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INVENTORThe Official Publication of the Tampa Bay Inventor's Council

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2007NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2007

Tampa BayTampa BayTampa BayTampa BayThe

Attend the Right TradeShow to License YourInvention

p. 10by Paul Niemann



Researching You Idea

by Mary Russell Saro andBarbara Russell Pitts

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The Auction Approach –How It Can Benefit You

by Paul Niemann

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by Paul Niemann

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Largo Recreation Complexis Our NewMeeting Facility

Get a Map – Easy Location. 13p



Presidents Message:

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op·por·tun·ist

By Wayne Rasanen

Presidents Message:

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op·por·tun·ist

By Wayne Rasanen

Presidents Message:

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op·por·tun·ist

By Wayne Rasanen

Presidents Message:

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op·por·tun·ist

By Wayne Rasanen

Get a Recap of Our MostRecent Speakers

Did You Miss Any of Them?Here’s Your Chance to See WhatYou Missed!

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National / InternationalUpcoming Events

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Prototyping YourInvention

by Bill Mays

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by Bill Mays

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by Bill Mays

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by Bill Mays

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by Paul Niemann

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by Paul Niemann

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A Message fromOur President



A Message fromOur President SEPT. 2007

op·por·tun·ist (pr-tnst, -ty-) n.

One who takes advantage of any opportunity toachieve an end, often with no regard for principlesor consequences.

I believe that every successful inventor needs tobe, to some degree, an opportunist. Of course you

should maintain a conscious effort to remain ethical and have regard for theend results of your actions. That being said, you must actively seek outopportunities that will help you promote your innovation whenever possible.

Please note that I said “successful inventor” and not simply “inventor”.History is filled with people who made a “better mouse-trap” and surpassed“sliced bread” with a design or innovation. Only a select few have built afortune with their ideas and retired comfortably in a nice sea-side mansion.Thomas Edison is the quintessential successful inventor and he was also verymuch an opportunists. He worked hard to get where he was and was not abovebackroom politics to get what he wanted. Perhaps because he started out poorand hungry, he had an extra amount of drive to propel his inventions.Whatever Edison's motivations, no one can argue with the tremendous amountof successful inventions that he brought to market.

I hope that we might have some successful inventors come from our group andreally help to change the world. I know that we have the talent in our peopleand they have some truly remarkable ideas. The question is weather they havethe drive to succeed, to seize the opportunity and squeeze the essence from it. Ihope that as a group we are able to inspire you to seek out those opportunitiesand stake your claim. Don't let one chance to promote your innovation getaway from you. Shout it from the rooftops but please keep in mind, you shouldalways make a positive impression so don't do it when people are trying tosleep!

Be an opportunist and put your best foot forward. Don't let the door close onyou and be bold despite your inclination to be soft spoken. You can alwayshave quiet time later…. now it is time to act!

– Sincerely, Wayne Rasanen

op·por·tun·ist (pr-tnst, -ty-) n.

Past Meetings

September 12, 2007

First, Lance Riddile, director of theLargo Recreation Dept., spoke brieflyabout Largo Rec’s upcoming InventorsFair. Six TBIC members agreed toassist and/or participate in the eventthis on Saturday, September 15th.

Next, visitor James Turner showed hisfrozen beverage pitcher - completelyfrozen - as well as a second one inroom-temperature state. He calls thisinvention the KoolPitcher(www.KoolPitcher.com)James joined TBIC right then-and-there! Member Pete Lefferson gave aquick update of his Octopus nightlight.The patent (which Pete wrote himself)has issued and been published. Onlytook two years; which is quick forgovernment work.

Club President Wayne Rasanen read anarticle about Doug Hall’s inventors’workshop, known as the “EurekaRanch.” Doug Hall was one of theoriginal panelists in the ABC TV showAmerican Inventor. He is also theauthor of “Jump Start Your BusinessBrain” and is a successful inventor. Hefounded his Eureka Ranch on 80 acresnear Cincinnati over 20 years ago. It’s avery pricey playground that caters tocorporate clients whose R&Ddepartment budgets usually cover thecosts. The workshop’s purpose is tohelp its clients generate marketableideas.

Then came “show & tell.” Last meeting,three weeks ago, show & tell was heldbut we ran out of time for all whowanted to show. Tonight we had plenty

of time, but only one presenter left overfrom last meeting was present: WayneRasanen. He demonstrated the latestversion of his invention - a verycompact yet ergonomic computerkeyboard. He calls it the In10didKeyboard (www.in10did.com).

TBIC then held its annual election tothe Board of Directors. The candidateswere:

Martha BearJoyce CooperMike McCarthySandra SlaughterAndyYauchVoytek BeldyckiMario LombardoWayne Rasanen

and some write-ins.All were elected. Inaccordance with club bylaws, the boardwill meet and hold its own election ofpresident and officers. So stay tuned.

