Yes, we did get patent(s). And it/they probably helped sell the business, and ticked off something on my bucket list, though I'm not convinced that they had much other value!

Selling the product was OK, though hampered by our product being novel enough that it didn't fit well into any of the existing evalation schemes. The product area is very regulation and 'points' driven.

(Or did you mean selling the IP?)

Do you mind sharing the approximate cost of getting the patent(s)?

It's something I want to do, but it seems expensive. For example, I read that "In 2013 it cost $33,000 to file a software patent." at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29115703

Did you not sell the IP with the business/product? Be good to hear more about your creation. Would you want to do it again? If so, would you do anything differently?

We started selling the product (a first manufacturing run) before subsequently selling the IP (post covid).

Would I do it (or something similar) again? Yes, and I am keeping an eye out for new opportunities (large and small) while doing a part-time PhD...

Lots of things I'd try to do better, obvs: always learning!