East London Inventors Club Main Website
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| Licensing vs Self Manufacture | What do you see as the Pro's and Con's involved in licensing vs making the product you've designed yourself, and do you think you really need an agent to broker a deal? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Licensing vs Self Manufacture | [quote:21e3c77e0c="Anonymous"]What do you see as the Pro's and Con's involved in licensing vs making the product you've designed yourself, and do you think you really need an agent to broker a deal?[/quote:21e3c77e0c] [b:21e3c77e0c]To Quote Author H. Reese -[/b:21e3c77e0c] [i:21e3c77e0c]"If you start your own business, and if you're successful, you might make a lot of money. Keep in mind, however, that most businesses fail by the third year, and if that happens to you, you'll probably find yourself in serious debt. Your home, your car and your money were undoubtedly pledged for loans, and they now belong to the bank... If you decide to license your idea, again you have two choices. You can do it yourself, or try to find someone who's willing to do it for you."[/i:21e3c77e0c] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Licensing versus Manufacture | Much depends on the potential for the development of a range of products and the business skills needed to exploit the commercial potential. If there is a strong likelihood that this is going to be a one-off product then it is a more risky proposition to set up a manufacturing business that will depend on one product for its survival. In this instance it is better to find a company that has complementary products or routes to market and license the product. If it possible to develop a range of products then the key question is whether the 'inventor' has the ability to manage a business beyond the product development stages. Financiers will often look for a management team with a breadth of experience across many disciplines, including sales, marketing, finance and operations. If it is possible to build such a team then setting up a manufacturing business is a good option. The question about using an agent to broker a deal largely depends on the nature of the market (lots of potential licensees or one or two blue chip companies), the attitude of potential licensees (will they deal direct with an inventor), the inventor's ability to negotiate a good deal (viewing of BBC2's Dragon's Den is essential preparation for this!). Colin Cramphorn is a licensing agent and spoke at the February 2005 meeting fo the club. If you want to discuss this option further please ask for information from a club committee member. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Licensing versus Manufacture | [quote:cee44b7c18="Rob"]Colin Cramphorn is a licensing agent and spoke at the February 2005 meeting for the club. If you want to discuss this option further please ask for information from a club committee member.[/quote:cee44b7c18] Colin's presentation was very interesting, especially the sections that illustrated the timescales involved in getting a product to market. In particular what can or needs to be accomplished in those crucial first 12 months from an initial patent filing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Licensing | I would advise anyone contemplating licensing their invention or idea to use the best negotiators possible as licensing agreements are very complicated and you can easily get shafted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Guide To Using These Forums | [b:4701376089]The forum is split into 3 main sections[/b:4701376089] [color=red:4701376089]1. Public Forum 2. Club Members Forum 3. Committee Members Forum[/color:4701376089] The [b:4701376089]public forum[/b:4701376089] is where anyone from the internet can join and post general questions about the club, inventions, patents, etc Other members of the public or club members can read what's written and reply to postings. The [b:4701376089]Club Members section[/b:4701376089] is for all fully paid up East London Inventors Club members (currently £24 per year) to post questions and queries to each other. Full members and committee members can view what's posted in this section and reply to postings. The [b:4701376089]Committee Section[/b:4701376089] is for club committee members only and only they have access to this section for posting, reading and replying. When you first register on this forum you will be sent an email which contains a clickable link. Clicking on this link within 24 hours of registering confirms the email address you used is indeed yours and allows you to proceed with postings questions, etc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Useful computer resources | [b:df569e8860]Antivirus Software[/b:df569e8860] For anyone using a PC to do their work on .. the last thing you need is to lose it all to a virus or even have your emails to others blocked because your emails contain a virus. There are many companies offering free anti-virus software, one of the best known is AVG Antivirus software Which you can download from www.grisoft.com [b:df569e8860]Free Office Software[/b:df569e8860] You don't have to spend hundreds on Microsoft Office software to be able to view and edit documents in Word, Excel, etc - several companies provide cheaper or free alternatives Open Office is one of the best free office suites out there and offers a word processor, spreadhseet, database and presentation package all for free www.openoffice.org You can also try www.software602.com for a smaller office suite package suitable for older PC's - not free but with prices starting around £20 a lot cheaper then MS office | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Online Resources | MIT has produced a useful online guide for inventing http://web.mit.edu/invent/h-main.html [color=darkblue:c7d66c5d15]Which covers the fllowing topics Chapter 1: What Is Intellectual Property? Chapter 2: What Can Be Patented? Chapter 3: Is My Idea Patentable? Chapter 4: How Do I Conduct a Patent Search? Chapter 5: Is My Invention Worth Patenting? Chapter 6: How Do I Apply for a Patent? Chapter 7: How Do I Prove the Idea Is Mine? Chapter 8: What Are Some Options to Commercialize My Patent? Chapter 9: How Do I License My Invention? Chapter 10: What Are Some Guidelines in Developing a Business Plan? Chapter 11: How Do I Raise Capital? [/color:c7d66c5d15] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| How can I protect my idea? | [b:04c2cb04e8][u:04c2cb04e8]What is IPR?[/u:04c2cb04e8] (Intellectual Property Rights)[/b:04c2cb04e8] [b:04c2cb04e8]PATENTS[/b:04c2cb04e8] Patents are generally intended to cover products or processes that possess or contain new functional or technical aspects. Patents protect a new invention for What it is, What it does, How it works, How it is made. What it is made of. To be patentable your invention must a) be new, b) involve an inventive step, c) be capable of industrial application. ‘A patent for an invention is granted by government to the inventor, giving the inventor the right for a limited period to stop others from making, using or selling the invention without the permission of the inventor. When a patent is granted, the invention becomes the property of the inventor, which –can be bought, sold, rented or hired….UK patents will only give the holder rights within the UK and rights to stop others from importing the patented product into the UK’ (Patent Office 2004) Remember: to get a patent your invention must be absolutely new, so don’t talk to anyone in detail about it because you won’t be able to get a patent. [b:04c2cb04e8]COPYRIGHT[/b:04c2cb04e8] Copyright protects items such as:- Stories that you write, original dramatic works, original musical works & sound recordings, songs, your drawings, engravings ,photographs, sculptures, logos etc computer programs you write, films including videos & DVDs, broadcasts. In fact any artistic or aesthetic creation. Copyright is free and automatic and starts straight away. There is no official register for copyright. It is an unregistered right. Copyright comes into effect immediately, as soon as something that can be protected is created and “fixed” in some way e.g. on paper, on firm, via sound recording, as an electronic record on the internet etc. It is a good idea for you to mark your copyright work with the copyright symbol followed by your name and date. If it can be posted to yourself by registered post and left sealed in the envelope this will give a record of the date of copyright. Copyright does not protect ideas. It protects the way the idea is expressed in a piece of work but it does not protect the idea itself. (Patent Office 2004) [b:04c2cb04e8]DESIGNS[/b:04c2cb04e8] To qualify for registration, your design must not be the same as any design which has already been made available to the public and it must have individual character. A registered design Provides the exclusive right to make, import, use or stock any product to which the design has been applied or is incorporated, or to let others use the design under terms agreed with the owner, in the UK and the Isle of Man. It is a recognised intellectual property right which protects the design from being copied by competitors for up to 25 years [b:04c2cb04e8]TRADE MARKS[/b:04c2cb04e8] A trade mark is any sign which can distinguish the goods and services of one trader from those of another. A sign includes, for example, words, logos, pictures or a combination of these. Basically a trade mark is a badge of origin. Large sums of money are invested in devising trade marks to suit a particular product or service and to appeal to a particular market. At present it costs £200 for an application. This includes one class of goods or services. For every other class you apply for it costs a further £50 for each class. Most of the above information was taken from the Patent Office literature 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Invention Promotion Companies | [b:d56124ced7]Invention Promotion Companies[/b:d56124ced7] If the company you contact is a reputable one then they will not normally want money up front. They will negotiate with you for a percentage of royalties or part of your invention. My advice to would be users of such companies is to find out if they are members of a recognised trade association. If so then you can check on the background of such companies. If however thay have advertisments on TV or in the press then be vary cautious of such companies as these people usually charge a large fee payable in advance and then sign a non-disclosure agreement. Which means they then cannot promote your invention as they have signed that they won't. The majority of these rip off companies seem to originate in the USA although I have heard of one recently trading in Ireland. Majority of inventors are not rich so these preditors pray on loan inventors. My advice is to go along to any one of the Inventors clubs listed on this web site and get free advice before parting with any money. These clubs usually know of the bogus Promoters. [i:d56124ced7]Terry Jennings East London Inventors Club.[/i:d56124ced7] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| All good advice from Terry .. one other factor to consider that often gets forgotten is the timescales involved and to have them written into any contracts. I've often seen many deals signed without any thought been addressed to time. For instance one company I know had signed a deal to have a piece of software developted, without putting into the contract a deadline, when the software wasn't working and the deadline had already passed they were still paying them £30,000 per week to fix it. I've seen the same thing happen in property deals where someone who's inherited some land gives their land to a developer who wishes to build flats for sale .. in exchange for a number of flats being given to the original land owner. However I've seen many times when no set date is given for the flats to be built by and it can be 10 years later and the developer now owns the land and has done nothing to it. In the meantime the value of the land has shot up and if the orignal land owner wants it back they'll have to pay the new price. The same thing can happen in licensing deals, good agents who take on your invention to market and sell to a manufacturer should offer a a set amount of time in which they will get a deal signed for you and if they haven't gotten you a deal say within 6 months then everything should revert back to yourself and you should be free to take your invention to another agent or market it yourself. So don't forget to factor in timescales in any deals you make. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interesting Article - A License To Sell | [b:536d3a7d71]DECEMBER 01, 2002[/b:536d3a7d71] -- The first image that comes to mind when most people think of licensing is sports or entertainment, but there's more to it than that. Licensing has become a powerful, contemporary form of marketing and brand extension. Licensing is actually the leasing of a legally protected entity, be it a name, logo, saying, character, or combination of elements. In short, licensing is a marketing tool crafted to gain visibility and creditability and generate sales from a well-known name. The success of licensed product in your store relies on determining which products fit into the upscale market and your customers' profiles. While some licensing concepts align perfectly with the specialty market, others should be left to the masses. [b:536d3a7d71]Choosing a Name[/b:536d3a7d71] Specialty retailers have a wealth of licensed product to choose from, including character-based tabletop and foods for kids, celebrity chef-branded kitchenware and foods, artist and designer label products, as well as well-known culinary brands extending beyond their original realm. In 2001, more than $5.6 billion in royalty income was generated from licensed products, according to a study by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA) in conjunction with the Yale School of Management and the Harvard Business School. Art licensing alone — such as Rosenthal's use of Andy Warhol — generated $147 million. The licensing study found that the strongest licensing categories continue to be entertainment/character (44.3% share of the market), trademarks/brands (17.2%), and finally, fashion (16.2%).... [i:536d3a7d71]Rest of the article can be found at this site[/i:536d3a7d71] [url]http://www.gourmetretailer.com/gourmetretailer/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1776696[/url] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WRTI website | http://www.wrti.org.uk WRTI's web-site for inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs provides a comprehensive source of information, acting as a one stop 'shop' linking to the leading related sites. WRTI also distributes a free inventors newsletter. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: WRTI website | [quote:f78087ae69="Mike"]http://www.wrti.org.uk WRTI's web-site for inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs provides a comprehensive source of information, acting as a one stop 'shop' linking to the leading related sites. WRTI also distributes a free inventors newsletter.[/quote:f78087ae69] Thanks for the information Mike, for future search purposes it should be noted WRTI stands for the Wessex Round Table of Inventors and is based in Southampton ..Just had a look at the newsletters WRTI has online and they're a very interesting read. http://www.wrti.org.uk/newsletter.htm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| List of Interesting Online Articles on Inventing | [i:1617a5a805]Some of you might have noticed that we've added a inventor news module which looks for news articles on the web that contain keywords like Patent, Invention, inventor, etc .. this list of stories within the module is automatically generated and updated every hour so some of the older articles disappear over time from the list .... so I thought it may be a good idea to post on here some links to some of the more interesting ones so the information isn't lost.[/i:1617a5a805] [b:1617a5a805]Bright ideas, big wait on tech payback[/b:1617a5a805] [size=9:1617a5a805]By Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com Wednesday, March 23 2005 9:45 AM [/size:1617a5a805] The tech industry is famous for billion-dollar ideas. But the rewards don't always to go to the inventor. Some of the most important technologies of the past 50 years--the transistor, the relational database and the microprocessor--weren't the slam dunks for their creators that you might expect.... http://asia.cnet.com/news/industry/0,39037106,39222830,00.htm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Making your postings searchable | [b:c24fc73391]Making The Information You Post Easy To Find[/b:c24fc73391] Please remember at the end of the day this forum is just a computerised database with a very fancy looking frontend In order to make this forum as useful a resource as possible you should also bare in mind that as the forum grows in time ... people will come here searching for information and relying more and more on the forum's built in search facility. So please remember to make the information in your postings as easy to find as possible as well. For example if you use an acronym do try and mention the full meaning as well in your postings e.g. if you post about NDA's do try and mention in your posting the full meaning of the term, i.e. in this case [b:c24fc73391]Non-Disclosure Agreement[/b:c24fc73391] This way anyone searching for the word [b:c24fc73391]agreement [/b:c24fc73391]for example will also find your posting when they do a search. BTW - a quick search on this website www.acronymfinder.com shows NDA could also stand for the following: [size=9:c24fc73391]NDA New Drug Application (US FDA) NDA National Dance Association NDA National Dart Association NDA National Day of Action NDA National Deaf Academy NDA National Dealers Association NDA National Defence Academy (military training school in India) NDA National Defense Academy (Japan) NDA National Defense Act (Canada, USA) NDA National Defense Area NDA National Democratic Alliance (group of political parties in India) NDA National Dental Association NDA National Department of Agriculture (South Africa) NDA National Diploma of Agriculture (UK) NDA National Directory Assistance (Sprint) NDA National Disability Authority (Ireland) NDA National Distribution Authority NDA National Drilling Association NDA Natural Disaster Assistance[/size:c24fc73391] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Following on from the above post also remember that anything you post on here becomes searchable, so please don't post personal information such as your phone number, home address or email address ... if people wish to contact you they can do so by sending you a PM (Personal Message) through the system and at present you each have storage for upto 100 personal messages. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Patent Costs | How much do patents cost and how long do they last for? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Invention Courses | Are there any places in London where you can go on courses to learn more about inventing? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Making Prototypes | Are there any firms or colleges out there that can help you make working prototypes? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Licensing vs Self Manufacture | [quote:c63862a811="Guest"]What do you see as the Pro's and Con's involved in licensing vs making the product you've designed yourself, ...?[/quote:c63862a811] The pro's are if you succeed at manufacturing the product you invent yourself you have more control and get more of the rewards, but you also have more to lose, more stress to manage and could take you longer as well to turn a profit if at all. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favourite Inventions | What are people's favorite and most admired inventions? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Favourite Inventions | [quote:16ee568e1a="Kevin_Smith"]What are people's favorite and most admired inventions?[/quote:16ee568e1a] [b:16ee568e1a]I have two inventions I like in particular[/b:16ee568e1a] 1. The Paperclip - because it's such a simple idea 2. Those chains that fit on top of supermarket trolleys and can only be released when you put £1 coin in them and which you need to put back all nice and tidly to get your £1 back. I think that idea is a stroke of genius as it's a simple idea that controls one aspect of human behaviour. Go to any super market without one of those devices on their trolleys and you'll see trolleys everywhere, go to one with the devices and they're always put back neatly into the trolley bays. [img:16ee568e1a]http://www.unarco.com/number4.gif[/img:16ee568e1a] [img:16ee568e1a]http://www.alibaba.com/photo/50111386/Coin_Operated_Trolley_Lock.summ.jpg[/img:16ee568e1a] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Making Prototypes | Kevin, In answer to your question. We at the East London Inventors Club have been promised the use of UEL facilities and as members get a reduced charge for 3D cad modelling, access to UEL library for research etc, Product design Lab, machine workshop at Barking Campus, and we are striving to get much more. If you have time come along to one of our meetings and see what we have to offer. You might even be tempted into becoming a member. Several of us have already trod the bumpy road to market so our imput to new ideas can save you money and lots of heartaches. Give us a try. If you are not in our area then look at the other clubs listed in the relevant section. By being a member of a club you will get help and guidance from other members. Terry Jennings Chairman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Patent costs | The cost of a patent varies considerably depending on many things 1 The charges of your Patent Attorney 2 The depth of searches needed. 3 Detailed drawings if needed 4 Number of countries you are applying for a patent 5 Overseas searches. However the application for a patent in the UK is free and this enables you to try and sell or license your idea/invention within 12 months after this you will need the services of a Patent Agent or attorney. Good ones cost money. Because of the costs many new inventions do not proceed to a full patent. Terry Jennings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper dies | [b:065a560187]A very interesting article, this chap only died last month[/b:065a560187] DETROIT (AP) — Robert Kearns, the inventor of intermittent windshield wipers, has died of cancer, according to family members. He was 77. In 1967, Kearns patented the intermittent wipers he invented. He demonstrated the system to Ford Motor Co., which introduced cars with intermittent wipers in 1978. Other automakers soon followed. Kearns filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Ford and collected $10 million in 1990. Five years later, the U.S. Supreme Court let Kearns collect around $21 million from Chrysler for using his design ... [i:065a560187]Full Story on this website..[/i:065a560187] http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-02-25-obit-kearns_x.htm?POE=TECISVA [b:065a560187]I saw this question posted on a newsgroup and thought is was interesting[/b:065a560187] First, he received patents in 1967, so he probably invented the device around 1964, but he didn't receive his pay-out until 30 years later! It's a good thing he didn't quit his day job as an engineering professor. Second, he got a lot of money, but he didn't get what he wanted. He wanted to be a manufacturer of the windshield wipers, but was unable to get an injuction that would have forced the car makers to buy from him; instead he spent his efforts working on the law suits. So, what do you think? Was he successful? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper dies | [quote:48c61fee95="Anonymous"] So, what do you think? Was he successful?[/quote:48c61fee95] This website link provides a really detailed account of this inventor's life. http://www.booknoise.net/johnseabrook/stories/technology/flash/ He did manage to get $10 Million from Ford 15 years ago but continued to spend his time fighting in courtrooms .. where 5 years later he got another $21 million from Chrysler ... So people in a similar situation have to ask themselves if it's worth the time and effort involved to them .. In his final years, he drove around in two aging vehicles: a 1978 Ford pickup and a 1965 Chrysler. Neither had intermittent wipers. That article also highlights one of the benefits of joining an Inventors Club - as I'm sure most companies would be less likely to walk over the rights of an Inventor who is part of a well established organisation rather then one who is totally alone. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Favourite Inventions | [quote:1336d3710f="Diamond"][quote:1336d3710f="Kevin_Smith"]What are people's favorite and most admired inventions?[/quote:1336d3710f] [b:1336d3710f]I have two inventions I like in particular[/b:1336d3710f] 1. The Paperclip - because it's such a simple idea[/quote:1336d3710f] The paperclip is certainly a good example of a very simple idea for a very useful product | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AVATAR Photos | [b:26f9ab4d7a]For those of you that had their pictures taken at the March Club Meeting - your resized Avatars are available to download below on link[/b:26f9ab4d7a] http://www.eastlondoninventorsclub.com/small/ If you're a fully paid up club member then PM (Personally Message) me to let me know once you've registered so I can allow you access to the Club Members section as well [b:26f9ab4d7a]Also please note can we get members of the site to either use the Male / Female Avatars we've provided or a Portrait Photo headshot of themselves so when you come to a club meeting you'll be able to recognise each other.[/b:26f9ab4d7a] Please refrain from using any other kind of Avatars, such as cartoons, drawings, etc. Lets keep this site looking as professional as possible. We reserve the right to delete, or alter any image posted on this site as we see fit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Invention Courses | [quote:390abe018a="Kevin_Smith"]Are there any places in London where you can go on courses to learn more about inventing?[/quote:390abe018a] The British Library runs a course on how to use their facilities and how to search for patents, that is always a good starting point. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gallery Photos | [b:babcff659f]New photos taken before last night's meeting have now been added to the site click below to see them[/b:babcff659f] http://www.eastlondoninventorsclub.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=1 For people new to the club these pictures show the brand new Docklands campus at the University of East London where our club meetings take place. Photos begin at Cyprus DLR Station and takes you on a walk through the campus to the Lecture hall where our March club meeting was held. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Favourite Inventions | [quote:c9af4a7ea3="Kevin_Smith"]What are people's favorite and most admired inventions?[/quote:c9af4a7ea3] I personally like the simple inventions that make you slap yourself on the head and ask "Why didn't I think of that?" Just a couple of my favourites: 1. The bit of plastic on the end of your laces that stop them from fraying. 2. The little plastic thing in the middle of your take-away-pizza that stops the cheese sticking to the underside of the box lid. 3. Everybody knows about cats-eyes in the road. Pure genious. But when I was in the US I heard about a man who took this one step further. Along certain roads you will find blue cats-eyes fixed at certain positions. This is to quickly alert fire-fighters travelling at high speed of a fire hydrant beside the road. Apparently, the chap who came up with this retired to a holiday island, living in luxury. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sponsor needed for invention ( £7000 ) Total | My name is Richard Cloete and I am looking for a sponsor or investor to fund one of my inventions. I am looking for someone who can afford to invest £7000, which will be paid to the company (I.S.C)that will be doing all the necessary research and promotion of my invention. The sponsor will be allowed to attend the meetings and will have access to all the information relating to the funds supplied by himself/herself. I have already had a basic information package drawn up in America which contains information relating to cost approximations and sales estimates as well as the target market and various other aspects. If you are interested in finding out more and have no problem signing a statement of confidentiality then please do not hesitate to contact me. Richard Cloete Mobile: 0797 359 4587 E-Mail: ricclo2004@yahoo.co.uk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ISC | Be extremely wary about these people. I see their charges have risen to £7000 now it was only £2000 several years ago when I was first tempted to contact them. I did however contact the Media (TV Press etc) who warned me about these people. Yes they will take your money, they will sign non disclosure agreements and in return will give you an attractive portfolio with your name and product inserted in the right places. But because of the signed NDA they have not been able to do anything else. And because of this you cannot sue them. Its their get out. Join an inventors club this way you will get the right advice free of charge and credibility when approaching prospective manufacturers. You do not say where you are in the country but their are many kinks to clubs throughout UK. Best of luck But most of all don't give up. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Sponsor needed for invention ( £7000 ) Total | Join an inventors club first before parting with any money. You do not say which part of the country that you live in but our website has links with most UK Inventor Clubs. Good luck Brenda Reay Club Treasurer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Just a quick search on google brings up a lot of websites that mention ICS and most aren't very positive. Have a look at this article by Time Magazine http://web.archive.org/web/20010413114117/www.time.com/time/magazine/articles/0,3266,90511,00.html There is also this American New Report Video worth a look, it's an MPEG Movie approx. 