May Newsletter 2024
May 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
May 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 for you!
You’ll find valuable tips, useful resources, and words of wisdom that can help move your invention ideas forward!
May 2024: Navigate Your Invention Journey with Expert Guidance and Strategic Insights!
Inventor’s Guide for Asking the Right Questions to Expert Service Providers
To help you navigate this exciting path with confidence, Brian Fried curated a savvy inventor’s guide focused on asking the right questions to expert service providers.
Invention success hinges on clear communication and strategic collaboration. Whether you’re working with patent attorneys, product designers, or marketing specialists, understanding their roles and asking pertinent questions is key.
Our guide is designed to empower you with the knowledge and insights needed to make informed decisions every step of the way. From protecting your intellectual property to crafting compelling marketing strategies, we’ve got you covered.
Before exploring the key questions for each service provider, it’s essential to ensure you’re well-prepared to seek the help you need. If you’re in the early stages and have an idea but are unsure where to start, here are some questions to consider and ask in this article: Navigating the Invention Journey: A Savvy Inventor’s Guide for Asking the Right Questions to Expert Service Providers
Key Considerations for Manufacturing Your Invention
Deciding to start your own business gives you complete control over how your product is sold, where it is sold, and it allows you to be creative with the business. However, starting and running your own business requires a commitment of money, time, effort, and energy. Maybe there’s more risk, but investing in yourself and your invention, now turned into a manufactured product, may bring you greater financial rewards as an entrepreneur. So, you are thinking of manufacturing your own product.
Here are some things to consider:
Working with a product designer or engineer, working on making prototypes, possibly investing in molding or tooling, and identifying what material to use to make your product.
Finding a factory, either in the United States or overseas (outsourcing).
What is the factory’s MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) and how many units should you start with for your first order?
Designing your product’s packaging, including the barcoding and the labeling, instruction manuals, and preparing for retail.
Obtaining product liability insurance.
Identifying who you are selling your product to and where you will keep your inventory once you have 3,000 units scheduled for delivery from your factory? In your living room, or in a storage facility or a warehouse, or shipped right to the retailer’s distribution center?
Source: How To Make Money with Your Invention Idea book by Brian Fried
ButtonUp and Stay Organized!
Introducing ButtonUp™! This revolutionary organizer lets you display photos, lists, artwork, and more – perfect for homes, offices, even restaurants. ButtonUp™ is versatile – magnets, tacks, and suction cups included!
Hal Bevers was born deaf Inventor launched his first product ButtonUp. He got his first patent Issued! He’s so excited! His wife is deaf and their hearing sons are supporting him. He never gives up until he is looking to get the patent/product licensed to earn royalties.
Introducing ButtonUp™! A revolutionary translucent sheet with eleven buttons that neatly hold up to 3 items each—photos, menus or lists, kids’ artwork and more! Now you can turn a cluttered mess into a stylish success! ButtonUp™ is incredibly versatile, too! Use at home, at school, in dorm rooms, or at the office to create a clean, well-organized space. ButtonUp™ comes complete with magnets for the fridge, long tacks for walls or office cubicles…and suction cups—that work on stainless steel refrigerators and glass. Perfect for restaurants and storefronts! NewButtonUp™ launch a singles button instead of big sheets. Flower/FaceButtonUp™ **Connect with Hal in the Inventor Smart Community app- He goes by @frontwing27 and is a Premium Insider subscriber!
Question: What are the types of patents? Answer: These are the three types of patents: Utility Patents These may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers a new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvements of these.
Design Patents Patent laws provide for the granting of design patents to anyone who has invented a new, original ornamental design for an article of manufacture. The ornamental characteristics must be embodied in or applied to such an article. The subject matter may relate to the configuration or shape of an article, surface ornamentation applied to it, or the combination of both. A surface ornamentation design is inseparable from the article to which it is applied and cannot exist alone. It must be a definite pattern applied to an article of manufacture.
Plant Patents The law also provides for the granting of a patent to anyone inventing or discovering and asexually reproducing any distinct and new variety of plant. This includes cultivated sports, mutants, hybrids, and newly found seedlings, other than a tuber-propagated plant or a plant found in an uncultivated state.
