Making an Idea Pay?

Make one. If you can sell it for more than it cost to make it (including your time) then you are in proffit.
If you can't sell it you can generate your own power.
Ideas are pretty much worthless. Working prototypes much less so.
Del

ER would tell you that there are no degrees of "worthless".

Something that is less worthless still has no worth.

Ideas are the newest patent craze over here. We, very likely, are infringing on many freshly issued patents for common every day actions that many of us take for granted.

How Patent Madness Is Killing Innovation and Costing Us Billions ...
PepsiCo seeks to patent protein beverages in mini 'hydration units'
From: Sorting Out the Patent Craze - HBS Working Knowledge
"Some companies patent anything that moves to block innovation by competitors."

All I wanted to do was get out of doing work.

Now, on top of setting up to manufacture and sell my own product, people keep calling me to paint their stuff, and I can't say no.

Don't quit your day job. Too bad your daughter isn't older. She could help you.

Not with the painting, of course, but the inside work where child labor laws are not enforced.

Your product does lend itself to repetitive operations. Have you considered getting a non-profit involved with the assembly and packaging?

She starts camp on Monday. She's also been my painter's helper for the last three weeks...I've hired a lot worse.

It's frustrating but fun. I've got end users lined up to buy, but nothing but a wall as far as the big guys are concerned. Screw em', I'll make the damned things and sell them myself. $300-to $500 a day is looking pretty good in this neck of the woods.

If your idea is unique and not currently patented, then a patent may be a good investment. Costly, but good. At least file an application. "First to file" is now the new rule, I believe.

If you can show that it is an improvement on an existing patent, same thing.

Otherwise, first to market is the best move you can make. Then, depending on the profit potential, it may still get stolen.

Member Kramarat has recently been through the patent process and has had a patent granted for his invention of educational letter and number cards.

Finally, remember that a patent only gives you the right to $ue for infringement if someone steals your idea. It doesn't keep them from stealing it and taking your idea to market. It can be a co$tly proposition.

First, you should investigate a patent if the idea has merit. You can do this process yourself for much less than hiring an attorney or a firm specializing in the process. I forget the cost, but it is much more reasonable. My partner has done this a few times.

Second, any idea worth its salt should be patented because the patent not only protects your IP (intellectual property), but tells prospective investors that there is merit behind your invention.

Third, if you secure a patent and it still does not pan out, having patents associated with your name gives you more clout to prospective employers and future investors. IP is the gold bullion of today's business world. I can't stress this enough.

Having a patent gives you a wide spectrum of options. You can build your device yourself, partner with a company, sell your patent, or license your invention and simply sit back and collect royalties for its use.

If your idea is rejected by a patent office, then it probably has no merit in the business world to begin with.

Please note, in the US you have one year to apply for a patent after publicly disclosing your invention. In Europe, once the invention is disclosed publicly it is considered prior art and is not patentable. So be very, very careful.

Holding a US patent only protects your invention within the US. Foreign companies can make and sell your idea in the rest of the world, but will not be able to import it to the US. If you need world wide protection you need to secure both domestic and international patents, which would be more expensive and time consuming, but if you live in the US, start with a US patent.

Even though if you patent it yourself it can be relatively inexpensive, one thing I have done, is put the idea down on paper and copyright it, and also have it notarized.

Frankly, I think this is more efficient than a patent in the initial stages, if the idea has merit, then patent it.

Also. Fortunately, my ideas are in a very select and limited industry.

The cheapest way to do it, is to file a provisional patent, copy yourself a bunch of non-disclosure forms, and go sell it.

If no one bites, you are only out a few hundred for the provisional patent application; if someone wants it, they will pay for the rest of the patent process, and hopefully, kick you down a million or two for the rights to your idea.

Also have a look on the internet for others that have designed and marketed different blade designs and styles with various success (there are quite a few).

Their stories and experiences may help guide you and avoid some of the problems they went through.

If you are going to contract out the actual manufacture, you might be able to divide the work into parts, such that the purpose of each part is not obvious. Name them vague things such as mounting bracket, bearing housing, etc.

If he's able to pull that off, I'd recommend scrapping the entire idea and entering politics.

Now more importantly does this design offer a real life application provable and reliably measurable gain over any other wind turbine blade of or in the same size and speed ratings?

If you can't provide proof of that you got nothin.

If you didn't have 512 posts -- waaay more than me, but then again, I'm fussy -- I'd suggest you spend some SERIOUS time google-ing "wind turbine" and "blade."

I've seen a jillion (that's ten to the umpteenth) Save The World ideas for wind turbines and blades. My favorite was Whalepower, an outfit out of Canada that built them with bumps like whale flukes. Reduces resistance, don't cha know.

Rooftop designs are always good for a few chuckles, followed by anything vertical.

Anyway, I have less than zero (weird movie. anyone seen it?) interest in manufacturing (I'm a software guy; online, I hang out with engineers , don't tell anyone) nor in getting my patent troll hat out of the closet. I'd be glad to look at it. If you need 10,000 NDE's, hey, that's what robo-signers are for.

The method we use to send full turnkey product files to a subcontractor is produce a non-disclosure and privacy contract before any files/drawings are given to the subcontractor. They sign this that they in no way will reproduce or giveaway your files. That way, if your idea goes out, it must have come from the subcontractor which they are then liable and can be sued. Do this even at quoting stage.

We run a very successful business for over 20 years and no patents were ever made.

Visit the wind turbine locations, meet the maintenance engineer, project manager or the engineer in charge.

Take him to lunch and peak his curiosity that you have the solution to his problems. The more you do this, the greater your success.

Start with an ( Industrial Design ) is is not a patent but costs a lot less and if you make some money then you can patent. Industrial design does afford some protection and establishes the time frame of development which is a legal fact should there ever be a law suit. Then develop your idea and keep it under wraps until you hit the marked. Have confidentiality papers signed with anyone you have to show any technology to these should be drawn up with a lawyer. Now if you have to sue anyone this is where you get caught unless you can develop deep pockets. Secrecy is in your favor at this time.

I forgot about the patent search. That's the best place to start....and it's not going to be a small project.

Patent searches usually lead me to the disappointment of finding out that my idea has already been done, but they save a lot of time and money in the long run.

Hi All,

I thank you all for your helpful comments and in gratitude, have ticked more than a few GA's.

This subject has risen before, and I really do not know what different advice I expected to receive? (idiot)

Something like a magic wand I suppose. "This can save the world, and no one can copy you!" Well nothings changed, and it just "ain't gonna happen," I guess.

It's not that I'm disappointed, all of your replies have been truly helpful in facets. It's just that my expectations (of magic wands) are not there to relieve my tiredness.

I will do more research, try for proof, possible have it made in bits, get some data, likely use industrial design, save it on a legal doc., possibly make one to sell, and try NDA's with manufacturers. i.e. thank you all for the "parts." Del, Lyn, Hero, USB, Phoenix, Tornado, TMCtech, Daffy, Roy, Merc, and all the others. (GA's)

At least this gives hope, if not protection. Because at the end of the day, someone can still copy / steal / sell it / and with little to no money, what can any one do?
However, I am grateful for all your support. Thank you all.

jt.

I was late coming into work again, and the boss was furious.
She called me into her office and said, "What's your excuse this time?"
"I'm sorry, but I overslept," I said.

"For goodness sake, at least tell me something I've not heard before!"

I replied............... "You're looking lovely today?"