April Newsletter 2024
April 2024 Whether you’re an experienced inventor or a newbie who just came up with your first big idea, the Inventor Smart Monthly Newsletter is
April 2022!
Whether you are an experienced inventor or a newbie who just came up with your first big idea, the Inventor Smart Monthly newsletter is for you! You will find valuable tips, useful resources and words of wisdom that can help you move your invention forward!
From Inspiration to Success
Alexis Mantione and My Two Ladies Knitting
Congratulations to Alexis Mantione, NIC Premium Member finally making money with her invention!
I started taking steps that I felt would lead me on this growth path. the number one stumbling block for me and many of us is $$. I was stopping myself because I was as afraid of going broke. Fortunately, I stayed in the black, but I needed to be more aggressive to achieve my goals for my business, not have enough hours in the day.
My goal at this point was to keep selling enough to be able to afford to surround myself with this dream team that was easier said than done.
My win is: I am in the black, I have created my dream team of professionals, and “thinking big”. I was stopping myself and now there is no stopping me. Lots of small wins have been consistently happening.
But the biggest WIN is realizing I will make this happen.
Alexis Mantione, CEO, My Two Ladies Knitting
Alexis Crafting Needles, LLC
65 Birch Road
Malverne, NY 11565
Telephone: 516-570-3230
Email:
alexis@mytwoladiesknitting.com
Website:
www.mytwoladiesknitting.com
Spotlight on Learning
Inventing Idea
Inventing Idea
Quick Tip: When you take on a new challenge it can take time, patience, and practice before it becomes more second nature. It’s similar when trying to come up with an idea or invention and may require a different approach. Be aware of your environment and pay attention to what’s happening around you. Look at how people are doing things and think about how they could do it better or how you are using a daily product or doing something regularly and see how it could be improved upon.
Bright Idea:
Inventor Tip from Brian Fried
10 Steps from Idea to Invention
1. First Steps. It all starts with an idea in your head. Wherever you are, you need to get it out of your head. Use a napkin, text, email, or leave yourself a voice message to capture your idea before it disappears!
2. Protection. Consider intellectual property protection. Start with a patent search and patentability opinion. Determine what the best strategy moving forward for you would be by protecting your idea with a provisional patent application, design, non-provisional, or utility patent and/or trademark.
3. Development. Bring your product to life with a prototype. You can have computer drawings (CAD) which could be used with a 3D printer, find existing parts and pieces to get as close as you can to making a works like, functioning model as close as possible to your idea. Your CAD files or specifications can also be used for production should you decide to manufacture.
4. Licensing. Prepare a list of licensees, which are manufacturers with distribution, use videos, pics or tradeshows to show that your invention is for them and their customers.
5. Manufacturing. If you decided to sell your idea, it’s time to prepare for production, obtain tooling quotes, or your idea could be a cut and sew, etc. depending what material you would be using.
6. Marketing. What will your packaging, look like? Did you get your barcode to include? Do you have sales sheets for the buyers ad your pitch to them? You can prepare demo videos, a website, and social media presence.
7. Distribution. Choosing distribution channels- box big retailers, catalog, as seen on TV, specialty retailers, online retailers, etc. Is your idea for a niche or mass market?
8. Media. To increase your opportunities for your invention, get some press!, try your local newpapers and TV. Use social media, find influencers to represent your new product invention.
9. Have fun. Inventing can be challenging and rewarding and you’ll have experiences that are new to you and you”ll be speaking to people to help you that you never though you would. Be sure to take the time to enjoy the process and make $$!
10. Another idea will come to you and you’ll start all over again… every idea is a new journey!
I wish you all the best with your big ideas!
Brian
Question:
Where to Get a Non-Disclosure Agreement?
Answer:
In addition to your lawyer’s office, there are some government-sponsored organizations such as SCORE that offer a sample template that you can download. Click HERE to get a free NDA (non-disclosure agreement) copy to protect your invention when sharing your idea with others.
You can also ask an attorney for a blanket NDA and fill in the blanks each time you present the agreement to the receiving parties. The attorney may charge a fee for providing you their form or they could charge you for each use of the form you ask them to prepare for you.
Taking the steps of researching and networking can also help with background knowledge of who you are about to collaborate with. Your risks can also be minimized by having the receiving party of your idea or trade secret on notice when asking them to sign an NDA, keeping track of correspondence, and building mutual respect for each other.
The March NIC meeting hosted the Innovation Outreach team from the USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office). The team showed us how to navigate their website’s homepage and showcased the resources available on the USPTO website, such as the public search tools, the trademark electronic system also known as TESS.
Our guests included Elizabeth Dougherty – Eastern Regional Outreach Director, Tomeka Oubichon – Eastern Regional Outreach Officer, and Janet Gongola – Vice Chief Judge for Engagement at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
Here are the following resources that we can find on the USPTO website.