� -- R.Aiken

September 26, 2007

Club President Wayne Rasanendescribed the Inventors Fair,conducted by the Largo RecreationDept. and TBIC this past weekend.The fair was a big success! Wayne rana descriptive 3-minute video of it,which he had taped and edited himself.And he thanked all members who hadassisted and/or participated in the fair.

Then he brought out tonight’s guestspeaker: patent attorney Anton Hopenof the IP law firm Smith & Hopen. Thisfirm is one of TBIC’s originalfounding organizations.Anton started

out practicing not patent law, butcriminal. He shifted to intellectualproperty because he found itfascinating and he needed theadditional money. He has neverregretted the move. Part of hisfascination with patent law came fromhis mentor and business partner, RonSmith.

Anton strongly suggested that anindependent inventor must avoid thetrap of inadvertently giving theimpres s ion to a p rospec t ivemanufacturer/marketer/distributorthat the inventor thinks his/her time ismore important than the prospect’s.Merely presenting an invention idea isnot enough; you must showdocumented market research andmanufacturing research about the idea.Although the prospect can do thisresearch, doing it yourself and handingit over to the prospect makes a muchbetter impression. The prospect willthen double-check the data andscrutinize it. For the prospect, this ismuch faster and less effort than doingthe work from scratch. IE- presentingthe prospect with the path-of-least-resistance greatly increases the chanceof the prospect signing a contract withyou. True - it’s doubtful that anindependent inventor can dig intomarket and manufacturing researchnearly as deeply as the prospectivecorporation can. But hire a specialist(see newsletter’s Websites List), havethe information organized anddocumented in a professional mannerand hand it over during yourpresentation. Even consider having thespecialist right there when you makethe presentation; let him/her do most ofthe talking.

Anton also suggested that if themarketing research shows that yourbeloved idea is not marketable, dumpthe idea and move on to another one.That is, be emotionally detached fromyour idea. Think of it as nothing morethan a tool for you to use to earnmoney with. He also suggests that ifthis is your very first invention,licence it LOW - practically give itaway; don’t hold out for the highestpercentage you can grab. By acceptingless income, you motivate the licenseeto get right to work building a no-nonsense sales strategy. Your rapportwith the licensee will go smoother.Most importantly, you are buildingcredibility. Credibility is what youneed in order to make your nextinvention project go smoother. Onceyou have an invention on the marketand it attains market success, the nextcompany will be much more likely toseriously consider your next inventionidea. To make a good living as aninventor, you must market more thanone invention (with rare exceptions)with market success. So bid low, butmake sure that all the other provisionsof the licensing contract are fair andthat you are not going to be stepped on.Bid high on your subsequent projects -you’ll be worth it then due to youradded credibility and clout.

Anton spoke about the US patentsystem soon changing from first-to-invent to first-to-file. The new systemwill be simpler and easier, and willoffer the independent inventorsufficient protection at an affordableprice as long as the inventorunderstands the system and develops asensible patent strategy. For anindependent inventor, or independent

anything, ignorance is the worst enemyand biggest obstacle.

He then answered a wide range ofpatent and invention related questions.Located in Clearwater, the website ofSmith & Hopen Intellectual PropertyLaw is www.baypatents.com.

--R.Aiken�

October 10, 2007

Longtime member Pete Leffersondescribed his recent experience at theElectronic Retailers Association'sconvention in Las Vegas. ERA is thegroup behind many infomercials anddirect-response TV ads. This inventor-friendly organization has manufacturingcontacts and is always hungry for newproducts. Pete has gotten good results atprevious ERA conventions in the past.Last year he presented his 3rd Hand Jar-Holder and his Star-Beam Lamp. Thisyear he decided to focus on the Star-Beam.And he made it a family affair; his wifeand four adult children pitched-in with thepreparation at home and manned thebooth in Vegas. They put togetherprofessional quali ty PowerPointpresentations, business cards, posters andhand-outs while Pete built a battery-powered, portable prop. He showed us theprop; a small metal box concealing thebattery inside, with an ordinary householdelectrical outlet on the outside. At theshow he plugged the Star-Beam in, andcarried the prop around - with lampilluminated - to demo to various prospects.He reports that the entire event wentsmoother for him than last year. Becauselast year he was pitching the Star-Beamwithout PowerPoint, cards, posters, hand-outs and the lamp actually illuminated, hecan contrast it with this year's pitch. Andthat's Pete's message tonight: whenrenting a booth at a trade show, always

have PowerPoint, business cards, posters,hand-outs and an actually workingproduct.

He also mentioned that many of theinventors presenting at this ERAconvention had previously presented inthe INPEX inventors' convention back inJune, and were referred or invited to theERA show. The wise inventor shouldconsider attending both shows. So check'em both out. ERA: http://retailing.org,INPEX: www.inventionshow.com.

