How To Properly Present An Idea To A Manufacturer ?

[Cariboo5]

Lots of neat ideas on the form.. We also have built a fluid bed trap type several years ago taking the comcept from the expired patent of Schmidt and since then alot of new ideas and changes have been made. At this time I'm waiting for a recirculating pump to arrive to test the complete unit when put together and this will be used soley as a high baker as here it is not legal to put any sluice in a creek, river etc or have any over flow drain back into any water source (Dept Of Fisheries).

My question is: If it turns out to be an efficient working model how would one go about presenting the idea and who is a trust worthy manufacturer that would be interested in seeing it ??

Couple of pictures in the beginning stage of this unit attached... Thanks in advance to all who may reply..

 

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[russau]

is there such thing as a trustworthy anything?lots of ideas have been stolen from people just like you and i!all they needed to do is change something"to make it work better" and off they go!ive seen a "big club" do this to one of their members/advertisers in their magizine and not think anything of it!why not se;f patent it your self then market it your self or have someone form the parts for you and you assemble/sell these?i have a friend doing just that right now!

 

[Goodyguy]

How to Present an Invention to a Manufacturer | eHow.com


My advice would be to follow Russau's advice.
GG~

 

[Ammonhotep]

First thing, don't publish it online and don't sell one to anybody. If your intellectual property (IP) isn't protected it's unlikely to be interesting to an investor. Study up on IP and patents quick before you shoot yourself in the foot.

-Ammo

 

[Goodyguy]

 

[Cariboo5]

All wise, good and smart suggestions... Thanks guys...I will follow up on the suggestions and keep the idea and pictures to myself..

 

[thegoldgopher]

Talk with a GOOD patent attorney. A GOOD one will give you one free consultation, at which, if he is GOOD, will tell you if he can do anything for you or not. I am in the patent process, and this is how it works. Somewhat. Detail all your work with drawings, dated documentation. Keep good records of how you thought of this and when you got the idea. Take all this to the patent attorney. If he takes your idea after the first visit, he will charge you $2500 for which you may get nothing. For that, he will investigate and see if this device is already covered by patents, or parts of it, or which thing you need to change to make it unique. If he comes back and says it's already patented, it's already patented, and you are out $2500. If it is not, then he makes formal application, and you get to put "patent pending" on it for one year. You have one year to then produce the device, and give him an additional $7500 to legally register it at the patent office, to draw up the plans, all the descriptions, all the people who may have something similar that is already patented, etc. If you truly have a unique idea, and the patent office accepts his application of your idea, you pay him the $7500, he gives them the papers, and you receive the patent from the patent office. So, basically, it takes $2500 and a year. Before you spend $2500 for him to investigate, do not present the idea to ANYONE, lest they take it and change one little thing, and be gone with your idea. And even after your idea is patented, you have to have one strong product that no one can just alter a little and get a patent of their own. Remember big companies have these guys on retainers, and they do this six days a week. Fergeddabout doing it yourself. The results are the same as DIY brain surgery. The prices I have quoted are MY own patent attorney, a very good one. There are cheaper ones, and there are ones that are not so good. You get what you pay for. HTH.

 

[Hoser John]

Yes patent so the chinese can have it on the shelves before you do.....never wasted my time and glad as now my inventions are industry standard and all benefit,and that IS a good thing.....John

 

[Doug Watson]

There are so many little changes that can be made to be different than an already patented device that you're better off taking your idea and if it is different then produce it and let the product sell itself. If you have a good product and good customer service word will spread about who is making it and their product. You'll always have someone trying to copy what you've done and to be realistic about it there have been so many varieties of prospecting equipment made over the years it's really hard to come up with a completely new idea. I'd say produce it and let it sell its self. I've been and am involved in making equipment and can say from experience that when a lot of people copy things there are small differences that they don't see that an awful lot of time has been spent on that make a big difference in how the product works and they find that the copy wasn't worth the time and effort to make. There will always be copies and in all reality just about every new product made is somewhat a copy of something already out there. Just my 2 cents worth. Doug.

 

[russau]

dont matter! if you patent it yourself or get a lawyer or just build it and sell it, if it works and is a goodthing,sooner or latter someone will make one for themselves and thats the end of sales! as an example Phil Hontzs DFS sluice,the mini cleanup sluice sold in the gpaa magizine,etc.

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

Do you have links to the issues of the 2 sluices you mentioned?

I don't think you can say that any/every product is going to go out of production because everyone simply makes them for themselves.

I can't image that is the case for the number of "can you build me one" posts when someone posts a design. Sure, some people with tools and skill will build their own, but nothing, not even a patent can prevent that.

What worries me about some of this stuff is you stare at something and then buy and start playing with parts and next thing you know there's a product video and 'patent pending' all over the place of basically what you're looking at. So now how much do you change it. Do you bother with patenting a new design in fear of a possible challenge. Do you simply write up plans and drop them out there because just selling 10 is more a pain in the ass compared to the money that would come in.