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Event: Getting your invention off the ground

SBOCTeam — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:27:14 GMT

Are you full of great ideas but don't know how to bring them to life? Think you've invented the next best thing and don't know where to go from there? Join us on October 20 when Louis Foreman answers those questions in addition to:

How do I apply for a patent?
Who can help me with market research?
Who can help me make a prototype?
Should I manufacture my product in the U.S. or overseas?
What reputable patent attorneys and agents are in my area?
How can I commercialize my product once it's manufactured?

Louis Foreman is founder and Chief Executive of Enventys, an integrated product design and engineering firm with offices in Charlotte, NC and Taiwan. Over the past 20 years, Louis has created 5 successful start-ups and has been directly responsible for the creation of over 10 others. A prolific inventor, he is the inventor of 9 registered US Patents, and his firm is responsible for the development and filing of well over 150 more.

In addition to being an inventor, Louis is also committed to educating others on the topic of intellectual property. Louis is the creator, executive producer and lead judge of the Emmy® award-winning national PBS reality show, Everyday Edisons. In 2007, Louis became the publisher of Inventors Digest, a 20-year-old publication devoted to the topic of American Innovation.

Post your question here and then check back on October 20 at 3:00PM EST for Louis' reply. You can also pose a question any time during the event hour.

Re: Live Event: Getting your invention off the ground

LouisForeman — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:03:16 GMT

Once you log on to http://EdisonNation.com visit the forums (top navigation panel). Thousands of questions have been asked and answered. You will be amazed at how much useful information has been posted.

Re: Live Event: Getting your invention off the ground

colonny — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:33:09 GMT

Where on edisonnation.com are the answers posted?

Re: Live Event: Getting your invention off the ground

LouisForeman — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:06:10 GMT

Thank you for having me. I Hope this information was helpful.
For all of you that still have questions, I strongly encourage you to visit http://www.EdisonNation.com the answers to all of your questions are posted here and you can also contact me directly. Drop me a note when you get there…my user name is Louis.
Best regards.

Re: Live Event: Getting your invention off the ground

SBOCTeam — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:04:23 GMT

Louis,

On behalf of the SBOC Team and the members of the Small Business Online Community, we wanted to say we truly appreciated your time today and your professional responses to user questions.

Community members, while our session with Louis has now concluded, please feel free to discuss today's session and the questions answered. Again, if you'd like more information about Louis and Enventys or Everyday Edisons, visit:

http://www.enventys.com or http://www.everydayedisons.com

Thanks again,
The SBOC Team

Re: Event October 20: Getting your invention off the ground

LouisForeman — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:02:46 GMT

You are full of questions today...glad to see that the forum is providing you useful information.

Applying for a patent is done through the United States Patent Office. I highly recommend that you enlist the services of a registered patent attorney. Get references and make sure you meet with the attorney before snagging them.

Market research can be obtained through online surveys, focus groups, and plenty of traditional research online and in libraries. You can also hire research firms to conduct some of this for you. A cost effective option is to talk with the local college or University. Many have entrepreneur programs and will work with outside clients.

The prototype question was addressed in post #29, sourcing question is in post #22

Finding a good patent attorney should be through word of mouth, but you can also get a complete list of registered patent attorneys at http://www.uspto.gov/

Commercializing your product is what makes the investment worthwhile. You need to identify who the customer is and the most appropriate channels of distribution to be effective. There are sales organizations out there, but BEWARE of the invention promotion forms that love your product and want money upfront to commercialize it.

Bottom line...if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Re: Event October 20: Getting your invention off the ground

Invest4Wealth — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:38:58 GMT

How do I apply for a patent?
Who can help me with market research?
Who can help me make a prototype?
Should I manufacture my product in the U.S. or overseas?
What reputable patent attorneys and agents are in my area?
How can I commercialize my product once it's manufactured?

Re: Live Event: Getting your invention off the ground

LouisForeman — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:53:32 GMT

Surround yourself with people who have done it before and who know how to do it right the first time. A great way of finding these resources is by talking with other inventors. Every state has an inventor organization that assists independent inventors. You can find a listing for these at http://www.inventorsdigest.com/ in addition, Edison nation is another great resource for finding prototypers and other model makers.

Any time you work with an outside service provider, it is critical that you have them sign a non-disclosure agreement. This agreement should include the necessary language that provides for any improvements or modifications will be assigned to you. This prevents them from become a co-inventor on your patent.

Re: Live Event: Getting your invention off the ground

simon07 — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:42:15 GMT

I have an idea for a consumer product, but I need help with developing the prototype. If I don't have any partners or friends that have this expertise - how do I go about finding a company or person that can build it for me? Also, by telling them how I want it designed.... how do I make sure that they don't steal my idea? Or do I owe them part of any future profits since they are building the prototype for me?

Re: Live Event: Getting your invention off the ground

LouisForeman — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:46:45 GMT

Yes…to see if an idea already exists, you can go to either:
http://www.uspto.gov
http://www.google.com/patents?hl=en

Both resources allow you to search for free the existing United States Patent database. In addition, I would recommend that search online to see if any similar ideas already exist that are not patented. This “prior art” will be used to determine the novelty of your invention.