Tonight's guest speakers were BrendaDuPuis and Toby Switzer of EquityLeadership Group of America, Inc. Thediscussion was not directly aboutinventing, but about personal and/orfamily finance. Indirectly, this doesmatter to us "little guys" independentinventors simply because of the typicalshoestring budget we find ourselves on.

ELG is a nationwide group of financialplanners who work with their clients'budgets. The main services are mortgagerefinance, insurance, retirement planningand certain types of investments.Refinancing a client's home mortgageusually frees up overlooked cash, whichis then reinvested in accordance with theplan that ELG wrote specifically for thatclient. Additional cash is obtained byaltering the client's credit card debt. Eachclient's plan is customized specifically forthat client's case. An important part of theELG package is an understanding that ahouse's equity is much less useful thanmost Americans realize. The amount ofequity a homeowner has built up does notaffect his/her net worth at all because:1)home equity is not liquid - it cannot beaccessed without selling the house,2)home equity is not safe - its value is tiedto housing prices and market fluctuations,and 3)home equity has no rate of return -increased home equity does not result incash flowing into one's bank account.Equity is money that is locked up in the

home; sealed in with brick and mortar.ELG proposes a plan in which that moneycan be invested, thus solving the threeproblems mentioned above.

Although little was said about inventing,our crowd was very responsive and livelydiscussion and questioning ensued. EquityL e a d e r s h i p G r o u p ' s w e b s i t e i swww.equityleaders.com. Brenda is thelocal rep, in Palm Harbor at (727) 772-8500.

--R.Aiken�

October 24, 2007

Tonight’s guest speaker : ChuckPapageorgiou of Ideasphere LLC, a localbusiness management consult ingcompany, delivered a speech titled “Visionor Hallucination? Visionary or Dreamer?”An invention idea with no plan or timelineto make it into a reality is merely ahallucination. A hallucination cannot beshared because it exists only in the mind ofthe dreamer. The hallucination isrecreational thinking, it cannot succeed orfail. But carefully devise the steps, thegoals - picture them clearly and in logicalsequence - and now your invention ideahas become a vision. Through effectivecommunication others can share yourvision. Your vision may now succeed; oryes, it may now fail.

Chuck made many comparisons:• A hallucination is a compelling mentalimage of a possible future, produced by theimagination.• A vision is a compelling mental image ofa possible future, produced by theimagination, supported by a thought-outprocess and a plan of action.

• A hallucination creates a great future inthe dreamer’s mind.• A vision creates a great future in thedreamer’s daily world.

• A hallucination is induced throughrecreational thinking.• Avision is created through hard work.

• A hallucination can never succeed orfail.• Avision can succeed or fail.

• A dreamer has an idea and can see apossible future.• Avisionary has goals and a plan to reachthem, can see a possible future and a pathto reach it.

• A dreamer ignores obstacles to thedream and is never discouraged.• A visionary recognizes obstacles to thedream and is not easily discouraged.

• A dreamer does not need others to helphim stay in the dream state.• A visionary recognizes he needs othersto help him move from dream to vision.

An in-depth explanation was given abouthow to devise all the steps and goals; howto devise a realistic timeline and estimatecosts; how to recognize what unknownswill need to be answered and how many ofthem will require experts; how toassemble a talented team and how tomotivate it effectively; how to network,accept criticism, communicate, grow.Included was straight talk about venturecapital and angel investors.

Chuck’s discussion was truly motivating.He does business mentoring through theTampa Bay Technology Forum, and hiscompany’s website is:www.ideasphere.com

--R.Aiken�

National / International Upcoming Events( Submitted by Robert Aiken )

November 9, 2007 ••• Invention to Venture Expo, Orlando, Florida.

November 17 - 18, 2007 ••• Chicago Toy and Game Fair, Chicago, Illinois.

March 7 - 9, 2008 ••• Florida's Spring Home Show, Tampa, FL

May 6, 2008 ••• National Hardware Show, Inventor's Spotlight, Las Vegas, Nevada.

www.invention2venture.org [email protected] or [email protected]

www.chitag.com (312) 268-5900

.

www.bighomeshow.com

www.uiausa.org/uploads/inventor2008NationalHardwareShow.pdfor www.nationalhardwareshow.com

UCF FairwindsAlumni Center - University of Central Florida, Orlando, FLThis is the 5th annual Invention to Venture (I2V) workshop hosted by the University of CentralFlorida, and is an introduction to the process and practice of technology entrepreneurship. As withall I2V events, our goal is to engage a wide range of participants from the university community,including science and technology students and faculty as well as members of the surroundingbusiness community. A co-production of UCF, the National Collegiate Inventors & InnovatorsAlliance (www.nciia.org), and the Disney Entrepreneur Center. $25.