Source: https://www.uspto.gov/patents/basics/essentials#questions
Next NIC meeting- Join the Inventor Smart Community app to watch May 22nd meeting Live Streaming here on Linkedin- CLICK FOR THE DETAILS
In case you missed the April National Inventor Club meeting:
National Inventor Club hosted the guest Speakers Jacqueline and Adam Williams, founders of Erie Business Law. specializing in tax and business strategies for inventors, and Alex Englard of vState Filings LLC, corporate structure expert.
IT’S TAX SEASON!! Are you an inventor with a brilliant idea but unsure how to build a business around it? Watch the recorded episode designed specifically for you! Our panel of experts guide you through everything you need to know about maximizing tax deductions during the development process and choosing the right business structure for success.
Key Topics:
*Tax Advantage: Discover how your invention journey can lead to significant tax write-offs.
*Business Formation: Learn the pros and cons of different business entities (LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp, etc.) and pick the right one for your needs.
Also part of our guest intros include representatives from the Small Business Administration, US Patent & Trademark Office, SCORE, best selling author, some of our Inventor Smart Community Premium Insiders.
We were joined by Elizabeth Dougherty, representing the US Patent and Trademark Office USPTO . She shared some upcoming hybrid events that inventors can attend to in person or virtually. For more information you check the events page of the uspto.gov
Candice Stennett, VP, Marketing of SCORE Mentors, also joined us for a brief introduction. She shared some resources available on SCORE that can help aspiring entrepreneurs to roll out their business. If you are looking for a mentor to help you in starting your business you can check out SCORE.
We also met Troy Diaz from the U.S. Small Business Administration, he discussed how the SBA can help small businesses throughout the nations in funding their business and educating them through the services and programs available at the center.
Additionally, we were also joined by John Rizvi, the Patent Professor, the new sponsor of the Inventor Smart. We also welcomed a new premium member to the National Inventor Club, Karen M. Catena the inventor of Burn-Free. Our community of innovators are expanding.
The diverse perspectives and experiences shared by these esteemed guests and members truly made the meeting a remarkable and enriching experience for all.
National Inventor Club is one of the largest and most active 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, please join us at National Inventor Club: https://nationalinventorclub.com/join or download the Inventor Smart Community app https:inventorsmart.app Available on Apple App Store or Google Play.
The Got Invention Show
The Got Invention Show features a 30-minute interview 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.One of the recent episodes of the Got Invention Show we hosted @Danny Cass Liddle Speaker, the mind behind The Liddle Speaker.
Connect the Liddle Speaker with any “Bluetooth” wireless device, iPhone, Android, tablet, computer, etc. The Liddle Speaker is dustproof and water resistant. Perfect for travel, outdoors and home.
From conception to launch, he shares the highs and lows of bringing his innovative idea to life. Danny takes us on a captivating journey, revealing the secrets behind successfully transforming an idea into a marketable product.
Would you like to be our guest on the Got Invention Show? Schedule your interview today to promote your prototype or product now available for sale to now reaching 100 million households! You and Host Brian will do a 28 minute interview and once the interview is completed, you can use it for your website and social media and we air on Amazon Fire, Roku TV, YouTube TV and next month we will be on Apple TV!! The podcast audio version of your interview is played on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Google and Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music! Small fee, great promotion for you and your invention!
USPTO’s new Diversity Information Platform: Advancing innovation through data-driven action
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently launched a Diversity Information Platform (DI Platform) to advance diversity and inclusion efforts throughout the innovation ecosystem by providing a no-cost tool for data-driven analyses and a one-stop shop for discussing and sharing best practices.
The unique online platform is free and available to anyone with an internet connection. It offers several novel features including:
Visual representations of the demographic makeup of U.S. states and industries from 2014 through 2021
A tool for any organization to benchmark their demographic data against their own industry sector (over 100 U.S. industries included)
A discussion forum for sharing best practices for increasing participation in the innovation ecosystem
And–for the first time–a set of visualizations that show the demographic makeup of the USPTO workforce by geography and occupation.
Click the link to learn more: https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/usptos-new-diversity-information-platform-advancing-innovation-through-data
“Being an entrepreneur, yes, we do it for the money, I guess, you know, cause you want to put food on the table, but at the end of the day, it has to be your passion. So being an entrepreneur is like riding on a roller coaster. You’re going to go up and down hills. You’re going to go through turns, you’re going to be sideswiped and you’re going to, sometimes you’re going to have to make fast decisions. And as long as you’re passionate and true to your product and true to the people around you, just keep on trudging through.”
