I spent the rest of summer 2007 conducting patents searches, interviewing patent attorneys and writing a business plan. I starting by conducting my own patent search using Google, its free and should be the first place every inventor starts their journey, after all if someone else has already patented your idea its game over. I found lots of devices designed for steaming food, but nothing like my idea, so I took the next step and spent a few hundred dollars to have LegalZoom.com perform a patent search. I think this was one of my most anxious periods, I was scared to death that a company I hired to conduct a patent search would in fact find that someone else already patented my idea. When the results came back I was pleasantly surprised, LegalZoom.com did not find any preexisting patent claims that would effect the development of my idea. I was "Go" for the next step, a provisional patent.

A provisional patent is a stake in the ground, temporary patent that buys you one year and officially notifies the US patent and trademark office (USPTO) about your idea. I spent several weeks trying to understand the documentation required to file and finally decided it was in my best interest to once again hire LegalZoom.com to do it for me. On September 6th 2007 I was notified that the USPTO had received the documents needed for the provisional patent and I could now legally use the phrase "Patent Pending". The first time I put the words "Patent Pending" on my product was a pretty big moment.

Time for another patent search this time I needed a detailed one. Patent searches are like layers in an onion, just because one layer is clear doesn't mean that every layer is clear. While I was trying to find a patent attorney to partner with I was referred to Ron Reardon and his company "Patents and More". Now that I had the provisional patent in place I felt much more comfortable talking to people about my idea and Ron was one of the first patent agents that talked to me instead of at me. I knew that I finally found the guy I was going to use for my IP (intellectual property) protection and the first thing I hired Ron to do is to conduct a third detailed patent search.

By the end of September 2007 I had completed a preliminary business plan and my investors started sending in their money. It was a strange feeling collecting money from friends, family and former business associates,  I had never done anything like that before and taking money from people you respect and care about is a huge responsibility. I knew they trusted me and I knew I was trust worthy, but that’s a far cry from being a good solid investment. I promised myself that I would do everything I possibly could to make their faith and trust in me pay off. To this day one of my greatest goals is that my investors earn more money annually from their investment in my idea then they do from their day jobs!