39 MB in size so will take around 10 to 15 minutes for most broadband users to download and about 10 times longer if you're still on dial up. http://www.inventors.org/video/CHANNEL11.mpg [i:272614db0f]Also some good guidlines on here[/i:272614db0f] http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/services/invent.htm [b:272614db0f]Also note in the USA there is now an act to help protect consumers[/b:272614db0f] The American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 gives you certain rights when dealing with invention promoters. Before an invention promoter can enter into a contract with you, it must disclose the following information about its business practices during the past five years: how many inventions it has evaluated, how many of those inventions got positive or negative evaluations, its total number of customers, how many of those customers received a net profit from the promoter's services, and how many of those customers have licensed their inventions due to the promoter's services. This information can help you determine how selective the promoter has been in deciding which inventions it promotes and how successful the promoter has been. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inventive Movies | Anyone know of an invention related movies if so post here. Watching movies is often a good way to pick up new ideas and also see how others tackled certain problems. I highly recommend any of the films mentioned below. For more details on any see www.imdb.com I can think of only Four - but I'msure there's lots more 1. [b:d7e74b87f9]Pirates of Silicon Valley[/b:d7e74b87f9] - About how the idea of the graphical user interface was taken from Xerox and used by Apple and then in Turn used by Microsoft - certainly worth a watch. 2. [b:d7e74b87f9]The First 20 Million[/b:d7e74b87f9] - About a young chap that sets out to build the world's first $99 PC 3. [b:d7e74b87f9]Lorenzo's Oil[/b:d7e74b87f9] - The True Story of a boy that develops a disease so rare that nobody is working on a cure, so his father decides to learn all about it and tackle the problem himself 4. [b:d7e74b87f9]Breaking All The Rules[/b:d7e74b87f9] - a made-for-Canadian-TV-movie called about the invention and marketing of the famous board game Trivial Pursuit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Freedom Ship | This is an inventive idea I saw proposed a few years ago, it called the freedom ship and the idea is to make use of the fact most of the earth is covered in water and build a huge ship so big that people can actually live and work on, as if it were a floating city. The ship would remain in constant motion and circle the earth every two years, with an airport runway on the top deck so planes could land and take off bringing with them tourists and visitors. A great idea, although raising financing and finding somewhere big enough to build it will be major challenges. http://www.freedomship.com [img:c5feb1b612]http://download77.com/freedomship/gallery/new/thumbnails/th_bow_low.jpg[/img:c5feb1b612] [img:c5feb1b612]http://download77.com/freedomship/gallery/new/thumbnails/th_rear_high.jpg[/img:c5feb1b612] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| £100m boost for great British ideas | [b:7537062bc0]Competition opens - Monday, 25th April 2005 [/b:7537062bc0] Lord Sainsbury, Science and Innovation Minister, has announced £100 million for the next round of the Technology Programme with automotive, energy and aerospace sectors set to benefit. Lord Sainsbury urged UK firms and research communities to get ready to apply for the latest competition of funding from the DTI's £320 million Technology Programme, which enables business-led ideas off the drawing board and into the marketplace. Thirty million pounds will be specifically targeted for the validation of complex systems which are used in high technology industries like aerospace, automotive and energy. The government's aim to tackle issues like climate change is also at the forefront, with zero emission enterprises and emerging energy technologies highlighted as priority areas. Lord Sainsbury said: "Exploiting research can be a costly venture, even inhibiting for many businesses, but to keep Britain at the forefront of the global economy it is essential that we maintain inward investment in key innovative areas. 'This £100 million investment - part of £320 million from the DTI - is vital support to businesses taking forward emerging technologies that will make the UK a key knowledge driven economy.." The £100 million of funding will be available for companies to carry out Collaborative Research and Development in eight high-priority technology areas. They are; Advanced Materials: high performance materials in extreme and hostile environments. Materials that are reliable and effective under severe operational conditions, such as aggressive or safety critical environments; Biopharmaceutical bioprocessing - a key technology that uses a wide range of techniques used in the development and manufacturing of bioscience-based medicines; Advanced Manufacturing: Direct writing - a technology used to produce or deposit materials on complex two or three-dimensional structures; Advanced Manufacturing: Next generation lasers aimed at the manufacturing, healthcare and security industries; Emerging Energy Technologies - technologies that can help the sustainable development of new and renewable energy sources; Zero Emission Enterprise - developing new technologies to reduce or eliminate creation of wastes, find new ways to re-use and recover waste products, treatment of hazardous wastes, and finding new alternatives to landfill; and Validation of Complex Systems - aims to maximise the exploitation of complex assembly systems, especially useful in sectors such as automotive, aerospace and energy. Micro & Nanotechnology: Nano-structured materials technology - nanostructured materials that address security and crime prevention. [b:7537062bc0]Key dates: [/b:7537062bc0] Competition opens - Monday, 25th April 2005 Registering your intention to submit an application - Deadline Monday, 13th June 2005 Submission of completed application - Deadline Monday,20th June 2005 Further information about the Technology Strategy can be found at http://www.dti.gov.uk/technologyprogramme/open_comps.html The competition is open to industry and academia, including universities, other higher educational institutions, their spin-off companies and other research bodies. A national Technology Strategy & Programme was one of the recommendations of the Innovation Report, December 2003, and its role strengthened in the Government's 10-Year Science & Innovation Investment Framework, July 2004. The Technology Programme has funds of approximately £320 million over the period of 2005 to 2008, profiled to show an increase over the next three years to a level of £178 million per annum by 2007/08 following the recent Spending Review settlement. The Technology Strategy & Programme will guide government investment in UK and European R&D programmes. The Technology Strategy & Programme is a key initiative in the Government's innovation plans and its expert, business-led Board will identify and back key technologies where the UK industry can commercially take advantage. Last November the Prime Minister and Patricia Hewitt launched the DTI's 5-Year Programme 'Creating Wealth from Knowledge' with a new focus for the department on science, innovation and technology. It is available at http://www.dti.gov.uk/fiveyearprogramme.html Organisations interested in details of the Technology Programme or how to apply can find additional information at http://www.dti.gov.uk/technologyprogramme | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thanks a lot guys!! | Just want to say thanks very much for the number of responses, I wasnt expecting so many. I am in southfields (sw19) and am wondering if there are any meeting places near to where I live as I would really like to attend one. I have quite a few inventions and really belive that with a little guidence and some cash I could do extremely well with my ideas and think it would also be a brilliant idea if a group of inventors set up a company to help promote inventions, a company that I would be extremely proud to be a part of. Thanks again. nice to know that there are people that are willing to help me. Richard Cloete | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Thanks a lot guys!! | [quote:4fdb211b9e="Rickz21"]I have quite a few inventions and really belive that with a little guidence and some cash I could do extremely well with my ideas and think it would also be a brilliant idea if a group of inventors set up a company to help promote inventions, ... [/quote:4fdb211b9e] Trevor Baylis has already setup a company to do this called Baylis Brands, they were exhibiting at the British Invention Show 2004 - you basically pay them £100 + VAT to look at your idea and assess it and if they like it and it's unique and they think it has potential they'll help you to market it (or even manufacturer it yourself) and sell it. They then take a percentage of the income the invention brings in .. this approach means they only make money if you are also making money. http://tbf.websfor.org/tbb/home/home.asp This approach has proved very popular .. They've already had over 750 people send in their ideas in their first 6 months, and there is currently a 3 month waitinglist for them to get around to being able to assess new ideas. Although getting together with other inventors in a club for example would help you to refine your product before you make your first approach and also when you first file for a patent you have a crucial 12 month period where you pay no fees for an inital filing but then you've got only 12 months to sell your idea. What books have you read on inventing? I believe James Dyson has written a good book and an American chap called Harvey Reese has a very easy to read book all about licensing - which from the sounds of it is the way you want to go. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Thanks a lot guys!! | [quote:33ba0933f1="Rickz21"]I am in southfields (sw19) and am wondering if there are any meeting places near to where I live as I would really like to attend one.[/quote:33ba0933f1] I looked that up on Autoroute - shows that postcode comes under Wimbledon .. which certainly isn't hugely too far from Cyprus DLR Station where our club meetings are held once a month. I live in North West London and takes me about 4 or 5 train changes for me to get to Cyprus Station for the monthly meetings but I find the nights enjoyable and espacially enjoy listening to the experiences of inventors. From where I live it's over 30 miles to the club (by road) and for you it's about 17 miles (again by road) - although many train links cut through road sections and get you there quicker. The club / university of East London also arrange a lot of breakfast meetings from time to time - although for me I'm not a morning person :D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| For people in the design or fashion industry there is a new service called Own It who run a lot of free courses on protecting your ideas and design. I've been to 2 of their events and they're pretty well run, I'd particularly recommend the event run by Margaret Briffa who does a really good job explaining about copyright, design rights, etc with real life examples. http://www.own-it.org For example just the first page of their events diary brings up the following : [size=9:f857bf0e39]Make money whilst you sleep: valuing, protecting and licensing in the digital industry Date: Tuesday 05 April 2005 Time: 6pm - 8pm Location: 01zero-one Westminster Kingsway College Soho Centre Peter Street London W1 0HS Booking: 8 of 60 places available Book now The digital industry is back into growth and that means an increasing amount of development being put into digital content, software, applications and solutions. If you are a creator and innovator in the digital industry then you need to know how to exploit your creativity and make sure that you protect your innovation before looking at the ways to make money from it. Full details... Back to top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Free trademark advice clinics Date: Thursday 07 April 2005 Time: 5pm - 6:30pm Location: The Patent Office Harmsworth House 13-15 Bouverie Street London Booking: http://www.itma.org.uk/news-events/press-releases/press-view.php?id=109&date=27%20Jan The Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys is offering free advice clinics on setting up a trade mark and providing advice on design rights and copyright. The first session will be held on 3 March, with additional clinics held on the first Thursday of each month. Full details... Back to top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How not to get ripped off Date: Thursday 14 April 2005 Time: 6 – 8 pm (With drinks and networking from 8pm) Location: Guardian Newsroom - Archive and Visitor Centre 60 Farringdon Road London EC1R 3GA Booking: 40 of 90 places available Book now This Own It event will offer a basic guide to the law, covering the steps any creative professional should take in order to stop somebody else stealing or otherwise using your work without your permission. Full details... Back to top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Photographers: the rights and wrongs of photographing people in public Date: Tuesday 19 April 2005 Time: 5pm - 7pm Location: Association of Photographers 81 Leonard Street London EC2A 4QS Booking: Fully booked Photographing the public, in public places, on beaches and in bus queues is a very common creative activity - but do you actually have the right to do it? And what are the rights of those being photographed? This Own It event will concentrate on what you can and cannot photograph outside the confines of the studio, the ins and outs of model and property releases and how you manage these contracts. Full details... Back to top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Making money from intellectual property licensing Date: Tuesday 26 April 2005 Time: 6-8pm Location: The Patent Office Harmsworth House 13-15 Bouverie Street London EC4 Followed by drinks and food at the Witness Box pub, just by The Patent Office Booking: Fully booked Own It and Ideas 21 are celebrating World IP Day by showing you how to make money and then taking you to the pub! As any inventor knows only too well, good ideas alone won’t make your fortune. For many inventors and creative businesses, licensing intellectual property is the best way forward and can offer many advantages. This event will cover the following areas of IP licensing: What is a licence? How do you negotiate a licence? Can you ask a licensee for an up-front payment? How much should the royalty be? Should a royalty decrease (or increase) with volume? How do you find and choose a licensee? What are the dangers of licensing and how can they be minimised? Full details... Back to top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Patent workshop: has someone got there before me? Date: Wednesday 27 April 2005 Time: 2:30 to 5pm Location: The British Library 96 Euston Rd London NW1 2DB Booking: Fully booked You’ve got an innovative idea for a product, you want to patent it – but has someone done it before you? A repeat of our previous, highly popular hands-on workshops at the British Library, this event will cover basic patenting procedure, choosing a database, good searching techniques and a practice search session. Full details... Back to top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Value your work – make more money Date: Tuesday 03 May 2005 Time: 6.15 - pre-event drink, 6.30 to 8pm, 8 - 9pm - after event drinks Location: The Design Council 34 Bow Street London WC2E 7DL Booking: 41 of 70 places available Book now What do photographers, illustrators, inventors, and software programmers do that designers don't? They retain the rights to their work rather than selling it wholesale, and they know how to realise more value from their intellectual property. They achieve this by licensing, charging royalties, registering patents, and selling directly. Full details... Back to top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Collaborative projects - who owns what? Date: Tuesday 10 May 2005 Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pm Location: Rootstein Hopkins Space London College of Fashion John Princes Street London W1 Booking: 59 of 110 places available Book now Visual artists, crafts practitioners and designer makers often undertake projects where they collaborate and work with other people. This event will explore who owns what in a collaborative project, what happens when it comes to selling collaborative work, or how do you sort out the intellectual property when a professional partnership splits up. You will need a basic understanding of intellectual property to benefit the most from this event. Full details... Back to top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trademark & Design Clinic Date: Wednesday 11 May 2005 Time: 3:00 - 5:00 pm Location: The British Library 96 Euston Rd London NW1 2DB Booking: http://www.bl.uk/collections/patents/clinic.html The clinic aims to help you understand what trade marks are, how the trade mark system works in the UK, the value of getting one for your product, and particularly how to find trade mark information. Full details... Back to top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IP in Europe: spreading the protection Date: Thursday 12 May 2005 Time: 5pm - 7pm Location: The Crafts Council, 44a Pentonville Road London N1 9BY Nearest tube, Angel (Northern Line) Buses include 4,19,30,38,73 Booking: Fully booked For any designer, showing, selling or pitching in Europe requires special know-how in order to protect your work and ideas. But registering for design rights and trademarks in Europe is a relatively easy process. This workshop will explain the procedure and outline the types of the protection you can get, together with an overview of which countries this protection covers. Full details...[/size:f857bf0e39] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paul - One of our club members has sent us in some great photos which we've now uploaded to the website http://www.eastlondoninventorsclub.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| once again thanks a lot | thanks so much for the rapid reply diamond. i am definately gona make the effort to get there. maybe see you there thanks again | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club Near You | Hi, The Kingston Round Table of Inventors has just started I will try and get some info for you and get back to you. It might be nearer to you than us. But feel free to come along to one of our meetings. From where you are the district line will take you to DLR and then on to Cyprus station which is in the UEL campus. cheers Terry Jennings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: The Freedom Ship | [quote:2d224ebccd="Diamond"]This is an inventive idea I saw proposed a few years ago, it called the freedom ship and the idea is to make use of the fact most of the earth is covered in water and build a huge ship so big that people can actually live and work on, as if it were a floating city. The ship would remain in constant motion and circle the earth every two years, with an airport runway on the top deck so planes could land and take off bringing with them tourists and visitors. A great idea, although raising financing and finding somewhere big enough to build it will be major challenges. http://www.freedomship.com [img:2d224ebccd]http://download77.com/freedomship/gallery/new/thumbnails/th_bow_low.jpg[/img:2d224ebccd] [img:2d224ebccd]http://download77.com/freedomship/gallery/new/thumbnails/th_rear_high.jpg[/img:2d224ebccd][/quote:2d224ebccd] Its a floating block of flats. I am not sure I would like to live on a boat, but the idea is certainly different. Mikeym | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In my opinion the simpler the idea and the less work required to make it should make it easier to manufacturer. The paperclip fits into that category. I mean just imagine the inventor making a prototype. After the initial thought it probably took about er...... 20 seconds to making the inventor to millions and probably stills is ... ( I suppose I owe it to him/her to look up there name out of admiration). But and this is a big BUT. I think the cats eyes are ingenious. I heard the story from a friend (this maybe made up, so correct if I am wrong) The inventor of the cats eyes came up with the idea after nearly hitting a wall after driving home drunk from the pub . He only missed the wall because his headlights caught the eyes of a cat. The gentlemen setup a small shed as factory and invited his friend to help design, and manufacture the invention. FANTASTIC. If it is true, the you have to admire that, if not .... then I believe my friend should apply for a job on Jackanory. :wink: Coming back to the cats eyes in America. This is a clever adaption. I believe there is a stretch of road up in the north known as a black spot for accidents due to ice on the road during winter months. They are currently working on a project where the cats eyes on the that stretch of road change to blue when the tempatutre falls to icy conditions. However if I am wrong or dreamt it....... Then maybe I should have a job on Jackanory. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I have an idea | Hi, I was wondering does anybody know how to approach a company with your idea, for example, I have an idea which I believe could have a market for the DIY enthusiast. It is new idea and I only thought of it this morning, so I have not done any reaseach. I would like to approach a company like B&Q (I know they make there own tools etc) so maybe they would be interested. Does anyone know the procedures? has anyone done it and been successful? Am I mad .... No, don't answer that one. Any info. greatly appreciated. Thanks Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:ac5f2538de="mikeym"]In my opinion the simpler the idea and the less work required to make it should make it easier to manufacturer. The paperclip fits into that category. I mean just imagine the inventor making a prototype. [/quote:ac5f2538de] Well if you look at any CD ROM drive in a PC they're all made with a tiny hole .. designed to have a opened up paperclip inserted should the tray every get stuck!!! .. so it just shows how universal the paperclip is that another invention can rely on it as it's main method of repair!! I saw the same Ice warning Cat's Eye Device on TV but done by a UK Fireman I think .. changes colour with tempreture to warn of black ice and has a solar cell on the top to recharge and has LED's to be seen from a great distance ... in fact our Chairman has an invention that is also a similar type of Road Safety device, maybe he'll put a link to a picture on it. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: I have an idea | [quote:26a8dd0e5f="mikeym"]I was wondering does anybody know how to approach a company with your idea, for example, I have an idea which I believe could have a market for the DIY enthusiast. It is new idea and I only thought of it this morning, so I have not done any reaseach. [/quote:26a8dd0e5f] Is the idea for a new product (i.e. something you can hold in your hands), a New Service or a New Procedure? It's hard to offer advice without knowing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| approaching a company | Hi Mike The first thing you do before approaching anyone is to check if your idea has been done before. This way you won't waste your time and their's. Go to the British Library and do a search the people at the library are most helpful and will point you in the right direction. Search the internet under the type of tool you have an idea on. If you come up with a blank then you are part way there. Next file a patent application this is free. When you receive a receipt of filing then and only then can you approach a company with the idea. Most companies in this field will want to see a working prototype. This is where inventor clubs can help they will know ways to help you get a prototype made. As for B&Q they only buy from other manufacturers they do not make any themselves. Remember B&Q is part of the Woolworth group. A smaller specialist tool maker is your best bet, let them sell to whoever. Hope this helps and the best of luck Terry Jennings ELIC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi, I was told I could have some protection for my idea If I made a detailed drawing, sealed in a envelope then sent it to me recorded post. Could someone tell me if this is true? If not is there any other way to protect it. I have few ideas but I am not sure what I will try to market first. I also could not afford to patent all of them. Thanks Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thanks for the advice Terry. Can I ask how I become a member? Thanks Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:4d6aadd024="mikeym"]I was told I could have some protection for my idea If I made a detailed drawing, sealed in a envelope then sent it to me recorded post. Could someone tell me if this is true? [/quote:4d6aadd024] Well you'd have to be like in a court of law and open it infront of witnesses, etc to prove what's in there - so you'd have to ask yourself why are you in court in the first place? It certainly doesn't hurt to post a sealed letter to yourself under recorded delivery - I've done it myself. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: I have an idea | [quote:2395541611="Diamond"]Is the idea for a new product (i.e. something you can hold in your hands), a New Service or a New Procedure? It's hard to offer advice without knowing.[/quote:2395541611] Yes Diamond it is a new product. I will need to check the web. But I have not seen it in the shops because I know I would have bought one. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:418dac2db2="Diamond"]Well you'd have to be like in a court of law and open it infront of witnesses, etc to prove what's in there - so you'd have to ask yourself why are you in court in the first place? It certainly doesn't hurt to post a sealed letter to yourself under recorded delivery - I've done it myself.[/quote:418dac2db2] Thanks Diamond I will do that then. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper dies | [quote:03d72d079c="Anonymous"] So, what do you think? Was he successful?[/quote:03d72d079c] Partly successful I suppose, but I have to admit Diamond has a point about whether it would be worth the effort. I suppose 10 and 20 million is worth some of the stress, but there was always the element of risk. I am sure there are stories of people taking large organisations to court and losing. Sometimes legal costs could be so high. However if you have an idea why should you allow others to take away from you. You have been blessed with the idea and no one has the right to it. (especially the large organisations) who like to bully others because they know the can. I am happy to here when the lose. Because of the costs payed out by these large companies, then in this apsect he was successful. But is it about the money? Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: approaching a company | [quote:b92bc36ae9="Terry_Jennings"] A smaller specialist tool maker is your best bet, let them sell to whoever. Hope this helps and the best of luck[/quote:b92bc36ae9] Hi Terry, Since your last reply I have sent an email to B&Q. I have asked them what manufacturer they use and whether they would be interested in my idea. However I do have a dilemna. I am not quite sure how to describe it, so I can check to see if it already exists. I appreciate all your help and support yourself and members have given me. Heres looking to the future Cheers. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Inventive Movies | [quote:cc78a9c345="Diamond"]Anyone know of an invention related movies if so post here. Watching movies is often a good way to pick up new ideas and also see how others tackled certain problems. I highly recommend any of the films mentioned below. For more details on any see www.imdb.com I can think of only Four - but I'm sure there's lots more[/quote:cc78a9c345] I am not sure about movies but I believe programs like The Great Egg Race. ScrapHeap Challenge Tomorrows World. Blue Peter (the things you can do with stick back plastic) :wink: And does anybody remember that program with the mad inventor What was his name................ I think it was Wilf Lunn. Anybody remember the name of that program? Or am I showing my age: AGAIN. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Patent Costs | [quote:1305c292b6="Kevin_Smith"]How much do patents cost and how long do they last for?[/quote:1305c292b6] Speaking of patents does anyone know how to use patent search. I have tried to use Espacenet.com and European patents. I am not sure how to describe my idea or how to use it. Any thoughts? Mikem. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Patent Costs | [quote:7fdbd70fad="mikeym"][quote:7fdbd70fad="Kevin_Smith"]How much do patents cost and how long do they last for?[/quote:7fdbd70fad] Speaking of patents does anyone know how to use patent search. I have tried to use Espacenet.com and European patents. I am not sure how to describe my idea or how to use it. Any thoughts? Mikem.[/quote:7fdbd70fad] A good way to start a search to see if anyone has come up with your idea it to use Google first and search using their normal search, image search and even groups search. Some inventors are quite sneaky when filing their patient - making them hard to find - for instance I saw a recent patent for a car related product where the car was described as a horseless carriage :D As far as my understanding of patents goes though even if someone has patented an idea, if yours has some kind of improved over it then you can still be patentable. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Just For Fun - Needle in a Haystack | I saw this today on the discovery channel - They gave two team a haystack and 4 needles to find - 3 were metal and of various sizes and one needle was an old fashioned one made from bone. Their task was to invent a machine to process the hay and extract the 4 needles - the solutions were very interesting .. so any thoughts on how you'd tackle the task of seperating out needles from a haystack? [img:0ead1b67d4]http://www.sprintsales.co.uk/images/needle_haystack.jpg[/img:0ead1b67d4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Egg Races are actually something that takes place at various schools and universities in the UK http://www.ukgameshows.com/index.php/The_Great_Egg_Race http://www.solent.ac.uk/eggrace/default.asp?level1id=11955&level2id=11963 http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=10766 I'm sure the University of East London may even be interested in doing one if they don't already, always a good laugh and a way to get students thinking outside of the box | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| needle in haystack | I'd set the haystack on fire! Ha ha | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Next Step | what does one do after thinking of an invention and then doing some research? prototyping? patents? generating interest? marketing? I think we need to make we need to make that kind of information more known to the public. oh ya and i am asking... cos im not sure. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| needle in haystack | Hey they could make a kind of a 'sweeper' with magnets at the bottom and uv lights around it. Magnets pick up metal needles and the uv light will cause the bone needle to luminess. Could add alittle rake bit on the back to sort the hay. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You're probably asking the most difficult question of all because your idea could be in any field and you need to assess if it the kind of thing you can think of and maybe produce yourself or maybe it's to big to do yourself. But basics are things like seeing if it's been patented and done before looking at the potential market for the product - if it will have repeat purchases, etc For example one of the guys at the British Inventors Show had invented a combined liquid soap dispenser and air freshener so as you pump for liquid soap it also releases a scent - you can now buy this in Tescos and I think some airlines will be using it on planes. This kind of product is good inthat it has many possible repeat purchases by loyal customers. Maybe you can give us an example of a real product that is similar to your idea but different so not to give your idea away then we can answer in relation to that | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I've just seen the video from my 73 year old Aunt's cruise - it's her 4th cruise now ... I'm sure there are a lot of retired people that if they clubbed together could raise the funds for such a ship!! :D I hope they do get to build it - after all the earth is mostly covered in water | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Invention TV Channel | Here's an idea - There seems to be a new channel on Sky TV every week - There's plenty of shopping channels, there's even a channel dedicated to virtual horse racing.... so why not an invention channel? Would certainly be an easy way for inventors to showcase their new ideas, sell direct to the public, stick on repeats of tomorrow's world, etc!! BTW .. here's a nice link to an Australian TV Channel http://www.abc.net.au/newinventors/ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:adbaffc5d6="Diamond"]Egg Races are actually something that takes place at various schools and universities in the UK[/quote:adbaffc5d6] You may not remember the Great Egg race. I believe it was presented by Heinz Wolf. Every week a group of people, and then would be given a task to make a vehicle to carry an egg safely. etc etc.. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| becoming a member | ya thats a good question and how much are the membership fee's? i am interested in joining. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Patent Costs | [quote:1d74613242="Diamond"]Some inventors are quite sneaky when filing their patient - making them hard to find - for instance I saw a recent patent for a car related product where the car was described as a horseless carriage :D As far as my understanding of patents goes though even if someone has patented an idea, if yours has some kind of improved over it then you can still be patentable.[/quote:1d74613242] Thanks Diamond. I could see this being a problem. To be honest I am not sure how to describe the idea I have. I will have to make a visit to The British Library I think. I have been speaking to a colleague about inventions today. He was intrigued. I think he is now thinking of ideas. Who knows he make come up with something a successful as the paperclip. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:6e88a5fe55="mikeym"][quote:6e88a5fe55="Diamond"]Egg Races are actually something that takes place at various schools and universities in the UK[/quote:6e88a5fe55] You may not remember the Great Egg race. I believe it was presented by Heinz Wolf. Every week a group of people, and then would be given a task to make a vehicle to carry an egg safely. etc etc.. Mikeym.[/quote:6e88a5fe55] Oh Yeah I do remember him - I think that's where all the schools got the idea from - the closest we have to a competition like that today is Robot wars where people build their own battling robots. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paul has sent us some more photos taken over the weekend which have been added to the gallery | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Free Energy? is it possible? | where is everyone? No one got any topics? How about [b:5dcc4dbd2e][u:5dcc4dbd2e]free energy[/u:5dcc4dbd2e][/b:5dcc4dbd2e] Does anyone think it is possible to create perpetual motion and harness its energy? I do. I have come up with quite a few ideas but if i doubt i'll ever see one of them on the market! My favourite is using magnets but many people say that the magnets would eventually come to a hault. But if configured right then that will only happen in about 700 years. I can think of a way to harness gravity too. What's your thoughts? Anyone else got any suggestions? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| free energy | Hi In the 1960s I submitted an idea to British Government to produce energy from natural means in several places around the British Isles. They were receptive but did not take it any further. However the idea I proposed back in the 60s is now being built in the Bristol Channel. When it's finished I will then tackle the powers that be with my evidence from the 60s. I know it won't do any good but at least I may get some form of recognition. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: needle in haystack | [quote:ea1213b52e="Rickz21"]hey they could make a kinda 'sweeper' with magnets at the bottom and uv lights around it. [/quote:ea1213b52e] I am still thinking on this one. I would have thought the magnets would had to be quite powerful. A question I have to ask - was the hay loose or in a solid block? Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Has anyone reached the market place with thier invention? | Hi, I have to ask, because I am new to the club. I have spoken to a few people regarding their inventions but they haven't reached the market place yet? Has anyone been succesful with their inventions? Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non disclosure agreement | Does anyone know the correct way to create a Non-Disclosure agreement please. Any website downloads? Thanks Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Needles in Haystack | Just to prove it could be done I would use a powerful magnet to remove the steel needles and then send in the dog for the bone one The other way round the dog might have got hurt. Terry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non disclosure agreement | If you come along and join our club then you will get a membership pack which contains a NA plus much more useful information. However if you are ready for one then I could scan the pack one and email it to you. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reaching the market place | Yes I have reached the market place with my safety triangle which has been licensed to a Branch of Lucas. Prior to licensing we produced and distributed ourselves | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| thats awsome | Terry you are the man! i wish i could get 1 of mine on the market then i wouldnt have to work my rubish job for less than £10kpa! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Non disclosure agreement | [quote:b1844c364d="Terry_Jennings"]If you come along and join our club then you will get a membership pack which contains a NA plus much more useful information.[/quote:b1844c364d] Thanks Terry. I have been to the first meeting. I would like to know how to join the club? Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Reaching the market place | [quote:f713cbe764="Terry_Jennings"]Yes I have reached the market place with my safety triangle which has been licensed to a Branch of Lucas. Prior to licensing we produced and distributed ourselves[/quote:f713cbe764] Congratulations Terry. I would be interested to see that. Do you have a link? Can I ask how long this had taken approximately? Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: needle in haystack | [quote:c7ed1379f9="mikeym"][quote:c7ed1379f9="Rickz21"]hey they could make a kinda 'sweeper' with magnets at the bottom and uv lights around it. [/quote:c7ed1379f9] I am still thinking on this one. I would have thought the magnets would had to be quite powerful. A question I have to ask - was the hay loose or in a solid block? Mikeym.[/quote:c7ed1379f9] It was in a huge pile and then some girl dived in and hid the metal and bone needles somewhere inside the stack... but they were allowed to take the stack apart for sorting. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Text Talk and Topic Titles | Please post questions and responses on this forum in real English not Mobile phone Text Talk. A lot of time and effort has gone into the creation of this website and forum so we can all share our knowledge, and I'd certainly appreciate it if people kept the site looking as professional as possible. Also some of our club members are legally registered as blind and maybe using special computer software to read out the postings on this site and therefore SMS Text Messaging Talk may be hindering their ability to enjoy the use of this resource. Also try and make sure the titles you create for each new post are meaninful as when people come to search onthe sit for information it will be these titles that give them the clue of where to look for certain answer. Please also avoid typing entire sections in UPPERCASE letters and try and space out your messages into paragraphs so they are easier to read and follow. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: becoming a member | [quote:abb6fcbaee="Rickz21"]ya thats a good question and how much are the membership fee's? i am interested in joining.[/quote:abb6fcbaee] That particular question is answered in the site's FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Section on the left side of the screen under the main menu. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Safety Triangle | I started on the first triangle back now in 1994 after nearly being hit by a passing car in Belgium when changing a tyre at night. I made 2 prototypes 1 for me and 1 for the wifes car. I approached a company in the lake district called MAR L and they had it for some time. They returned it to be several months later saying it was not something they would be interested in. However MAR H the factory next door had an exact copy made in the far east to my drawings and started to import it into UK. MAR L said they had nothing to do with it and I could not prove otherwise. We kept our units in our cars for our own safety until in November 1998 when 2 police officers, an Rac patrolman and member, and a recovery driver were killed on the south end of the M11 near our home in three separate incidents. We then decided that we coould not sit on it any longer and I took the prototypes along to a large recovery company here in East London and showed them my idea. They took the 2 units and tested them over night the next morning they asked if I could make 30 units for their lorries. Thus came the second prototype much better than the first 2. I asked them for feedback on the units and what benefits they were to them. The results were very promising and we decided to spend our savings and start to manufacture finished article. The first run of safety triangles came off the production line in April 2000. Just prior to this we were chosen to exhibit I device in the Dome but as we were not producing by October 1999 we were left out. We went on to be nominated for 'Invention of the Year' by Nat West bank and Recorder Newspaper. I became runner up for'Businessman of the Year' and we went on to win 'Euroward' regional finals. By this time it had been noticed by 'Tommorows World' 'The Big Breakfast' 'Whats the big idea' and Channel 4 Breakfast show. All of these tv programmes showed our little device and whilst at one of them a product promotor said he could get this to a wider market. Hence the license agreement with a branch of Lucas. During the time we were manufacturing ourselves we sold to 7 overseas companies. Small trial orders I admit but at least it was getting seen. We signed the agreement with Lucas because we could see production going out of the window and we would not be able to cope with the demands. Since Lucas have had it they have sat on it and not tried very well to sell it. So we are looking into ways of overcoming this. Thats the story behind our triangle. However we have another aspect at the moment being tooled up for the rail industry. We also have been partnered by a Swedish Company for an Eureka project and this is underway at the moment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: approaching a company | [quote:a31cbae49d="I "]Since your last reply I have sent an email to B&Q.[/quote:a31cbae49d] UPDATE: I did receive an answer and they advised they would send my mail to the correct department. No news is good news I suppose. I would not say I would go down this route, just interested to know though. So what about an idea which could improve business sales or productivity. Let me explain: For a few years now I have had an idea for Argos which could have helped cut down queues. Maybe they wouldn't be interested. Can someone tell me how I could approach the company with the idea. Why my approach you may ask. I did here someone had an idea regarding matches. He approached a large manufacturer advising he could save the company money. I believe they came to some deal. His money saving approach was to only produce 1 strike pad instead of two....... Now I don't know if this is true and yes you may not class this as an invention, but if it saves the company money, time and materials it has to benefit everybody. Any ideas please? Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This is quite an interesting problem as it mirrors a lot of the problems faced when working with development partners on a project. Basically, the brief given for the solution is both too wide and too narrow. It is too wide because it gives no idea of how much time or money is available to spend on designing, building and operating the machine, what volume of hay the machine will have to sort per day, what environment the machine will operate in, what condition the needles & hay should be when finished .....etc...etc...etc... It is too narrow because a machine may not be the best solution to extracting the needles from the hay...we need to know more! To illustrate the point, I have three possible solutions: 1) Put the hay onto an agitator belt or drum and remove the hay by vacuum to a collection vessel leaving the heavy needles behind. 2) Throw the whole lot into a swimming pool and the needles will sink to the bottom for collection. 3) Put everything into a container and send it to India or China where a factory will sort through the hay and remove the needles by hand for about 50p an hour. Three very different solutions which may all work depending on the time and money available to find a solution, the value of the end product, the location of the users of the end product..etc...etc...etc.... These questions are really important when an inventor tries to explain their idea to development partners or manufacturers because the answers will dictate the end result. Always worth keeping an open mind, but very difficult getting people to work from a blank sheet of paper. Garry. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Anything is possible. However, the last I heard was that the Patent Office have stopped accepting patent applications for perpetual motion devices unless they can be demonstrated. Garry. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:bbd7ec9da2="Diamond"]You're probably asking the most difficult question of all because your idea could be in any field and you need to assess if it the kind of thing you can think of and maybe produce yourself or maybe it's to big to do yourself. But basics are things like seeing if it's been patented and done before looking at the potential market for the product - if it will have repeat purchases, etc[/quote:bbd7ec9da2] I am now realising this is no easy task. I appreciate nothing worthwhile is easy. I suppose it is so much easier to leave the idea in my head and dream what may have been. Sorry guys at the moment I am feeling a little negative about the whole thing, but I believe I am in the best place with the club. My next step will be to take a trip to The British Library. I have not been able to find anything similar on the web (I do know that doesn't mean there isn't one already). To be honest I would be very suprised if my idea hasn't been thought before. I only thought of it myself on Sunday. Maybe I have seen it somewhere subconciously. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Non disclosure agreement | [quote:d3c9ce174f="Terry_Jennings"]If you come along and join our club then you will get a membership pack which contains a NA plus much more useful information. However if you are ready for one then I could scan the pack one and email it to you.[/quote:d3c9ce174f] Terry, You mentioned I should make a trip to The British Library to check the patents for my idea. Thanks for the advice. I have since found an example through your website. I would like to ask - should I ask for the members of the library to sign a Non-disclosure agreement. Thanks Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:ab29fb24f6="Garry_Moore"]This is quite an interesting problem as it mirrors a lot of the problems faced when working with development partners on a project. Basically, the brief given for the solution is both too wide and too narrow.[/quote:ab29fb24f6] Interesting points Garry made. I must admit I am not really very good at problem solving, so I am finding it very difficult to comment. However I do believe the idea regarding vacuums are very sensible approach. What I would like to say though - when designing a new invention I was advised to make it simple, not involve complicated electronics or mechanical devices. So when I think of any idea I make sure I do just that. For example: the post-it note. I know you can not make it that simple in the example set by Diamond. But try to make it simple as possible I believe. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| needle in haystack | I think that we are missing the fact that they were required to come up with a machine and not a method. There aren't many ways to solve this problem as the bone needle see's to that. If they had set it on fire then the bone needle may have burnt and if they threw it into the swiming pool then the bone needle would float with the hay. I can only think that two different devices combind together would solve this problem. Maybe there are some things that machines are unable to do. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Terry's triangle | It's really good to know that it can be done. And it's even better to be able to speak with someone that has done it! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Terry's triangle | [quote:501821c451="Rickz21"]It's really good to know that it can be done. And it's even better to be able to speak with someone that has done it![/quote:501821c451] I agree it is good know someone has achieved this, but it depends on the backing and help received.I believe Trevor Bayliss had real problems convincing the powers to be about his wind up radio. He percivered and achieved the impossible. I am hoping we all learn by the problems encounter and it is made easier. I will certainly learn by the problems Terry has encountered. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Trevor's big break came when his invention was shown on Tomorrow's World .. I'm not sure how long he was trying before this to get his invention off the ground. I'm also wondering why Tomorrow's World has been cancelled - they said ratings dropped but everyone I know loved the show. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| There is also such a thing as timing being right for an idea or invention - I thought of an idea for a software programe in 1999 but you needed an internet connection to make it work. Back in 1999 there was no such thing as ADSL in the UK and dial up was slow and expensive about 4p a minute to use. 5 / 6 years later I see no one has done the idea I came up with and certainly the biggest player inthe UK isn't using the idea I thought of and no with Broadband having took off there is now ore scope then ever for my idea to be accepted and adopted by business and the public. I'm now looking into find the programming team to make it happen (C++ Programmer BTW) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [b:b3d0019d49]Top 10 Patent Myths[/b:b3d0019d49] http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,296849,00.html [i:b3d0019d49]Your brilliant idea needn't fall by the wayside simply because you don't want to deal with the patent process. We've shattered the top 10 myths so you can see your way clear to patenting your product.[/i:b3d0019d49] [b:b3d0019d49]Entrepreneur's Start-Ups magazine - February 2002 [/b:b3d0019d49] [size=9:b3d0019d49]By Jasmine Pui [/size:b3d0019d49] Given that most businesses aren't built on truly original ideas, patents can seem like more trouble than they're worth. However, integrating patents into your business plan, regardless of whether you're an inventor, is one of the most overlooked elements of a successful business. Freelance licensing agent (read: Mr. I Know All About Patents So You Can't Fool Me) Stan Weston gives us an idea of how important patents can be. He came up with the G.I. Joe action figure idea, and Hasbro offered Weston a choice of either $100,000 or $50,000 upfront, with a 1 percent royalty once sales passed $7 million. Weston chose the $100,000—and lost out on an estimated $20 million in royalties over the next 30 years. While you may not see such drastic differences in earnings, there are 10 myths about patents that may be holding you back from getting the most out of the concept that got your business started in the first place. [b:b3d0019d49]Myth 1: [/b:b3d0019d49]The narrowing of equivalents makes it more difficult to get investors on my side. Reliable, leading venture capital firms and lending institutions bring on board consultants with excellent technical knowledge to pick out good business plans. When you come to the table with a patent-pending idea that's been well-researched and profits projected, you're more likely to be taken seriously, even if you don't have all the connections with the big players as a newly minted entrepreneur. "I believe investors or lenders are very impressed by patent protection. Seldom will an angel invest in a project that does not offer patent protection," said Jack Lander, president of the United Inventors Association, vice president of the Yankee Invention Exposition and founder of the Inventor's Bookstore. [b:b3d0019d49]Myth 2: [/b:b3d0019d49]Since it's becoming difficult to avoid infringement regardless of what niche I'm in, I'm better off not taking a patent to advertise my company as bait. True, if you took out a patent for a rocking chair, you're possibly infringing on a patent someone else took out for a chair. That's why the claims section of the patent is so important. It has to be worded carefully and with the help of a patent lawyer so that you actually end up having more protection from infringement lawsuit bounty hunters than you would without a patent. [b:b3d0019d49]Myth 3: [/b:b3d0019d49]There's absolutely no competition out there for my business plans, so there's no sense in spending money to patent any part of it. There is always competition out there. There may be no similar technology, but there are many things that can perform the same function. Take the humble aluminum washboard. They didn't just disappear when washing machines came on the market, and in many ways, washboards are preferable to their mechanized counterparts. One of the most beneficial things an entrepreneur can do to continually outpace the competition is to trade marketing strategies, customer-retention ideas and tips with other entrepreneurs--in different sectors, of course. Patents give you an excuse to participate in inventors-entrepreneurship conferences, which is a great way to schmooze and get ideas you would never think of otherwise. [b:b3d0019d49]Myth 4: [/b:b3d0019d49]If the invention is "obvious to one skilled in the art," as the United States Patent and Trademark Office terms it, the patent won't be valid. Aren't you supposed to be an optimist? The specific wording of the claims in your patent is the key to patenting an idea that is already out there or "obvious." "Just about everyone who does a patent search is amazed at all the prior art that is identical, or nearly so, with his or her invention," says Lander. Take U.S. Patent 5,771,778, for example. Just about everyone knows how to make coffee, and that the smell of coffee is welcoming and makes clients feel at home. That "obvious" application didn't stop a coffee shop owner from filing a patent of "a device within a device, one part of which contains a sensor designed to emit an aroma when it senses a person's presence." So even a marketing idea that can be essential to a business can be patented if it's carefully worded. [b:b3d0019d49]Myth 5: [/b:b3d0019d49]It takes a long time to license a patent, and I want to have something to show by the second quarter next year. The USPTO recognizes the time delay and is trying to speed things up by eliminating paperwork wherever they can. Go to their Web site to apply online, do prior art searches and check on the status of your patent application. It may be too early for you to boast profits in your press releases, but you can talk about how you're different from competitors and why you're the leader in your industry by grace of your expertise. Officially, they're called "inchoate rights," otherwise known as bragging rights. You can use them once your patent is pending. Darrel Adamson, founder and president of Engrave-a-Crete, a manufacturer of decorative concrete systems, cemented his company's expertise and recognition from patent on up. "While I was waiting for the USPTO to process my first patent, I coined terms for cutting shallow designs and patterns in concrete that are now commonly used and quickly spreading. The terms 'engraved concrete' and 'concrete engraving' are now used [to describe] a type of decorative concrete." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [b:1b9e128b0e]Protecting Your Idea [/b:1b9e128b0e] http://www.entrepreneur.com/Your_Business/YB_Node/0,4507,665,00.html [size=18:1b9e128b0e]Editor's Picks[/size:1b9e128b0e] [b:1b9e128b0e]Copyrights, Trade Secrets and Patents [/b:1b9e128b0e] Knowing the differences between these complex areas of law can help you protect your ideas. [b:1b9e128b0e]Patent Holders Given Edge in Battle Against Infringers [/b:1b9e128b0e] Supreme Court decision eases inventors' burden of proving someone else has violated their patent rights [b:1b9e128b0e]Answers to 3 Tough Copyright Questions [/b:1b9e128b0e] When designing your marketing materials, take care not to rip anyone off in the process. [b:1b9e128b0e]The Risks of Sharing Your Idea [/b:1b9e128b0e] It's every entrepreneur's worst nightmare: Someone has stolen your idea. How can you really protect yourself? [b:1b9e128b0e]Inventing A to Z [/b:1b9e128b0e] Everything you ever wanted to know about making your big idea a marketable reality [b:1b9e128b0e]Using Others' Intellectual Property [/b:1b9e128b0e] Before you use someone else's copyrighted material, draft an agreement that benefits both of you. [b:1b9e128b0e]Top 10 Patent Myths[/b:1b9e128b0e] Your brilliant idea needn't fall by the wayside simply because you don't want to deal with the patent process. We've shattered the top 10 myths so you can see your way clear to patenting your product. [b:1b9e128b0e]“Oh, Yeah? Prove It!” [/b:1b9e128b0e]Bringing both sides of the patent issue together to find the truth about prior art [b:1b9e128b0e]When is Information Free? [/b:1b9e128b0e] In a free society, is publicly available information yours for the taking? [b:1b9e128b0e]Finding a Lawyer [/b:1b9e128b0e] Tips on finding reputable patent attorneys [b:1b9e128b0e]Registering Your Idea [/b:1b9e128b0e] Our Invention Protection Expert shows you the ins and outs of the Disclosure Document Program. [b:1b9e128b0e]Already Taken? [/b:1b9e128b0e] Think your idea is unique and original? Think again. Our Start-Up Legal Expert suggests doing your homework before taking your idea to market. [b:1b9e128b0e]It's a Secret [/b:1b9e128b0e]So keep it that way--protect your proprietary information. [b:1b9e128b0e]Keeping Secrets [/b:1b9e128b0e] Protecting your idea isn’t all fun and games. Our Invention Protection Expert tells you how to keep your ideas safe. [b:1b9e128b0e]Top Secrets [/b:1b9e128b0e] The newest way to keep trespassers off your intellectual property. [b:1b9e128b0e]In The Mix [/b:1b9e128b0e] How can you protect your secret recipe? [b:1b9e128b0e]Keep It Confidential [/b:1b9e128b0e] If you don't keep your company secrets under lock and key, your competitive edge might walk right out the door. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| London Inventing Event? | For those of you that are part of an inventing club you'll know how useful and informative it is to get together with people interested in inventing. And this was also the case when a lot of people interested in inventing got together from all over London for the Christmas Party Last Year. Some people even travelled down from the North of the UK for the event. So I was thinking what about a regular Inventing Event? Maybe held every 2 or 3 months where people from various inventing clubs can get together with others who are interested in inventing. Perhaps an after work event like an informal drink in a pub with a private room, or a dinner. or even a half day event somewhere on a weekend? Could even have our own version of the great Egg Race and divide into teams to complete some kind of inventive task. Certainly for an after work function a good central Location would be nice near a tube station. What do people think? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduce Yourselves - Hello Everyone | [i:3e2cfc71cd]One of the great things about having an online messageboard / forum system is that it's open 24 hours a day - 7 days a week so we can all meetup on here in the spare moments we have and throw around ideas and debates and if any of us do then get the chance to meet at an event or club meeting we already know what interests, experience and expertise we all have to offer in helping each other.[/i:3e2cfc71cd] I thought it would be useful therefore to have a section where we at least get the chance to introduce ourselves to the other members online and tell each other a little about ourselves. If you want to start a thread to tell us about yourself then please use the [color=blue:3e2cfc71cd][b:3e2cfc71cd]New Topic button [/b:3e2cfc71cd][/color:3e2cfc71cd]and start a new thread. If you want to ask a member quetions about themselves then press reply. For myself, my name is Diamond. My background has been mainly in IT and project Management. I've worked for some big companies like BT, Xerox, etc but also small companies like a Dot Com which was a lot of work including a lot of long out of office hours, but also a lot of fun and very rewarding to be able to see your ideas put into action and making a difference. My ideas at the Dot Com company saved them in the region of £200,000 and tripled their new customer sign up's overnight. Even more striking was being part of a two man team that was able to put together a better computer system for the company in 2 weeks then their original supplier who had 5 months to complete the same task with a team of 10 guys and £500,000+ to spend (BTW their system crashed after 3 days and ours ran for about a year until the company went bust in the DotCom downturn). As far as inventing goes I come to the group with a lot of different ideas for products and services and am always seeing new ways to make products better, espacially cookery products. So for myself my main route to market would most likely be to license some of my ideas to manufacturers. I joined the club around October 2004 as I think the creation of an inventors club is a great idea, as inventing is one of the few professions for which there is no formal training available (unless you know of something?) and it's really hard to know where to go to get help. I think the club would certainly be stronger if members were willing to share their skills to help each other and to this extent my first steps to do something positive to help the club was to volunteer to create a website for them, which is what you see here .. and also explains why you'll probabaly see my name on here a lot, but hopefully you'll all start posting lots and we'll start seeing many others on here. :D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Invention Promotion Companies | [quote:ea826643a8="Terry_Jennings"][b:ea826643a8]Invention Promotion Companies[/b:ea826643a8] If however thay have advertisments on TV or in the press then be vary cautious of such companies as these people usually charge a large fee payable in advance and then sign a non-disclosure agreement. Which means they then cannot promote your invention as they have signed that they won't. The majority of these rip off companies seem to originate in the USA although I have heard of one recently trading in Ireland. Majority of inventors are not rich so these preditors pray on loan inventors.[/quote:ea826643a8] I think you mean ITE Terry. I happen to get done by those B#######. At least they have stopped advertising for the moment after appearing on WatchDog. this year. Mikeym | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inventor events | I think thats a great idea! Maybe even something like a round of golf followed by a lunch. I work a the Royal mid-Surrey Golf Club in Richmond and could proberly get some good discounts although it may a bit out of the way for most of you people. just a thought... but I definately think that we should set something up as iI think it would also be better to speak in person and discuss our ideas. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discussing ideas with fellow members. | I was just wondering if when joining we have to sign a statement, stating that we will not use any of the information given to us regarding thier invention/s? And then is there a kind of a log for who attends which meetings on which day? Just asking because although all of you seem very sincere, I just don't think I would feel at ease discussing my ideas without some sort of protection. I'm sure you understand. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yes you do sign a Non Disclosure Agreement and they do also take note of who attends which meeting and even last time we had to sign an additional register too. There's also been extra meetings held after the main club meet where fully paid up members only are invited to stay so they can discuss their ideas. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Inventor events | [quote:77e1fa5af9="Rickz21"]I work a the Royal mid-Surrey Golf Club in Richmond and could proberly get some good discounts although it may a bit out of the way for most of you people.[/quote:77e1fa5af9] I checked on Autoroute and the golf club is only 0.14 Miles from Richmond Underground Tube Station in a straight line or 0.3 miles by road, so that's pretty close. That's would certainly make a fun sounding weekend event, not sure how much the costs would be but maybe you can find out and PM me. Whenever I do an informal after work drink I usually pick the Metropolitan Bar at the corner or Marylebone Road and Baker Street because it sits right on to of Baker Street Tube Station, which itself has 5 different train lines running to it and Marylebone Station nearby has many British Rail Links to All over the UK. I can't remember where the Inventors Christmas do was held in London (not the club one which was at the university of East London) but it was pretty hard to find the place. Nonetheless it was good to meet lots of people interested in inventing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Terry Jennings Chairman | As Chairman of the club I thinks I should give a profile. I started Inventing at about the time ITV started. We, at home, only had 1 channel TV, BBC only. As a kid I decided that I would make a converter so that we could get ITV. At This time I belonged to an Amateur Radio Club and had the good fortune to be shown round Logie Bairds Workshop on the top of Plesseys Factory in Ilford. Being a member of this club gave me access to a lot of members who were electronically minded. I took an old OXO tin and mounted coils, valves and a Transformer and made a TV converter. I was very proud of this and it worked well. It looked awful and my Dad would not let me hook it up to TV. (Looking back I now realise why). However I came home from school one day early and hooked up my OXO tin and me and Mum watched ITV for the first time. Unlucky for me DAD also came home early and I had no time to unhook my tin. I made myself scarce and Dad had his tea, during this, the adverts came on, and he appeared not to notice them. Well at least for a few minutes he then let out a roar "Where is he I'll Kill Him" I came back into room and told him that I would get rid of my tin the next day. He told me to leave it and sat and watched ITV all night. Next day when he came home from work he asked me if I could make 8 more? In fact we eventually made 27 of them. Aerials were also very expensive but when you worked out the frequency needed for a DI-Pole aerial it was 27.5" Mum had 27" brass stair rods on the stairs so with the 1/2" air gap needed mum lost all of her stair rods. Later when I started work in factory in Dagenham reel to reel tape recorders were just coming in. So as recordings with a mike were very noisy and everyone had to be quiet, I decided to adapt and old Crystal set circuit to make a radio adaptor which plugged into mike socket. We made over 100 of these using Golden Virginia tobacco tins resprayed in the factory paint shop. This started me on the path to inventions or at least adapting and modifying as the need arrived. I never thought of patenting any of these ideas until later in life. When I got married my wife used to carry a large can of hair laquer to dances to keep her hair tidy and so did most of our friends. I looked at this and decided to see if I could fill up the small aerosol perfume bottles that were empty. I managed this with the use of butane fuel adapters for lighters. I took this along to a large hair dressing laquer manufacturers who looked at it and told me it would never sell. 3 months later I saw the very thing in hairdressing salons. I then contacted all leading womans magazines and gave them to way to do it yourself. The article was published in several magazines. The M/D of the company I approached rang me up and asked me if I was trying tp put him out of business? I replied YES. I then moved onto experimenting with an old answering machine, one with and endless tape as opening message. This I converted and attached it to a door bell so that when someone rang the door bell a dog barked as well. Again I spoke about this to various people and about 9 months later a Japanese firm was manufacturing them and selling them over here. I then met another inventor Harry Flanagen an old age pensioner together we worked on many projects including, modyfying Yale locks and fitted Tungsten pins to stop them being opened with a credit card. We sold this idea to Yale for £650. Our next project was working on tidal energy systems, but was eventually turned down by Government in favour of nuclear energy. This proposal is now being built in the Bristol Channel. Together we designed a ready made house completely thermal which would be delivered to site in 2 containers one container would be converted into the garage and the other would be entrance hall the main housing unit would be assembled on top of these 2 containers. We came 7th with this idea in The East Kilbride Competition. We also designed and made a disaster hut which could be used in areas of earthquake, Tsunami etc but again this was not taken up as governments would have to pay for them prior to any disaster.We eventually gave this idea to OXFAM who within 3 months had half a million units placed in the upper Ganges region in India. Oxfam had 40 units delivered at Aldershot by Wessex Helicopter and assembled by Marines within 5 minutes. Since then I have given the designs to several embassies throughout the world when there has been a disaster. When my son was around 10 - 13 we had a garden full of punctured plastic footballs about 7 in all. He was always puncturing them. I decided that I would try to repair these balls so that he would get some more use out of them and save me lots of money. I tried cement only but this did not last long so I made a rivet type patch to fit over the holes this worked. I showed this to Woolworths who said they liked the idea and would place an order if I could get them manufactured in bulk. I went alon to LiLo and showed them and told them that Woolworths were interested there reply was 'This would stop us selling more balls' so again I was turned down the same story from Airfix. After meeting favourably with Woolworths I went back and showed them a quarter size model of the disaster house that I had made for my daughter to play in. They loved it and ordered 5000 there and then, I was over the moon and ready to go places I approached Nat West, Midland, Lloyds etc they all came back with the same story as it's Woolworths they only buy on a 'sale or return' basis so they would not lend money for this venture. My next attempt was the safety triangle I have mentioned in the main forum so I do not need to mention again. However Brenda and I did get this to market. At the moment a safety item is being tooled up for the Railways. I have also just been partnered by a large Swedish firm for a European 'Eureka' project so I am looking for research grant to take this forward. My advice to any would be inventor is 'Never give up, keep trying maybe one day you will suceed' Terry Jennings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| disscussing ideas with felow members | Thanks diamond. You guys have thought of everything it seems. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| events | ya I will find out what the costs would be approx but will only know by Tuesday. As soon as I know then we can see who is interested and work out the costs more accurately. cheers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Patent Writing Software | Has anyone ever tried using any patent writing software to at least help prepare a 1st draft for instance before taking it to a Patent Agent? or even used one to get a full patent? If so what are they like? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [b:7a5fd7eab9]I happened to come across a site for an American Law Office and their charges page looked like below, should give you an idea of all the possible costs involved and what sort of things are charged for:[/b:7a5fd7eab9] I. PATENT FEES Patentability Search United States Patentability Search - includes copies of located patents from patent search conducted at the USPTO by an independent patent searcher. - Regular Search (Typically 3-5 Weeks)* $175* - Rush Search (Typically 1-2 Weeks)* $225* * Does not include a patentability opinion. - Regular Search With Patentability Opinion (Typically 3-5 Weeks) $400 - Rush Search With Patentability Opinion (Typically 1-2 Weeks) $600 U.S. Utility Patent Application (Includes Drawings) - Mechanical $3,500 - Electrical $4,000 - Software $5,000 - E-Commerce $5,000 U.S. Design Patent Application (Includes Drawings) Includes Patent Drawings $1,500 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- II. TRADEMARK FEES Trademark Searches United States Federal Registrability Search & Opinion (word mark) per class of goods/services $750 United States Federal Registrability Search & Opinion (design mark) per class of goods/services $1,500 Trademark Applications United States Trademark Application (word or design) $500 ND State Trademark Application $200 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- III. GENERAL FEES Copyright Applications United States Copyright Application - includes filing fee. $300 General Fees Attorney Hourly Rates $225-300 / hour Legal Assistant Hourly Rate $75 / hour Copying Costs $0.10 / page | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Innovention 2005 Competition and Exhibition | http://www.sehea.co.uk/innovate2005.htm [b:8d00b31941][i:8d00b31941]If anyone from Wessex is reading this you may want to consider entering this competition with £25,000 worth of prizes for grabs[/i:8d00b31941][/b:8d00b31941] Innovention 2005 provides a unique opportunity to exhibit your new idea or invention to the region’s leading investors, businesses and media whilst competing to win a prize. Selected entrants will be invited to showcase their inventions at the Innovention 2005 Exhibition to be held on Friday 24 June 2005 at the Intech Centre, Winchester from 10.00am until 4.00pm. Competition winners will be announced and presented with their prizes during the afternoon. [b:8d00b31941]Eligibility [/b:8d00b31941] Entrants must be resident in the Wessex area i.e. Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Each entrant must be either an individual or a participant in a small business with no more than 250 employees | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brenda Reay ELIC Treasurer | [b:523efcd2d8]Brenda Reay[/b:523efcd2d8] My brother, who is eight years olders than me, was not allowed to write with his left hand and kept having his pencil transferred to his right hand. So, I was quite lucky in so far as I was allowed to write with my left hand. However, I was still living in a very right handed world. Consequently, I was always having to come up with ideas to allow a left handed person to exist in a right handed world. When I grew older, I went to work and became a teacher in a primary school. Schools are always short of money so I was constantly coming up with new ideas to keep children motivated. I loved inventing new board games and other games for the children and felt quite honoured when the reps from various educational suppliers produced my ideas for commercial use. It was not until later in life, when I met Terry that I discovered that my ideas were, in fact, inventions and that I could have marketed them myself instead of giving my ideas (which I had proved worked) away to anybody. Lately, my ideas seem to be just too late, they are inventions to me, but on doing a Search, someone has just pipped me to the post. I am, at the moment, working on one of my hobbies to incorporate a novel idea for a creative item (mainly for my own use). When I met Terry, he had an idea for a safety warning light. This looked great to me so we decided to take this to market. We had long talks with different department of the DTI as his idea was "too up-to-date for the law". From idea-to-market was a long and bumpy road with lots of mistakes on the way. Looking back, we should have done many things differently. It is now under license to Lucas with another invention being protyped and tested by a company in the Midlands. During that time, we got to know Trevor Bayliss, the inventor of the Clockwork Radio. It was his vision that every University through the UK should have an Inventors Club associated with it. Terry approached several Universities in our area - Southend, the Anglia Polytechnic in Chelmsford, Greenwich and the UEL. It was the University of East London that were the first to come back to us showing interest- thus the formation of our club - The East London Inventors Club. We hope that the forming of an Inventors Club will help other inventors to avoid some of the obstacles that we faced on the road to getting our invention to market. July 05 I have just received confirmation of my patent application. It's an temperature controlled animal carrier aimed at the pet market. Update: This year 2006 I took over the post of Club Secretary so I am no longer the Club Treasurer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Guide To UK Patents - Free Downloadable PDF Document | One of the first things any newcomer to inventing will need is a good guide Hidden away in the UK Patents Office Website is a PDF Document that provides a really useful guide to UK Patent Applications www.patent.gov.uk A link to the document is in our Downloads section (Public Documents) http://www.eastlondoninventorsclub.com/inventor/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownload&cid=1 It's actually pretty well written - just a shame it was so hard to find on Patent website. The Guide is 36 pages long and you'll need Abobe Acrobat Reader to view it - which can be downloaded free from www.adobe.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Free Patent Searching Clinics | The British Library runs a number of free clinics to help show you how to use their facilities for patent searching You can find out more details from the site below: http://www.bl.uk/collections/patents/clinic.html Patent searching clinics If you need some help finding patent information on the web, a free British Library Patent Searching Clinic will get you started. Clinics are held roughly once a month, usually on a Wednesday afternoon, and always from 14.30 to 17.00, at the British Library's St Pancras site in central London. [b:9154fb0996]Patent clinic dates for 2005[/b:9154fb0996] * 04 May [full] * 25 May [full] * 15 June * 06 July * 27 July * 17 August [b:9154fb0996]What is on offer?[/b:9154fb0996] Each two hour patent clinic includes: Presentation, covering [list:9154fb0996] Basic patenting procedures Choosing a database Good searching techniques[/list:u:9154fb0996] Practice session [list:9154fb0996] A chance to try out some of the many free databases now available on the world wide web under the guidance of our specialists[/list:u:9154fb0996] A chance to take a quick look around the British Library's Business and Intellectual Property Centre, which houses our patent collection [b:9154fb0996]Who can attend?[/b:9154fb0996] Anyone who needs to search for intellectual property data on the web is welcome to join a clinic. If you are completely new to the subject, it will help if you do a little background reading to make yourself familiar with the basic concepts of the system - try the UK Patent Office's website. If you have done some searching already, but would like to know a bit more about the files available and want to improve your search techniques, you should find the clinics very useful. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| float the hay in water,,,, hay will float away in water,, leaving the three metal needles and the one bone needle,,,,, bone does not float. If a machine is needed then,, invent a robot to pick up the three metal needles and bone needle,, total cost around 3 million dollars. I was thinking about boiling the water to float and separate the needles from the hay but that might not be a problem,,, bone does not float, Might need to invent a stove too boil the water??? another way would be to build a very tall tower,,, carry the hay to the top and drop,,, the wind would carry the hay away from the tower leaving the needles closer too the tower ,, the bone needle might be a little harder to find after you drop the hay but it also would be closer too the tower. cost of tower,,, (gold plated) around 4 million dollars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Invention competitions | Its a real shame that the competition is only open to those in the south... Are there competitions between inventor clubs? Like teams from clubs compete againts other teams from other clubs? If not then maybe one day there will be, we could maybe get sponsors for the event. Think it's a plan? Maybe only in the distant future? oh.. about the membership fees, can I pay them when I attend the meeting? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I think a sort of Egg Race competition between clubs would be a fun idea, although some people belong to several clubs. People's first club meeting is free - if you want to join after that then it's a good idea to bring a cheque with you so you can sign up on the night, :D | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I found out about another interesting UK Government website today http://www.intellectual-property.gov.uk It's pretty indepth for example it's IP Section covers the following: [b:fdf0798c6c]Profiting from IP[/b:fdf0798c6c] [list:fdf0798c6c]Licensing IP Exclusive Licences Collective Licensing Compulsory Licences Selling/Transfer of Ownership Technology Transfer Brokerage Contractual Agreements Confidentiality Getting Advice Support Schemes Insurance to protect IP rights Enforcement of IP rights[/list:u:fdf0798c6c] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Brenda Reay ELIC Treasurer | [quote:25861779a4="Brenda_Reay"][b:25861779a4]Introducing your Club Treasurer - Brenda Reay[/b:25861779a4] Lately, my ideas seem to be just too late, they are inventions to me, but on doing a Search, someone has just pipped me to the post. I am, at the moment, working on one of my hobbies to incorporate a novel idea for a creative item (mainly for my own use). [/quote:25861779a4] Funny you should say that Brenda, and maybe no one will believe me when I say this. Have you ever seen the device used for clearing mistakes. probably known as Tippex. I am not talking about the bottle. I think the device is called the mouse (or something similar). I thought about this idea along time before I ever saw it on the market. I tried to make a prototype but the fluid kept leaking and....... I gave up and I did not have anyone to talk to about this. Who knows what would have happened if I had been successful. Heres to a better future. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:adab99361b="Diamond"]Yes you do sign a Non Disclosure Agreement and they do also take note of who attends which meeting and even last time we had to sign an additional register too. There's also been extra meetings held after the main club meet where fully paid up members only are invited to stay so they can discuss their ideas.[/quote:adab99361b] I believe everyone should have to join. I cannot see any reason why if you are serious about your ideas why anyone wouldn't join (other than no funds to to join). I will certainly be joining next time I go to a meeting. Just my opinion. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| about myself | My name is Mike. I have been to 1 meeting so far and to be honest with out this club I may have not had another chance. About myself: I have been living in East London since 1998. I work for a large financial bank in the city working in the I.T support sector. I have had a few ideas over the years. My last idea I decided to cut my losses and take that big risk. I contacted a company called ITE. and to cut a long story short I was ripped off. I would admit financial freedom would be nice and I would be dis-honest if I said it didn't matter, but like many inventors before me it isn't just about the money. I am not even sure if my ideas are any good at all. I like to say thanks for the website and thanks to all for giving me support I need. Thanks Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi Mike, One of the benefits of being in a club is that you can discuss your ideas with other members in confidence and hopefully get to hear what they think of your idea from their perspective and using their past experience. One example I saw on the dragon's den was the chap that invented and patented and made little plastic or paper wedges to carry with you and put under a table leg if it wobbled .. the investors shot down his idea and I have to agree with them .. but then again people aren't always right .. I had a meet at Hamley's toy store this week and they told us about the student who drove taxi's in her spare time who invented a taxi game ... she too took it to the dragon's den and they also shot the idea down. But the woman took the idea to hamleys and got it developted and done really well.. http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/small-business/article.html?in_article_id=397537&in_page_id=10 Also new products can be based on existing technology but used for a unique purpose - for instance DVD's were created to play movies on but I read a while back a story of a young chap that was learning yoga and wasn't happy with the books, etc out there so he hired an instructor and film crew and make his own Yoga DVD and sold like 11,000 copies on the internet. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Terry Jennings Chairman | [quote:e238567013="Terry_Jennings"]As Chairman of the club I thinks I should give a profile.[/quote:e238567013] I have to say I think you have been very unlucky Terry.... or is it really that hard to get noticed. I know I do not have skills and expertise as yourself, but I do have the passion. However maybe If I encounter the same problems as yourself then who knows. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| We've just been invoiced £15K for our software patent application. For the money we had a days 'brain dump' workshop with two IPR lawyers and we worked through the innovation in minute detail including drawing flowcharts etc. They then went away and came back with a long (40+ pages) document that was a fantastic summation of all of our conversations and scribbles with the additional benefit of it all being put into legaleze (e.g. the 40 odd claims at the end of the document) Admittedly this is a huge sum to pay, but it was obvious that we were working with some seriously clever people and I in no way feel ripped off. Although, I worked it out and on average that document has cost us £1.50 a word! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Darren Beale - Exponetic | I'm a Bristolian who's been in London for 6 years and living Leytonstone for the past 2 with my wife and twin (2 year old) toddlers. I run a software development company that specialises in Internet technologies with offices in Bethnal Green. We're looking to become product rather than project focused and our first product a web analytics product is due to be released in Oct this year. I'm considering joining the club as the product mentioned above has certain USP's that we are in the process of patenting. Not sure yet whether we'll go for licensing or whether we'll aim for a competitor to buy us out. Either way getting the patent application in seemed a good idea as from a getting investment in point of view, we'd at least be seen to be trying to protect our IP. I went along to the last meeting (March) and diary permitting I'll come along to the next. Darren Beale p.s. *yes* our website is really out of date. Something about car mechanics always driving rubish cars. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rob Moss - Knowledge Dock Technologies Manager at UEL | I have been working with the Club from day one and it is great to see such a lot of interaction and activity. The reason the University of East London supports the Inventors Club is that we see it as one of our key roles to help bring good product and business ideas to market. It is for this reason that the Knowledge Dock operates a number of services, including consultations for would-inventors, product design, rapid prototyping, business start-up facilities, to name a few. We are also keen to open-up our facilities, such as the Library and Learning Resources. I am responsible for some of the operations at UEL, namely the Product Design Lab, The Fabric Print & Design Bureau and the SimLab (see www.knowledgedock.com/ourservices for a full explanation). My colleague Sonia Klein is the main contact for club members, and Thorsten Klein (no relation) looks after the business generator, which gives all manner of start-up support. My background is predominantly in business management and marketing (I am definitely not an engineer!). I started in management consultancy back in the early 80s working on a number of large corporate projects before joining the commercial department of a scientific equipment manufacturer in Cambridge. Lots of systems design, contract law and finance! I then moved into marketing of building products within the Burmah Castrol group followed by the Tarmac Group, where I had to identify market opportunities, develop new products and launch them. I then joined the newly formed Business Link in Essex, where I spent many years working with all manner of small businesses, from technology start-ups to much larger organisations. The work covered a variety of subject areas: exporting, raising finance, business planning, R&D. It introduced me to the weird and wonderful world of government funding for business and I have been fighting my cynical instincts ever since! But seriously, I have learnt quite a bit about what drives this activity, and it is something that is very useful to me in the work I now do at UEL. For those who are impressed by such things I have a Masters in Business Administration and a Diploma in Marketing, and for those who aren't I have set up two small businesses, one a media brokerage (which did well during the early 90s) and a language travel company which is doing very well at present - thank you very much! So I know first hand the difficulties of establishing and growing a small business. If you see me at the Club please say hello! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To add to Terry's comments: How far you take your product development has a direct bearing on the strength of your negotiating position. For example: if you simply have an untested idea, or a concept that has no market research information then it is a much higher risk for any prospective licensee - how do they know it will make them any money?. If you can show a functioning prototype (perhaps a pre-production prototype) with lots of independently verified marketing information that shows lots of people want your product (and I don't mean Auntie Joan and the twins!), then you have a much better proposition for your potential licensee. So - make sure you can give your negotiator some good ammunition! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:04d8a33b9c="Diamond"]One of the benefits of being in a club is that you can discuss your ideas with other members in confidence and hopefully get to hear what they think of your idea from their perspective and using their past experience.[/quote:04d8a33b9c] Thanks for the reply Diamond, I must admit it is a little frustrating not to be able tell people about my idea. To be honest I do have concerns discussing my ideas with people I have just met. I am also concerned there maybe a few people who may just looking for a good idea and to copy it (not interested in the club at all). You may say this is possibly riciculous , but I am very cautious. However I do appreciate the club, the members and the potential. I have since contacted the British Library. I will make a visit next Saturday hopefully. I think this will hopefully give me more insight. Thanks again. Mikeym | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richard Cloete | Hi everyone I am 21 and from South Africa. I have been in the UK for a year and am currently working as a barman at the Royal mid-surrey golf club in Richmond, London. I have been inventing all my life and love it. I am also very interested in physics especially the electromagnetism side of things. when I was younger I built plasma globes, Tesla coils, radios, logic gates ect. I had wanted to come to England (to get my ideas developed as it is extremely difficult and expensive to do in S.A)for a long time and unfortunatley my parents couldn't afford to send me so when I got my first job I saved and well now I am here. I am hoping that within the next year I will be well on my way with one of my ideas. So far I havn't had much luck with my idea's but hopefully that is about to change. Being in a 'new' country all by my self has taught me to trust a lot more people than I normally would have, I just hope that that same lesson doesn't blind me. :lol: Making money from my inventions is a definate want. It is not the most important thing but definately important. Inventing can be expensive and be very time consuming and if profit wasn't important then there would be no 'real' invenors. there would be no point . How many inventors are famous? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| We always look forward to meeting new inventors (as well as our inventor/friends). As you probably already know Visitors are able to attend their first meeting free of charge with subsequent meetings only £5 per visit. However, our membership is extremely cheap at only £24.00 until 31 December 05. This will entitle you to many extras. Brenda Reay Club Treasurer (Hon) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| OK, here is an idea, The British Library runs a Patent Searching Course from time to time - sometimes once a month - sometimes twice in the same month. [list:e0137f325f][b:e0137f325f]Patent clinic dates for 2005[/b:e0137f325f] 04 May 25 May 15 June 06 July 27 July 17 August [/list:u:e0137f325f] I've been on it once and you get people from all over the country attending trying to gather what scraps of info thay can on inventing and how to go about it. After the clinic is over most people simply go home. So why not hold an informal meetup in a nearby pub on those dates? and get the British Library to let them know there is somewhere to go to afterwards? The course runs from about 2:30pm to 5pm at the British Library's St Pancras site in central London - so if people are asked to come to a nearby venue from the British Library you've got a good chance of a great turnout plus get to meet people from all over the UK who are down for the day? Tell all the London inventors about it too and everyone gets to share their advice and experience. If there's a pub nearby with a private room - even better. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Is it easier now? | O.k, so we have an idea and we are desperate to get our ideas to the market...... Thinking back I remember watching Tomorrow's World which for me was the inspiration I needed. I saw so many great ideas on that program but never saw them reach the market place or sold in the shops. I would have said the seventies was the best time for inventions After all innovaton was unheard of or most people who had the ideas had the money to back there ideas. Now you have so many catalogues like: The Innovations Catalogue, Expert Verdict, Modern originals. Even maybe you could consider BetterWare (after all they have ideas someone had invented in there haven't they)Am I right? I remember at the last meeting Terry mentioned they were looking into reducing patent searches (so this should help)but I know there are a lot of ideas that will not meet the market place for some reason or another. I suppose the internet and the latest programs like " Dragon's Den""has helped budding inventors to reach the market place. But for every helpful aid offering good advice on the web, there are also quite a few websites trying to promote people's inventions, helping them find an investor or manufacturer. So. I have to ask. Is it easier now? Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sourcing Question | I am a first-time inventor of sorts and have never had a product manufactured. I have a new product that is made of fabric that I have been trying to source through a consultant who has been assisting me for about a year. She sent my first mock-up to a man she was using in Asia who had been a reliable source person, but he has really dropped the ball on my product and is not answering emails and will not return the mock-up. Anyway, now my consultant says she has a reliable sourcing company in China who has done great work for her other clients. The only thing is they require $1000 up front. This will get me a real prototype and includes shipping costs. With a guaranteed order of $10,000, the $1000 is credited back. She said most of the sourcing is being done this way now. The up-front fee guarantees results. I am leaning toward going this way as it has been 9 mos. since we sent the first mock-up with absolutely no response. She says they can work from drawings and photographs, which I have. (I have a new mock-up, but am reluctant to send it based on the loss of the first one.) I have already spent a couple of thousand dollars (US) on the product, including legal fees for trademark of the name and copyright for printed material that goes with the fabric item. Please, does this sound reasonable to anyone who has experience with these things? Have things really changed in Asia regarding sourcing and are fees generally paid up-front? Thanks in advance for your help. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi Fasteddie, Sorry I have not had any experience of chinese or asian deals but I would have thought that if your idea was good enough then a pre payment would not be needed. Furthermore How can any company guarantee getting you orders? as these rely on different companies who may view your product differently. Be Careful, there are many people out there who will exploit an inventor and take money for nothing. I would suggest that you try and check carefully any company that asks for money up front by asking for other people that they have helped or a record of successes. My advise is to hold onto your money and product if they take your money and goods they will know you will have very little to take them to court and you will have not only given away your product, but you will have paid them to rip you off. Recomendation is by far the best way to approach a prospective company. Best of luck anyway, Terry Jennings Chairman ELIC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| sourcing question | hi I don't think it sounds to good... take terry's advise. If they guarentee you orders then they must be up to no good. You say you have already spent a lot of money and lost out. Rather hang on untill you find someone that you know you can trust ( well at least more than anyone else that you've come accross.) Also sending your stuff overseas is dangerous as you have no idea who has your product or money. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In reply to the posting by fasteddie, I have a couple of observations which may be useful. As I understand it, you have approached the Asian manufacturers via an agent simply to procure services and goods, as opposed to seeking a licensing deal from them. With this in mind, the $1,000 is the development cost charged by this manufacturer to produce a prototype for you, which they were prepared to refund once you have placed a guaranteed order with them for over $10,000. If this is correct, there are two issues here. 1. You want your idea for a fabric based product developed into prototype form so that it can be evaluated and attract market interest. 2. You want to source a supplier who can manufacture your product on a sub-contracted basis for you to sell on. If I were you, I would tackle the two tasks separately, as a manufacturer is not necessarily the best person to develop and produce a prototype. I obviously do not have any details about your product (and you should keep that on a formal confidential basis through the development phase), but there may be more than one way to produce your product, and the manufacturer that you have approached may not be the most suitable. You really need to talk to some commercial Product Designers (in confidence) to discuss your idea and compare their strategies / suggestions, as their experience (and consultancy costs) will vary. However, a good designer will assess the market, as well as the product, and will be familiar with different manufacturing processes and materials before they decide on the direction for the prototype. For example, here at the University of East London, we have a Product Design Lab and a Fabric Printing Bureau, and their designers often work together to develop client projects into prototype form that take account of manufacturing processes and market position of product etc. They can also bring in different consultants or University Faculties such as Fashion, Art and Business if additional expertise or research is required. Once you have addressed all of the important design issues and produced (and protected) a prototype, you can seek manufacturers to make it for you. As opposed to going to the Far-East from the outset, working with local manufacturers in the short and medium term may help when de-bugging your product and addressing any supply-chain issues. Once again, I suggest that you talk to several manufacturers, and your designer may be able to make some good introductions. With regard to dealing with Asian companies, I have some experience of dealing with OEM components suppliers, and most are happy to supply free samples to your specification – if your volumes are high enough and you can convince them that you mean business. I think that your entrepreneurial skills will be decisive here, but perhaps less effective if using an agent. Once again, I would talk to several manufacturers and agents to compare prices and their terms & conditions for supply of goods before committing to any. Also, ask for past and present customers as references. It may help if you contacted one of the Far-Eastern embassies in the U.S. to see if they offer any introduction services or other help for dealing with their reputable businesses, or whether any of the U.S. embassies in the Far-East conduct trade visits for U.S. citizens interested in working with Far-Eastern companies. If this approach is unsuccessful, try trade organisations for your target industry sector Having said that, $1,000 for the supply and development of a prototype is not unreasonable, provided the terms of engagement are fair and you are happy that the development work has been done correctly, but do make sure that you get all agreements in writing before parting with any money. Some time spent with an experienced Commercial Lawyer to check any deals may save a lot of time and money later on. Also, don’t forget to consider protecting your product with Patents and/or Registered Designs, as well as Copyright and Trademark. I hope that this is helpful. Good luck. Garry. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rickz to the rescue with: Prototype funding? | I have decided that the only way that I am going to get any further with my idea is to have a prototype built but it is going to be more expensive than I can afford, so my question is, are there any contacts that anyone knows of that would at least consider funding the development of a prototype? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Funding for inventors, Just an idea | I think that an ' Inventors trust accout' where someone with a lot of money would fund inventors so long as the money that they require is payed back over a certain number of months, for example: an inventor could loan £5000 for a prototype and pay say... £50-£100 or however much he/she could afford each month. Sort of like a bank loan only with much lower interest and someone who genuinely wants to just help and not really make a huge fat profit. Maybe this kind of trust could then be networked to all the clubs across the country, maybe even the world. obviously some market research and feasability checking would need to be done before the loan would be granted, which would be best for the inventor anyways. What do you think? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| trevor Baylis brands plc | I went to trevors web site and downloaded the Inventor pack and it says that the inventor must send an appraisal fee of £117.50 along with my idea. Is Trevor friend or foe? And is he helpfull? this would be an ideal move for me as his office is in the same road that I work! So it would be very easy for me to get to. Please be friend...please... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: trevor Baylis brands plc | [quote:91c62d2dec="Rickz21"]I went to trevors web site and downloaded the Inventor pack and it says that the inventor must send an appraisal fee of £117.50 along with my idea. Is Trevor friend or foe? [/quote:91c62d2dec] Rick, I was say be careful sending anything until you have spoken to a few people at the club. You are like myself I think, and would be easy to give someone else access to your idea, and I know being an inventor is a lonely business. eg: You are probably thinking like myself is my idea any good. I held onto my idea for years, no one knew or still knows what my idea was.Go to the club on Thursday. I believe some one will help you there. As for Trevor Bayliss my opinion is you have to admire the man, he like many other inventors before him had problems getting his invention to the market place (I believe his first invention was Wind up Radio). I am sure he is a good guy. I sent him an email myself and his advice was do not show anyone your idea with out them signing a non-disclosure agreement or at least someone you can trust. personally I wouldn't even tell your family or friends. I believe this because - say they don't understand the importance of the secrecy of your idea, and mentioned it to a friend at work or in he pub etc. Then all of a sudden someone made it to the market place with your idea... Then 1. If it is a very good idea and this made that person financailly secure. How would you feel? You may think.. How did they find out.. Even blaming your friends and family. Now I am no expert, I am just like you. But I will say am I am fairly careful when it comes to my ideas.. Hope this helps. Mikeym | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rick, Depending on the prototype required the ELU should be able help you. They have workshops and according to Diamond and Terry if you join the club you have access to these workshops. As for the account all though it maybe a good idea in principle I am not sure it will work in principle. However If you really do have a good idea I am sure with the help of the members of the club you will be able to find the funds. I will say I only been to the first club meeting last month. I believe if anyone can help, they can... Mikeym | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| trevor baylis | Cheers Mick I thought I should just see what the members think about Trevor. I havn't really checked out his sight much so am going to go back for a second look. Hmmmm, Where is everyone? seems like it's just you and me mike. even Diamond is quiet. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Rickz to the rescue with: Prototype funding? | [quote:4f9d31726d="Rickz21"]I have decided that the only way that I am going to get any further with my idea is to have a prototype built.[/quote:4f9d31726d] Rick, I would say it is a good idea to have a prototype built. You mentioned previously your idea was linked to the DIY industry. My advice is try to make it yourself if possible. The reasons: You will see the problems that you may encounter when making it i.e: in your head it looks great on paper it looks great, then all of sudden after making your idea you come across a pitful e.g: something doesn't fit together correctly and you have to re-think your idea. (not a great example but I am sure you get the picture) Of course if you had a prototype made they may not make it to your ideals, you have to have it re-designed and of course this has cost money. Say for instance your idea is made from wood, try to make it from cardboard or balsa wood (both cheap materials). If it is made from metal make the prototype from wood etc... Trust me it may sound ridiculous, but when I was working on my previous idea before sending it ITE I made it from Wood and metal and find it to heavy etc. If you do this I believe it will help the person who is making your prototype as well, and hopefully save you money. Hope this helps. Mikeym | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: trevor baylis | [quote:b2024299a9="Rickz21"] I thought I should just see what the members think about Trevor. Hmmmm, Where is everyone? seems like it's just you and me mike even Diamond is quiet.[/quote:b2024299a9] Rick, I would speak to Terry I believe he has met him. But I do believe he is a good guy. YEP! I think they are all on holiday... :P Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| prototype funding | It is immpossible for me to make a prototype as I dont have a snigle tool other than my kitchen kinfe because I have come from South Africa and havn't managed to get my own place or anything else for that matter. :) Even if I did have access to some diy tools I wouldnt be able to make it as it a bit to complex for me i think. I am currently loking for a tool and di-casting manufacturer to help me. I have used non disclosure aggreements befor and I know that they are not very usefull but it does make me feel safer so no problem there. I also have a book drawn up on my invention, not showing designs but the market research( or guess work) of I.S.C. whom i am no longer using. guess I'll just have to wait until thursday. :twisted: cheers mike and thanks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I think one problem with Baylis Brands is they have become a victim of their own success - I think there is something like a 4 month waiting list for them to get around to them viewing your application. They have had so many people sending them their ideas. They do say they're looking into perhaps getting a university to look at the ideas so that the process can be speeded-up - although I have to admit I'd kind of feel better knowing they themselves had seen the idea with their own eyes rather then a 3rd party. It would certainly be nice to see inventor's clubs in the UK offering a similar kind of service, perhaps charging less for club members but with the funds beng put back into the club perhaps. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| That's certainly the idea behind linking up with Universities is that both parties have something to offer each other and as more and more universities join the scheme it's going to be a bit of a competition I guess as to which University provides the best facilities and gets involved the most. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Funding for inventors, Just an idea | [quote:9110c393b0="Rickz21"]I think that an ' Inventors trust accout' where someone with a lot of money would fund inventors so long as the money that they require is payed back over a certain number of months, for example: an inventor could loan £5000 for a prototype and pay say... £50-£100 or however much he/she could afford each month. Sort of like a bank loan only with much lower interest and someone who genuinely wants to just help and not really make a huge fat profit. Maybe this kind of trust could then be networked to all the clubs across the country, maybe even the world. obviously some market research and feasability checking would need to be done before the loan would be granted, which would be best for the inventor anyways. What do you think?[/quote:9110c393b0] Personally I think for a lot of inventions to get developted you don't need money as much as you need the skills of a whole range of people. I'd say in an ideal world instead of having a patent attorney that charges a fortune for their time you'd have one that is will to forgo upfront payment for a share in the profits the ideas brings in. Instead of having a model builder charge for his time - he might put together something in his spare time ... again for a share in the profits and maybe just charge for the materials used? Ideally if there was some kind of group setup that comprised of a patent lawyer, model / protype builder, someone with links to finance or buyers like big supermarkets, inventors, web design / documentation person, graphic designer, etc Then maybe people could bring their inventions to them in confidence - maybe for a small fee so as to filter out the people that are not serious about their idea and they can decide if it's the kind of idea they'd put their time, skills and connections into - a bit like the Dragon's Den type of thing but instead of people investing their money they're investing themselves into the project. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [b:2ace4a66d3]BTW just to illustrate how more more money over time can be compared to money upfront see below:[/b:2ace4a66d3] [i:2ace4a66d3][list:2ace4a66d3]Stan Weston came up with the G.I. Joe action figure idea, and Hasbro offered Weston a choice of either $100,000 or $50,000 upfront, with a 1 percent royalty once sales passed $7 million. Weston chose the $100,000—and lost out on an estimated $20 million in royalties over the next 30 years.[/list:u:2ace4a66d3][/i:2ace4a66d3] As you can see if Stan Weston had gone for the long term option he'd have made a lot more money and been financially secure for the rest of his life. The same kind of thinking may appeal to a group of individuals that want to do the same thing and work together to make an idea come to bare fruit. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inventor Wins $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize | http://portland.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid=21499&type_news=latest PORTLAND -- The next time you think you hear voices in your head, you may be right, thanks to Elwood 'Woody' Norris. This week, Norris will receive the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize for numerous important inventions, including HyperSonic Sound(R), which enables sound to be targeted to an individual listener. 'Woody Norris is a classic independent inventor. His curiosity is unbounded and spans many fields,' said Merton Flemings, director of the Lemelson-MIT Program, which sponsors the annual award. Norris will receive the award this Friday, April 22, during the 11th annual Lemelson-MIT Awards Ceremony, being held at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:0512a9694b="Diamond"][b:0512a9694b]BTW just to illustrate how more more money over time can be compared to money upfront see below:[/b:0512a9694b] [i:0512a9694b][list:0512a9694b]Stan Weston came up with the G.I. Joe action figure idea, and Hasbro offered Weston a choice of either $100,000 or $50,000 upfront, with a 1 percent royalty once sales passed $7 million. Weston chose the $100,000—and lost out on an estimated $20 million in royalties over the next 30 years.[/list:u:0512a9694b][/i:0512a9694b].[/quote:0512a9694b] I agree with Diamond we have to accept this whole thing is long term, but to know[b:0512a9694b] I will make a difference helps me to succeed[/b:0512a9694b]. Hopefully :P | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: prototype funding | [quote:dcc858d5e7="Rickz21"]It is immpossible for me to make a prototype as I dont have a snigle tool other than my kitchen kinfe because I have come from South Africa and havn't managed to get my own place or anything else for that matter. :) [/quote:dcc858d5e7] Rick, I recently bought a craft set (retail price approx 5 - pounds) for 1 pound from my local store. LIDL were selling better set for 3 pound, but my first set was o.k. I guess I am just a hoarder :? My point is tools are cheap, and I know your income is low, but I am sure you can afford a little. After all you are investing in yourself and yours and possibly your families future. I am not sure what your idea is, I expect it is quite big and as you said it is complicated. (which may cost you alot of money). I was say try to make it simple as possible. Non-Disclosure Agreements are good but not bulet proof. I am sure if soemone had the same idea as you and could prove their idea was thougt of at an earlier date then a Non-Disclosure Agreement may not be worth anyhting. YEP: Probably the most expensive manual your ever buy. :cry: Mine cost five hundred pounds only to find it was next to useless. To be honest I wanted shove it down the ITE managers throat, but that is a different story. :lol: Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I think I am getting the hang of it now. | Diamond, I have to say this site is very easy to use . I think I am getting the hang of it now. I believe it is a very useful tool for us budding inventors. I will let you know if I have any worthwhile ideas. But one idea maybe to add a spell check if possible and maybe be able to remove or ammend an article I may have submitted, then realised I didn't want to after all. Possibly wihile drunk or heavily sedated :evil: But seriously keep up the good work mate. Much appreciated. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I'm glad you like the site, I'm actually very lucky because I volunteered to do the club a website and the Club Committee left it totally up to me to decide what way to take the site - it's nice when people show that much trust in your judgment. The On line Forum was the bit I most wanted to get running for the club because it does allow us to throw around ideas 24 hours a day ...7 days a week and when we get to meet once a month at the club we've already saved a lot of time finding out about each other, our past, our ideas for the future, etc. Forums are a great way to share knowledge. Unfortunately I'm not much into programming these days - systems are just too big and take a team of experts to construct - I didn't program this site I only took an existing Content Management System (PHP Nuke) and integrated all the options to make this site and little by little it came together. So adding spell checks directly into the system may be difficult - However... For an alternative solution to spell checking try this free addon to Internet Explorer: http://www.iespell.