Unless you are prepared to start suing other developers like yourself or sell to a patent troll, there really is no path to income, is there?

You don't have to sue people if they recognize that you invented and patented something. I've licensed patented tech to folks who range from solo devs to large nonprofits, and discussions never veered toward litigation at any point. I think it depends a lot on what you've created and whether your patents are likely to stand up.

You can make money by either licensing the patent or selling it. Large companies are usually prepared to buy out your patents if they think the tech is worth it.