I'm going to be on TV!

[larrys]

Those of you who live in the San Francisco/Bay Area can tune into KPIX, Ch. 5 (CBS) on Friday, July 16, 2010 to catch me on TV! The show is, "Eye On The Bay" and will feature 13 local inventors including me! I'm interviewed by local TV personality Brian Hackney for my product DISKSTROYER.

It's a half hour show and with 13 inventors you can guess that the segment with me will be pretty short . But, I can use all of the free publicity I can get!

The picture below is me with Brian Hackney.

[N_Jay]

How much are you selling a screwdriver and sandpaper for?

[larrys]

Originally Posted by N_Jay

How much are you selling a screwdriver and sandpaper for?

Hi N_Jay,

Well, the kit has a bit more than just some sandpaper and a screwdriver . But, the kit sells for $29.97. If you buy it from Amazon.com you can get it with free shipping and no sales tax.

Thanks!
Larry.

[hondacuraplanet]

In all seriousness, I've had a brilliant idea for a very simple invention for the last 10 years, and nobody's ever come up with this before. I have absolutely no idea what do do with my idea. PM me if you'd be interested in hearing more

[netman88]

Seek a patent for it, try to sell it I guess.

[larrys]

Originally Posted by hondacuraplanet

In all seriousness, I've had a brilliant idea for a very simple invention for the last 10 years, and nobody's ever come up with this before. I have absolutely no idea what do do with my idea. PM me if you'd be interested in hearing more

Hi Tim,

Great that you have an idea but you need to start doing something with it! Make some money my friend!

But, before you start talking to people about it you need to protect your idea! You can get some protection (usually called IP for Intellectual Property) on the cheap by filing for a Provisional Patent Application (PPA). It's only $110 for you to file for one and you can write it yourself (see book recomendation below). I'm not an attorney but I recently went through this myself.

If you disclose your idea publically (like posting it on the Piloteers site) or offer it for sale to anyone then you just started a one-year clock ticking. From that point on you have one year to file for some type of patent or you could lose your ability to patent it! But, the good news is that if your idea is patentable you can file for a PPA yourself for only $110! This gives you one year to determine if your idea is marketable and you can label it “Patent Pending.”

A few great resources are the books from Nolo Press (Lawyers, Legal Forms, Law Books, Legal Software, and Free Information - Nolo). Specifically look for “Patent Pending in 24 hours” and “Patent It Yourself.” I bought both and can highly recommend them! To start just hit your local public library and check them out for free to see if you like them!

And, you would need to also decide if you want to make and sell this idea yourself (venture it) or let someone else do all of the work and you get a royalty on each unit sold (license it). A good source of free information on licensing are the podcasts from InventRight (they call it a radio show, “Blog Talk Radio”). You can get it here: inventRight - Successful inventor Stephen Key helps you bring your invention or product idea to market through licensing.

They also offer a class but I have not taken it myself. I’ve heard that it’s good but it’s also out of my budget for now .

Feel free to PM me if you have questions about any of this. I just went through all of that myself for my product!

Good luck!
Larry.

[hondacuraplanet]

The problem with this idea is that it isn't patentable. It involves putting together a few things that are already public domain, as I'm told......

[larrys]

Originally Posted by hondacuraplanet

The problem with this idea is that it isn't patentable. It involves putting together a few things that are already public domain, as I'm told......

Did you ever see the movie, "Flash of Genius?" Just because your idea is made of other public things doesn't mean that your idea isn't patentable. In the case of the movie the guy (sorry I don't remember his name) didn't invent any of the individual electrical components but he did invent a novel use for a few of them put together in a unique way for a unique purpose.

Look at my product. I didn't invent any of the tools I include in my kit. But, I did invent the novel use of a specific set of tools along with my directions put together for a specific and novel use!

Before you assume that it's not patentable I would again suggest looking at those books or give a quick call to a patent attorney (I can recommend a few if you would like). Usually an initial call is free and they can't steal your idea since it's client/attorney privileged information (unless they're a crook ).

While looking at those books you should also look at how to properly document your idea for your self. The USA is a "First to Invent" country, not a "First to Patent." In theory if I independently came up with your same idea and patented it tomorrow you legally have the rights to it since you first came up with it. The trick it how to show that you invented it first!

Good luck!
Larry.