- Resources for Startups
- Free USPTO Services
- Patent Pro Bono Program
- How to find a Patent Agent
- Public Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR)
- File Wrapper
- Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS)
For more information, you can visit and explore USPTO website https://www.uspto.gov/ and find helpful resources for inventors and entrepreneurs.
We also heard some tips and tricks on how building your entrepreneur mindset from Ben Angel, author of the book Unstoppable, and we also heard an introduction from new members of the club.
National Inventor Club is one of the largest communities for inventors, innovation, and service providers that support invention and continues to provide a nationwide platform for great guest speakers, networking and connections founded and moderated by Brian Fried, who has been running inventors clubs for over 15 years.
To become a member, free or paid for inventors and service providers, please join us National Inventor Club: https://nationalinventorclub.com
In case you missed the March 2022 NIC meeting or you’d like to hear it again, visit this link:
The Got Invention Show features 30-minute interviews where an inventor promotes an invention, seeks a licensing deal, or looks for distribution opportunities. Host Brian Fried focuses on his guest’s challenges and solutions. He asks about their journey, where they are right now, and what will come next. He invites guests to offer words of wisdom to viewers and listeners.
Brian had a very interesting interview with Dr. Moustafa Moustafa, the inventor of the WoundZipper! WoundZipper® ,an innovative wound closure device, which incorporates magnets to effectively close wounds. WoundZipper® employs powerful, flexible magnets encased in a proprietary medical-grade coating, designed to adhere to each side of the wound using a hypoallergenic adhesive. The WoundZipper® can be employed to close wounds in a fraction of the time required using conventional methods. Unlike sutures, staples, and steri strips, WoundZipper® achieves uniform closure along the entire wound to speed healing and reduce scarring. It takes less than a minute to apply, does not require local anesthetic, and is painless.
WoundZipper® makes the process of treating and healing a wound fast and effective and increases medical provider efficiency,” Moustafa said. The magnets are pre-aligned as part of the package unit. This provides instant wound approximation since the magnets are immediately attracted to each other as soon as the removable layer is taken away.” ∙ Faster than staples or sutures. ∙ Less traumatic for infants and children. No painful injection. ∙ Easy to inspect the wound and reclose. ∙ Perfect for high anxiety emergencies. ∙ No disposable accessories. The intellectual property associated with WoundZipper® is available for licensing. Visit www.woundzipper.com
To schedule your interview on the Got Invention Show, please visit
www.gotinventionshow.com
**Congratulations to Got Invention Show, now seen on Amazon Fire, RokuTV and YoutubeTV and the podcast can be heard on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Google and Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.!
Inventors can schedule their interview on www.GotInventionShow.com
From the Inventor Community
To my fellow Inventors. Imagine the possibilities yet to happen with your ideas and inventions. Reach out to successful people in the inventing field, don’t go it alone or with the wrong people. Membership and active participation in the NIC is a must. I am proud of all that you do to achieve your dreams.
-Tony Pagoto, Twist Lock Grommet
tpagoto@optonline.net
www.twistlockgrommet.com
News from the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO)
USPTO launches PTAB Pro Bono Program
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced a collaboration with the PTAB Bar Association establishing a new Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Pro Bono Program. Under the program, the PTAB Bar Association will serve as a national clearinghouse to connect volunteer patent practitioners with eligible inventors seeking legal assistance with ex parte appeals before the Board. Volunteer practitioners will provide their legal services free of charge to qualified inventors. The program will later expand to include AIA Trials.
More information about the program is available on the PTAB Pro Bono Program webpage. Members of the public are welcome to send any comments or suggestions about the program to PTABprobono@uspto.gov
Source: https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/uspto-launches-ptab-pro-bono-program
About Brian Fried
Brian Fried, serial inventor, is an award-winning authority in the invention industry, a sought- after celebrity guest speaker and an advocate for the invention community. As Chief Invention Officer of Inventor Smart and Expert Inventor Coach, Brian represents inventors at every stage of the invention process, project managing new up-and-coming inventions from idea to manufacturing or as an invention licensing agent to secure deals with major brands and earn royalties for inventors.
Brian is the founder of the National Inventor Club where guest speakers focus on topics of interest to the inventor community.
He is a 2x author and his 3rd book is expected to be published in March 2022. He also hosts Got Invention Show and Radio where you can watch on RokuTV, Amazon Fire, YouTube TV, and you can hear his podcasts on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music Google and Apple Podcasts. Brian recently launched a new merch line with various designs for inventors, InventorMart.com
You can visit Brian’s personal website at BrianFried.com
Inventor MasterClass is now available! If you want to evaluate your invention, find out if licensing or manufacturing is the right decision for you, sign up for an eLearning course at InventorClass.com. National Inventor Club Members receive a discount. For inventor resources, more information and additional tips visit Inventor Smart
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