Renaissance Hotel & Expo Center - Schaumburg, ILHear from top executives from Hasbro and Mattel who search the globe for new products and fromthe world's largest toy and game inventing group as well as many notable industry experts from hereand abroad. In addition, there is a class on how to protect your idea by James Faier, RegisteredPatentAttorney. The Inventor Forum is part of The Chicago Toy and Game Fair, the only non-hobbytoy and game fair open to the public in the United States. There are other forums, workshops androundtables in conjunction with the fair.

Florida State Fairgrounds - 4800 US Highway 301N., Tampa, FLThe latest home accessories, decorating ideas, furnishings, appliances, remodeling, landscaping,and much more. With over 275 exhibitors, attendees can gain knowledge and comparison shop forvirtually all items relating to their home. Through seminars, special features, guest appearances,and corporate sponsorships, The Spring Home Show is fun for the whole family. The show isadvertised via TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards, and direct mail.

Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NVThe 63rd National Hardware Show®, featuring Lawn & Garden World™, Homewares™, NewProduct World™, and the Inventor's Spotlight, returns as a combined event. Offering retailers of allsizes hand and power tools; paint and décor; plumbing; automotive; electrical/lighting;security/locks; outdoor living; power equipment; pet and wildlife products; cleaning products;home storage and organization; home, health & safety; decorative lighting; furniture; personal careand gifts; cookware/bakeware; kitchen accessories; and small appliances.

• Of particular importance to inventors is The Inventor's Spotlight. From current and formercontractors, inventors and plain old every-day people, the Inventor's Spotlight will provide a focusarea on the show floor for small entrepreneurs looking to bring their products to market formanufacturing opportunities and retail distribution. The United Inventors Association (UIA) is thesponsor of the Inventors' Spotlight areas for the 2008 show. The Inventors' Spotlight enables eachcompany to display up to two products on a table-top display and be listed in the Official NationalHardware Show Directory. Participating companies must be first-time exhibitors to the show.

Prototyping Your Inventionby Bill Mays

An Introduction to Polyurethanes

Understanding Polyurethanes

So you have an idea and want to build a model and go into production. With Polyurethanes, you can put aprototype or model of your product on the table in two days for under $200.00. Quite often, you can go intolimited production by using polyurethane resins for the mold and the casting. This means you don't have to havea large initial investment for injection molding, fab shop costs, or other unnecessary expenses on start-up.

Plastics have completely changed the way to approach getting your product to market and they are readilyavailable for making your molds and casting the product. These liquid resins usually come in two containers,part A and part B; usually equal amounts of A & B by volume. Most are a room temperature cure (RTV) and donot require special equipment for handling or measuring.

Polyurethanes come in various hardness, the softer flexible materials are rated on a Durometer shore hardness'A' scale and the rigid materials are rated on the Durometer shore hardness 'D' scale (see Glossary of Terms at theend of article). The 'A' scale goes from a 00 (like well-chewed bubble gum) to 100 (about like the heel of a tennisshoe). The 'D' scale is about twice the 'A' scale. Most applications will require an 'A' material for the mold(flexible) and a 'D' (rigid) material for the castings. Some exceptions are when your product is a motor mount,bushing, gasket, or something similar.

These examples are taken from Synair Corporation's product line and provide an example of what is available inthe market place.

Monothane is a one component castable polyurethane resin available in a wide range of hardness from very softto rigid. The material has to be heated to pour and will start to cure above 167 degrees F (75 C). This process isslow at first and increases as the temperature reaches the optimum level of 275 degrees F (135 C). Viscosity willfall as the temperature rises. Minimum viscosity phase (thinner than water) allows all entrapped air to easilyescape. Applications include rollers for printers, aerospace components, abrasion resistant coatings, seals,gaskets, "O" rings, plastic and metal tooling, mechanical gears and wheels, shock and sound absorbentcomponents, and textile machinery parts.

Duothane systems are two component, room temperature cure, polyurethanes that can be easily processed toyield elastomers which are resilient, have low compression set, and good hydrolytic stability. Post curing for 6 to8 hours at 160 degrees F is recommended for maximum strength. Applications include pistol grips, bumperpads, diaphragms, dust boots, engine mounts, gaskets, liners, flexible and rigid molds, foundry patterns, wearpads, and structural parts.

These are room temperature cure, two component polyurethane elastomer (rubber) systems for reproducing aproduct or they can be used as a final product. Blended on a one-to-one ratio (by volume) they are very userfriendly and are ready for casting in 24 to 48 hours.Arelease agent must be used when casting materials into thismold material. These systems provide true dimensional and detailed reproductions in wax, epoxy, gypsum, andother cement like materials of original masters.

This is a two component room temperature cure, liquid urethane casting system that can be poured and de-molded in 10 minutes. Fillers can be added to reduce cost and to create desired external effects. Applicationsinclude art sculptures and reliefs, picture frames, prototyping, slot cars, crown molding, cold cast bronzecastings, and reproductions of the original.

