As the holiday season is upon us, we can’t help but think of all the innovative and creative minds that are behind those products that are flying off the store shelves as people continue to cross items off of their holiday wish lists.

So often, inventors with big ideas get hung up on the need for patents before a project even goes from ideation to a working concept model for testing.

Sure, in a blog that we wrote a few weeks ago, we put the spotlight on Lowell Wood, an inventor who surpassed Thomas Edison as America’s leading patent holder with 1,085 patents to his name.

Despite that amazing fact, today, we are going to discuss the topic of why some say it’s not always important to aspire to be a patent holder and to rather, aspire to see ideas in the marketplace!

Every year, hundreds of thousands of patented ideas never make it to the market. As we mentioned before, sometimes people get too caught up in “protecting” their idea, more than they are concerned with developing their idea.

Fear is often the motivator for people to jump right in to patenting their idea before it’s ready for that step. As we always say, invention ideas change over time; an initial product idea can have multiple iterations before its design is finalized.

Now, we aren’t discounting the value of a patent; after all, it is an important tool. But according to Tamara Monosoff, established author and contributing writer to Entrepreneur Magazine, it’s not the fast pass to success. Monosoff suggests that steps should be taken to validate your product and its potential success before a patent is filed.

That’s why she finds it important for a person, before he or she even considers patenting an idea, to ask themselves important questions regarding their invention idea. These questions may include:

• Can the product be manufactured?
• What’s the need for this idea?
• Is this invention idea marketable?

To that point, Monosoff suggests that before you pursue your idea and protect it, you should do your own research to see if your product is needed on the market and if your idea has the potential to be a viable business opportunity.

In the end, once you’ve done your research and determined whether or not there are roadblocks to your success, you can then ask yourself the question, “To patent or not to patent?”

If you have a new product idea that you would like to pursue – Let us help you with your idea!

Copyright Davison, 2015

The opinions of Tamara Monosoff are hers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Davison.  Davison does not offer or provide research or opinions concerning market potential or the viability of a business opportunity.

Sources:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/80088

Image:

http://immortaldc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/patent-approved.jpg

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Year after year, America continues to be the most innovative, inventing nation in the entire world.

When we think of famous American inventors, more times than not, Thomas Edison’s name will likely be rambled off, among many other inventors.

This comes as no surprise, given the fact that he’s invented some of the most prolific inventions in history, such as the phonograph, light bulb and the movie camera, to name a few.

But, along with all inventions comes a slew of patents; and, being the great innovator and inventor that Edison was, between the years of 1869 and 1933, he tacked on 1,084 United States utility patents to his resume.

This astonishing number of patents made him the longstanding record holder for 82 years as the American inventor with the most patents. But, like most things in life, all good things must come to an end and Edison’s reign as patent king in America has come to a close, thanks to a man named Lowell Wood.

It was lucky patent 1,085 that allowed Wood to surpass Edison in the intellectual property department. So, what is Wood’s invention specialty?

According Bloomberg Businessweek’s Ashlee Vance, “The scope of his inventions is insane… he’s just this guy who is compelled to solve problems and invent new ideas.”

In fact, one of his inventions, the “Mosquito Laser” is a device that was invented in order to solve the problem of malaria by killing large numbers of mosquitos to help reduce people’s chance of contracting the disease.

With all of this talk about patents and inventions solving problems, we couldn’t help but reflect on the importance of patents and what it takes to chase your dreams.

So, with that being said, we wanted to offer you three inventing tips:

1. Be persistent – Coming up with an invention idea and hopefully seeing it succeed doesn’t happen overnight. If you’re serious about your idea, it’s important to understand that it’ll take diligence, perseverance and a great attitude to be able to handle the obstacles along the inventing journey.
2. Be positive – As we mentioned in the previous point, a great attitude is an important cog in the invention wheel. Know that there will be naysayers and people who are waiting for you to fail. Despite this negative energy, keeping a positive and focused attitude will help you deal with the curveballs and continue to chase after your dreams.
3. Be smart – Inventions come out of necessity and work to solve problems. Think of yourself as Sherlock Holmes. You are a detective who is looking to solve a problem and that problem will be solved with your invention idea. To that point, you’ll want to surround yourself with a “Watson;” what we mean by this is that you’ll want to spend time with people who share your vision, who support you and who encourage you to do your best day in and day out.

Lowell Wood’s 1,085 patents alone are inspiring; however, it’s his creativity, intellect and, of course, his innovative spirit that has earned him with the title of America’s leading patent holder.

Only time will tell how long Wood will keep the patent-holding crown!

Copyright Davison, 2015

Sources:

http://www.intellectualventures.com/insights/archives/move-over-thomas-edison.-lowell-wood-is-now-americas-most-prolific-inventor?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily+Intellectual+Ventures+IV+Insights+Blog&utm_content=Daily+Intellectual+Ventures+IV+Insights+Blog+CID_4443067d1f91f4203566d66e332d5cf8&utm_source=Email+marketing+software&utm_term=Move+Over+Thomas+Edison+Lowell+Woo

Images:

https://panosnomikos.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/lowell-wood.jpg

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When a company considers an idea for a new product, it may be advised, “The first thing you need to do is file for your patent as quickly as possible.”  Particularly now that the US is a “First-Inventor-to File” system, some patent service providers have made much of the idea of filing immediately.  However, rushing to file an application before your idea is properly developed and researched can lead to wasted money, a false sense of security and dashed hopes.  Some basic facts about patents:

1.      Not all “ideas” are patentable.  Abstract ideas, laws of nature, non-novel ideas, and obvious adaptations are just a few of the types of “ideas” that are simply not patentable.

2.      Ideas that are not machines, compositions, a process, or a product (article of manufacture) are not the types of ideas that a utility patent addresses.

3.      If you have not developed the idea to the extent that you are able to describe in sufficiently precise detail how the idea would work, or if you are not sure if it would work, then you do not yet have a patentable idea.

In short, yes, filing as soon as it is practical is important, but understanding when it is practical can avoid unnecessary cost and frustration.

Copyright Davison  2014

Sources:

http://www.uspto.gov/inventors/patents.jsp

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