Invention & Idea Show

We recently attended the Invention & Idea Show sponsored by the Minnesota Inventors Congress. They are celebrating there 51st annual event, established in 1958 they are a non profit organization dedicated to the advancement of inventors and their ideas. Check out some of the show details at Invent Helper . The event was held June 13th and 14th as the world’s oldest annual convention.

Among some of the great relationships we established at this event we meet with The United Stated Patent and Trademark office representatives, Inventors Network, Pelham West Licensing Scouts and Invent Right. We are sending follow up information to all the licensing scouts at this show to include products we have currently contracted to license. One product specifically we are working with that grabbed attention was Swing Correct. This is a great new product to perfect your golf swing. Another of our products Conform-A Tie also got some notice. We are looking forward to continued interest in other products and additional progress from our licensing efforts.

Some of the products we witnessed at the show included the Step-Up which won the 2007 Grand Prize and one of our favorites Spiral Eye Needles which caught the eye of many of the attendees. It goes to show you that having a physical product can really help to gain recognition and exposure.

After attending multiple seminars and having many discussions with professionals at this event we have once again confirmed our initial program. Here are the initial steps that inventors should follow for product development.
First design your idea (Idea Design) and be creative with it. Have a professional create 3d designs and computer models for visual effect and design originality.
Next get a professional to do a patent search for you (a great source for this is found at the United Inventors Association) which is another group we met at the trade show.
After completing the initial two steps its time to move onto the physical prototype stage (Prototype). This step is very important and should be done professionally, not only does your invention need to function but it needs to have manufacturability. You want to know it can be reproduced and what it will take to do that.
Now you have a functioning product, its time to look into a patent. If done sooner you run the risk of a patent on something that you may not be able to produce or a product that must go through major changes in design (which could cause more patent work anyway). There is much debate as to when to file for a patent, so you should always consult with a professional.

In coming Blog posts we will have some in-depth posts from each of the contacts we established from this years event. We are looking forward to next year’s event as we continue to build on the relationships from this year.

If you need help with a new idea or product Click Here!

Summer Time! Create Ideas with Kids!

If you have inventive natures why not bring the kids into the action. Summer is here and it is a great time to bond with the kids. They probably have already seen you tinkering around with your ideas and have shown interest. How about getting them involved? It is important to keep them active and learning. One thing is to hand them the modeling clay and have them try and shape together your idea or try and draw it out. But, it you need help with more kid friendly ideas we have some great sites for you to check out.

There are plenty of resources online for kids to help inspire there inventive minds. The United Stated Patent Office has a great kids section for learning and exploring fun. Check it out at http://www.uspto.gov/go/kids/ . It is a very interactive and colorful site with lots of learning games and interaction. Next on the list is Kids Invent. This is a great site to purchase instructional brochures for inventing at schools and home. The brochures are inexpensive ranging for around $3.00 to $5.00 for each activity. They also have a great description so you can review them and pick out the ones you and your child are most interested in. Check out there site at http://www.kidsinvent.com/ .

The next place we found interesting is By Kids for Kids. This site is very kid friendly they have contests for cash prizes and really cool ideas to share. The site is geared for kids of all ages. Check it out at http://www.bkfk.com/ . The last site is really more of an overall kid friendly zone and not just about inventing. It is worth mentioning because it has many links for research and education. Check it out at http://www.kids.net.au/ .

Now you have some great resources to get involved in this summer to stay creative. Keep and open mind and just run with it. Oh yeah and don’t forget to have a few BBQs in between.

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 )