§For independent inventors
Honest help for independent inventors, starting with what already exists
We give idea-stage inventors a fast, plain-English look at the prior art, written disclosures before any engagement, and a straight answer when the evidence is weak. No hype, no profit promises, no surprise fees.
§ 01Where you are
The cheapest moment to learn the truth is now
Search for help for independent inventors and you will find a crowded market. Most inventors who search are standing in the same spot. There is an idea, maybe a prototype on a workbench, and a growing list of people who want to be paid to protect it, market it, or sell it. Many of them are honest. Some are not. The ones who are not tend to say the same thing: your idea is special, the market is waiting, and the next step costs a little more.
Our first job is different. It is to find out what already exists, quickly and cheaply, before you spend real money. Somebody has usually worked near your idea before. Sometimes their work is close enough that you should stop. Sometimes it shows a gap your idea fills, which is useful to know before you talk to a patent attorney or agent. Either way, an early no costs far less than a late one.
The costs ahead are real. Beyond attorney fees to prepare and file an application, the USPTO charges maintenance fees after a patent issues: for micro entities, $430 at 3.5 years, $808 at 7.5 years, and $1,656 at 11.5 years, under the current USPTO fee schedule. Those decisions deserve evidence.
We give every individual inventor written disclosures before any engagement, consistent with federal law on invention promotion, and we will tell you plainly if the commercial evidence is weak. Our scope and disclosures page shows the details.
§ 02Services
Services inventors use most
Start small. Most inventors need only the first card, and some need nothing more after it.
Prior-Art Snapshot
A focused first look: the closest references we find, a plain-English summary of how they compare to your idea, and honest next steps.
3 business days12Patentability Search
A full prior-art search report with patent and non-patent literature, technical claim-element mapping, and an audit trail, delivered to you or your patent attorney or agent.
5–7 business days14Design & Interface Patent Search
For inventions whose value is in how they look: product shapes, icons, and interfaces, searched image-first.
4–6 business days16Utility Patent Drawings
USPTO-format line drawings prepared from your specification or your practitioner’s, with two revision rounds included.
First proofs in 3–5 business days183D Visualization & Animation
Renders and short animations that help a manufacturer or licensee understand your invention in seconds.
2–4 weeks20Sell Your Patent
For inventors who already hold a patent: sale-readiness, buyer research, and confidential marketing, with success-fee terms in writing first and no promise of a sale.
Sale-readiness in 3–4 weeks§ 03A typical path
From idea to an informed decision
- 01
A free scoping call
20–30 minutes. You describe the idea in public terms, and we explain what a snapshot can and cannot tell you. No confidential details until an NDA is signed.
- 02
Disclosures and a fixed-fee quote
Before you pay anything, you receive our written disclosures and a fixed-fee written quote, normally within one business day of the call.
- 03
The Prior-Art Snapshot
In about 3 business days, you receive the closest references, a plain-English summary, and next steps. A second analyst reviews it before it reaches you.
- 04
Decide with the evidence
Stop, change the design, or take a full Patentability Search to a patent attorney or agent. If you don’t have one, we can share a list of independent practitioners. We receive no referral fees.
- 05
Only then, commercial questions
If a patent issues and you want to sell or license it, we assess the commercial evidence first, and we tell you plainly if it is weak before you pay for marketing.
Before you pay anyone, including us
The FTC warns that invention marketing scams promise profits, demand large upfront fees, hide the total cost, and praise every idea. Ask any firm for its total price in writing, its written disclosures, and the share of its clients who actually made money. Our guide covers the full list of warning signs.
§ 04Questions
Questions inventors ask
Something else on your mind? Call (505) 357-5188 or write to info@metadragons.com.
Can you tell me whether my idea can be patented?
No. That is a legal conclusion, and only a patent attorney or agent can give it. We find the closest references and explain technically how they compare with your idea, in plain English. That is usually what you need to decide whether paying a practitioner makes sense.
What are your written disclosures?
Before any engagement, we give individual inventors written disclosures consistent with 35 U.S.C. § 297, along with the scope, the fixed fee, and a plain statement that no outcome is promised. The full policy is on our scope and disclosures page.
Can you help me sell or license my idea?
Buyers and licensees rarely pay for unprotected ideas. They pay for issued patents backed by commercial evidence. If you hold a patent, our Sell Your Patent service assesses that evidence first. If it is weak, we tell you plainly before you spend anything on marketing.
How much will this cost?
We don’t publish prices, because scope drives cost. After a free scoping call, you receive a fixed-fee written quote within one business day, and nothing is billed beyond it without your written approval.
Keep reading
Related pages
§Next step
Find out what already exists
A Prior-Art Snapshot takes about 3 business days. Start with a free 20–30-minute call and our written disclosures.