> Well how do you know that Facebook and Google doesn't have what you made? Companies keep things secret until they properly develop it maybe these companies are already up to it.

Because it is detectable. Although I admit that although I cannot find prior art, it could be out there.

I too have felt I had such ideas but when I look further I came across many more people have done it or have tried to do it :)

I'm in the North East, but I can fly to California if I need to. It spans a couple areas of Data Science, but all that Google / Facebook would be interested in.

I added an email to my profile. Thanks for the suggestion.

Well I'm not certain in anyway about the process of selling patents. I'm a computer scientist though and I've consulted enough trusted colleagues to validate that the technology is valuable and works to solve problems real businesses need.

It's kinda like inventing a battery that is twice as efficient, and the same or better in every other way. You can be 100% sure Tesla or Toyota would buy the technology, without even being 3% sure where to start.

Got it, that make sense. In that case, I wish you the best of luck, and hope someone here can help!

My patent lawyer told me to, but generally no. If I know the person ahead of time I just ask them to keep it to themselves. Plus I know VCs wont sign NDAs, but I would get someone to agree verbally to keep it to themselves.

Wouldn't it be better strategy to be as public as possible with this? To start a competitive situation where prospective acquirers would want to get to the tech first before their competitors?

Like Oculus did and got bought by FB.

Second this. Spend some time getting a quality demo up and running, hire a designer to help if needed.

Companies aren't interested in ideas, they want something they can drop in or can see using in 6 months.

* I have over a dozen patents. Learned this the hard way.

> My patent lawyer told me to, but generally no

I am not a lawyer, but in my understanding, once you file, you have a priority date.

I hold an Australian patent with a US one pending. Both trace their priority back to 2012, when I made an initial filing through WIPO.

For each national patent granted, my patent coverage is backdated to 2012.

Either your idea is patentable, in which case, you might as well brag. Or it's not, in which case, you might as well pretend to brag.

OP sounds confused. Anyone should know that once you file your safe to discuss, so what kind of lawyer would make that mistake?