I’m asking this for my boyfriend who doesn’t use reddit. He’s in the fishing industry and has this brilliant idea for a tool that fisherman use everyday – but a much better version of it that would make the use of this tool much easier to use. It doesn’t exist yet, we checked. The problem is he (and I) have ZERO clue on how to get this going… I know that he needs to build or create some sort of prototype, right? Is there a company that can help with this? I know there are these “invention help” companies that exist, but are they legit? If they are legit, are there some that are considered better? How do they work and make money? Sorry if I’m just spewing a bunch of questions but I’m just at a loss when it comes to this stuff. I really want to help him make this a reality because he’s struggling financially at times and I just have this deep-down feeling that this could really be a great thing not only for him, but for the fishing industry in general. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Would recommend reaching out to a company that can do the ID, RD, Prototyping, Die Mold and Manufacturing all in house. Recommend reaching out to my buddies company. Go to www.VitaTek.io and ask for Matt.
Fishing is a very old industry. A “revision of a tool already in use”… there is a really good chance that it has been done before and there is a failure you have yet to realize.
Source: my many years on the sea.
Read this as how to start an intervention. Totally different idea lol
The are companies who do this. They will take you from concept to production helping you design, prototype, and patent your idea.
Give him a copy of the book “One Simple Idea” by Stephen Keys
Thank you! Just ordered it.
I’ve been through this several times. I’ve created products, created production mechanisms, developed packaging, and began to market. Some items didn’t go over well, some were real moneymaker. But in all cases, in a few months duplicate products made in China began to appear and were sold for less than 1/2 of my product. Patents and legal maneuvers were of no help. China will rip off your idea and shut you down. So be careful how much money you spend on development because your product lifetime will be short.
I understand Chinese manufacturers copying a design, but if you have EU and US patents protecting you, how are they shutting you down and shortening the product lifetime?
how are they shutting you down and shortening the product lifetime?
Because you have no recourse.
Unless you’re multi-billion dollar corporation, you have zero influence in China and can’t stop them from doing whatever they feel like.
If you invent a widget and it costs you $20 to manufacture and you sell it for $40, there’s absolutely nothing that stops anybody or everybody in China from making it and selling it for $10.
You did not address my question. How are the knockoffs able to sell on Amazon or do anything other than drop-ship from China to the EU and US markets? I understand enforcement is expensive, but specifically how are knockoffs shutting you out of these markets since the patents protect the right to sell in them?
Because nobody will enforce your rights for you unless you can legally force them to, which requires a lot of money and quite often influence.
patents protect the right to sell in them?
TL/DR: Patents protect exactly nothing unless you have the clout to back them up.
This is why places like Amazon should be made partially liable for allowing illegally sold products.
I’m an industrial designer and would be happy to help. The book one simple idea is a good approach for low risk inventing and I’ve made lots of materials for inventors following these guidelines. Send me a dm if you’d like
Oh wow, thank you so much! I just ordered the book so that step is done. I’ll be in touch.
I wouldn’t send them an idea without some sort of contract. They can legally patent your idea and cut you out altogether
No, they can’t legally do that, although they might illegally be able to do that.
To obtain a patent you need to be the inventor (or have his sign off) .
You’re being down voted but you’re 100% correct. Only inventors can be granted patents and they may assign their patent rights to anyone else they please. Anyone can file a patent but if it were proven they were not the actual inventor, their patent could be invalidated.
This is not to confuse first to file with first to invent which is a different matter entirely.
Sounds good. I can outline the steps/ deliverables you’ll need for the one simple idea approach (licensing your product concept to an existing brand)
First, find an industrial designer on upwork or something. Describe the product for them and they will draw up some sketches of what the finished product will look like.
Then, find a mechanical engineer or product design engineer who can turn those sketches into a manufacturable product. Ask them to build a prototype. Realize that prototypes either look like the final product or work like the final product but, unless you want to spend a lot of money, not both.
Once you have your CAD model and prints, you can find a manufacturer. Look for a contract manufacturer or put the whole thing up for quote on Alibaba.
This is all assuming that this is a mechanical product without electronics.
The cost of all this will vary a lot depending on the manufacturing methods you need to use to build the thing, how complex it is, and all that. $10k-$100k I would guess.
Thank you so much for this info. It’s actually quite a simple design, no electronics, so I’m hoping it doesn’t get too complicated.
You can just search companies directly on Alibaba if it’s simple and come at them with the plans. They will usually design it for free. Then you make a large order and go thru the process. Just be aware they will also start selling it so have marketing and a plan already in place
Don’t tell anyone about it.
Build it.
Test it.
Get a provisional patent.
See if you can sell the idea within one year.
Get a patent lawyer and patent it.
Profit?