Silicone mold material does not require a release agent when casting material in the mold. Silicones cost about 3times as much as polyurethanes so if you can provide adequate release agent on the mold, you probably don't

Monothanes:

Duothanes:

Por-A-Mold:

Por-A-Kast:

(Por-A-Kast & Por-A-Mold are trademarks of the Synair Corporation.)

Silicone Molds:

Prototyping Your Invention

need to go to the additional cost of silicone.

At this time, it might be best to provide some definitions for a better understanding of the terminology.

Catalyst - Chemicals often used to initiate polymerization (action of linking among the molecules).Cure -Achange of physical properties by chemical reaction.Another term would be "the material has set up".Elastomer -An elastic, rubber-like substance, like natural or synthetic rubber.Exothermal - Either the temperature/time curve of a chemical reaction giving off heat OR the amount of heatreached in a reaction.Filler - An inert substance added to a resin to make it less costly, improve the physical properties, or change theappearance.Flash - Extra material, along the parting line, that is attached to a casting.Hardness - Shore A durometer and shore D durometer hardness measures the resistance of a material toindentation. The two hardness measuring devices are basically needles on a spring that measure how far theneedle will push into a specific material. The shore A is a dull needle on a weak spring, used for measuring themore flexible polyurethanes. The shore D is a sharper needle on a stronger spring for measuring rigid materials.These are used to determine the final cured hardness of the material and also as the first criteria for determiningthe material needed - " I need a shore A 30....". The hardness is not always indicative of the performancecharacteristics.Lay-Up - The process of applying reinforcing material in a mold, usually associated with fiberglass.Mother Mold -Arigid to semi-rigid material used to hold or house a flexible inner mold material.Pot Life & Gel Time - These two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but by definition have separatemeanings. Pot Life is the amount of working time after the two materials have been combined. Gel Time is theamount of time until the material becomes a continuous mass.ReleaseAgent -Alubricant used to coat a surface to prevent materials from sticking to it. This is also referred toas separators or parting agents.RTV - Room Temperature Vulcanized.Slurry - Mixture of a liquid and another material (soap and water, resin and marble dust, etc.)Slush Casting -Amethod of casting resins in which liquid resin is poured into a mold and sloshed around to forma thin shell casting.Thixotropic (TA) - Materials that are gel-like at rest and become fluid like when stirred.Undercut - Protuberances or indentations that lock a solid casting into the mold and tend to prevent its removal.Vent - a shallow channel or small hole in a mold that allows air to escape as the liquid displaces it.Viscosity -Amaterial's resistance to flow, measured in centipoise (cps).A low viscosity will flow easily while ahigh viscosity does not. Water has a viscosity of 1 cps and peanut butter has a viscosity of about 250,000-cps.

This should get you started in the polyurethane business but by no means answers all questions that will arise. Iget calls daily from people that have been in the business and need help on problems, want information on newmaterials, need design suggestions, and pass along experiences. You can use the polyurethanes to make a model(the resins turn great in a lathe) or just use them to make the mold and then cast the piece. Our users go from SLAmodeling shops to mom & pop operations in the kitchen. The product range is from figurines to sophisticatedhandles on aircraft. The best part is that you can deliver a finished, first run product with a reasonableinvestment!

Bill Mays is in Technical Sales and Service at Synair Corporation. http://www.synair.com/

Previously published in "IPFrontline", the newsletter of PatentCafe .www.ipfrontline.com www.patentcafe.com

PatentCafe is the leading provider of intellectual property asset management (IPAM) software andinformational resources.

Reprinted with permission.

Glossary of Terms

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Attend the Right Trade Showto License Your Invention

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by Paul Niemann

Regular readers of this newsletter know that I am sold on attending trade shows when you're inthe process of launching a new product. There are several main benefits of attending trade showsin your industry, which I learned again first-hand when I attended a trade show last week for oneof my products, which I managed to find a distributor for.

After speaking with Frank West a couple weeks ago and hearing him explain how he met hisfuture licensee by attending a trade show, I thought this would be a good time to talk about tradeshows again.

Attending at a trade show gives you at least 3 main benefits:1. It allows you to meet with representatives from many companies at once, rather than flying allover the country otherwise. Plus, you will learn of many companies worth visiting who you maynever have heard of before. For example, if you're trying to get an automotive product on themarket, the convention wisdom would be to stop by the booths of the main automakers. But youwould also want to visit with some of the many suppliers to the auto industry who sell to the bigcompanies - and they're much easier to work with than the big ones.2. Attending a trade show also allows you to see what some of your competition is doing whenyou visit their booths.3. Attending a trade show allows you to learn much more about your industry. At last week'sshow, I talked with booth vendors who have been in the industry for a long time, and this washelpful because my product is in an industry in which I have never worked.