Jennifer Telfer, Pillow Pets Inventor and Member of National Inventor Club
ON MAY 4, 1943, AVIATION PIONEER IGOR SIKORSKY RECEIVED A PATENT FOR THE FIRST WORKING HELICOPTER
On May 4, 2016, aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky received a patent for helicopter controls.
He was born in Russia. He immigrated to the United States in 1919, ahead of the October Revolution.
After decades of development, he developed the first working helicopter. In 1939 Sikorsky designed and flew the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300, which was the first viable American helicopter, which pioneered the rotor configuration used by most helicopters today.
His helicopter Sikorsky R-4 became the world’s first mass-produced helicopter in 1942.
He designed and flew the world’s first multi-engine fixed-wing aircraft, the Russky Vityaz in 1913, and the first airliner, Ilya Muromets, in 1914. Sikorsky founded the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in 1923, and developed the first of Pan American Airways’ ocean-conquering flying boats in the 1930s.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation was among the first companies to manufacture helicopters for civilian and military use.
Previously owned by United Technologies (UTC), in November 2015 Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation Was sold to Lockheed Martin.
John Rizvi is a Florida Bar Board Certified Patent Attorney and an Adjunct Professor of Patent Law and registered to practice before the United States Patent & Trademark Office. As the founding partner of Gold & Rizvi, P.A, South Florida patent law firm, he has been focusing his law practice exclusively on matters relating to patent, trademark, and copyright law for the past 20 years. You can connect with John HERE Thank you to our sponsor!
We launched our second Book Club session, discussing the book ‘How To Make Money With Your Invention Idea,’ a valuable resource for inventors aiming to turn their creativity into profitability. Inventors at different stages of their journeys came together, sharing their personal stories, hurdles, and successes in navigating product development, patent protection, and market entry.
The discussion focused on researching if your idea already exists to make sure yours is unique, stressing how important it is to get a patent before showing it to potential investors. We also talked about ways to make your invention more appealing to a wider audience. Come join our next book club event, stay connected in the @Inventor Smart Community app. Download today on Google Play and Apple App Store. Inventor Smart Community App
Check out Brian's latest book on inventing!!
A shop for Inventors, innovators and patent holders - Check out InventorMart.com!
This is a shop for you! You’ve worked hard on your invention, now you can wear DESIGNS & MERCH made with you in mind! Find shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, hats, stickers, blankets and over 1,000 unique items to show that you are proud to be an inventor. check out InventorMart.com
About Brian Fried
Inventor. Speaker. Coach. Author. Radio & TV Host. Founder.
Brian Fried, known as “The Inventor Coach,” is a highly accomplished innovator, author, and speaker. With 15 patents to his name, he has successfully licensed and manufactured his own inventions, gaining recognition through QVC, infomercials, catalogs, and major retailers. For over 18 years, Brian has been working closely with inventors, providing one-on-one coaching as an invention licensing agent and guiding inventors in commercializing their ideas into tangible products.
As an expert speaker, Brian captivates audiences with his engaging talks on innovation and invention. He has authored three books, offering practical advice and strategies for aspiring inventors. In addition to his speaking and writing endeavors, Brian hosts the “Got Invention Show,” a platform that showcases inventors and their creations, providing them with valuable exposure.
Brian is the founder of the National Inventor Club, a community that supports and connects inventors, fostering collaboration and networking opportunities. He serves as the Chief Invention Officer of Inventor Smart, an invention consultancy that assists inventors in bringing their ideas to fruition.
In October 2023, Brian officially launched the Inventor Smart Community, an innovative social media and resource center exclusively designed for inventors. The app, now available for download on Google Play and the Apple App Store, aims to create a vibrant community where inventors can connect, share ideas, and access valuable resources.
With his extensive experience, resourcefulness, and commitment to helping inventors succeed, Brian Fried has become a trusted figure in the invention industry. Inventors and aspiring innovators can rely on his expertise and guidance to navigate the complexities of the invention process and turn their ideas into reality.
brianfried.com | inventorsmart.app | brian@inventorsmart.com
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Inventively Yours,
Brian and the Inventor Smart Team
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