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How long does it take to turn an idea into a successful product?
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I'm ready to get quotes for manufacturing my product. What next?
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Where can I find references for Invention City - Who are you guys?
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How is Invention City different from other invention submission companies?
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Why doesn't the Invention City Submission Agreement (NDA) give me more protection?
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How can I survey people without disclosing my idea?
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If Frequently Asked Questions does not answer your particular question please send us an email: info@InventionCity.com
How do I
find out if my idea is worth developing?
Here are two low cost
steps you can take: 1) ask friends and family if they would buy it -
if well over 50% say yes then maybe you've got something; 2) do a
key word search for patents at the web site of the
US Patent and Trademark Office.
You ought to find something similar in concept ("prior art"); if you
don't you're probably not using the right key words. Keep trying.
There's almost always prior art. When you get
serious about an idea, we highly recommend hiring a professional to
perform a patent search for you. We recently heard a story where
two different professionals found two different sets of prior art!
Don't be discouraged when you do find prior art. Inventing is in
the details. If the details of your invention are better than what
you find in the prior art and you've got friends and family
saying "yes" over 50% of the time... then, for us at
least, the
idea is worth serious consideration. Learn much more from Mike
Marks' book: Inventing First Steps
I'm afraid someone will steal my idea. What should I do?
There is no 100% satisfactory answer. A good first step is
to keep well-documented and dated records in a bound notebook.
That's free and may help to establish that you were the first
to invent the item. Mailing a detailed description of the invention
to yourself and filing a disclosure document with the
USPTO are additional ways to
establish priority dates (there are also online services such as
FirstUse.com that enable you to do the same thing electronically).
In the US being first to invent carries some weight and
could help you win in a legal dispute. Note the qualifiers.
NOTHING is bulletproof.
Having a validly issued patent offers more protection... but, but, but... patents are not just expensive, they generally only cover specific details and, in rare circumstances, can be invalidated or limited if challenged. A similar idea with different details might be able to get around your patent lawfully. Before spending money trying to protect your idea you need to learn as much as you can about similar ideas. If your idea is already known in the "public domain" (patent records, stores, magazines, books etc.) then you can't protect it with patents. You can probably add some features to the idea that will enable you to get a patent, but the patent will have no value unless the features add value.
Patents are especially important when the cost of entry into a market is high and the payback period relatively slow. If your idea can be commercialized for very little investment then a patent could have little value (if the item is a big success you'll probably be knocked off before you can enforce it). On the other hand, without a patent, licensing a simple consumer product/idea, is nigh unto impossible. Note that until a patent is issued it cannot be enforced. "Patent pending" is simply a warning that a patent has been filed and might be enforced IF and WHEN a patent issues.
The most basic tool for protecting a new
idea is something called a "Non-Disclosure Agreement" or NDA. Most
NDAs (ours included) have a provision that excludes anything known
in the public domain. Our articles "The
Disclosure Dilemma - An Inventor's Catch-22" and
"Protecting Your Invention"
discusses this matter in more detail. One thing to keep in mind is
that execution almost always matters more than protection. In
other words, even if your idea is known, you can still make good
money by commercializing it in a unique way. Dell computer was
founded on ideas that were well known and freely available in the
public domain.
Return to FAQ
How long does it take to turn an idea into a successful product?
Software and Internet inventions aside, most simple
inventions take between 2-5 years to move from idea stage to
Wal-Mart shelf. It usually takes over a year to get an idea into
the market AFTER A FINAL DESIGN IS COMPLETED. Achieving a final
design and not changing it is a critical (and very difficult)
step.
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Can
I speak to someone at Invention City on the phone?
Invention City does not not want to
speak to inventors until a after an Invention Submission Form and
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Where can
I find references for Invention City? Who are you guys?
We build relationships
with inventors in a series of steps. The first step is like a blind
date. You enter the restaurant and look at your date. If you like
what you see you introduce yourself. That's where we are now. You
can learn more about us by clicking here.
Now it's our turn. We need to learn a
little bit about your idea. That
is what the invention submission process does. Without revealing
any confidential information we ask you to tell us why people want
your idea. You give us the sizzle not the steak. Is your invention
faster, cheaper, safer etc. After reviewing your submission we
decide whether it might meet our guidelines for investment. If it
seems to fit, we'll call you on the phone and talk about goals etc.
At that time, if you are interested in working with us and vice
versa, we'll provide you with references.
Return to FAQ
How is Invention City different from other invention submission
companies?
Invention City only makes money from
submissions if and when you do. When we accept an invention we risk
our time and money. Certain other companies make money regardless
of whether or not an invention succeeds. We do NOT charge fees for
submissions in advance. We share in profits after success.
Some invention companies say "yes" to virtually every inventor who comes their way. We say "no" a lot. We accept less than 1% of the inventions submitted to us.
The goal of Invention City is to provide inventors with the information and resources they need to do everything themselves. At the same time, if an inventor needs assistance, we want to help. For this reason, along with other service providers listed at this site, Invention City offers fee-based services unrelated to invention submissions: prototyping, manufacturing sourcing and advertising.
How does Invention City
make money?
Invention City makes money from
advertising and through
successful commercialization of invention submissions (profit
sharing) and paid listings from service providers and merchants. We
do not charge fees for evaluating submissions.