In short, I have benefitted from almost every trade show that I've ever attended. And I usually doNOT rent a booth, which is usually very expensive. In fact, sometimes it's better to NOT rentbooth space, especially if you go to the trade show alone.Here's why: If you rent booth space, it means that you're tied to your booth most of the time. Ifyou're alone and you leave to explore the other booths, then your booth would remain unstaffedand, as a result, unvisited. On the other hand, if you don't rent booth space, you're able towander the exhibit hall to meet with prospects and to see what others in your industry areselling.

Earlier I mentioned that I managed to find a distributor for my product. How? I showed a sampleof my product to people at a number of booths (while having proper IP protection, of course),and I received very favorable comments from the majority of them. But it was a man whoowned his own company - who also did not have a booth there - who I met in the hallwayoutside the exhibit hall.

I guess the moral of this story is that sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. I've found thatthe more people I talk with, the luckier I get. There's no guarantee that my new partner will beable to bring in a lot of sales of my product, but we're off to a good start.And it would never have happened if not for the industry trade show.

Paul Niemann runs MarketLaunchers.com, building web pages for inventors. Having your own web page allows you toshow your invention to companies when you're unable to present it to them in person, serving as your own "onlinebrochure." Plus, there are companies who search the MarketLaunchers.com Invention Database for new products.Visit http://www.marketlaunchers.com/forms.html for details and pricing.


Attend the Right Trade Showto License Your Invention

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Researching Your Idea

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by Mary Russell Saro and Barbara Russell Pitts

If you're like most of us, you jump to the conclusion that your idea for a product has never beenthought of before. It feels like a new, unique way of solving a problem.

It may be exactly that. But don't assume someone else hasn't already developed a similar idea - aconcept known as prior art. A market search, which you can do yourself, will let you know if theproduct already exists and is being sold. And a preliminary patent search, which you can doonline, will show you how many others have patented items that address the same problem.

Begin your search on the Internet, which these days typically means Google. Type in keywordsthat might describe your idea. Follow each link to make sure that the item is not being sold on aWeb site. Follow that up by using Google's new patent-search tool (from the main Google page).It allows you to word-search entire patents without having to fill out archaic fields on the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office Web site. This is not a substitute for a professional search down theroad, should you have a unique-enough product.

Even today, not everything is available on the Internet. So it's worth your while to visit stores. Ifyour idea is a high-end kitchen gadget, check all of the kitchen-specialty shops, such as Bed Bath& Beyond, Linens 'n Things or Williams-Sonoma. Then, check department and discount stores.

If you still haven't found your idea, it's time to check catalogs. Many items are sold in catalogsthat are not sold anywhere else, so this is an important yet often overlooked part of the prior-artsearch. Most catalogs are available online. Visit www.catalogtimes.com.

Now it's time to check the definitive source: the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. It can be al i t t l e t o u g h t o n a v i g a t e . Tr y o u r f r e e p a t e n t - s e a r c h i n g g u i d e a thttp://AskTheInventors.com/books/patentsearch.htm. This will help you to find your wayaround the USPTO Web site (www.uspto.gov).

If you've done all the above and you didn't find your item, give yourself a high-five. We often saymarket and patent searching are the only times when you look everywhere for something...andhope you don't find it! These searches are very important for two reasons: If you plan to file for apatent, you need to know your product or service doesn't already exist.And, if you plan to sell theitem without getting a patent, you need to make sure you're not infringing on an existing patent.

Finally, engage the services of a professional search firm, which range from $250 to $750,depending on the firm and the scope of the search. These firms offer thorough searches, as wellas advice. Professional search firms can do much more extensive searches than the averageperson because they have access to expensive database services that simultaneously searchnational and international patents. Consult the United Inventors Association (www.uiausa.org)for help in finding ethical search firms.

Barbara Russell Pitts & Mary Russell Sarao are co-authors of "Inventing on a Shoestring Budget." Contactthem at www.AskTheInventors.com. Originally printed in Inventors Digest magazine;www.InventorsDigest.com.


Researching Your Idea

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The Auction Approach - How It Can Benefit You

MarketLaunchers.com

Visit www.MarketLaunchers.com.

By Paul Niemann of MarketLaunchers.com

Paul Niemann runs , building web pages for inventors.Market Launchers lists new inventions for sale or licensing and also helps manufacturers find new products fortheir product lines.Their Invention Database is seen by: manufacturers, product scouts, investors, direct response TV companies,catalog companies and other potential licensees.


I get a lot of calls and e-mails from inventors telling me that they have amanufacturer interested in their product. I say, "Great! Now go get anothermanufacturer interested in your product.”

Why?

There are a couple of reasons …1. What if this one manufacturer doesn't work out?2. What better way to get yourself as good a deal as possible than by having two ormore companies bidding on your invention? It doubles your odds AND drivesyour price up.

Negotiating with two or more companies for the rights to your invention alsotakes some of the pressure off you to get a deal done, because you know that it'snot the end of the world if the first one doesn't work out.

