Originally Posted by azguy

There are various companies that act as "patent banks" (can't think of the names right now..). As soon as you patent it, you either sell or lease it to them, and they in turn go after companies who could use it to expand their product line. You get paid royalties or whatever the arrangement is. You can also do the hunting yourself, but the important thing is to first file for a patent if your lawyer says it really doesn't exist yet.