There can be many issues when dealing with a patent. First, your invention or idea may never see the light of day due to the fact that it just does not work. But if you do somehow manage to get things working, then you now have to be ready to fill out the lengthy patent application. If you are then in a hurry to get your product approved and to market only after the patent is approved, you may need to wait several years for it to be approved. Then it can come back denied. This can be for many reasons. It may have been denied due to the fact that someone has already filed for the same thing or something very similar. If this is the case, you may then need to do some digging on your own and see what happened. Also, consider that you may end up needing professional help to get you where you want to be. All in all this can be a difficult thing to manage if you are a rookie. So brush up on being patient and enjoy the ride, it could get bumpy.