I went to a horse auction last week and at the horse auction I noticed how theauctioneer is always in control because he has multiple buyers bidding on theproducts. It is this process of having multiple buyers bidding that drives the priceup and ensures that each product gets sold.

Now, that's a pretty basic statement, but there's a message here for inventors whoare trying to license their products. I've said it before but it's worth repeating:Once you enter talks with a company about acquiring your invention, that's thebest time to line up another company (i.e. the first company's competitor).

Why?

Just like with the auctioneer, you will be in control of your own destiny when youhave two or more buyers. And it drives your price up (the best thing is that youdon't have to learn how to rap like an auctioneer).

One more thing: In case you've ever wondered why the auctioneer talks the wayhe does, it's because it results in a higher selling price. Don't ask me why!_________________

Turn north from East Bay Drive,and proceed approx. ¼-mile to theentrance of the complex (at thetraffic light)

The building is highlighted by thecircle shown at the right.

NEW TBIC MEETING SITENEW TBIC MEETING SITEEffective May 9, 2007

City of LargoHighland Recreation Complex400 Highland AvenueLargo FL 33770(727) 518-3021

WEBSITES (Links) & PHONE NUMBERSBrief descriptions in parentheses

U.S. Government

State Government

For Inventors

Product Design, Prototyping, Manufacturing

Trade Show Hosts

Business Data & Information

Marketing Services

Parts, Supplies, Materials

U.S. Gov’t. General Information Site www.FirstGov.govU.S. Patent & Trademark Office (800) 786-9199 www.uspto.govSATOP-Space Alliance Tech (NASA helps inventors; free) www.spacetechsoluttons.comSBIR/STTR (gov’t. wants inventions) www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbirSmall Business Administration (800) 827-5722 www.sba.gov

Florida Department of Revenue www.state.fl.us/dorNew Business Start Up www.sunbiz.orgUSF Technology Incubator (free help to inventors; Tampa) www.incubator.usf.edu

Edison Inventors Ass’n. (inventor’s club, Ft. Myers) www.edisoninventors.orgWorld Intellectual Property Organization www.wipo.orgNational Inventor Fraud Center www.inventorfraud.comUnited Inventors Ass’n. (large national org.) www.uiausa.comInventors Digest (magazine) www.inventorsdigest.comPatent Café (inventor’s issues) www.patentcate.com

The Basics of Patenting & Innovating www.inventors.about.com/od/firststeps/Ask The Inventors www.asktheinventors.comThat's An Idea (inventor’s directory) www.ThatsAnldea.comInventions.com (inventor’s directory) www.inventions.comInvention University www.inventionuniversity.comInventNet - Inventor’s Network www.inventnet.comMIT-Lemelson Inventors Site www.mit.edu/inventInvention Development www.inventorehelper.comInnovation TRIZ (problem solving method) www.innovation-triz.comASIT (inventor's problem solving method) www.start2think.comKeyWord Patent Search (workbook) www.keypatent.netIntergraph (“SmartSketch Invent” CAD software) www.intergraph.com/smartsketch/inventCAD Std (very cheap CAD software) www.cadstd.comEd Dutkiewicz (reg. patent attorney, Dunedin) www.edduke.comDavid Ellis (patent attorney, Largo) http://publish.pdesigner.com/davidrellis/index.jspDave Kiewit (reg. patent agent; St. Pete) www.patent-faq.comSmith & Hopen (reg. patent attorney, Clearwater) www.baypatents.com

ICTT (Paul Simmons; Largo) www.icttinc.comManufacturers Information Network www.mfginfo.comEMS Inc.(eMachineShop (product design, prototyping, free CAD) www.emachineshop.comMydea Technologies (product design, prototyping; Orlando) www.mydeatechnologies.comAccess International, Inc. (Asian Mfg. Agent, Tampa) www.asiasourcenow.com

Invention Connection www.inventionconnection.comTrade Show Nat’l. Network www.tsnn.comInvent Now America (USPTO contests; nonprofit org.) www.inventnowamerica.comERA Invention Showcase (Electronic Retailers Ass’n.) www.americaninventiveness.org

SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives) www.score.orgSmall Business Development Center (USA) www.asbdc-us.orgEntrepreneurial Education www.entre-ed.orgWorld's Market Research www.worldopinion.comThomas Registry www.thomasregister.comHoover’s On-Line www.hoovers.com/freeIndustry Analysis http://research.thomsonib.com/

Innovative Product Technologies (Pam Riddle-Bird; Gainesville) www.inventone.comHill, Coniglio & Polins (research, planning, ads; Tampa) www.hcpassociates.comGuided Star Consulting (business advice, Bradenton) www.GuidedStar.com

Big Idea Group www.BigldeaGroup.netMarket Launchers www.marketlaunchers.comIdea Village www.ideavillage.comSmartInventions.com www.smart-inventions.comIdeas Happen (contests; age 18 - 29) www.ideashappen.msn.com/Pitch/