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| OK you guys have all done really well - The guys on TV's came up with a water based solution to construct a big tub - first lined with very powerful magnets to grab the metal needles ASAP then a tub of water in which they hoped the bone needle would sink as the hay floated - there was paddles to agitate the water to shake it up so that the needle would be encouraged to come lose | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:b50768cf85="Diamond"]For an alternative solution to spell checking try this free addon to Internet Explorer: http://www.iespell.com[/quote:b50768cf85] Oh I just downloaded and tried this - you need to close Internet Explorer and restart but it works so well!! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| There's someone at the club that's invented a DIY Tool - it took him 1 year to build the prototype in his spare time. I think there really needs to be things we can do to fast track ideas and their development - one of the scary things when going to the inventors show was I asked people there how long it has been since they first came up with their idea to getting it on the market - the average was about 4 years | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:63d9380a96="Diamond"]For an alternative solution to spell checking try this free addon to Internet Explorer: http://www.iespell.com[/quote:63d9380a96] Thanks Diamond I will keep this in mind. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:b6d035234a="Diamond"]There's someone at the club that's invented a DIY Tool - it took him 1 year to build the prototype in his spare time.[/quote:b6d035234a] YEP: I can believe that. It takes me literally ages to do anything technical. Main reason I am not technically minded and the second and the most important. The idea may be good in my head or on paper, but it is a different story when designing it. All of sudden you are confronted with design flaws. Then my mind switches off for a little while, then switch back on when it feels like it and all of a sudden I will find a new approach. [b:b6d035234a]But... Designing a cheap prototype yourself is the only way to overcome these design flaws (in my opinion).[/b:b6d035234a] If you can find the time of course :P Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| prototype funding | There is no way i could build a prototype myself. I have designed it on paper and can think of no flaws. Just to day I thought of another two inventions that would be really usefull. There are so many that I dont quite know which is the best one to work with.I am pursuing my d.i.y idea as it has the biggets market and I have done the most work on. I there was any way that I could build a prototype myself I would. how would I build a prototype of...say a drill? there are parts in the drill that need to be specially made to work with the other parts and the same goes for my idea. My idea also needs high heat resistant plastics, But i know that all the parts can be built and have gone over the design a million times and although there is the possibility that I have missed something ( God forbid!! ), I am pretty sure it is going to work. I wish this wasn't Sooo hard!! Arhhhggg! Driving me crazy! :lol: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BTW Anyone interested in the above idea? I was in Kings Cross the other week and had a look around there seem to be some nice pubs in the area. The Skinners Arms pub looked good from the outside - I was there before pub opening time so didn't get a chance to go in, very close to the station but a little way up from the main road It's easy to get to and there is parking in the same street - which should be free after 6:30pm. http://www.eastlondoninventorsclub.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=7 http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Judd+Street,+Camden,+Greater+London,+WC1H&ll=51.527985,-0.124655&spn=0.007202,0.014179&hl=en http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/show.shtml/7170/Skinners_Arms/Kings_Cross [list:197ba30482]Address: 114 Judd St, London, WC1H 9NT Tel: 020 7837 6521 King's Cross St. Pancras (0.2 miles), Russell Square (0.4 miles), Euston (0.4 miles) London St Pancras (0.2 miles), London Kings Cross - Thameslink (0.2 miles), London Kings Cross (0.3 miles)[/list:u:197ba30482] [img:197ba30482]http://www.eastlondoninventorsclub.com/photos/albums/userpics/10002/PICT5511.jpg[/img:197ba30482] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Virtual Company | [b:a1c0fdede5]The Virtual Company[/b:a1c0fdede5] Brenda and I went to the opening meeting of the Kingston Round Table of Inventors and whilst we were there we managed to get some more details of TVC. On Looking at this and asking questions it would appear that this way forward could be of great benefit to most of our members. David Nicholson started this scheme a few years ago and it now has a good track record of successes. As soon as we get more details about this scheme to help inventors succeed we will post details. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sounds interesting - certainly there are facilties out there to provide virtual services like a virtual phone number that rings on your PC anywhere inthe world where you have an internet connection for example: www.sipgate.com Websites also can help a lot. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cambridge Entrepreneurs | Saw this and though the site looked very interesting http://www.cue.org.uk Cambridge University Entrepreneurs is a passionate student organization created to inspire and educate, and to facilitate the creation of real businesses from the university. This is mainly achieved through the organisation and running of various Business Plan Competitions (BPC). [b:b56eebbec1]Mission Statement:[/b:b56eebbec1] To help development an entrepreneurial culture To be the interface between the university and business communities To catalyse the exploitation of the knowledge base at Cambridge University To facilitate and support the creation of world class firms To encourage knowledge exhange through international forums History: The organization was established in boom time of IT (est. 1999) catering to the demand and creation of surge of entrepreneurial firms in the IT Sector. Since starting the society has seen a change in culture in the University. There is now increased interest in entrepreneurship, within both the student community and the corporate sector. So far, we have distributed over £250,000 in prizes and helped to create many businesses, headed by students and members of the university. This makes the society one of the largest of its type in the world and we are globally recognised as one of the best. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: prototype funding | [quote:12cac2e55a="Rickz21"]There is no way i could build a prototype myself. I have designed it on paper and can think of no flaws. Just to day I thought of another two inventions that would be really usefull. There are so many that I dont quite know which is the best one to work with. I wish this wasn't Sooo hard!! Arhhhggg! Driving me crazy! :lol:[/quote:12cac2e55a] Rick, On paper there are never flaws. Like most things as soon as you try to make a prototype up they appear. I am sure I am not the only one who knows this. To date I have ten ideas myself, but I being realistic, not all will be fit for the market for reasons: Bad timing, to difficult or expensive to make etc etc. It is good you have thougt of two more ideas. I try to think of one at least a week, and if you can think of two in one day you are doing well in my opinion. My advice would be chose the one that has the most potential and if possible, has the least work required. YES, these things can be hard and if you don't take the right measures and follow people's advice you could end up burn yourself out. I will be honest when I went to the club's first meeting afterwards I was on a high. For all I know I may have been a nightmare at work. But after the first few days I was back to earth. I think inventing - well the easiest part is thinking of the idea. Then maybe get someone interested is the hardest. The thing is, sometimes I think I am the only person who invents. Which is obvious I am not. And sometimes I think I am the only one who has good ideas , which again is obvious I am not. You may say I am negative, but I believe I am more positive because I am trying to take my time, take in the information from the experts i.e:[b:12cac2e55a] The presentation speaker is Mark Sheahan, the inventor of an alternative way to open tins.[/b:12cac2e55a]. he will be at the next meet. No body better than someone who has been successful in my opinion. In my opinion this business can be a lonely business , and I believe you maybe frustrated (like myself) because you haven't been able to show your idea or get an opinion. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: The Virtual Company | [quote:36176803d8="Terry_Jennings"][b:36176803d8]The Virtual Company[/b:36176803d8] Brenda and I went to the opening meeting of the Kingston Round Table of Inventors and whilst we were there we managed to get some more details of TVC. [/quote:36176803d8] Hi Terry, Forgive my ignorance, could you ellaborate. I don't even know what TVC stands for . Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:f2ced122ce="Diamond"][i:f2ced122ce] ''I'm also wondering why Tomorrow's World has been cancelled - they said ratings dropped but everyone I know loved the show''.[/i:f2ced122ce][/quote:f2ced122ce] Diamond, I can only think it was axed because they were making way for programs like innovation nation whole family viewing. I also believe the people who made this program never did there research properly. But I agree with you. Tomorrow's World was probably one of the best programs and everybody loved it. One thing though didn't they advertise less inventions and more technology towards the end. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: The Virtual Company | [quote:8a36dfe442="mikeym"][quote:8a36dfe442="Terry_Jennings"][b:8a36dfe442]The Virtual Company[/b:8a36dfe442] Brenda and I went to the opening meeting of the Kingston Round Table of Inventors and whilst we were there we managed to get some more details of TVC. [/quote:8a36dfe442] Hi Terry, Forgive my ignorance, could you ellaborate. I don't even know what TVC stands for . Mikeym.[/quote:8a36dfe442] I assume TVC = The Virtual Company | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Their choices of presenters was a little strange towards the end .. maybe that affected ratings too. In Australia there was a similar programme called "Beyound 2000" - that was also very good. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| prototype funding | you make a lot of sense Mike. Things seem to be looking up for me again as one of the club members at wy work approched me today with an Idea as another member told him that i am an inventor and seems really keen to work with me and get this idea on the move. I know that the membership fees for the club that I work at is £7000 joining and £3000 p.a so I think he is well off, which is good as he is interested in my inventing and well we will see what happens eh? thanks for all your input Mike ciao | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| market place reached? | hey beyond 2000 was on in South Africa too!! after the turn of the century it was renamed to beyond 3000...I think...hehe maybe it is a spin off... anyway it is awsome. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Virtual Company | Reply taken from front of their leaflet. THE VIRTUAL COMPANY MECHANISM The Virtual Company™ (TVC) is a simple, ingenious means of supporting and enabling start-up companies for entrepreneurs, inventors and innovators* to transform their incredible ideas into credible business opportunities. The TVC mechanism is jointly owned by Kingston University and Business LinkWessex and is licensed to 12 user institutions throughout the UK.TVC increases the innovation to market success rate whilst ensuring that the interest of the originator remains paramount. A number of organisations seek to identify, adopt and profit from a few winning ideas that are created by inventors.TVC is not such a mechanism; the aim is to create many individual winners who themselves profit from their own winning ideas and endeavours. "The British spirit of enterprise made us one of the most inventive and creative nations in the world ... for far too long, in too many areas, enterprise (and inventiveness) has been seen as something for someone else, a small elite. I wont to create a Britain of ambition ... where talent is set free ... and opportunities are opened up for all". Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer * References to inventors will include innovators and business start-ups Turning incredible ideas into credible businesses | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Future Speakers at Club Meetings | [b:d38bceb593]Recently, we went to visit another Inventors Club and people were full of ideas about what they wanted future speakers at their club to speak about. Perhaps people from our Club are also full of ideas and could list these below, so that we could arrange speakers around the needs of others Brenda Reay[/b:d38bceb593] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Virtual Company | East London Inventors Club is holding a committee meeting on Thursday 28th April, when we will be looking at the possibility of licensing this idea. This will mean that inventors could possibly be offered a way of taking their invention to market whilst being cushioned on the way. This idea has already been proven to work quite well. Brenda Reay | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personally I most like hearing from other inventors, and how they came up with an idea and what they did to get their idea to market. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: The Virtual Company | [quote:f0b5b4abb9="Terry_Jennings"]Reply taken from front of their leaflet. THE VIRTUAL COMPANY MECHANISM The Virtual Company™ (TVC) is a simple, ingenious means of supporting and enabling start-up companies for entrepreneurs, inventors and innovators* to transform their incredible ideas into credible business opportunities.[/quote:f0b5b4abb9] Thanks Terry I appreciate your feedback. Mikeym | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: London Inventing Event? | [quote:f882f4b642="Diamond"]For those of you that are part of an inventing club you'll know how useful and informative it is to get together with people interested in inventing.[/quote:f882f4b642] The concept is good but I would prefer to go to East Club and meet the people in this club first. I am very cautious when it comes to my ideas. But I also know it is important to share them with others. I am sure the club will help share ideas with other members, but I am also concerned there maybe a few people who maybe interested in my ideas for other reason (If they have potential) [b:f882f4b642]YES I AM A CINIC BUT YOU CANNOT BE TOO CAREFUL IN THIS BUSINESS[/b:f882f4b642] Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Well the idea isn't to disclose anything that you should keep under your hat - it's to gain more of an insight into what others are doing and learn from their experiences. There are plenty of inventors out there who have already got their product to market so are perfectly free to talk about their inventions - so rather then talk about your idea it's an opportunity to let them talk and listen to what they say and learn from their experiences. We all went to a pub for Christmas 2004 and it was great to meet inventors not only from London but from the rest of the UK - some people came from as far as Birmingham and Sheffield. Some inventors brought samples of what they'd invented and gotten on the market. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [i:ede05cd582]I found this which explains TVC quite well[/i:ede05cd582] [b:ede05cd582]The Virtual Company (TVC)[/b:ede05cd582] Professor David Nicholas pioneered The Virtual Company concept and has increased the national inventor / start-up conversion rate for turning incredible ideas into credible businesses by a factor of six. A virtual company is formed when a team of experts work together with a lone inventor to bring an invention to market. The experts work for no fee, but in exchange for virtual shares in a virtual company, which convert into real shares when funds are secured. In 1997 for example, David used TVC principles to support 39 companies. By 1998, £2.8M in SMART awards had been put into these companies. By 2003, 35 companies were still in business whilst just two had ceased trading and two had sold out. This is an exceptional record, and the Enterprise Exchange was proud to employ David from September to December 2004. Sadly, David died on 17th December, leaving a wife and three grown-up children. He died at his desk doing what he enjoyed, helping inventors. http://www.kingston.ac.uk/business-services/inventors/D.N.-%20profile.doc | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| London inventing event | I think meeting at a venue and chatting is a good idea, not only for gathering info but also for building relationships with other people interested in inventing, Although i think that while we are drinking :) , i think that we should encourage other people not to disclose their ideas as this is a risky business and if we don't look out for one another then who will? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Innovation and Technology Transfer in the Thames Gateway | Hello Everyone, My name is Bernard Stark and I am very interested in new ideas and getting them out there for the benefit of society. My Dad is the originator of Double-Cone Technology [url]www.doubleconetechnology.com[/url] and I am the originator of Seamless Display Ltd [url]www.seamlessdisplay.com[/url]. I currently work as an Innovations Solutions Manager at Sira on a European funded project aimed at supporting innovation in the Thames Gateway (Bexley, Greenwich, parts of Hackney, and further east, north and south of the river...). Our aim is to create jobs here by helping small companies. If you feel that your company or invention could be part of this, please contact me. We have competent people here who have had their own inventions/start-ups with all the associated struggle. Good luck with your inventions, Bernard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: The Virtual Company | [quote:3270721c80="Brenda_Reay"]East London Inventors Club is holding a committee meeting on Thursday 28th April, when we will be looking at the possibility of licensing this idea. [/quote:3270721c80] Sounds great Brenda. The club seems to be going from strength to strength. I would hope that gradually inventors over the country would find help. Help they deserve and hopefully put an end to companies rip-off companies like ITE. (International Technology Exchange). :) Hope to see you all at the meeting tomorrow. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:c44514bc20="Diamond"][i:c44514bc20]I found this which explains TVC quite well[/i:c44514bc20] [b:c44514bc20]The Virtual Company (TVC)[/b:c44514bc20] Professor David Nicholas pioneered The Virtual Company concept and has increased the national inventor / start-up conversion rate for turning incredible ideas into credible businesses by a factor of six. A virtual company is formed when a team of experts work together with a lone inventor to bring an invention to market. The experts work for no fee, but in exchange for virtual shares in a virtual company, which convert into real shares when funds are secured.[/quote:c44514bc20] Thanks for the info. Diamond, I have to say I feel proud inventors are being given help, support and encouragement they deserve. I believe innovation is britains future. Personally I would like to see all british ideas manufactured in Britain, but I suppose I will have to dream on. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| re: General protection of ideas | Hi all, I have spoken previously regarding protecting ideas. I believe without a secure a patent the only possible way is to write down information of my idea , fact , figure and send this to me recorded post. I also believe there was a link to how to carry out and what is required to cover this. Can I ask does anyone have the information , what is required or has anyone done this please. Hopefully if you have and plan to go to the club on Thursday, maybe you would be willing to let me know the essentials. Thanks Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:13a20d6a5b="Diamond"]Sounds interesting - certainly there are facilties out there to provide virtual services like a virtual phone number that rings on your PC anywhere inthe world where you have an internet connection for example: www.sipgate.com Websites also can help a lot.[/quote:13a20d6a5b] Hi Diamond, I have not been able to work this link. I have even cut and paste the URL. I think it maybe www.sipgate.co.uk. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:fe2b51c892="mikeym"][quote:fe2b51c892="Diamond"]Sounds interesting - certainly there are facilties out there to provide virtual services like a virtual phone number that rings on your PC anywhere inthe world where you have an internet connection for example: www.sipgate.com Websites also can help a lot.[/quote:fe2b51c892] Hi Diamond, I have not been able to work this link. I have even cut and paste the URL. I think it maybe www.sipgate.co.uk. Mikeym.[/quote:fe2b51c892] Try This.. http://www.sipgate.co.uk./user/index.php | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi Mikey Please feel free to grab me at the club meeting tonight and I will run over what you need to do and the limitations of this type of protection. Regards, Garry Moore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: re: General protection of ideas | [quote:e470ca14f6="mikeym"]Hi all, I have spoken previously regarding protecting ideas. I believe without a secure a patent the only possible way is to write down information of my idea , fact , figure and send this to me recorded post.[/quote:e470ca14f6] Mike, Just for future reference there is a section on the public forum section called [b:e470ca14f6]"Protecting My Ideas", [/b:e470ca14f6]so if you have similar threads to start you may want to post them in there instead of under the general section. However.. There was talk of Club Members being able to send such recorded delivery material to a contact at UEL who will keep it underseal - so it's even more offical I've also suggested this might be a service we charge for - just a couple of pounds which can go towards the running of the club - but the idea being that people pay online to submit their sealed envelope. The reason I suggest we charge is because this then creates an additional record with the credit card company, paypal, nochex, etc - you'll have on your own credit card statement a date of the transaction, etc so it's further proof to back you up should you ever need to go to court. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Protecting Ideas | Hi Mikeym, Firstly yes if you have an idea or concept then by all means send yourself a registered or recorded delivery with the written idea and rough drawings explaining your invention. This will establish a date of concept. Keep envelope sealed and write on outside what is in it. I have found it also useful to attach your receipt of posting to outside of envelope. The next stage is to do an internet search to see if you are wasting your time if it has already been thought about?. If searches come up blank then a trip to British Library is called for, to carry out a more, in depth, search. Up to now it will have only cost you your fare to BL and postage. If your search comes up blank your part of the way there. Next file a patent application again free only postage charges. When you receive your receipt from PO then you can start approaching people to see if they are interested in your product. At this stage a prototype would be good idea. You now have 12 months to get a full patent applied for. This is not very long but it is the way at the moment. When you reach the stage of getting a full patent then you will need the services of a patent attorney who will charge you and do the full searches needed by law. Joining an inventors club will help you get all the free advice you will need including recomendations of Patent Attorneys. Best of luck It's a hard and bumpy road. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EVENT: London Inventors Meetup - Wed 4th May Kings Cross | We're putting together an informal (and free to attend) after work event in Kings Cross at the Skinners Arms Pub. This will be an opportunity for Inventors and those interested in inventing, innovation and related business to come down and meet other people, exchange experiences, contacts, etc. It's being run on the same day as the British Library's Patent Search Clinic and I'll be going down to the Library towards the end of the clinic to let their members know about the event as well and invite them to come down. If you plan on coming it would be good to see you reply to this thread so we can gauge an idea of who'll be attending - Terry's already invited other people from all over London as well to come along. [b:5b25152b22]Time:[/b:5b25152b22] 5:30pm onwards [b:5b25152b22]Date:[/b:5b25152b22] Wednesday 4th May 2005 [b:5b25152b22]Address: [/b:5b25152b22] Skinners Arms Pub (opposite RNIB) 114 Judd St, London, WC1H 9NT [color=red:5b25152b22][b:5b25152b22]Downloadable PDF Map[/b:5b25152b22][/color:5b25152b22] http://www.eastlondoninventorsclub.com/downloads/Monthly_Meetup.pdf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prototype Drafting and Patent help | Hi I am freelance engineer which in the main as been served in the steel industry for the past 30 years, with a recent brief spell in the Patent Office as a patent examiner. What I am looking to provide is a drafting and design service and help with setting out a patent application, drafting a description & claims, and general procedural aspects. The drawings I produce would be full blown 2D engineering drawings to enable prototypes to be manufactured. All drawings would carried on CAD using either Autocad or Bentley Microstation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Protecting Ideas | [quote:6df610290d="Terry_Jennings"]Hi Mikeym, Firstly yes if you have an idea or concept then by all means send yourself a registered or recorded delivery with the written idea and rough drawings explaining your invention. Best of luck It's a hard and bumpy road.[/quote:6df610290d] Thanks Terry. I have taken note of your information. Previously I had sent a document to myself for my first idea. I wasn't sure I was doing it right. I will attempt to make a prototype first I think , then a trip to BL. Unfortunately I cannot go until I am on early shift. I am happy to say I am now a full member of the club. Mikeym | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: re: General protection of ideas | [quote="Diamond"][quote:19b8567f68="mikeym"] Just for future reference there is a section on the public forum section called [b:19b8567f68]"Protecting My Ideas", [/b:19b8567f68]so if you have similar threads to start you may want to post them in there instead of under the general section. However.. There was talk of Club Members being able to send such recorded delivery material to a contact at UEL who will keep it underseal - so it's even more offical.[/quote:19b8567f68] Thanks Diamond, I have taken note of you comments and will do my best to keep my posts in the relevant forum section. I am a little confused regarding you comment: [b:19b8567f68]Club Members being able to send such recorded delivery material to a contact at UEL who will keep it underseal - so it's even more offical.[/b:19b8567f68]. Could you please tell me: Does this mean I would send this to contact to UEL to keep safe? Does this mean I would send this to the contact for official seal? I would be happy to pay for this service. I believe the costs incurred i.e joining the club etc are very reasonable and I am happy to be a member, the valuable information I have recieved from other members much appreciated. Mikeym. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:e19c72e2ca="Garry_Moore"]Hi Mikey Please feel free to grab me at the club meeting tonight and I will run over what you need to do and the limitations of this type of protection.[/quote:e19c72e2ca] Thanks Garry, I went to the club meeting on Thursday. I did speak to you, but I forgot to ask you about the protection prospects. I have your card now so I will give you a call or see you at the club next time hopefully. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: The Virtual Company | [quote:3c17669377="Terry_Jennings"]Reply taken from front of their leaflet. THE VIRTUAL COMPANY MECHANISM The Virtual Company™ (TVC) is a simple, ingenious means of supporting and enabling start-up companies for entrepreneurs, inventors and innovators* to transform their incredible ideas into credible business opportunities.[/quote:3c17669377] I went to the meeting on Thursday. Great to here more about the Virtual Company. Sounds good. I look forward to see the future progress. Mikeym | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Future Speakers at Club Meetings | [quote:bc6b99ef1d="Brenda_Reay"]Recently, we went to visit another Inventors Club and people were full of ideas about what they wanted future speakers at their club to speak about. [/quote:bc6b99ef1d] Thanks brenda for Thursday's meeting. Was good to here about Mark Shear's success with squeezeopen, and of course his difficulties. Look forward to the next club meeting. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mike, There was a case many years ago of a postal worker that won the football pools - turned out he got the results and was able to back date his entry form and the postal stamp so it looked like he posted it before the results came out. nothing is decided about the service to send your envelopes to someone at UEL but it's a value added service that could be considered and as I mentioned paying something for it leaves a more detailed paper trail to back it all up. