An invention design that offers something unique to the public can be worth a small fortune, so it’s important that you understand the steps to taking an idea from concept to securing a licensing deal. An invention help website is a great resource that can provide you with this valuable knowledge.
Protect Your Concept
All of your original notes and ideas should be kept together in an inventor idea notebook. Most invention design ideas take lots of brainstorming, so you should make sure that you include the date, either before or after each entry. Dates become very important in case there is a legal challenge down the road and you need to prove when you originally conceived each phase of your design.
Next, when you feel your ideas for the design are mostly complete, take your idea notebook to your local notary public and have it officially notarized. Again, this protects your work from claims that you’re not the original creator.
Do A Patent Search
Go online and do your own patent search to see if there are any similar ideas to yours that have already been patented. You don’t need to pay an attorney to do this, unless you’re okay with the expense that it will cost. The U.S. government has a patent site (uspto.gov) and you can easily do a search from your home computer.
If you still feel you need more advice on whether or not you should patent your idea, an inventor’s association, invention books or invention help articles and other resources can provide you with additional guidance.
Make a Simple Prototype
Before you go any further and spend a lot of money on a professional prototype. Put together a mock prototype with simple materials, just to get an idea of how your design works. You may find some flaws at this stage that you can go back and fix. Remember to make a note of any changes in your idea notebook. Getting invention help with your prototype is recommended.
Conduct Market Research
So far, you feel like your invention design is a pretty good idea, but in order for it to be successful in the marketplace, you should understand who your target consumer is, and how much it will cost to produce and sell your design. Any potential business partner will want to know these things in advance.
The product’s potential consumer is anyone who is most likely to need and use this type of product.
When it comes to estimating the cost invention ideas , you’ll need to do research on manufacturing, packaging, trademark, marketing and distribution. It’s okay if you estimate all of these expenses. Also, come up with an estimate of the amount of profit per unit you think is possible.
Patent and Prototype
It will be necessary to protect your invention design, and this means applying for a patent. Before applying for a permanent patent, you may want to apply for a provisional patent first. This allows your invention to be protected for one year. You can download the application at uspto.gov. invention idea
If you need to make any manufacturing changes to your design, it’s easier, and less expensive to do this while covered under a provisional patent.
At this stage, you’ll need to have a professional prototype made of your inventions design. Before taking this step, you should be absolutely sure that your idea has good marketability potential. It’s very expensive to get a prototype made, so you want to feel confident about the product when you present it for a licensing deal.
mike