# Consumer electronics patent attorneys for device makers

> Flat-fee consumer electronics patent attorney services for device makers. Start with a $999 patentability search, refunded if it isn't patentable.

Page: https://arapackelaw.com/industries/consumer-electronics/  
Title: Consumer Electronics Patent Attorney for Device Makers  
Breadcrumb: [Home](https://arapackelaw.com/) / [Industries](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/) / [Consumer electronics](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/consumer-electronics/)

We protect how your device works, the look of its housing and screens, and the brand on the box, with one flat fee for each step.

- $999 patentability search
- No hourly billing
- Registered patent attorneys

## For the people who build everyday devices.

From a first working prototype to a brand on its third version, the work starts the same way. Find out what is new, then protect it before it is certified, shipped or shown on a crowdfunding page.

- **Device startups** Founders building a new gadget, wearable or accessory, protected before the first investor demo or preorder.
- **Smart home and audio brands** Connected devices, speakers and the companion apps that set them up and control them.
- **Wearable teams** Watches, rings, earbuds and trackers, where the sensor, the fit and the screen can each be protected.
- **Accessory makers** Cases, mounts, stands and controllers, where a better fit or a new look is often the invention.

## Four things worth protecting in consumer electronics.

Most devices carry more than one kind of protection. A patent on how it works, design patents on how it and its screens look, and a trademark on its name each stop a different kind of copy.

### The device and how it works (utility patent)

The hardware, the mechanism and the features users notice, such as a new hinge, a faster way to pair or longer battery life. Claims are written around what your device does that others on the shelf do not.

- Wearables and audio devices
- Smart home devices
- Accessories and controllers
- Methods of manufacture

### Software and features on the device (utility patent)

The firmware and app features that make the device work better, claimed as a system and the method it performs, tied to a technical result rather than an abstract idea.

- Pairing and connectivity
- Sensor and signal processing
- Power management
- Companion app features

### The housing and the screens (design patent)

The ornamental shape of the housing and the look of icons and interfaces shown on its screen, each protected for 15 years from grant.

- Housings and enclosures
- Icons and graphical interfaces
- Cases and accessories

Covered by The RLG Guarantee (USPTO denies it, full refund).

### The product and brand name (trademark)

Clear and file the name before it goes on the box, the app store listing and the device itself, so the name customers search for is one you own.

- Product and brand names
- Logos
- App and platform names

Covered by The RLG Guarantee (Approved, or your money back).

**Code and know-how.** Copyright protects the code and the artwork in your interface as written. Firmware or a manufacturing process no one can learn from the finished device may be worth more as a trade secret than as a published patent. Your attorney tells you which on your first call.

## Search, provisional, utility. Flat fees at every step.

Every step is quoted before any work begins, and the search fee is credited toward a design or non-provisional application. Most device founders file a provisional before certification testing, a crowdfunding campaign or a trade show, then the full application within 12 months.

### Start here, Patentability search

**$999** flat fee. Patentable or your money back. Credited toward a design or non-provisional application. Report in about 5 days.

- An invention discovery call with your attorney
- A search of US and foreign patents and published applications
- A written patentability report and a review call

Covered by [The RLG Guarantee](https://arapackelaw.com/rlg-guarantee/) (Not patentable, full refund).

### Then, Provisional patent

**$2,500 to $3,500** flat fee. . Patent pending the day it is filed.

- A strategy call to capture how the device works
- Drafted by a registered patent attorney
- You review and approve it before filing

Covered by [The RLG Guarantee](https://arapackelaw.com/rlg-guarantee/) (Patentability issues, full refund).

### Within 12 months, Non-provisional patent

**$7,000 to $12,000** flat fee. Drawings and USPTO filing fees included. Filed before your 12-month deadline.

- Claims and a full specification written for examination
- Formal drawings and USPTO filing fees
- Complex devices quoted flat on your call

Flat fee, not covered by the guarantee.

### Alongside the patent

- **Design patent, $3,200.** For the housing or an interface screen, office actions included. Covered by The RLG Guarantee.
- **Trademark, $2,000.** For the product name, USPTO fee for one class included. Covered by The RLG Guarantee.

## Certify, file and launch. Time them together.

A patent decides who can make and sell the device. FCC authorization decides whether a device that uses radio can be marketed in the US, and the record it creates becomes public. The timing of each shapes the other.