Don’s Salvage Yard (used stuff; Clearwater) www.donssalvage.comSkycraft Electronic Parts (new parts, Orlando) www.skycraftsurplus.comAmerican Science & Surplus (mech. & elec.) www.sciplus.comW. M. Berg, Inc. (small parts supplier) www.wmberg.comAmerican Plastics Supply (supplier & mfr.; Clearwater) www.americanplasticsupply.com

From Patent to Profit (Bob DeMatteis; books, lessons, advice) www.frompatenttoprofit.com

Stephen Powers (patent agent, Tampa) www.gulfcoastip.comFL Inventors Network - John Blue (Tampa) www.finjb.com

Society of Manufacturing Engineers (Tampa) http://chapters.sme.org/159/homepage.htm

Brent Britton (patent attorney, Tampa) www.akerman.com

product design, prototyping; Tampa) www.ems-usa.com

Package Management Group, Inc. (pkg. & mktg; Tampa) www.pmg-packaging.com

Verona Design (product design, prototyping; Bradenton) www.verona-design.com

DUES DESCRIPTIONS

A at the $25.00 rate must bean active student. They JULY attend meetingsand receive the Newsletter.

of $250.00 will allowyour corporation to elect up to 3 Corporatemembers to sit in on meetings as well as all ofthe above.Also this membership will allow saidcorporation to have access to new productsbefore they are introduced to the open market.

Student Member

Corporate Membership

A ($50.00/6 mos.$90.00/yr.) enjoys the benefit of attendingmeetings, seminars, socializing and networkingwith the other members, receiving theNewsletter and participating as a reviewer inour Focus Groups. They are allowed to presenttheir protected product to all of the variouscompanies that come to TBIC to find newproducts for the market such as infomercial andcatalog companies. Members usually findother members with the prototyping knowledgethat they need, and pay that member for theirtime and for prototyping materials used.Sustaining members also JULY ask to have afree Focus Group done on their product, beallowed to display their product in ourdesignated display areas and Annual membersreceive a free Science Notebook, (valued at$15.00) to log progress on their invention.

Sustaining Member

DUES DESCRIPTIONS2007-2008

OFFICERS ANDBOARD OF DIRECTORS

Wayne Rasanen (President)

Mario Lombardo (Vice-Pres.)

Mike McCarthy

Joyce Cooper

Martha BearVoytek Beldycki

Sandra SlaughterAndy Yauch

Founder: Ron E. Smith

[email protected]

[email protected]

(Treasurer)

Bruce Elliott

(Secretary)

Members are invited to write letters forinclusion in the newsletter.

Email to , fax to727-547-5490 or mail to TBIC at our officeaddress.

Letters should be brief, to the point, and beaccompanied by member name, email address .and phone number. Letters can be edited forclarity, taste and length. Letters will be printedas room permits.

[email protected]

Please Respect the Other Members

At a recent Board meeting, several members saidthey have received complaints about talking in theback of the meeting room while the meeting isgoing on. Some are hard of hearing, some aredistracted. While we acknowledge that networkingis vital for all of us, we ask in the future that you tryand do before or after the meetings. Similarcourtesy would be appreciated by turning off yourcell phone or putting it on silent answer during themeeting.

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VISITORS WELCOMEThe Board of Directors of TBIC wants towelcome all visitors. Admission forvisitors is $5.00 per meeting, unlessaccompanied by an active member. Wehope that you can see the benefits ofbecoming a member. Our bylaws allowvisitors to attend two meetings withoutobligation to join.

The Tampa Bay Inventors' Council(TBIC) is a corporation as defined inChapter 617, Florida Statutes, as not-for-profit. The corporation isorganized exclusively for charitable,educational and scientific purposes.The TBIC is a 501(C)(3) charitablecorporation, which allows there c e i v i n g o f t a x d e d u c t i b l econtributions of goods and services.There are over 150 active memberswilling to share their expertise andexperiences with fellow inventors.

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To submit articles, send emails to:[email protected]

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ACTIVITIES CALENDAR

Monthly MeetingsNov. 14, 2006 ....

Dec. 12, 2006 ....Next Monthly Meetings

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

7:00 pm

7:00 pm

Visit our web site for informationabout current and past happenings.You can also download current andpast newsletters in *.pdf format.You will need to have AdobeAcrobat Reader on your computer. Ifyou don't already have it, go to

to download this free documentviewer.

www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Need to Reach TBIC ?

or

Call 727-251-4056George Mouzakis

[email protected]

Just A NoteWe would like to remind ourmembers that our Boardmeetings are open to you if youwould like to sit in on them. Weusually meet at 6:00 on the firstmeeting date each month .

Office: 727-565-2085

www.tbic.usWeb Site Info:

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