It depends on the patent. Depending on what product or item you have a patent for will determine what company you need to file the patent with. If you dont know the company's name then you can just look it up on the internet to find out.
Filing a trade secret patent is easy. All you have to do is download the file.
No, they do not have a patent. They have a trade secret. Much like KFC there are very few people who know it.
Yes, but a recipe might be better kept as a trade secret. A trade secret (like the recipe for Coca-Cola) can be maintained indefinitely. A patent, on the other hand, will eventually expire, meaning that anyone can use the recipe.
Generally this would be a trade secret once it's used in trade, but if it's wholly revolutionary it may be worth the time, money, and effort to apply for a patent.
Yes, you can sell your idea without a patent. A patent is a right granted by the government to exclude others from making, using, selling, offering for sale or importing your invention. You do not need to have a patent in order to sell your idea. The purchaser may desire to file a patent. You may also decide to protect your idea using trade secret laws (like the recipe for Coca Cola). Please be sure to use a non-disclosure agreement when discussing your idea with a potential purchaser. You do not want them hearing your idea and then exploiting it on their own.
If you want to get a patent for your cool invention, you need to file a design, utility or plant patent application to the government. You can also file this application electronically.
Patents and trade secrets are both ways to protect inventions, but are otherwise very different. A patent is formally registered with the federal government, and the information is available to everyone ("patent" in this instance means "open"), but the inventor has the right to prevent anyone from using it without permission. Patents are normally good for 20 years. A trade secret is not registered or revealed to anyone, and can be protected forever--or until someone figures it out by reverse-engineering or other means. So if you patent your new widget, I can look at the plans and specifications but I can't do anything with them without your permission, for 20 years. But if you call your new widget a trade secret and I figure it out the following week, that's it: no more secret. That's why trade secrets are almost ridiculously closely guarded.
if you mean dippin dots, its their own patent - CO2 induced direct freeze drying - a trade secret exactly how it works.
You'll want to file a design patent application. This basically is a special type of patent for people who have a design for a new product.
Firstly, conduct a patent search to check that your invention is new and not already patented. Once you know your invention is unique, file your patent with the US patent and trademark office.
Take it to a patent office.
The patent laws are country specific, you would file in the US if you wanted to stop you invention being stolen in the US jurisdiction (a big market).
For Registering a trademark see related link. For filing a patent see related link.