Once this professional search is completed, your attorney can better estimate your chances of getting a patent, and can write your claims with the results of this search in mind. You should expect to pay four or five hundred dollars for your search, not counting the time your attorney spends reviewing the results. It may take from a few months to two years to get a patent issued, depending on the backlog in the Patent Office and which group your application is assigned to. Almost all your dealings with the Patent Office will be by mail. These office actions must be responded to in writing, along with arguments and possibly amendments to your claims.
Most patent applications involve two office actions.
The majority of applications do result in claims being allowed, but there are no guarantees. Once the examiner allows some of your claims, you will receive a notice of allowance. At this point, you will have to provide more professional drawings prepared according to the standards of the Patent Office. Your attorney will have a draftsperson who will do this. Once the patent is in force, you will be required to pay maintenance fees at various points throughout the lifetime of the patent, which is now twenty years from the date the application was filed.