I have a idea for a tool. What do I do next?
- Thread starter ive
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isb cornbinder
Well-known member
Part 2: With the invention of a digital voice recorder that attaches to virtually any tape measure, Rich heads to Toronto to visit ECI Technology Group to take a tour and negotiate a deal for R&D. This venture began two years ago, but we'll be tellin
Part 2: With the invention of a digital voice recorder that attaches to virtually any tape measure, Rich heads to Toronto to visit ECI Technology Group to take a tour and negotiate a deal for R&D....
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engineer2
Well-known member
legally:
Patent search at uspto.gov to see if there is "prior art" or if it is "too obvious to patent".
Then money, guns, and lawyers.
You could just start making it. If it's low volume and specialized , you'll likely be fine.
If it has high volume potential, the Chinese will copy it within months, patents be damned.
Patent search at uspto.gov to see if there is "prior art" or if it is "too obvious to patent".
Then money, guns, and lawyers.
You could just start making it. If it's low volume and specialized , you'll likely be fine.
If it has high volume potential, the Chinese will copy it within months, patents be damned.
slowtwitch73
Well-known member
Don't post it online unless you want to see it at Walmart in two weeks.
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Probably get a patent then go from there.
RPH
Well-known member
Tell me about it.
Walkers
Well-known member
Just FYI, you will be a minimum of 10 grand to get through a patent, and that is win or lose. You might consider approaching the manufacturers that make the products that would use said tool to gauge their interest.
Xcursion88
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You better believe it!!
Making this for you, family, and friends? Have at it. If you want to monetize your idea, such as by selling it or licensing in Canada or elsewhere, you’ll likely need a patent in each applicable country. And for heaven’s sake don’t spill the beans to anyone, like your machinist, without a confidentiality agreement in place first. (FYI, I’m a patent attorney; just giving you a few bits of practical, not legal, advice. Like talk with an attorney — now.)
dnschmidt
Well-known member
If it's an automotive tool Lisle has a good history of working with inventors and not screwing them. They always have an ad in Motor Age looking for new inventions.
We have made many prototypes and helped idea inventors bring their products to market.
Sometimes you need a patent and sometimes it doesn’t matter. If you want to PM me I’ll sign a noncompete and give you some input for what it’s worth.
Most manufacturers don’t want to steal your idea because that’s not their business. Marketers and sales people that’s a different story. It’s very difficult to go from idea to retail but it can be done.
idea, funding, prototyping, production tooling/process, production, pricing, find a retailer/internet sales channel, marketing, logistics, that’s just for the first order. Keeping stock and interest up is the next challenge.
I love ideas and entrepreneurs, it’s the backbone of innovation and economy.
Griff
Sometimes you need a patent and sometimes it doesn’t matter. If you want to PM me I’ll sign a noncompete and give you some input for what it’s worth.
Most manufacturers don’t want to steal your idea because that’s not their business. Marketers and sales people that’s a different story. It’s very difficult to go from idea to retail but it can be done.
idea, funding, prototyping, production tooling/process, production, pricing, find a retailer/internet sales channel, marketing, logistics, that’s just for the first order. Keeping stock and interest up is the next challenge.
I love ideas and entrepreneurs, it’s the backbone of innovation and economy.
Griff
Last edited:
ooba tooba
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- Jan 13, 2014
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What he said. Make some detailed drawings of what it does and how it works. You may even come up with a tweak while trying to describe it. Se Name it, date it, sign it. Build a prototype and test it to work out any bugs. Facilitate a meeting with some industry types or a money guy. Don’t sign anything.
Representation
Representation
b-dog
Well-known member
For whatever it's worth; I've done side work as a design engineer.
~I won't sign a non-compete for free. It's silly for me to take on liability, at any level, for free.
~Unless you're in the big-time and have money to burn, patents are dumb - like someone already said above, China will steal your design with or without a patent. OR a company in the USA can steal your design just as easily. If you have a patent, you still have to cough up tons of money to fight for it. Or they will alter your design just enough to skirt the patent.
My advice; just get your product to market asap, make money and keep innovating.
~I won't sign a non-compete for free. It's silly for me to take on liability, at any level, for free.
~Unless you're in the big-time and have money to burn, patents are dumb - like someone already said above, China will steal your design with or without a patent. OR a company in the USA can steal your design just as easily. If you have a patent, you still have to cough up tons of money to fight for it. Or they will alter your design just enough to skirt the patent.
My advice; just get your product to market asap, make money and keep innovating.
Captain Spaulding
Well-known member
Good advice.
I've been involved in a couple of patent disputes, and sadly it seldom comes down to who is right or wrong, but rather who runs out of money first. Attorneys are expensive, as are the the technical experts you'll need to defend against the numerous avenues that can be used to attack a patent.
My best advice is to find someone trustworthy who would use the tool, ask them if they'd be willing to give you an honest opinion and sign an NDA in exchange for a bottle of good whiskey or a nice meal. (No disrespect to b-dog here, since he's doing things like that for a living and could potentially come into conflict, where a mechanic or machinist isn't likely to have concerns about that) Have a prototype that they can try. If that pans out, come up with a business plan. How many people in North America might need this tool, and how many will they buy per year? The per year number might be 0.1 if they only need one and it lasts 10 years. Then figure out how much it will cost to make and ship and what you might be able to sell it for. don't forget a significant wholesale discount of 20-50% if it will be sold retail by others. Crunch through those numbers and get an idea of how much you could make in a rosy, ideal world. If half of that number is life changing, maybe you are onto something.
bwringer
Well-known member
Over in the motorcycle world, it's kinda surprising how little sales volume will attract the attention of a Chinese counterfeiter who will then make something that looks like the same widget and flog it on fleaBay and scAmazon. I don't know how they do it so fast and cheap, honestly.
The inventor's main defense for many of these is manufacturing quality; only the genuine article fits tightly, has the correct hardening, high quality threads, etc. and won't destroy your engine or whatever. The stakes are high on a lot of motorcycle upgrade parts, so almost everyone is careful to get the real thing from a known supplier.
And that may or may not apply to your tool concept, of course. Maybe it's clever idea that's relatively simple to manufacture, or maybe it depends on some critical tolerance, hard-to-machine shape, or special cutter hardening to work correctly.
In other words, one of the next important steps is to invent how you're going to manufacture your invention. That's a lot harder.
Good luck!
The inventor's main defense for many of these is manufacturing quality; only the genuine article fits tightly, has the correct hardening, high quality threads, etc. and won't destroy your engine or whatever. The stakes are high on a lot of motorcycle upgrade parts, so almost everyone is careful to get the real thing from a known supplier.
And that may or may not apply to your tool concept, of course. Maybe it's clever idea that's relatively simple to manufacture, or maybe it depends on some critical tolerance, hard-to-machine shape, or special cutter hardening to work correctly.
In other words, one of the next important steps is to invent how you're going to manufacture your invention. That's a lot harder.
Good luck!
Its also a good idea to do a lot of research to make sure it does not already exist. There is a lot of obscure stuff out there. Quite a few times I've thought "why don't they make something like this" 9 times out of 10, a little looking finds they DO make such a thing. And I usually buy one if it's not to crazy of a price. Of course, one out of ten times, it turns out no one had thought of it.
spike99250
Well-known member
C.H. Hanson tool company also looks for new tool ideas from the public.