Patents are available for technical developments which are new, non-obvious and industrially applicable. Provided that your new method and machine have not been disclosed publicly in any way, and provided that the developments address and overcome a technical problem associated with the prior-known technology, then both the method and machine are patentable.
No. A patent can only be granted to the inventor of an invention or to a party who has derived the rights from the inventor. Furthermore, patents can only be granted for new devices or methods. For an invention to be new, it must not have been disclosed to the public prior to the date [...]
Obtaining a patent is a process involving a series of stages. It is not a simple, once-off, step of registering with the patent office.
The first step in the process of obtaining patent protection is to file an application for a patent at the Patent Office. Within 12 months of filing the initial patent application Claims, which define the monopoly sought by the patent, must be added. The Claims should cover a general area around the example(s) of the invention described and shown [...]
No. Your patent application will be published 18 months after the initial filing date.