[KurtB]

I really wish you the best of luck. I've come up with a few things in the past, and thought about a patent, but I've always been put off by the cost and complexity, and never went forward.

I have a good buddy who happens to be a patent attorney. What a fascinating subject. His #1 advice, repeated over and over: "The LANGUAGE is everything. A well written patent will be almost impossible to bypass. One written haphazardly is a waste of money, and is relatively simple to get by." So put some effort into the language/description. That might be one area where it would be worth a few hours ao a patent attorney (or agent)'s time.

The drawback to a poorly-written patent is the fact that it is instantly public, along with detailed descriptions and drawings. If the language doesn't protect you, all of a sudden you have just announced to your competition "Here's what I got! Ain't it great?" and the language allows him to get around it.

Again, good luck with it and keep us informed.