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07-04-2016, 04:55 AM
#11
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Corpus Christi, Tx.
Posts: 16,105
This is excellent advice. REmember the saying; Great minds think alike. Some of those minds proceed to the next step as soon as it enters their head. It's like in school when you come up with an idea no one else has thought of and they hear yours then go to the teacher who then says; "Susie had the best idea." Carol gets no credit.
I took a class that had a little bit on patents while in college and I think you need to check it out as much as you can on the net but I do remember that you need to draw up the idea or write it up and date it and maybe have it notarized so you have proof of it being your design. If I were you I would do this before you went to a lawyer or patent person. Then I would use a copy of that to go for help and put the original in a safe secure place. Do your research.
Lynda
Lynda
07-04-2016, 05:04 AM
#12
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Corpus Christi, Tx.
Posts: 16,105
If I were you I'd contact the lady who designed all those feet for her blind friend who wanted to sew. She could probably give you lots of advice. I can't remember her name or the name of those feet right now--there's one to sew strings of beads, I think one for piping, etc.. Maybe someone else remembers?
07-04-2016, 05:33 AM
#14
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Central Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Posts: 7,695
[QUOTE=lwbuchholz;7592626]I took a class that had a little bit on patents while in college and I think you need to check it out as much as you can on the net but I do remember that you need to draw up the idea or write it up and date it and maybe have it notarized so you have proof of it being your design. If I were you I would do this before you went to a lawyer or patent person. Then I would use a copy of that to go for help and put the original in a safe secure place. Do your research.
I seem to remember from somewhere that you should make one copy of your design, and mail it to yourself and not open it. It becomes a permanent record of when you designed it if you ever have to prove it is your design, and when you did it, to use if you ever have go to a court. (Not sure where I heard all of this, but it couldn't hurt to do it while you are developing a "creation and marketing" campaign) Hope this is helpful.
I seem to remember from somewhere that you should make one copy of your design, and mail it to yourself and not open it. It becomes a permanent record of when you designed it if you ever have to prove it is your design, and when you did it, to use if you ever have go to a court. (Not sure where I heard all of this, but it couldn't hurt to do it while you are developing a "creation and marketing" campaign) Hope this is helpful.
07-04-2016, 06:25 AM
#15
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Illinois
Posts: 2,140
Call your local Bar Association (http://www.msba.org/public/lawyer-referral.aspx) and ask for an attorney that specializes in Patent Law. If you really want to be extra cautious, you can draw and describe your idea & mail it certified mail to yourself (don't open it), but I really wouldn't worry about anything beyond that when talking with a licensed attorney who is in good standing with the local Bar. A good Patent Attorney can help you figure out what type of patent(s) to apply for & should be able to connect you with any other professionals you may need to complete the patent application (typically, a basic NDA would provide enough protection, but you really need an attorney to advise you on that).
If you are the type who is just intellectually curious, here's a link to the USPTO: http://www.uspto.gov/patent
HOWEVER, I cannot recommend an attorney strongly enough. In the past, individuals have been granted a patent application & later found that it was either (1) invalid because they didn't do a proper search for similar already-patented products, or (2) more commonly, they did not write the application in a way that provided enough protection for their invention & someone else was legally able to steal all or part of what they had invented.
You don't necessarily need a prototype to sell your invention. The farther down the line you are with it, the more money you'll typically get because you're reducing the cost & risk for the buyer, but there are people who are able to get some money simply for presenting an idea on paper. Once you get the go-ahead from your attorney, the next place I'd recommend checking out is your local Small Business Association (https://www.sba.gov/offices/district/md/baltimore or http://mdsbdc.umd.edu/) to help figure out how to develop & market your invention. Our local SBA has "pitch nights" where individuals can come an pitch an idea to Venture Capitalists (like Shark Tank) to get funding. I only recommend that if you're already tried to self-fund & get traditional funding through a Bank because the VC's typically take 20% or more of your company -- plus, they would rarely fund a company/product at the Idea stage. Going from the idea stage to the drawing stage to the prototype to working sample, to test marketed, to publicly sold to widely available in stores means you should be getting more and more money (assuming your idea is successful at each stage), but selling at the idea stage has its advantages:
you have little money invested
you don't need to learn how to manufacture the product
you don't need to develop relationships with people who can refine & develop your product
you only need to know enough about sales/marketing to pitch your product effectively
Your attorney & small business advisor (often advisors are free through SBA) should be able to help guide you through the process. My biggest piece of advice -- and the hardest one to stick to -- is DO NOT EVER, EVER, EVER talk to anyone other than maybe spouse & parents about your idea until the patent application is submitted (or even better, approved) unless your attorney tells you to. It is a sad reality that even fellow quilters sometimes have been known to steal someone else's idea. The same thing goes for large companies that could potentially buy your invention. If they think they can claim you sent it to them as a "free suggestion", they will. I've seen it happen. Do not assume you know enough to write in a way that prevents that. You'd be surprised how sneaky some of these places are.