Watch Chinese come up with cheap knock off
Watch it die
This is why it’s not the product itself that needs to make money. You make money by service contracts. You make money on installations. You make money on repairs, you make money on taxpayer funded projects that cannot use foreign companies.
Warning; invention help companies are almost universally a scam
this has been my experience, too. They will feed off of your excitement about your invention, charge you money to put together a prospectus, and then you’ve got nothing. But they have your money.
As I understand it, your boy friend has an idea of how to improve upon an existing tool design.
For example, people use to punch holes in things with hand drill. Then someone got the idea to attach electric motor (faster, less time). Next, someone figured out how to use batteries rather than plug cord (portable).
So, your friend should be able to demonstrate how his improvement or innovation will save time (faster process), be safer, or some other attribute(s).
This could be a drawing, mock up, glue on, whatever. In other words, he has to be able to turn idea into an image. Then, at least you can copyright or trademark or begin patient process if possible.
I wouldn’t take idea to third party without protecting intellectual property.
Thank you so much. :)
A patent is key. You’ll obviously need help with obtaining one. A lawyer has a fiduciary duty to work in your best interest, so you generally won’t need to worry about the idea being stolen from them. Otherwise, get a signed NDA from anyone else with whom you share the idea.
I had a paten attorney put it to me this way, “I’m not going to risk losing my law license for your idea.” That pretty much cleared up thoughts about their potential for ripping people off of their ideas.
Talk to a patent attorney first before anyone else. Do NOT talk to anyone that’s willing to help you get it designed or whatever until you are protected.
The atty will advise on whether and what kind of protections you have.
I own a product development / engineering company, this is literally what I do for a living as a business… AMA.
How is that? I’ve done that for a few friends who had start ups, but how is it doing it for a living?
I did mostly concept redesigns and redesigns for manufactureability. They’d tell me a very general idea and I throw out a rough on solid works. Then I’d refine it for manufacturing and durability. Do the routings. Even design the tooling like jigs and molds. Zeal flipper is one of my designs.
https://www.amazon.sg/Flipper-Fidget-Anxiety-Reliever-Original/dp/B08SL1KQ49
It’s a tough business, that’s why there’s so few. Services are hard to grow. The majority of general public doesn’t have the funds to make it to the finish line so we won’t take just any project which limits the market size. If we were uncaring people, we’d take any project that walked in the door but then they’d run out of funds half way and it’s a waste of everyone’s time and especially their money. For some people, trying to license is the better route which can provide some some development work for us to make something presentable and functioning for them but even doing just that much is pushing $10k a lot of the time. The vast majority of our customers are going to tooling to try to make a business out of it or they’re already in a mature business and we’re just making their next thing. We’d only take on a project that is oriented toward licensing if they really are going to put in the work to do it. It’s not a “if you build it they will come” type of scenario. It’s getting it out there and pounding the pavement so to speak so we want to make sure they have that in them.
The job itself is generally awesome. We get to invent, brainstorm, build, and test stuff every day which is the ideal place fore engineers. The happiness level of the day totally depends on the customer’s personality though. Some people understand R&D and some people don’t. We have to drive that home so much to them but some people just don’t understand that each prototype is a test no matter how many times their told that. We even meet before we build stuff to say here’s what might go wrong and our plan B and C. So difficult customers make for a difficult day, said every entrepreneur ever. But the cool customers that get it and who are experts in their field are freaking awesome and an absolute pleasure to work with. They’re really involved and add a lot of value to the project as a member of the development team rather than just being a funder of the research. So we try our best to filter out potentially bad customers but some get through once in a while.
I’m guessing you work in a factory because most people aren’t designing the production tooling as that’s a job in and of itself. Prototype molds for something like RTV castings sure, no problem doing that in-house, but designing the entire production mold is usually done by the tooling company. Did I get that right or what type of place do you work now?
If you’re thinking about making the leap, I’d have two suggestions:
Make sure you have a lot of work lined up to keep you busy before leaving your day job. It takes probably a year before you’ll have enough to be full time and comfortable. It’ll take several years to figure everything out before it runs smoothly. It took me six to really run well and could sleep well and we’re still making improvements all the time more than ten years later.
Manage your cashflow and business savings like a hawk. It’s very easy with expensive COGS to get into a scenario with tens of thousands in receivables, which sounds great, and yet no money coming in for a few weeks for a payroll that’s due now. We have a line of credit and savings but that came with a little time after the first few years of figuring stuff out.
Ultimately it’s rewarding, fun work but it likely won’t make you a millionaire. Developing your own products just might though.
Find a patent attorney for an initial consult. Talk to designers, expediters, supply chain people, engineers, marketers, whoever you want. But protect your idea first. You don’t know what that means, so find out first.
I don’t know how you checked if this device exists, as an idea, if you haven’t done a patent search. If this goes anywhere, you’ll be talking to some subject matter experts. Make a lawyer your first expert.