Many inventors spend their time tinkering away at a model of their idea and end up with a fully functional prototype. This finished prototype will often sit unattended for a period of time during which the inventor considers the next logical step. Often times, the inventor is unsure about where to go from the prototype stage and they may put off thinking about it until it eventually slips their mind.
Thus, many incarnations of brilliant ideas get reduced to mere dust collectors.
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Cocktail parties are to socialites as trade shows are to inventors. There’s no better place to check out and mingle with dozens of manufacturers and distributors than at a trade show.
For an inventor, these shows offer a fast and easy way to meet and learn about professionals in specific industries. This type of schmoozing is beneficial to inventors at any stage of the invention process, but can be particularly useful for those who are looking to sell an idea or find investors for their invention. Listening to key decision-makers can influence an inventor’s strategy; and exchanging business cards can lead to future meetings or agreements. (more…)
The patent application process is not simple or straightforward, and plenty of inventors have made mistakes that ended up costing them their patent. Even a well-researched and careful attempt to register a patent can run into unforeseen blunders. Learning about these common patent pitfalls provides valuable lessons, which can help save an inventor’s precious time, money and rights.
Here are the most common patent filing errors: (more…)
Predicting future consumer trends is a helpful strategy for designing new inventions. It’s about as easy as inventing a personal computer; however, which is why we don’t encounter innovative minds such as Steve Jobs’ every day. Luckily, we can learn from examples like his and attempt to predict future consumer trends by keeping our knowledge of new and emerging technologies current.
In an article published on the Technology Review website, online editor, Will Knight, explores some possibilities about what might come after the touch screen. In order to do this, he cites examples of new technologies for computer interaction, which were showcased at this week’s ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology in Massachusetts. (more…)
The biggest obstacle for most small inventors is money. Those with great ideas can usually cruise as far as the planning and prototyping stages, after which they find themselves stalled and lacking the necessary fuel in the form of funds.
Regardless of size or complexity, it’s not cheap to produce a stock of any product; and without proven consumer interest, obtaining investor funding can seem nearly impossible. This lack of money has been the cause of death for many healthy and potentially successful ideas, but an antidote seems to have emerged. (more…)