If money is an issue, you can ask the Sr. attorney on your case to farm out as much work as possible to legal assistants & junior associates (if they have any -- larger firms definitely would) because those bill at a lower hourly rate. Good luck & congrats on your idea!!!
If you are the type who is just intellectually curious, here's a link to the USPTO: http://www.uspto.gov/patent
HOWEVER, I cannot recommend an attorney strongly enough. In the past, individuals have been granted a patent application & later found that it was either (1) invalid because they didn't do a proper search for similar already-patented products, or (2) more commonly, they did not write the application in a way that provided enough protection for their invention & someone else was legally able to steal all or part of what they had invented.
You don't necessarily need a prototype to sell your invention. The farther down the line you are with it, the more money you'll typically get because you're reducing the cost & risk for the buyer, but there are people who are able to get some money simply for presenting an idea on paper. Once you get the go-ahead from your attorney, the next place I'd recommend checking out is your local Small Business Association (https://www.sba.gov/offices/district/md/baltimore or http://mdsbdc.umd.edu/) to help figure out how to develop & market your invention. Our local SBA has "pitch nights" where individuals can come an pitch an idea to Venture Capitalists (like Shark Tank) to get funding. I only recommend that if you're already tried to self-fund & get traditional funding through a Bank because the VC's typically take 20% or more of your company -- plus, they would rarely fund a company/product at the Idea stage. Going from the idea stage to the drawing stage to the prototype to working sample, to test marketed, to publicly sold to widely available in stores means you should be getting more and more money (assuming your idea is successful at each stage), but selling at the idea stage has its advantages:
you have little money invested
you don't need to learn how to manufacture the product
you don't need to develop relationships with people who can refine & develop your product
you only need to know enough about sales/marketing to pitch your product effectively
Your attorney & small business advisor (often advisors are free through SBA) should be able to help guide you through the process. My biggest piece of advice -- and the hardest one to stick to -- is DO NOT EVER, EVER, EVER talk to anyone other than maybe spouse & parents about your idea until the patent application is submitted (or even better, approved) unless your attorney tells you to. It is a sad reality that even fellow quilters sometimes have been known to steal someone else's idea. The same thing goes for large companies that could potentially buy your invention. If they think they can claim you sent it to them as a "free suggestion", they will. I've seen it happen. Do not assume you know enough to write in a way that prevents that. You'd be surprised how sneaky some of these places are.
If money is an issue, you can ask the Sr. attorney on your case to farm out as much work as possible to legal assistants & junior associates (if they have any -- larger firms definitely would) because those bill at a lower hourly rate. Good luck & congrats on your idea!!!
Last edited by Bree123; 07-04-2016 at 06:27 AM.
07-04-2016, 06:34 AM
#16
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 9,608
My husband is a draftsmen and has worked with several people over the years to develop and patent ideas. It can be a very long and arduous task. You will need to develop a prototype as someone has already said and do a patent search to make sure it's not already patented. I'm not sure if you can do that without a lawyer. You'd have to check.
It usually takes at least 2 tries to get the prototype developed (often more like 3 or 4). So that all costs money. If you going to make it out of some type of metal, you'll need drawings to send to a machine shop to have them make you one. If you go the plastic route, you could probably use 3-D printing which probably wouldn't cost as much because of the size. I don't really know. You might even want to develop the prototypes in plastic even if you are going to use metal for the final product, but you will still need drawings.
It takes time and sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't. Once you get a lawyer involved it gets really expensive.
It usually takes at least 2 tries to get the prototype developed (often more like 3 or 4). So that all costs money. If you going to make it out of some type of metal, you'll need drawings to send to a machine shop to have them make you one. If you go the plastic route, you could probably use 3-D printing which probably wouldn't cost as much because of the size. I don't really know. You might even want to develop the prototypes in plastic even if you are going to use metal for the final product, but you will still need drawings.
It takes time and sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't. Once you get a lawyer involved it gets really expensive.
07-04-2016, 11:51 AM
#17
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Western PA
Posts: 1,459
The daughter of the woman who invented the Little Foot owns a quilt shop in Evans City, PA. The name is Little Foot Quilt Shoppe and the daughter's first name is Sarah.
http://littlefoot.net
I would call and ask them. Sarah is super nice and so is her mom. They did a presentation for another invention this year at our quilt guild.
Hope that helps.
http://littlefoot.net
I would call and ask them. Sarah is super nice and so is her mom. They did a presentation for another invention this year at our quilt guild.
Hope that helps.
07-05-2016, 03:24 AM
#18
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,783
http://www.creativefeet.com/products/ states for a blind sewer
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