I wanted to read it cover to cover. I think the first several chapters are good to read in general but now I decided to just start writing my patent and I use the book as a reference, which is a big help! I couldn't have done it without the book, lots of information.