Return to FAQ
What types of
inventions do you accept?
In general, Invention
City prefers products that have patent potential. We will also
consider mass market items that can be commercialized inexpensively
and have a fast payback. These items tend to be things you might
see in catalogs and/or on TV. They tend to sell for upwards of $20
retail, cost 1/5 of retail to manufacture and solve a "problem" that
most people can relate to (and want solved). If you feel that your
idea fits within the guidelines stated above please
submit it to us.
Return to FAQ
What happens when I submit an Invention to Invention City?
1. From the submission form we determine if the bare bones description of the invention sounds like a potential winner. We consider the market category and the problem the invention is trying to solve. We consider price point, safety and the track record of current products in the category. We evaluate whether or not the invention can be commercialized with our current resources.
At this stage we want to know WHY the market wants the invention but do not want to know WHAT the invention is. Because we deal with so many inventors and because of the possibility that an inventor is more likely to reveal confidential information during a telephone conversation than in writing, we do not, at this stage, give out a telephone number. At this stage we should not be told anything the inventor considers "confidential."
Go to Invention Submission to start the process.
2. The next step is for I-City to learn what the invention is. We do this by executing a second stage Non-Disclosure Agreement ("NDA"). The second stage agreement, unlike the agreement sent in with the initial submission, gives the inventor a fair degree of protection. At this time we also give out our phone number. Less than 10% of the submissions we receive reach this second stage.
3. The third stage is to try and put
together a deal. If you haven't called us by this time, we'll have
called you. We'll talk to you to find out what you want and
discuss, in detail, how we might help you achieve your goals. Less
than 5% of submissions reach this stage.
4. The final stage is to commercialize the invention through a licensing deal, by bringing it to market ourselves or by working in conjunction with the inventor. Less than 1% of submissions reach this stage.
Depending on its sizzle, an invention
can pass thorugh the first three stages quickly, in perhaps as
little as two weeks. The final stage can take several months to
several years depending on the nature of the invention, its level of
development and our current commitments.
Return to FAQ
Why doesn't the Invention City Submission Agreement (NDA) give me
more protection?
Our Invention Submission
Agreement is a first stage agreement. It's designed to protect us
against someone claiming to have invented the wheel. It's similar
to agreements used by Fortune 500 companies and allows us to talk to
Fortune 500 companies and others without liability. If your
invention seems to fit our guidelines for risk and reward, we'll
execute a second stage agreement that will give you more meaningful
protection. In the meantime you should avoid telling us any
"Confidential Information". However, you should, to the extent
possible, give us all of the sizzle on your invention. Help us
understand WHY people will want the invention (faster, safer,
cheaper etc.) but avoid telling us HOW the invention accomplishes
the goal. Patents are issued on HOWs not WHYs. As for the knockoff
issue, that is a gray slippery slope. All present creative
endeavors stand on the shoulders of those who came before. No idea
springs fully formed out of thin air. Your inventions are surely
both inspired by and utilize the inventions of others. We do not
solicit ideas from inventors and then proceed to make the idea
without compensating the inventor. At the same time, inventors
should be aware that, at any given time, we might be working on an
idea that is similar or competitive to a new submission.
How can I survey people without disclosing my idea?
To learn what the market thinks about your idea you need to
ask it - you must disclose it. But that doesn't mean you must
disclose key features to your competitors. Choose your survey
targets carefully. Give them the information they need to generate
the information you want. Describe features and benefits without
disclosing how those features and benefits are achieved. Show them
a prototype but don't open it up to show what makes it work.
For example, if you've invented a new kind of ball that bounces higher and for longer duration than other balls you should have no trouble in saying exactly that: "I've invented a ball that bounces higher for longer duration than other balls." You have not revealed HOW the ball manages this trick. The HOW is the invention. If the idea itself needs to be secret, find other ways to discuss it obliquely. But keep in mind that the more accurate your description of your invention to third parties, the better input you'll receive. Don't be overly paranoid. While paranoia is helpful in small doses, it can become poisonous in large ones. To commercialize an invention an inventor needs to talk (more or less) openly with third parties.
For our own inventions we take a few simple steps to establish priority and then survey friends and family members. We don't ask them to sign our NDA (although we've been asked by the same family members to sign THEIR NDA).
I'm ready to get quotes for manufacturing my product. What next?
Read the Invention City article
Manufacturing Your Idea for a
detailed answer. In short, the steps are:
1. Take steps to protect your invention. File a disclosure document
with the USPTO (or a provisional
patent if you're ready) Do a patent search to find something like
your idea. You should find something similar. Use the patent(s) you
find as a template for writing your disclosure and/or provisional
patent.
2. Go to Asian Sources and
register. Search their database to find companies that make
something similar to your item. Likewise check out Thomas
Register.
3. Contact the companies you like. Tell them you'd like a quote, ask
them to sign a NDA (disclosure agreement - do a search on for
"Disclosure Agreement" or "NDA" at
Google to find one that suits your industry or, better still (if
you have money) contact an intellectual property attorney - check
out I-City listings in our Patents
office).
4. Send them drawings and get your quotes. You should get at least
three quotes. If you don't have the time or feel uncertain about
the process you can
contract
Invention City to find three sources for you.
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