Non-Disclosure and Provisional Patents

As a new inventor you may be and should be concerned about protecting your new idea or invention. Keeping good records is key to start. Always document any activity involving your project and label your records starting with your name and date of entry. If you are going to need help moving forward with your idea, or you decide you want to show your idea to someone always present or request a non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement before they review it. The biggest mistake for first time inventors regarding these types of agreements is using one that has no time frame for disclosure. In our opinion in order for the agreement to hold up there must be some time frame. A normal time frame seen on agreements in the United States is between 2 to 3 years. Longer time frames tend to appear in Europe, as much as 10 years. Be very cautious of any documents without a timeframe as they may not hold up in court. This happens a lot with invention promotion firms wanting to review your idea. They will not include a time frame just so you will feel safe and not question them. However, this shows they don’t really care much about your idea or you as the inventor. More often then not they are more interested in your money anyway!(We will discuss Invention Promotion firms in later articles with more detail). View this time frame as a motivator to keep you moving forward with your project and always use one regardless of who is reviewing your idea. You may review one of our confidential agreements at http://www.inventionsupport.com/submit.aspx. look under the terms and conditions section.

Aside from non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements another way for early protection is to file for a provisional patent. If you have determined your idea to be patentable then this application will give your idea one year of protection. It can be a realitivly inexpensive way to have time for initial work like research, development and testing. However, the patent office is very strict about disclosure and that one year time frame. You must apply for a non-provisional application within that year or risk losing the ability to obtain a patent. One option is to apply for the provisional patent after the initial designs and patent searching are complete. By doing this you will have a strong understanding of your new product and will not be wasting time on the provisional one year limit. Visit the United States Patent and Trademark Office for more details on provisional patents at http://www.uspto.gov/ .



This article is for information purposes only and is not intended nor subject as legal advice. Consult with your own attorney for clarification. All information expressed exhibits only the opinions of the writer.

First Step to Inventing

Lets face it, the main reason that so few people reach there goals in life is because they simply don't take action. The same is true with new ideas and inventing. Far to many inventors will never take action on an idea only to find it on the market in a few years. Or, they will get a negative comment from there brothers sisters cousins uncle and never move forward. Remember a persons attitude is a reflection of there life. Use real facts and research to make decisions on your idea. Take advice from people you value the opinion of and have had the experience and accomplishments to back it up.

Take action on your idea or invention. This does not mean to blindly follow through just because you have an idea it means move forward obtaining real answers until those answers tell you otherwise. Here are a few questions you need answered early:

1. Does my idea have a specific purpose or fill a need?
2. Do I have a great design and function?
3. Have I seen anything similar to my design or function? (Preliminary searching)
4. Does my idea or invention work? (If not can I get help to make it work?)
5. Would people I know buy this idea?
6. Do I feel strongly enough about my idea or invention to put forth the effort?

These questions will get you in the right direction. Get answers and make decisions that feel right. Ultimately, when we take action it may turn into positive answers and sometimes it will not. Either way you can feel good that you are taking action and moving forward. Your directions may change and your life may change for the better.

Remember, there are no guarantees in life but rest assured if you do nothing then you will have no control of what ever happens. This is the greatest time in history to work on a new idea or invention. So start by taking some Action!

Prototype your Idea or Invention.

This comes second nature to many individuals who have thought of a new idea or invention out of necessity. Especially when it comes to a new tool for around the house or work. Many inventors have created homemade prototypes and use there idea on a regular basis. By doing so they have amble time testing there idea and making improvements.

However, if you find yourself less then mechanically inclined there are a few ways to simplify making the prototype or physical model of your idea. But first lets briefly discuss the two main types of early stage prototypes (non-functional and functional).

1. Non-functional prototype (Mainly to examine the overall appearance, form and feel you want. Good start and motivational builder. Gives you the opportunity to examine for early improvements or modifications.)


2. Functional Prototype (A working model. If it is feasible this will give you the ability to test, improve, retest and improve until you have a solid product.)

Don't be surprised to find yourself with many changes in the beginning, James Dyson the inventor of the Dyson vacuum cleaners went through thousands of prototypes to see his vision through. Of course he was creating new technology but this is why it is a good idea to design your idea first. Draw it out or design it on the computer. If you need help use a professional to design your idea. Early design work can save you time and money later in the development process. A good design start would be to have a 3d rendering created. This is like a 3d model of your product on the computer. Usually, it is not movable yet so get multiple views to have good representation. This will make your idea look like a real product and you can still make changes before a prototype is created. The more visual you can be in the beginning the better.

Usually, the most inexpensive way to prototype your product is to make a homemade model. This can mean simply buying modeling clay or cardboard to create a model for visual effect. It can be a great way to be hands on with your project. Depending on the complexity of the idea, your skill level and motivation you may feel capable to create a working prototype. Go out and buy the material to create it and because you did the initial design work you can use that as your template. Of course, at some point you will probably want to create a professional prototype to understand and solve manufacturing issues, tooling and production costs as well as to do product testing. Also, remember that when you are having a professional prototype created find out whether the prototype will be functional or non functional. Don't just assume that your prototype will be functional.

Steps to Kick Start your Idea or Invention

Here are a few things to help you move in a positive direction with your new idea or invention.

1. Write down all of the immediate details of your idea. Grab a notepad or create a document on your computer and start with your name, date and time of the entry. You are starting an Idea Journal. Start listing every detail that comes to mind. Don't worry about any specific order or making your idea perfect just let the creative juices start flowing. Think of it as your personal brainstorming session. I suggest that if you came up with the idea as a team or group effort everyone should do there Idea Journal separately then reconviene for new sessions. You need to write down everything that comes to your mind without distractions. If you have a design in mind do a diagram. Even if you think you can't draw well don't judge yourself everything can be refined and organized later. The main purpose is to get information documented of your first thoughts. Understand that your idea will go through many changes along the way but those first thoughts will be the foundation that you will revisit for inspiration.


2. Next, with a basic understanding and possibly a rough design it is time for some research. You want to check around for anything similar to what you have in mind. The Internet is a great place to start for this research. There are many search engines but these two sights will work well. First go to http://www.google.com/ and type in the specific search term (Description-be specific; remote lawnmower not just lawnmower) about your idea and scroll down the pages. You can't just rely on the first page for all the answers and try different word variations. Then you can do a free patent search at http://www.google.com/patents . Again, type in specific information about what your idea is and scroll down the pages. Remember this is not a guarantee no one has thought of your idea before but it is a great start.

( Design your Idea and Patent Referral list at http://www.inventionsupport.com/submit.aspx )