### Patent, who can make and sell it

1. **Search** ($999). Patentable, or your money back
2. **Provisional** (File first). Patent pending, before any disclosure
3. **Full application** (Month 12). Within 12 months
4. **Examination** (USPTO). The USPTO reviews the claims
5. **Granted**. Rights you can enforce

### Launch, when others see it

1. **Prototype** (Use an NDA). Engineering samples
2. **Manufacturer** (Use an NDA). Tooling and production quotes
3. **FCC authorization** (Records go public). Testing and the equipment grant
4. **Crowdfunding or preorders** (Disclosure risk). The device goes public
5. **Launch**. Retail and online sales

**File before you certify or show.** An FCC equipment grant is public, and its external photos and user manual follow once any short-term confidentiality ends. A crowdfunding page or a trade show can make an invention public too. File at least a provisional first.

- **Standards can mean licenses.** A device that follows a wireless or media standard may use standard-essential patents owned by others, usually licensed on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. What you build beyond the standard can still be patented as your own. [What inventors can learn from Apple's patents](https://arapackelaw.com/patents/patents-by-apple/)
- **Screens can be design patents.** The USPTO grants design patents for icons and graphical interfaces shown on a display screen. Each design patent has one claim to one look, so file the screens customers will recognize. [Design patents for graphical interfaces](https://arapackelaw.com/patents/using-design-patents-to-protect-graphical-user-interfaces/)
- **Copies often arrive as imports.** Many knock-off devices are made abroad. A US patent can support an exclusion order from the International Trade Commission, and a registered trademark can be recorded with US Customs and Border Protection so counterfeits can be stopped at the border. [When device patents stop imports](https://arapackelaw.com/patents/patent-infringement-damages/)

*General information, not legal or regulatory advice. Certification, safety and consumer protection requirements depend on the device and where it is sold.*

## Services for consumer electronics companies.

One firm for the patent, the brand and the agreements around them.

- [Utility patents](https://arapackelaw.com/patents/utility-patents/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/patents/utility-patents.md). Protect how the device works.
- [Provisional patents](https://arapackelaw.com/patents/provisional-patents/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/patents/provisional-patents.md). Patent pending before you certify or launch. Covered by The RLG Guarantee.
- [Design patents](https://arapackelaw.com/patents/design-patents/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/patents/design-patents.md). Protect the housing and the screens. Covered by The RLG Guarantee.
- [Trademarks](https://arapackelaw.com/trademarks/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/trademarks.md). Register the product and brand names. Covered by The RLG Guarantee.
- [Software patents](https://arapackelaw.com/patents/software-mobile-app-patent/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/patents/software-mobile-app-patent.md). Protect firmware and app features.
- [International trademarks](https://arapackelaw.com/international-trademarks/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/international-trademarks.md). Protect the brand where you sell and manufacture.
- [Non-disclosure agreements](https://arapackelaw.com/non-disclosure-agreements-ndas/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/non-disclosure-agreements-ndas.md). Share with manufacturers on your terms.
- [Patent litigation](https://arapackelaw.com/ip-litigation/patent-litigation/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/ip-litigation/patent-litigation.md). Enforce or defend a device patent.

## Before you file.

### Can you patent a consumer electronics product?

Yes. A new device, a better version of a known one, its features and the way it is made can be patented when they are new and not obvious. Electronics is a crowded field, so the claims focus on what your device does that earlier ones do not, which is why the work starts with a search.

### Can I patent the look of my device screen or app icons?

Yes, with a design patent. The USPTO accepts icons and graphical interfaces shown on a display screen as designs, and the housing can be protected the same way. A design patent lasts 15 years from grant and covers products that look substantially the same.

### Should I file before a crowdfunding campaign or FCC testing?

Yes, if you can. A crowdfunding page, a preorder, a trade show or a public FCC record can make the invention public. The US gives inventors one year after their own disclosure, but most other countries require filing first. A provisional before launch keeps both options open, and a PCT application within 12 months keeps patent rights abroad open too.

### What are standard-essential patents?

Patents that cover a technical standard, such as a wireless or video format, so any device that follows the standard uses them. Their owners usually commit to license them on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. If your device follows a standard, plan for those licenses, and patent what you add beyond it.

### How do I stop counterfeit devices?

A registered trademark lets you act against sellers using your brand, through marketplace complaints, a cease and desist letter or a lawsuit, and it can be recorded with US Customs and Border Protection. A granted patent covers devices that copy what it claims, including imports.

### How much does a consumer electronics patent cost with your firm?

Flat fees at every step. A $999 patentability search, a provisional application at $2,500 to $3,500 depending on the invention, and a non-provisional application at $7,000 to $12,000 with drawings and USPTO filing fees included. A design patent for the housing or a screen is $3,200. Every fee is quoted before work begins, and the search fee is credited toward a design or non-provisional application.

