Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.
But I did consider going into patent law and even studied some materials for the patent bar. My understanding is that you cannot get a patent without a working prototype. Also, a clock starts ticking either when you file for a patent or get the patent. If you do not introduce your product to market before the time runs out, you could lose your patent. I also had a friend who was very creative and was working with a patent lawyer on an invention, and his advice was to be very careful about who you tell your idea to or it may not be patentable. Finally, I have heard that there are large companies who hire people to search for new patents in their markets, and then they will steal the ideas. If you do not have the funding to defend your patent you are SOL.
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~Lauxa~
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