The Realities of using the USPTO website as your sole resource

PRO: The USPTO website presents all of the rules (in one form or another) that must be followed when filing and prosecuting a patent application in the United States Patent Office

CON: The USPTO website does not provide any assistance with strategies for protecting your ideas. There are no suggestions about how to obtain valuable patent protection.

PRO: The USPTO website provides a search engine that allows one to perform a patent search free of charge.

CON: Searches are performed at the USPTO website by looking for keywords that you enter to describe the features of your invention, such as “can opener” and “double-sided”. Since different terminology may have been used by others when describing the same features as in your invention, a USPTO website search might not reveal the closest prior art to your invention.

PRO: The USPTO website must follow strict government rules about its content, and cannot recommend any commercial resources.

CON: Many of the best resources happen to be commercial, or at least affiliated with a commercial organization.