I think the first thing to do in answering this question is to phrase the question correctly. It is not breaking a company ownership of intellectual property law that is the issue. It is whether the employer for whom you work has a claim of ownership of the invention you would like to patent. That you came up with the invention on your own and did not use any company resources or company time to develop it bodes well for you. So long as the invention is outside the scope of your employer's business, your employer should have no claim of ownership of your invention. If your invention is something within the scope of your employer's business, then it becomes a very factual issue. Without knowing more about what your employer's business is and the scope of your role as an auto technician, it is not possible to determine definitively whether or not your employer's ownership rights would be triggered. Even if your employer's ownership rights are triggered, you can negotiate an arrangement with your employer if your invention is not within their strategic objectives to develop through a license or even a transfer of ownership from the company to you. That would settle the issue definitively in an amicable way even if there are conflicting claims.
Answered on Jan 30th, 2013 at 8:20 PM