I am definitely looking at the whole patent plan differently now. I agree with several of the points made and think my time will be better spent working on the product instead of the paperwork. I have an excellent engineer helping me work out some of the trouble spots so hopefully next year I will be ready to sell.

Thanks again everyone for your input.
In full agreement with MPGKEN; get in touch with the Small Business Admin., and get
some top notch advice on getting your business up and running. Worst case, you
don't take their advice, but it's sure as hell worth listening to.
I understand we've all got bills to pay, so while you are keeping your day job,
your new business must take priority in your life. I've always said the beauty
of working for yourself is that you only have to work half-days...it's up to you
which 12 hrs. (or 16, or 18) you work!
If you want the product sales to take off, then you need to market it
properly, and not just by yourself at some regional gold and gem show.
You need to look at both print and media, along with ads here on Tnet and
elsewhere that your target audience will be. No one can buy a product they've
never heard of. Marketing isn't cheap, but it's a "must have" if you plan to
make a continuing, comfortable living with your product.
You can't just be a "one hit wonder", so in order to be successful you'll need
more than one product, or at the very least several versions of your device.
Take a look at GoldHog. They started, successfully, with matting, and now have
expanded to a full range of top-notch products for the small scale miner. Doc
worked his arse off building the company, and probably still does..every day.
In the meantime, save every penny you can and build up a "war chest" so
you can continue to move forward. It's always a gamble, but if you feel your
product is worth it, then work through the challenges and don't give an inch until
you know you're successful, or that you know it won't fly as a business.
I'm a retired sales/marketing guy, and seen oodles of people work to build
small businesses. The ones that succeeded were tenacious, had great engineering
and quality materials built into their product, had good marketing, and they stood
behind their product. It's a commitment you can not slack off on!
Wish ya the best!