How much should I plan on spending to learn if this idea is, in fact, unique? Whom should I contact? Patent attorneys? How much money should I anticipate spending to create a patent as to protect my idea before I present it to major manufacturers?

A patent attorney can do a patentability search to determine if your fotware is novel and non-obvious. If the search shows that your footware design is novel, the patent attorney should prepare and file a patent application for your invention. Once the application is filed, you may talk to... Read more »
Hello, my father passed away last year in October and it is now February. I have called and called the agency (People Ready) my dad worked for (he worked as a carpenter through a temp agency) and I have left voicemails and even spoke to someone who said they would call me back, but no one has... Read more »

You might retain an attorney to contact them. A quick letter would likely not cost much, and the estate may be able to reimburse that cost. See ORS 652.190 for who is supposed to get the check to ensure you are the correct person before demanding the check.
Daltile is owned by Mohawk, who owns several key flooring patents related to the way PVC tiles and planks click together. They have recently launched a new product which is a combination of an SPC (PVC) base with a porcelain layer on top. The tiles click together, then you can grout them. We have... Read more »

Hello, in order to make this determination you will need to obtain a freedom to operate analysis from an Intellectual Property attorney. In completing this analysis, an evaluation of the patent(s) about which you are concerned will be completed and compared to your product. If it is found that the... Read more »
I am his son

My condolences on the passing of your father.
Your father was listed as an inventor on 3 patents: US 7,526,894; US 7,152,377; and US 6,398,995. Although he was listed as the inventor, he was not the owner. His employer, Chase Industries, is the owner of these patents.
Typically,... Read more »

I don't speak for Justia, so I don't know, but there is usually a lag time between the time a patent issues, and its appearance on non-USPTO websites, such as Justia or Google. If you need to be sure to be up to date, you really need to go to USPTO.gov .

Please feel free to post your question in your native language, and we'll translate it as we see fit. This Google translation from your language is gibberish that makes no sense.
This patent is worth $100sM and I did everything and got $1. Dennis Fenton threatened his way onto the patent. He threaten me even recently and is worth over $600M

I sent a message to your LinkedIn account. If you want to talk, please give me a call.
To procure medical grade cannabis at a fraction of the overhead costs

That certainly could be patentable.
One problem that you will encounter is whether the gardening technique is actually really new. Gardening has been about for millennia, practiced by billions of people, so it is likely that someone has thought about the same thing as you have.... Read more »

No you don't. Having a docket number makes tracking the application much easier but for filing you do not need one.
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