Making a new product

[John R.]

I have created a new product, but only in my mind and sketched on paper. It will be used to hold something in place, and I wish to have it mass produced and sold as part of a packaged item for a specific market - sporting goods. Now my questions:

1. How do I get it from paper to production? Do I need to work with a plastics designer of sorts?
2. How do I protect my idea from being stolen as I work with someone to create a prototype?

Any input from you folks would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks
John

[younkersnake]

I think you should work on protecting your idea before worrying about the production... Mainly look into getting a patten. This also will provide a great oppertunity to verify that there is not a patten already. After protection, then we can look at production.

[John R.]

And therein lies another problem. While I am 90% sure my idea will work, I cannot be "positive enough," to the point of spening time and money on it, until I have one to test, tweak, test again and so on. So, how do I make one, and test it, and tweak it, and test it again, and then, when I'm sure it will work, go ahead with the patent when, if I follow the "patent it first" idea, I won't have an item in-hand with which to work? It's a reall catch 22! Any advice?

Thanks
John

[Will Call]

As Yonkersnake stated, the first thing you want to do is protect yourself. Patent is best but you can also look for a reputable designer with prototyping capabilities. Then at a bare minimum get them to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

[Mikey]

If you haven't already, check out the US patent office web site & search for your idea to see if it's been done already ... go to http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html I like to use the quick search under the issued patents field. I agree completely with Will Call, a non-disclosure agreement us usually more than sufficient.
A full blown patent is expensive so some of the alternatives are:
*Provisional Patent - lasts one year to prove out design.
*Patent application - some people swear by it ... just send in your application, if it's filed in the patent office you have an official date!?
*Keep it to yourself & do the design work & prototypes yourself - there are local inventing groups in many states set up by county or city that may be able to help. Here's one for example http://www.juneaucounty.com/economic.asp?cid=251&id=252
*Most prototype companies are not waiting for you to come in so they can steal your idea, they make money building prototypes. Not as risky as many seem to think.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you don't do it someone else eventually will. You sometimes have to take risks ... big risks - big rewards. It may be hard to swallow but even a stolen idea feels better than one not done at all ... I speak from experience.

[Al Hall]

I don't know how you would get a patent without drawings. Find a plastic part/mold designer and have he/she sign a non-disclosure agreement. Also do a patent search for products like yours. A lot of people get patents and never produce the product. Usually because of the costs involved. Remember it will cost more to market it than to build it in many cases.

[DwightDixon]

The other choise on what to do to make some money from your idea is to at least apply for a patent (small bucks above the charge for the lawyer) and then approach a US manufacturer that is already in the market with a product that is inferior to yours. Then sell them a license to use your idea. This approach is a lot less capital risky than trying to set up a company and bring your idea to the mass market.

[John R.]

Guys, this is some outstanding advice.
I will proceed from here by searching the patent office web site. If I don't find my "invention," then I will proceed from there. I am going to try to cut and paste plastic pieces together (with epoxy) in an attempt to make my idea into something solid and 'near working.'

This leads to a few questions I have:
1. How do I find a "Reputable designer with prototyping capabilities," as Will Call stated above? (or "a plastic part/mold designer" as Al Hall stated)

2. Where would you suggest I find a copy of a "non-disclosure agreement" which could protect me?

3. Finally, can you give me an idea (ballpark) of what a patent will cost me - including attorney fees?

Again, any input will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
John

[Will Call]

John,

I can help with the NDA.

Go here http://inventors.about.com/od/nondisclo ... ements.htm for a full explaination and a sample or 2

One warning, be cautious of off-shore suppliers at this time. Even with NDAs and/or No Compete contracts it's possible to get burnt. There are unscrupulous suppliers all over the world but it's easier to defend yourself using a domestic supplier. IMHO

I believe there are several members on here that may be able to help with design and prototyping. Chime in guys or send John a PM to introduce yourself and tell him of your capabilities.

[DD]

John,

You seem like a smart guy. It's not as difficult to navigate your way to a proof of concept as it sounds. Contact a freelance plastic design engineer or a small design firm and use your instincts. 98% of the time people are not going to be predatory. Start a dialog with a designer and walk away if you get the feeling that you're talking to a car salesman (no offense to any car salesmen out there). You don't need a patent to have someone make a prototype for you. I've been designing products for 15 years and never once obtained a patent before even making prototypes. An NDA isn't a bad idea but even that's not crucial. Just write your idea down in a notebook and sign and date it. And stay "onshore" until you assess whether this idea has big potential. Listen to Mikey...if you aren't staking your whole life on this then don't go off the deep end just yet.

By the way, where are you located? PM me if you want some suggestions of design firms that might be willing to work with you. It would also help if you could describe the scope of this product (size, complexity, rough quantities).

DD

[DwightDixon]

It sounds to me that is time for you to find a patent attoney in your local area that can give you a free half hour consultation to establish the rough cost of protecting your ideas. Then it is off to have a free consultation with a prototype molder in your area to present your concept and get an estimate of what it will cost and how long it will take. Then you need to review your finances and make a dollar based business plan as to what it will cost to fully develope this product, get it into production, market analysis of how it should be priced, production costs, market distribution cost, how profit should be split between: you/manufactureer/distributor/retailer. Now it is time to do a return on investment calculation and a risk analysis. Now you can decide how to presue your dream after all the numbers make sense.

[gloryplastic]

Please contact the administrators about placing advertisments in these forums.
Contact us today: http://www.plastics.com

[PDF]

my $0.02 as a product designer is to use this mantra: "Prototype early and often"

You'll be surprised how much you can learn from your first BS prototypes made from scraps of previous projects. Then as confidence builds, get more sophisticated with your protos.

I don't think anyone mentioned it... but use a rapid prototyping company before you look into any tooling. They don't have to be near you, but you will need a good CAD model of the part. I do a SLA model of almost all of my plastic parts before I have a mold cut.

I justify it this way - I can get a prototype in 1-3 days that costs - $200 - $400. Catching something here can save me weeks spent making a mold change in the tool room. That's never been a hard sell with my bosses.

Oh, and like these guys said an NDA is a must with everyone you work with - plus make sure your drawings also have your / company name and marked "confidential"

-Pete