Hi Lisa,
Well, I have lots of questions but am new to the site so not quite sure how to categorize considering they have to do with Manufacturing, Patents, Licensing, Marketing etc. I guess we will start with this question. For the benefit of the site and others trying to learn from this process, would you like for me to point my Patent questions to the patent section...and the others accordingly or would it be ok to post all in this particular forum.

I'm excited to collaberate with you and others from this website because this has been, to say the least, an exciting and tasking journey thus far. Well, nobody ever said this would be easy. You would think coming up with a great idea would be the difficult part but I'm learning that it is just half the battle.

Look forward to your response.

-David

Welcome David! You can ask your questions in either place, just pick the forum that you think is best for the subject of your question.

We are as excited about what icaninvent.com can do for would-be inventors all around the world too! It is going to take people like you who are willing to share their journey to be a success, so thanks for your participation!

Hi Lisa,
I have a question rearding "cross products". The product that I'm creating involves the use of another product that I purchase from a distributor. Do I need to contact the distributor of this product so that I can let them know I'm using their product as a functioning part of my own product? Does it make a difference considering I am buying their product from them (or their distributor)?

Great question! No. Absolutely not, you are not required to tell them what you are using it for when you have purchased the product legally. It may make sense at some point to tell them if you, for example, are trying to get a better deal on buying in bulk. But that would be up to you. Thanks for asking! When you are ready, post an image and de_script_ion of your invention on this site and come back to this forum and add a _link_ to the new product. I would love to see how your are doing! Lisa Lloyd

Yes, I will post an image once I get a bit further along with the new design. I'm meeting with a prototype company at the end of this week to have a CAD drawing done as well as a 3D model made for demostration purposes. I'm still in the process of re-designing though and once I find this simple solution, I'll be on to the next step.

My next question is:

I get alot of mail, phone calls and e-mail from companies such as Davison Inventigration and Inventech. What are these companies trying to do for me? Are they legit? Can they be trusted and is it worth even talking to them? I've opted not to because my first interaction with them was them asking me for $700 to do a search on intellectual property. I know that such a search is necessary but $700 right off the bat without giving me a next step??? Not in this town!! What are you thoughts on that.

Also, I read something in the paper yesterday about licensing and problems with licensors making claims against licensees. I didn't really know much about what they were talking about but this particular instance had to do with the pharmaceutical industry but I would assume it is across the board.

Thanks, David

Well, as far as those companies, a simple search on the internet will reveal their reputation very quickly. A search is one way to prevent the potential loss of a lot of money down the road. A few hundred dollars could reveal a product that you didn't know would prohibit you from patenting your idea and that could save you thousands on the patent that never goes through. If it is important to you to have a patent, then a good search is a good idea. Our company, LMG does a great patent search for only $250. There are many companies out there that do searches. So, just do your homework and be sure to work with someone you trust!

As for your licensee question, I didn't read the article, so I am not really sure what you are asking. I can say that the business of licensing is just that, a business, and we certainly will never put the lawyers out of business in the process Feel free to qualify the question and I will do my best to answer! Lisa Lloyd

Hi Lisa,
I will look for the article and see if I can give you a better idea of what they were talking about. It was in the Boston, MA paper but figured that something of that nature and importance would have been more widespread.

Just so you know, your prompt response and the answers to questions that you provide is really appreciated. It's nice to have someone that I can bounce questions and ideas off of that is an expert in the field.

I'm not sure if I want a patent or need a patent. I definitely need to do a patent search and just might contact your company to do that search for me for the $250. I'll see what I can come up with on my own but it's probably best to just have this done professionally.

I will do a search on Davison and Inventech to see what the feedback is. I have no intention of doing business with them but have had discussions with them in the past and just had trouble building confidence in them.

Question: When you created the french braid product and completed the prototype. Did you go out and test the marketplace before you went any further? Did you give some of the product away to a test audience (friends, family) to get feedback.

Thanks, David

After your compliment on the timeliness of my response I took almost 24 hours to answer this one! Sorry, I was busy working on one of our new products all day

Originally we made 500 French Twisters and sold them 12 at a time to salons. I was able to use the sales to bankroll the business and it became an effective test for us as well. We used the success in salons to prove the market to Scunci when we pitched it to them to license. I would say it was very effective in helping us PROVE that it was a good idea and worth licensing. Best of all, it made a little money along the way! Lisa Lloyd

Well, that is certainly the ideal approach to the market for sure. Did you have a patent on the product at that time? I'm sure it's important to protect yourself against someone looking at the idea and just creating it themselves or some conglomerate with big $$ who is able to make it without a second thought. I have a bunch of prototypes that I believe I could bring around to different stores but I'm cautious because I don't have a patent in place and the product does need some refining for sure.

I do like the approach that you took in testing the market to see what the feedback would be before putting the financing into increased production. This way you know that people want the product and it gives you leverage when taking it to the next step of approaching the licensor.

Yes, I was patent pending. It is true, without any intellectual property it is difficult to keep others from knocking you off during a test phase. This is why I like provisional patent applications. It is a good way to hedge your bet! Lisa Lloyd

Thanks for the insight and you helped me make a decision that I was pondering anyhow and that was to file for a provisional patent. This way I somewhat protect myself and it gives me up to a year to work on R&D. It is the way to go for me until I can figure out the changes I need to make, have the prototype company draft the model in CAD and then create a platic mold. Once this is done, I can use the mold to gain some leverage, as you did, with some potential buyers as I shop around the concept. Everyone that I have shown the product too has had nothing but positive things to say about it and that includes both consumers and merchants. One step at a time though.

Thanks again for your prompt response and insight. Maybe at some point I'll get this thing licensed and the door will be open for other ideas that I have. In hopes of following in your footsteps.

Have a great weekend.

By the way, I tried to do a patent search on USPTO but didn't do well with it. I wanted to inquire about having it done for me. I think you mentioned a cost of $250.00. It needs to be done and if it is going to be done, I want it done right.
Let me know on this.

I used to live in Scottsdale, Arizona for two years about 7 years ago. I'm due for a trip out there soon anyway so maybe it would be a good chance for me to show the product in person. I miss AZ alot!!

I believe wholeheartedly in selling off of a prototype. It takes all of the guessing work out of it. Licensing it dosn't requires sales, but even if you got tentative PO's from companies that say they would buy if it were in production, it will make it an attractive and more valuable product to any company interested in licensing the product.

As for doing a search, we are VERY proud of our ability to search for prior art. Just call Chris in our office at 520-722-9545 for the details. Most of our clients are not in AZ, so don't worry about lagistics

You have a great weekend too! Lisa Lloyd

I will give Chris a call at your office to get the process going. I would like to send you one of my prototypes so that you can get an understanding of what exactly the product is and the problem that it solves. I think this would probably be the best way to do an intellectual property search having the prototype in hand. The prototype that I have is going to change slightly but conceptually will stay the same. What are your thoughts on this. Of course I would need you to sign a non-disclosure. haha!!

Yes, selling off of the prototype is the way to go and path of least investment and risk. It will only require minimal financial investment and maximum investment of my time to market and sell through the most efficient channels.

Getting the intellectual property search is certainly going to yield some interesting results for sure. It will either propel me forward or present a roadblock.

Thanks, David

On that note, I will say this. a good search will 9 our of 10 times yield an unfavorable result. The good news is, we then work with our clients on what other methods their may be for solving the problem. If it is determined by the inventor or their attorney, that it is not worth pursuing, we have saved our clients 10's or even 100's of thousands of dollars!
Oh, and of course we will sign your NDA
Lisa Lloyd