### What does The RLG Guarantee cover for consumer electronics?

The patentability search, the provisional application, design patents and trademarks. If the search finds your invention is not novel, you get a full refund or another search. If patentability issues come up on your provisional, a full refund or more searches. If the USPTO denies your design application, you get a full refund. If it refuses your trademark, you get a refund or a new mark. Non-provisional applications are not covered. Refunds are subject to the RLG Guarantee Policy in your engagement letter.

## Your attorneys

- [Andrew Rapacke](https://arapackelaw.com/learn-more/the-team/andrew-rapacke/), Managing Partner, Registered Patent Attorney. Former Naval Engineering Officer. M.S. in electrical and electronics engineering.
- [Casey Goldenberg](https://arapackelaw.com/team/casey-goldenberg/), Attorney, Trademarks and Patent Prosecution. Trademarks and patent prosecution, from a scientific background.

Meet the team at https://arapackelaw.com/learn-more/the-team/

## Go deeper on protecting a device.

- [Using Design Patents to Protect Graphical User Interfaces](https://arapackelaw.com/patents/using-design-patents-to-protect-graphical-user-interfaces/)
- [What Is a Design Patent? Understanding Its Importance and Benefits](https://arapackelaw.com/patents/what-is-a-design-patent/)
- [How To Put A Stop To Your Competitors Infringing Activities](https://arapackelaw.com/litigation/stop-competitor-infringing-trademark-patent/)
- [How Patents by Apple Shape the Future of Technology and What Inventors Can Learn From Them](https://arapackelaw.com/patents/patents-by-apple/)
- [How To Deal with Knock Offs Trying to Ruin Your Products and Brand](https://arapackelaw.com/trademarks/how-to-deal-with-knock-offs-trying-to-ruin-your-products-and-brand/)
- [5 Examples of Trade Secrets and How They Fit into Your Intellectual Property Strategy](https://arapackelaw.com/intellectual-property/examples-of-trade-secrets/)

[All articles](https://arapackelaw.com/learning-center/)

## Other industries

- [3D printing](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/3d-printing/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/3d-printing.md). Printers, processes, materials and the products they make.
- [Aerospace](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/aerospace/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/aerospace.md). Aircraft, drones and spacecraft, protected before the first public flight.
- [AI and machine learning](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/ai-machine-learning/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/ai-machine-learning.md). Models, training methods and the AI features inside your product.
- [Autonomous vehicles](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/autonomous-vehicles/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/autonomous-vehicles.md). Sensing, navigation and control systems for vehicles that drive themselves.
- [Blockchain](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/blockchain/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/blockchain.md). Protocols, wallets and the technical methods behind decentralized products.
- [Computer hardware](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/computer-hardware/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/computer-hardware.md). Components, peripherals and the systems that tie them together.
- [Consumer products](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/consumer-products/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/consumer-products.md). Everyday products and the brands on them, protected before launch.
- [Cybersecurity](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/cybersecurity/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/cybersecurity.md). Security software and hardware, and what to patent or keep secret.
- [Defense](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/defense/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/defense.md). Defense technology, planned around contracts and export rules.
- [Digital health](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/digital-health/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/digital-health.md). Telehealth, remote monitoring and health apps, built around patient data.
- [E-commerce](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/ecommerce/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/ecommerce.md). Online brands and Amazon sellers, from the trademark to the product itself.
- [Electrical hardware](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/electrical/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/electrical.md). Power electronics, controls, sensors, batteries and motors, from circuit to system.
- [Energy and clean tech](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/energy/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/energy.md). Batteries, solar, storage, charging and the grid, from the cell to the system.
- [Fintech](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/fintech/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/fintech.md). Payments, lending and trading technology, claimed as technical improvements.
- [Gaming](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/gaming/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/gaming.md). Game engines, mechanics, controllers and titles, protected before the reveal.
- [Medical devices](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/medical-devices/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/medical-devices.md). Devices, diagnostics and software as a medical device, timed with the FDA.
- [Robotics](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/robotics/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/robotics.md). Robots, grippers and the software that moves them, protected before the pilot.
- [Semiconductors](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/semiconductors/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/semiconductors.md). Chip design, fabrication processes and packaging.
- [Software and SaaS](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/software-saas/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/software-saas.md). The methods your platform performs, protected however the code is written.
- [Sporting goods](https://arapackelaw.com/industries/sporting-goods/) (Markdown https://arapackelaw.com/industries/sporting-goods.md). Equipment and gear, from how it performs to the design customers recognize.

## Next steps

- [Book a free strategy call](https://arapackelaw.com/contact-us/) with a registered patent attorney, or call (954) 951-0154
- [Take the Intelligent IP Quiz](https://arapackelaw.com/intelligent-ip-quiz/) to see what to protect first
- [The RLG Guarantee](https://arapackelaw.com/rlg-guarantee/), the refund promise on four services

General information, not legal advice.