IMHO a patent protection is pretty much useless unless you have invented something completely new like the transistor or the light bulb. For other ''inventions'', unless your name is Microsoft, Apple, or otherwise have unlimited resources, you can't afford to defend the patent. The other use for a patent is to facilitate the sale of the intellectual property, in that it is well defined. This is why I patented one device, the buyer knew exactly what they were buying and it increased the value of the technology.
If you are making a consumer item, build a lot of them, market the he!! out of them, and make some money for as long as you can. Because if it is a good seller, somebody else is going to make it better, faster, and cheaper.