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I've now added this as a web page link that also has the ability for us to RSVP - if you plan on coming down do please add your name to the list as this encourages others to do the same and in turn to come along. http://www.eastlondoninventorsclub.com/inventorsmeetup/ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:1369b52a1d="Diamond"]Mike, There was a case many years ago of a postal worker that won the football pools - turned out he got the results and was able to back date his entry form and the postal stamp so it looked like he posted it before the results came out. nothing is decided about the service to send your envelopes to someone at UEL but it's a value added service that could be considered and as I mentioned paying something for it leaves a more detailed paper trail to back it all up.[/quote:1369b52a1d] Thanks Diamond, I know this is not a fail safe way to protect my idea, but at least it is some way towards it. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:12dd83ba85="Diamond"]I've now added this as a web page link that also has the ability for us to RSVP - if you plan on coming down do please add your name to the list as this encourages others to do the same and in turn to come along. http://www.eastlondoninventorsclub.com/inventorsmeetup/[/quote:12dd83ba85] It sounds like BL won't know what hit em. :wink: Thanks for invite Diamond. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend this time. Working late shift. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi Diamond I am trying to pull together infomation on partnership agreements and how they work, can you help. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wanted to say thanks to all that came down yesterday - went pretty well for the first time and the great thing was we met some people who were new to inventors clubs and able to advise them and help point them in the right direction. The British Library also took about 70 leaflets which they'll put in their patent reading room, with information about our club, the URL, etc. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| U wrote: Has anyone ever tried using any patent writing software to at least help prepare a 1st draft for instance before taking it to a Patent Agent? or even used one to get a full patent? =============================================== * In terms of U.S. software, I have tested what I believe is everything on the market. Conclusion: what goes in comes out the same way though sorted into categories within the application. In terms of the claims sections, one sees long meandering psycho-babble that is so broad that drafts I've read would have to overlap prior art - somewhere in the world. * Over here, some agents and/or attorneys charge hourly fees to review a specification and/or claims toward honing-in on specific patentable elements many a pro se inventor tends to circle around getting hung up on non patentable "details" as well as not adequately supporting claims by what is recited in the specification and vice versa. There are just as many agents/attorneys who do not review pro se applications - - -for obvious reasons. Tootles Penny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Greetings One and All | My name is Penny Ballou, a Brit living in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A. I am founder of an inventors's society and a licensing consultant. I've been pretty active in the national community for many years. I look forward to sharing info with one and all. Tootles Penny | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HI penny | Hi penny! Welcome! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Patenting something you don't know how to make? | I can think of a lot of ideas for prodcts and might know how they should work but not the exact technology etc of how to make it happen. For instance I believe someone has patented the idea of having games on mobile phones, you could patent the idea without ever knowing how to programme a single game?? or for instance (see below) lightscribe - which uses a specially coated CD-R which instead of you having to write with a pen what's on the CD you simply turn it over and the same laser that writes the data can burn out letters and graphics that you can read. Someone could have easily come up with that idea, but if you didn't know for instance which dye to use, or what power laser, etc can it still be patented and you benefit from the idea? [size=9:8341216801]LightScribe technology enables you to label your discs without paper, printers or mess. This technology built into a drive with this performance makes this HP LightScribe drive an unbeatable deal! To use the LightScribe function, you simply burn your data, flip the disc over and burn a precise, silkscreen-like label directly onto your your LightScribe CD or DVD, we include five free sample CDR discs with this package. [/size:8341216801] [img:8341216801]http://www.hhrf.org/magyarszo/arhiva/heti/2004/01jan/komputer/lscribe.jpg[/img:8341216801] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I was told I could have some protection for my idea If I made a detailed drawing, sealed in a envelope then sent it to me recorded post. Could someone tell me if this is true? * In the U.S. this is referred to as a "Poor Man's Patent" and other names. It is worthless. One reason being to mail to oneself an empty unsealed envelope then insert at one's option - whatever. If not is there any other way to protect it. * Keep it as a trade secret until you've developed it to a point of either filing a patent application of some sort on it and/or direct marketing it. I have few ideas but I am not sure what I will try to market first. * Time to put a market research hat on. Look to and study: sales trends; big box competition your product may be up against; size of market in relationship to stats supporting actual purchasers in it; etc. I also could not afford to patent all of them. * Why would one? One seeks protection for products where research indicates ROI within one's business plan projections. Tootles Penny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi RickZ, Nice to know someone is out there reading the posts. I'm really looking forward to any questions members may have about the process over here which, in terms of IP, is not unlike the UK's one key exception being the UK's non disclosure rule before filing. Here we operate on the "First to Invent" rule not the "First to File" rule - for how long, we shall see. More patent reform rumblings are in the works. Ta Ta Penny :D | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Plastic Inventions | At our last meeting we heard about the Squeeze Open top, does anyone else have suggestions for good inventions made from plastic, that do something well but are yet very simple? I quite like the invention that gets used in delivered Pizzas a lot http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpackagesaver.htm [img:1c1a08d79c]http://inventors.about.com/library/graphics/pizzaps3.gif[/img:1c1a08d79c] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Here are some Multimedia Links - you'll need real media codec installed on your pc to view it [url]http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternative.htm[/url] http://www.abc.net.au/newinventors/broadband/20050504_2000/invention01.ram | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tips and tricks not worth patenting for FREE | 1. If you save the small single milk containers wash them and fill with water you can freeze them and it's very easy to have 1 ice cube only and they are easy to get out. 2. How to get over the annoying thing with sink plugs and bath plugs. You pull out the plug to let water out wrap plug around tap only to find it falls back into sink/bath before it has drained. My solution for both is cheap and simple. [list:6c71c2cdd6]a. you need the plug chain which is made up of small balls not links. b.Check that the nut and bolt hole is above overflow water line. Thread chain through hole and attach a weight to end of chain out of sight. Your plug will then automatically store itself without an untidy chain. With the bath you will need to drill out the chain attachment in the centre of the overflow and attach the weight inside overflow pipe. The best weights I have found are small fishing weights which look like a small plumb bobs these are easily attached.[/list:u:6c71c2cdd6] 3 Old perfume aerosols Charlie, Tweed etc when they become empty they can be filled with hair laquer for ladies hand bags. They can be filled from the large cans with Butane lighter fuel adapters. They can also be filled with air freshener for those embarasing moments. 4 To remove the plastic fixings on a computer motherboard without damaging them is easily accomplished with a BIC ball pen. Remove the refill and slide pen body over top of plastic lug it will close the fixing and you can remove the motherboard easily. Lug can then be reused. This I hope is the start of many tips that people may find useful. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flying schools | I know its a bit off topic, but i am very interested in learning to fly. Does anyone know of any good flying schools in the U.S that offer acomadation and food in one single price package? Richard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reply to your introduction | It was lovely to see that our website is being read by so many people both at home and abroad. Our club meets on the last Thursday of each month and usually gets between 30-60 members/guests attending. Each month we have a guest presenter and, of course, our 10 minute spot where members are able to practice their presentation skills. At present there are about 16 - 20 inventor clubs in the UK. There are 3 other clubs in the London area but none in Essex. Do you attend a Club? I visited Las Vegas about 10 years ago and don't remember a club in the area but maybe I didn't look in the right places. I must admit I was distracted by all the spendour of Las Vegas!! Brenda Reay Club Treasurer (Hons) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sources of Information - telephone numbers | The Patent Office - Central Enquiry Unit Tel: 08459 500505 The Dept of Trade and Industry - IP Directorate 020 7438 4777 The Chartered Inst of Patent Agents 020 7405 9450 The Inst of Trade Mark Agents 020 8 686 2052 Inst of Patentees & Inventors 0207 434 1818 Inst of Trade Mark Attorneys 0207 686 2052 Design Council 0207 420 5200 Business Support Business Link (Contact this number to find out where your local Business Link is situated) 0700 40 50 60 East London Small Business Centre 020 7 377 8821 76 Wentworth Street, London E1 7SE Fax 020 7375 1415 Federation of Small Businesses Essex Area 01702 554 242 Provides a wide range of services to help small businesses inc free legal advice to members Law Society Tel: 0101 242 1222 Lawyers for your business 0207 405 9075 British Library (Business Library) Tel: 020 7412 7454 UK & European Patents 020 7412 7919 Overseas Patents 020 7 412 7901 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hello Brenda, Super to hear from you. Let me ask you, did the club in Kent club ever open? (Simon Warren-Smith with Business Link had intended to start one quite some time ago) and what about the Academy of Invention Ltd in London, did it ever get off the ground? * In terms of purely London groups, other than the Institute in Ealing; your group; and Roundtable in Croydon am I missing any other London club? (I haven't included Kic or Ideas21). * I'll trade the "splendour" of Vegas with plain old London any old time. If ten years ago was your last visit, that "splendour" has borne many new off-spring. Call it "traffic and smog-central" and you'd be getting close to what is now Las Vegas. One good aspect of Vegas is the mountains and snow-sking just up the road about an hour away (or less depending on how one drives) or Lake Mead National Recreation Park which is closer (one of the larger US lakes). If one doesn't gamble there are lots of other pursuits available for adults. *Yes, I visit a club. We have a small one here. It used to be much larger but I couldn't keep up with the challenges it daily brought I had to downsize it. Members are, like the population, not only transient but subjected to odd work shifts at a moments notice. One month we'd have seventy-five and the next twenty, and so on and so forth. I used to have monthly speakers, yearly trade show, newsletter but frankly, the attitude here is pretty much - you do all the work while we sit back as spectators enjoying your show. Quick question for Brenda: are you aware of what percent of UK inventors seek to move their inventions and/or products into the U.S. either via the self-venture or licensing routes as opposed to using Euro channels? Tootles Penny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flying schools in USA | Hi Rick, You can get this information from the web as there are very many schools for PPL. I searched this information a few years ago and found quite a lot. Use the Google search engine and enter the search with Inverted commas "flying schools USA" and it will search for this string of words. Obtaining a PPL in the USA is usually half that of UK and that includes your fare over. The PPL you get in the states enables you to fly over here but you may have to do a small exam and a further 10 hours. Depending on how many hours you have logged in the USA. There are other places like South Africa which you can get a PPL and of course Australia. I wish you luck in your search It has always been my dream to do this very thing. Who knows maybe one day??? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tips | When needing to drill a hole on a slippery surface first attach a piece of masking tape. This will stop drill bit from wandering. Drill through masking tape. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:4b82d75960="Penny Ballou"] Here we operate on the "First to Invent" rule not the "First to File" rule - for how long, we shall see. More patent reform rumblings are in the works. [/quote:4b82d75960] Hi Penny, Nice to know you stick to the important rules. Over here it is everyone for themselves, and according to members I have spoken to , they have been ripped off so many times, because the british are too trusting (our nature), but I do see some changes towards inventors over here (well overdue). I am glad to see this webiste is making connections across the Globe. Good luck with your ideas. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hello there Mikeym; U: Nice to know you stick to the important rules. Over here it is everyone for themselves, and according to members I have spoken to , they have been ripped off so many times, because the british are too trusting (our nature), but I do see some changes towards inventors over here (well overdue). * Who or what ripped other members off? I'm not sure who is ripping whom off other the usual scalawags such as I.T.E. et al. U: I am glad to see this website is making connections across the Globe. * Inventors tend to find each other -> magnetic attraction of the I/net. U: Good luck with your ideas. * Thanks. Cherrio for now Penny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thanks Ian | Thank you | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I am negative about invention. I have watched it some time, grown up in an inventing family, and seen the so called inventors clubs, which I once enthusiastically supported but cannot now due to, well, some experiences which leave a sour taste in the mouth. I have no experience of this one though, but I believe it to be a good club. If you cannot get to East London, consider joining Ideas 21, you can make some very useful connections, learn a lot, plus mingle with the patent people - Ideas 21 is set up by the Patent Office by a very smart lady that works there. You'll get impartial advice, they wont exploit you, and the fees are minimal. There's also one in Manchester. Google the site. They're the best starting point. But no, I don't think having a good idea is enough prerequisite for embarking on this journey. See my posting in the General Section, Project House. Thats the best way to make money from creative/DIY flair in my view. Alternatively, to start an innovative business at the right time and work hard at it, thats how to develop. Once you have a business plus the confidence/money, innovation can be more easily indulged. That said, explore your options, but realise that people plug away on great ideas for 5 years, spend 80K and get nothing at the end, and thats the usual. The market is not as predictable or as easy to navigate as you think. In invention, even the genius has little chance of making any money - and a huge chance of dying a poorer man as a result - thats based on the statistics, which show that with appropriate support, the odds improve considerably, but are still poor. That is why I wanted to help campaign for those support services. Whilst you may feel that because you have the confirmation that others have had similar ideas to you, most probably still didn't make any money, and even if they did, its not just the idea that makes the money. You need to get it developed propperly and quite quickly. New ideas come along all the time, and it can be a very costly and involved process. It's not impossible though, but your invention should be super simple to protect, communicate and get prototyped/made. So my advice is to go and join Ideas 21, maybe go to a local inventors club but be wary, IME some are run by people (it may be the experience of inventing!), who lack openness and clarity in there motivations and dealings. Go just to meet normal inventors who can teach you there experiences. Occasionally you may meet someone who'll write your patent for you, but I have no idea if it will be any good. This may not be a popular message, but it's just my experiences. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi The club in Kent that I think you are referring to is the Wessex Round Table of Inventors - www.wrti.org.uk. The Academy of Invention never did get off the ground although I still think that it is a dream of Trevor Bayliss and he hopes to achieve this. There are three other clubs in London that I know of besides ours: 1. Kingston RTI 2. Croydon RTI 3 Ideas 21 Didn't know about an Institute in Ealing. I know what you mean about a Club taking too much of your time!!! Not sure about the percent of UK inventors seeking to move their inventions into the US but we have had two people from our Club exhibit at INPEX (does that count!!!) and go on to trade in the USA and another girl in negotiations at present with someone in the USA. Regards Brenda Reay Treasurer (Hons) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Greetings from the Emerald Isle | Hi My name is Nichy Rathbone and I run the Inventors Association here in Ireland and am active in several initiatives to generate real effective support for inventors. I was also priviledged to work closely with David Nicholas before he died, in order to set up a TVC scheme for Ireland. It is encouraging to see such an active site as yours, as in Ireland, my experience is much the same as Penny's, lots of people will cheer from the sidelines, but few get actively involved unless they are looking for help for themselves. What drives me crazy is that those who [u:9a1ffe2d0b]do[/u:9a1ffe2d0b] get involved get so much out of it, not just in terms of moral support, vital for inventors like myself, but from all the unexpected networking links that you generate just by getting out and talking to people. If you want to know more about what we are up to in Ireland, please feel free to check out our website www.inventnetireland.com Nichy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi Great to see you are considering taking on TVC concept. While it's not the only mechanism to help inventors, it certainly deserves a place in the scheme of things. Here in Ireland we have finally launched a TVC scheme this March and our major problem is over-subscription with more projects coming forward than we can find Project Champions and Team members for. The real beauty of the scheme is combining a way of trading skills input for shares, with creating a credible company for people to invest in. I don't know about UK but over here before someone puts money in a project the first question they ask is 'Who are you?' before they ask 'What are you selling?'. By putting in a Product Champion in with a known track record, the first question is answered with bells on. The fact they are supporting your product, very often makes the second question redundant. We are still new with the TVC but any questions you have I'd be delighted to try and answer them. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi Nichy, Welcome to the forum. It's good to see people from all over the world on here. Our website has been up and running officially just under 6 weeks now but it's all going well. We hope to see lots of people from all over the world on here soon. Also saw you recommended our site on yours and we've added yours to our links page too. regards Diamond | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:572bdb0af3="Nichy"]We are still new with the TVC but any questions you have I'd be delighted to try and answer them.[/quote:572bdb0af3] I have a question, when someone comes to your club with an idea or invention they want to have made into a real product what happens next? Do they go along to a private meeting of all the people that run "The Virtual Company" scheme, etc? .. who decides if the product is something they'd be interested in taking further? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:037cf2940c="Penny Ballou"]In the U.S. this is referred to as a "Poor Man's Patent" and other names. It is worthless. One reason being to mail to oneself an empty unsealed envelope then insert at one's option - whatever. [/quote:037cf2940c] That is quite true, it's not hard to send through an envelope in the post that isn't fully sealed Which does help support the idea we had about making this a service we as a club provide so packages can be sent to an independant person who holds it in their posession. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:1f81ae8f9b="Welshtyke"]Hi Diamond I am trying to pull together infomation on partnership agreements and how they work, can you help.[/quote:1f81ae8f9b] Have you tried looking on the companies house website for official definition of a partnership with regards to companies? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Systems are adapted slightly according to the needs of each group but what we do over here is hold a monthly clinic for inventors, not just for those looking to join TVC but anyone who needs a little bit of help and advice in going forward. The advisors who run the clinic spot TVC potentials and ask those inventors if they are interested in becoming part of TVC process. If yes, then a report is prepared on that invention and sent on to assessors who have been thoroughly vetted and who have signed NDA's. These assessors have considerable experience in promoting projects and have a good knowledge of what will succeed in the marketplace. They then send on their recommendations back to the TVC group, who try and find a Product Champion and team members for that invention. Often, this is where the invention fails to get into the TVC scheme, lack of a suitable Product Champion or team. When a Product Champion is found then all parties concerned are ask to commit and a Virtual Company is created in order to attract funding. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| U wrote: Which does help support the idea we had about making this a service we as a club provide so packages can be sent to an independant person who holds it in their posession. * That may work in the UK but in the US, it being an "inspection and review" country - it would not. Hence why the PTO (US Patent and Trademark Office) offers their "Document Disclosure Programme". For approximately £5.30 one can register an "idea" along with sketches or drawings which are held for two years. However, since the U.S. has no "grace period" one cannot sit on one's laurels but must diligently work to develop the concept into an invention during this term. That said, what is the point of the DDP? When push comes to shove even though the US is a First to Invent country, more than likely the PTO will favour whomever Filed first and not whomever invented first. On the other hand, had the inventor notified the PTO of his meticulous records (Laboratory Notebook) to include stapled copies of reciepts toward rreduction to practice, signed NDAs, drawings, testing pros/cons, etc etc., and had he been using witnessess to read, understand, and attest to his logbook entries, he "might" stand a fighting chance -maybe - against someone who had filed an application later. U: Which does help support the idea we had about making this a service we as a club provide so packages can be sent to an independant person who holds it in their posession. * Umm, I'd prefer a legal entity of some form rather a "person." There are sites on the web enabling registration of ideas and inventions acquiring a registration date but frankly, such an entity could close its site on a whim or such a person could get hit by a car. Then what? When it comes to IP or potential IP, I would look beyond a generic site or person. Cheers Penny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hello there Brenda, U wrote: The club in Kent that I think you are referring to is the Wessex Round Table of Inventors - www.wrti.org.uk. * Nope, know about it. U: The Academy of Invention never did get off the ground although I still think that it is a dream of Trevor Bayliss and he hopes to achieve this. * Good to hear. Time will tell. U: There are three other clubs in London that I know of besides ours: 1. Kingston RTI 2. Croydon RTI 3 Ideas 21 * Know about them. I once wrote some articles for RTI - Isle of Wight newsletter. I've known the guys in Birmingham and the Len (Black Country founder) for years. What's odd about Trevor is that he asked one of his associates to have me contact him at his private email address. I did and he did not reply - I tried twice and gave up (hint, hint, to one of your members who shall be nameless). U: Didn't know about an Institute in Ealing. * It's been around (and not far from where I was born in Ealing) quite awhile actually. Michael Rodriquez is founder. http://members.aol.com/mikinvent/index.html U: I know what you mean about a Club taking too much of your time!!! * I'm sure you do.......(wink). U: Not sure about the percent of UK inventors seeking to move their inventions into the US but we have had two people from our Club exhibit at INPEX (does that count!!!) and go on to trade in the USA and... (snipped/ inserted below)... *(a) How shall I say this............... some of us do not mention Inpex in "polite" invention circles over here as they are owned by Invention Submission Corporation. The Federal Trade Commission has a list of published complaints posted about them at : www.ftc.gov/foia/frequentrequest.htm * (b) We just petitioned for and received under the "updated" FOIA (Freedom of Infomation Act) a list of new complaints and guess who is on it? Some things just never change. See: www.inventored.org/caution/promoter-complaints * For a comprehensive timeline concerning ISC visit: www.inventored.org/caution/isc U: (snipped from above)......another girl in negotiations at present with someone in the USA. * Best check "the" national Inventor's Caution lists to see if the person/entity she is talking to is not on it (I have about twenty additional companies/persons to add to the list when our volunteer web "re"-designer gets a minute to add them). I sure hope she is not speaking with Davison or PTI. There are so many companies targeting Canada who are breaking into the UK market such as Davison & Associates and PTI (see Caution list), one has to understand their M.O. in order to caution inventors not to get reeled-in by their glossy materials, syrupy emails, and phone promises. When you have a spare minute [ :( ] you might want to study the list of questions falling under the U.S.'s "American Inventors Protection Act" of 1999, a federally mandated statute requiring inventors first ask persons and "companies" having "invention marketing" contracts and who seek monies up-front (some state they work on a contingency then pull a switch-a-ru after having gained an inventor's trust ----> then they sock it to them) : 1. www.wenderoth.com/statute.htm 2. Once there, scroll cursor down to the questions under: "Section 4102, Integrity of Invention Promotion Services." In closing, if you have a question about a company or person offering to help inventors or to license an invention - let me know on / off-line. More than likely I will have them in one of my databases already. Penny :) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Am on my way out tonight so am posting only a quick reply. You are a dream come true with all the infomation you have given us and I am sure it will be a lot of help to all our inventors. Thanks. Will keep in touch Brenda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi Nichy Great to hear from you. I think we met via Bola at the BFIIN Exhibition and we had a chat then but it's great to see that you are going to join our website forum. Am on my way out this evening so will write to you again another day soon. Regards Brenda Reay (Treasurer hons) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi dear, It's been awhile since we last chatted - a long, long while. Good to know you're still out there kicking or make that slogging away. I plan to hopefully visit at the end of the year. Getting my UK passport updated as I type. Your buddy still, I hope? Penny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To Brenda: Yes I remember you at BFIIY. Look forward to working more closely with you and if there is any help / advice we can offer from this side of the water, just ask. To Penny: Absolutely. As always, delighted to work / help anyone interested in invention and helping inventors succeed. You were a great help to me with advice on getting the Inventors Association started over here and I'm sure you're even more full of wisdom now! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thanks Nichy, If/when you speak with Siobhan, could you have her reconnect with me. I have a couple of potentail licensees I'm thinking about regarding her invention. I would minimally need a crystal-clear graphic and she should file a provisional over there first and then one here too. Few licensees over here are willing to sign an inventor's NDA anymore especially as we move higher up the "food" chain - - as it were. Take care and great to be back in contact. Ta Ta for now Penny :D | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Do you have some examples of products that have made it to market through a Virtual Company? if so how have they done? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ireland only launched in March so first projects are still going through assessment. However, UK has longer track record with, I believe, 42 out of 43 companies still going. Brian Stickley of WRTI who invented Talking Tins is one of the inventors who were very succesful with TVC collabooration, as was Brian Flynn, another WRTI inventor. If it wasn't for TVC, Brian reckons his Autocone Truck would never have got off the ground, but instead, he now has a partnership with a major company and a contract for the first 10 trucks. Sam Barzanji, inventor of the Gravity Pump, was struggling before TVC and is now in production. Here is a list of other UK TVC companies from Wessex TVC Freedom, Tagguard, Pantheon Falsework, Planer PLC, Northshore, Surf Spyder, dial m for marketing, C-Cubed Sensors, Cannon Technologies, Warrior (Aero Marine), Radiation Systems, Go-Pen, LSPC, Openhand, Geo Resources, QM Systems, H Scientific, 3rd Man, John Bishop, Lime Studios, Scram Techology, Morley Kite Sail, Orthosense, Strainstall UK, Big Bus, Earthcare, Ropepower, Domestec Solutions, Sycamore Projects-Marine, Hypervision, Plasma Quest, Vectis Concepts, Witot, CafeBabe, Interferomet, Xstream Pumps, Radix Systems, Fanwing, Subacoustech, Sense IT, Evans Brush Machines, Dynatronics, Newt International, Caretek Ltd, Microsport Ltd, Matrix-NDA, Plasti Ltd, Arc Lighting, Radiation Sensors Most of these companies would not exist without TVC as they are disruptive technologies and represent too high an investment risk without having a TVC team attached. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi Penny You are a woman after my own heart. Alan Wilcher and myself made our views very clear at the judging at last year's BIS about the INPEX prize, which we felt was extremely inappropriate considering the Company who runs INPEX. It is known over here by a lot of people that ISC runs INPEX and ISC's mode of operations but the excuse a lot use for supporting INPEX is that it is the ONLY US Invention show that can generate contacts for inventors in the way INPEX can. Not knowing much about the US inventors scene, I have no way of knowing if that's true or not. I DO know that Geneva is equally succesful, if not better, for generating contacts worldwide, two of our Irish inventors who attended Geneva are now trading in Australia because of it. And I believe IENA in Nuremberg is also very good. And both are run by companies dedicated to running exhibitions rather than being involved in the Invention world. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Greetings Mon Ami; U: You are a woman after my own heart. * Good to know. It's about time there were a few of us readied to stand up and fight 100% for the right of inventors. I can't stand people who walk and talk "middle of the road." This good old boy thing associated with failing to take a full front-and-centre stand in favour of mollycoddling (sp?) makes me sick. I say, if it waddles like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's a (blank) duck!!! U: Alan Wilcher and myself made our views very clear at the judging at last year's BIS about the INPEX prize, which we felt was extremely inappropriate considering the Company who runs INPEX. * "Ain't" that the truth. I directly or indirectly receive hundreds and hundreds of yearly complaints about them and other outfits here in the U.S. It is so pitiful. It is not that their contract does not stipulate the risks, it is what their and other so-called "invention submission companies" sales people verbally say to inventors to reel them in. Additionally, they are the only invention submission company who owns/operates their own finance company (Universal Finance Corporation) targeting inventors with no money (another sad story in itself). According to the Federal Trading Commission (Fair Trading Standards Board) what follows in its lawsuit against them includes other names it uses too (quote): “The FTC's complaint detailing its allegations also names Western Invention Submission Corporation (WISC), Intromark Incorporated, and the parent company of all three, Technosystems Consolidated Corporation (TCC); as well as Martin S. Berger, who is the sole officer and director of the firms (collectively, ISC). All of the defendants are located in Pittsburgh.” * They are now using in TV adverts not their acronym ISC but have replaced in that box the words, "Invent Help". Interesting! Verrrry Interesting! Their adverts feature that stupid logo of a caveman banging away on a stone wheel using a stone hammer, which, in my opinion, gets right to the heart of issues I have. For some time I was on the receiving end of President, Martin Berger's - umm - wrath! He even had the nerve to threaten me off-handedly (not directly) with a lawsuit if I didn't knock-off what I was saying by stating (paraphrased), I'd should hire a lawyer. U: It is known over here by a lot of people that ISC runs INPEX and ISC's mode of operations but the excuse a lot use for supporting INPEX is that it is the ONLY US Invention show that can generate contacts for inventors in the way INPEX can. Not knowing much about the US inventors scene, I have no way of knowing if that's true or not. * Totally untrue! There's the "Yankee Invention Expo" and "Minnesota Congress" shows - to start with. Inventors en masse tend to shy away from Inpex due to the spotlight the government and inventing groups have on ISC for it is commonly "understood" they use their client base to acquire exhibitors. Not that it doesn't also attract ostrich's who know no better or turn a blind eye. Winning one of their "best in the kitchen gadgets" awards receiving a gold/silver/bronze prize and then pasting it on a website is to many of us akin to a wearing a scarlet letter. Poor devils, about the most any of these inventions will see the light of day. * My personal viewpoint is that any inventor-oriented "shows" are just that. They are not industry-specific --->trade<--- shows where virtually "all" industry insiders meet offering choice networking opportunities and licensing contacts to the inventing community. True, these are usually more expensive in terms of booth cost. However, just walking the aisles is like picking fruit in an orchard in terms of networking and licensing possibilities and usually, by contacting local stores in the same industry as the show acquires free entry tickets. U: I DO know that Geneva is equally succesful, if not better, for generating contacts worldwide, two of our Irish inventors who attended Geneva are now trading in Australia because of it. * Even the Patent and Trademark Office has their own, "Invent Now American" contest. Many states go into partnership with local universities and trade concerns putting on their own shows such as Utah's "Made in America" or Colorado's joint venture between state-run bureaus and local vendors (Can't remember its name). * Tip: don't use the Geneva show in same line of Inpex let alone compare/contrast the two. Apples to Oranges. I would agree with you re Geneva. However, it is more slanted toward Europeans than the Americas - en masse that is. U: And I believe IENA in Nuremberg is also very good. And both are run by companies dedicated to running exhibitions rather than being involved in the Invention world. * Exactly. Over here there are local county/state inventor shows attracting national recognition such as the one in North Dakota. Combine all these together and Inpex would look like a heap of rotten spuds. My friend patent attorney Michael Neustel got one going with the help of local officials in North Dakota. It is growing nicely. Interestingly enough, previously he was sued along with fellow patent attorney Bruce Burdick by ISC for listing damming complaints about ISC on their sites. Mike got the case transferred from ISC's state (Pittsburgh) to his state (North Dakota) thousands of miles away. ISC faced with a jury of Mike's piers and not their own, changed the way the game was to play-out (each state has its own state laws). Needless to say, the echo from loud chuckles was heard by the national inventing community. Why? ISC attorneys would have had to pack-up and move lock-stock-and-barrel to Mike's neck of the words thousands of miles away --no doubt billing ISC all costs! The case never got to court. Even more hysterical is that Mike is the author of North Dakota's statutes against invention fraud contained Chapters 9-14 "Invention Development Services Contracts." What a can of worms Mike would have opened had he been able to get them into his courtroom. The only entity in the U.S. who has successfully maintained a running record of ISC's is the U.S.'s #1 online non-profit (it takes nothing from inventors). Board Directors include famous patent attorney, author, and lecturer David Pressman and prolific inventor George Margolin (over forty patents) and founder, multi-patented and commercially successful inventor Ronald J. Riley who funds the site and provide most of the content using his patent royalties. Then there's me - President of the Advisory Board. Ron is also on the leading edge of the new patent reform push - - as he was on the first one some years ago. Take a look over www.inventored.org/caution/isc --and-- www.inventored.org/caution/kaardal. Thanks for the info! Penny :P | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi Quick question about Inventorlink. I have an inventor over here thinking about working with them. Red flag for me was when he told me what a good job they had done getting Tony Allen of the Spidercatcher into production. I am a good friend of Tony's and know that all they did was generate some publicity for him. All the hard graft, sourcing financing, finding manufacturers and buyers etc. he did all by himself. Could be a misunderstanding, they could just have said they worked with Tony and he filled in the blanks by himself. So it would help if there was some feedback on this. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I have a question if you're talking about Inventorlink in London as in Richard Paine? I ask because I identified them as using a business model not uncommon to several scamsters over here. Additionally, over the last couple of years a variety of UK inventors have indicated they did not get value for pound spent and I'm wondering if anyone has bought into their system or knows about it? Themodel works like this, there are usually two or three levels one can "buy in" for: 1. High monthly fee and less royalties extracted by the company 2. Low monthly fee and high royalties extracted by the company In reality, IMO the goal is to get as much money up-front as possible by leveraging or off-setting it against less royalties. However, royalties from licensing agreements seldom happen. Expect less than a 1% success rate if that. In other words, all gravy up-front royalties are merely "topping." Many of these companies have huge "in-house" databases of manufacturer's names they've scrubbed off of free association and manufacturers lists all over the web. Sometimes they even hack into "compiled" databases. They then advertise having access to 250,000/350,000 plus manufacturing contacts whom they'll notify about one's invention. They then spam such contacts with poorly written press releases and post them on "free" post your release sites. Seldom are those mfging contacts in the same field as the invention -if they exist at all or list current contact info. (I just finished an analyis on a sales manual from one of these outfits containing 250 names of potential manufacturing licensees, not one was qualified to be a licensee. Plus, 25 envelopes were returned to the inventor no longer there, and half a dozen returned with a "take me off your mailing list" note. Additionally, a majority of these contacts will not have tooling in the same product category to be able to mass produce. It is a joke. I could go on and on but suffice to state, a sham takes place. If someone wants monies up-front, they'd better provide (a) professional marketing plan (b) a project timeline listing milestones and dates these will be met (c) include performance clauses (d) exit strategy for us both (d) verifiable successes I can contact. Plus, they would only get staggered payments based on having met and or exceeded (b) above and several other clauses and deliverables I would expect. Now back to Inventorlink, has anyone seen any letters, read any emails, or received any info about this company? Better yet, does anyone have verifiable evidence of any success? Penny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inventions get mention in Sunday Times 2nd May 2005. Business Section no less! Maybe at last people are coming around to the idea that invention is a serious source of income rather than just a joke. www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2095-1592061,00.html | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| London Inventors Meetup 25th May 2005 | http://www.eastlondoninventorsclub.com/inventorsmeetup/ We're putting together a 2nd an informal (and free to attend) after work event in Kings Cross at the Skinners Arms Pub. (See link above) This will be an opportunity for Inventors and those interested in inventing, innovation and related business to come down and meet other people, exchange experiences, contacts, etc. It's being run on the same day as the British Library's Patent Search Clinic and I'll be going down to the Library towards the end of the clinic to let their members know about the event as well and invite them to come down. Time: 6:00pm onwards Date: Wednesday 25th May 2005 Address: Skinners Arms Pub (opposite RNIB) 114 Judd St, London, WC1H 9NT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Terry Jennings wrote: I would advise anyone contemplating licensing their invention or idea to use the best negotiators possible as licensing agreements are very complicated and you can easily get shafted =============================================== So true. I have lost count of the numbers of inventors locked into licensing agreements having no performance and ambiguous royalty pay-out clauses. Here is one example of how a licensing sham works: Inventor approaches online site selling website services and "virtual" hosting pages primarilly targeting the inventing community. Site owner encourages inventors to sign licensing agreements with him. Naturally these sites have photos of inventions as part of their hosting services some displaying "SOLD" or "LICENSED" signs leaving impressionable inventors with the notion that the site owner licensed or sold them. Inventor signs a licensing agreement with site owner locking him into "stand still" mode - usually for year during which time site owner "tries" to find a licensee but is actually sucking-down-channel-water in hosting fees and miscellaneous sales of products/services. On the flip side, "licensed" inventors now found on the web "viral marketing" for the site owner touting: "I licensed my invention to www.xxx.com". The mere fact the inventor received no signing bonus and is stuck in "stand still" locked into a meaningless agreement does not occur to such numbskulls. Another version: one spends a small fortune up-front with seeming legitimate "invention submission companies" or independent "licensing" consultants. An example of an alleged U.S. invention submission company would be Davison & Associates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania [not Davidson]. They target Canada and the UK with their "Inventegration" manual. Allegedly they lightened the pockets of UK inventor Stuart Lovettt of ---- yourimagematters.co.uk located in Morecambe, Lancs. He once hosted a page in how their process worked on him which is not dissimilar to a current webpage created by a Canadian inventor about "Invention Submission Corporation" (ISC) [now using "Invent Help" in U.S. TV adverts - -not ISC]. Her page can be read at: www3.sympatico.ca/thejohnston/ISC.htm. Unfortunately Stuart chose not to speak about the issue as he was required to sign a "gag order" as part of the settlement agreement - a "usual". His webpage spoke to his experiences with Davison and Associates and how he fell into their alleged trap. It was formerly hosted on his site at: www.yourimagematters.co.uk/davisons An interesting issue I have is "enforceability" of foreign gag order agreements when a company/person is not (a) registered with Companies House (b) is not paying UK taxes (c) is not registered with the Office of Fair Trading (d) does not have a brick-mortar UK office (or "local" registered agent for legal matters) and (e) does not display a license under the Data Protection Act. Yes, I realise (a-e) are not mandatory. Nevertheless, I have to wonder under what treaty such an agreement is binding? Let's face it, such contracts are one-sided not favouring inventors and, IMO (in my opinion), the only "meeting of the minds" seemingly occurred when a syrupy phone sales rep sold inventor on what he/she will get "after" they pay but which is not stipulated in the contract that arrives "after" payment. For those interested in acquiring information on Davison and Associates since they are actively targeting the UK inventing community, go to: 1. www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_293702.html# www.thepittsburghchannel.com/pit/news/team4/stories/team4-90084020010801-210838.html www.thepittsburghchannel.com/News/900840/index.html www.thepittsburghchannel.com/News/784972/index.html 2. http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff73472.htm 3. U.S. Federal Trade Commission website: http://www.ftc.gov/os/1997/07/daviscmp.htm http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1997/07/mouse.htm http://www.ftc.gov/os/1997/07/davisb~1.htm http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1998/06/petapp38.htm 4. The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office : www.uspto.gov/web/offces/com/iip/complaints.htm (run cursor down to Davison and Associates). 5. As a re-reminder of recently petitioned and released materials to Inventored.org under the U.S. "Freedom of Information Act" since several "invention submission companies" are listed on it, go to: www.inventored.org/caution/promoter-complaints Penny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20th June - Exhibition free to members | FREE EXHIBITION for members On 20th June, the UEL is celebrating the opening of the Business Generator Unit. Sonia Klein hopes that there will be a party type atmosphere with people from London and the Thames Gateway invited. There should be financiers, businesses and VCs there, amonst other people. The EAST LONDON INVENTORS CLUB have been asked if they would like to put on an exhibition which will be in the open but undercover. This will be for members only and is free (non members wishing to take advantage of the free exhibition will firstly need to become members and pay their £24 membership fee to the Treasurer on the next club evening i.e. Thursday 26th May. Exhibition tables will be provided for each exhibitor. Make sure that anything you show is protected. Please email Terry on e-lite@ntlworld.com to let him know if you are coming so that space can be allocated to you. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Star Wars - Licensing For Toys | Below is an example of just how much money licensing can be worth http://www.marinij.com/Stories/0,1413,234~24407~2872329,00.html Since its debut nearly three decades ago, “Star Wars”-themed merchandise has generated $9 billion in retail sales, almost tripling the nearly $3.4 billion the first three films grossed at the global box office. One of the most popular of the dizzying array of “Star Wars”-related products on the market, Darth Tater is a Mr. Potato Head in a Darth Vader costume, lightsaber and all. Created by Hasbro, which signed a $600 million deal with Lucasfilm Ltd. in 1997 to make toys based on the movies, the product has been flying off the shelves at places like Toys “R” Us and Target. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ELIC Club Meeting 26th May 2005 | Just to remind everyone that our next club meeting is on the 26th May 05 at the Docklands Campus meeting starts around 5.30 to have a natter and then the talk at 6.30 ish and networking afterwards. If you can get along you will be welcome and maybe some of your questions can be answered then. Terry Jennings Chairman ELIC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hello everyone; I am not sure if members clicked on a link I placed in a post on this thread dated -Mon May 16, 2005 3:42 pm- since I indicated it was no longer working due to the inventor having signed a gag order before receiving a refund (in full or in part) from U.S. invention submission company - Davison Design & Development, Inc. DBA Davison & Associates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They target Canadian and UK inventors via adverts, emails, and phone calls seeking monies up-front. That link is actually back up and working so I encourage inventors it by going to: www.yourimagematters.co.uk/davisons Allegedly the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit in Federal court against them which we should be getting the results, hopefully soon. Patent attorney Brent Capehart filed too on behalf of Oklahoma inventor Ronald A. White. Inventor Tom Bay of Idaho, is contemplating filing a lawsuit too. Cathy Kirik in the Office of the Commissioner of patents wrote of Davison & Assocaties on 1/11/03: "The United States Patent & Trademark Office has published complaints about Davison and Associates and I would encourage inventors that feel they have been "scammed" to file a complaint with our Office. While the Office can take no legal action to go after these companies, published complaints about these companies in a public forum is one way to "get the word" out about invention promotion firms. " Penny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Links to Product Promotion Co's | Thanks a lot Penny for your input. This information will be vital for anyone who is contemplating licensing in the US and I would urge all in this position to follow the links given it may save them time and money. Once again thanks Penny for your input. If you are ever home in the UK then please call in and see us you will be most welcome. That goes for any of your members too just let us know when you are coming so that we can guide you to us and give you a warm welcome. Terry Jennings Chairman ELIC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi Terry, You are more than welcome. When it comes to so-called invention submission companies and persons operating independently using similar strategies, I will have them in one of my databases and plethoras of links and complaint emails supporting why they are there in the first place. I do not publish all names on-line until I have met my minimum burden of evidence standards so members should ask if they do not find a company or person on the below lists. We must all work together for it is not going to take a village to slow the progress of these outfits down but a veritable tidal wave of focused communications. I think we've got the most up-to-date and concise lists in the inventing community located at : 1."Extreme" - www.inventored.org/caution/extreme 2. "Watch" - www.inventored.org/caution/watch. I'll definitely take you up on the "visit" offer - hopefully this winter or next spring - the colder the better being my preferred climate. Keep up the good work. Penny :D | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A trip to the British Library - very inspiring | Well I have done it. I have decided to add this to the topics to let others know the process. Made my first step towards a possible chance of making my ideas reality. made the decision to visit the British Library on Euston Road. I be honest I didn't know it existed until I joined the club. Yes I was a little apprehensive, may seem strange after all it is only a library, but I wasn't really sure where it was or what to expect. For anyone thinking of going and putting there trip off. I say don't, no need. The whole process is very simple. When you arrive at the Library easy access from Tottenham Court Road or Kings Cross station The building is next to the Old Euston train station. Here is the process: When you arrive you need a pass. The application office is on the first floor turn right and follow the signs. You will need prove of address (Bank statement, Utility Bill) and a bank card with a signature. You will have to fill out a simple form online. Then have a photo taken. and that is it. You recieve a booklet of rules and a map of the floors. No coats or bags are allowed in the reading room. There is a cloakroom on the lower ground floor access by lifts or stairs. The locker requires a pound coin (refundable). Machines are outside for change. Access to the Reading rooms for Business and Intellectual Property are on the second floor. The staff are very helpful and friendly. I was quickly shown how to use the system (althoughI am an experienced computer user), I think the website is fairly easy to grasp for non experienced users, but there are staff to hand. If you want to print anyhting you need to purchase a photocopy card from the photocopy dept. Note: I think they are only open until 5.00 p.m. But I believe there are machines as well. And that is it. I was there for an hour. I would expect I am the only left who hasn't been in the group, but I thought I would add this anyway. Hope this is helpful. Mikeym | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| That's a really useful review of your trip. What I may suggest is that if anyone is planning on going to the British Library for the first they do it on the same day we're meeting in Kings Cross so you can meet up with the rest of us later down the pub :D There is also a nice cafe inside of the library. Next time we will be at the British Library on the 25th May 2005 from 5pm to 6pm and then on to the Pub nearby. http://www.eastlondoninventorsclub.com/inventorsmeetup/ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tool belts are a drag Solution: Invent a vest you can't sell | PLAIN - Michael Frank, a heating and air conditioning contractor who moonlights as the lead guitarist in an old- time rock 'n' roll band, knows the mothers of invention. They are a sore back, a Cheap Trick concert at the Barrymore Theatre, Scotty (the engineer) in a "Star Trek" movie, and a plumber's crack. Yes, that sort of crack. The kind you see and immediately want to drop a cold quarter down, just to see what happens. Full Story Here ... http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=39156&ntpid=2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Well darn it! I was planning on visiting the library to personally meet Steve Van Dulken upon my return to London either this winter or in the spring but it would appear "red tape" is the order of the day there too. Grief! Sort of reminds of what happened this evening here, I received a new credit card upon expiration of the old one and the CC operator wanted to know if I was American or not? I said I had a British passport to which he wanted the number and my U.S. alien registration card number. Grief! He was sorry but nothing he could do as it was part of the new Patriot Act enacted by the U.S. Congress so if I wanted my credited card activated I had to turn them over. What next! Probably what's next is a SKU number burned on the back of my neck. I always knew I was an alien but really, this is going too far. LOL! Penny 8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: A trip to the British Library - very inspiring -UPDATED | [quote:91ece57269="mikeym"][b:91ece57269]Made my first step towards a possible chance of making my ideas reality. made the decision to visit the British Library on Euston Road.[/b:91ece57269][/quote:91ece57269] Me again, I have been thinking how many people really know how to search the patent websites for their idea. I know before my trip I had know idea how or what to do (still don't) :wink: But it is quite simple really. If you have or have acess to a computer all you need is this URL. http://ep.espacenet.com/search97cgi/s97_cgi.exe?Action=FormGen&Template=ep/en/advanced.hts Cut (ctrl C) and paste (ctrl V) into your search bar. An advance search page will appear:- 1. Database (should be set to Worldwide) 2. Search Items Choose first option - [b:91ece57269]Keyword(s) in title (in English):[/b:91ece57269] Type your idea / invention in that box. I would advise only type in two words related to your invention. Choose second option - [b:91ece57269]Keyword(s) in title or abstract (in English):[/b:91ece57269] Type in full description Then..... hopefully your idea [b:91ece57269] will not appear[/b:91ece57269] Then you know you maybe onto a winner. Word of caution though. If your idea doesn't appear on the database doesn't mean it hasn't been patented. Apparently often the inventor (or company who may have filed patents on behalf of the inventor) may change the description of the invention. e.g: Diamond mentioned previously an inventor had an idea related to motor vehicle trade changing the description to Hackney Carriage. My advice: Use different keywords to search for patents for your idea. Look at other ideas similar to yours. Ticking the boxes sends the chosing patents to your personal patent list (left side, fifth option on the menu). Print and study them. Who knows you may even be inspired to think of something new looking at other patents. Mikeym | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Tips and tricks not worth patenting for FREE | [quote:82ee8eec18="Terry_Jennings"]Old perfume aerosols Charlie, Tweed etc when they become empty they can be filled with hair laquer for ladies hand bags. They can be filled from the large cans with Butane lighter fuel adapters. They can also be filled with air freshener for those embarasing moments.[/quote:82ee8eec18] Thanks for the advice Terry. I am glad to see some people are recycling. Reminds me of a product which I tried to sell a few years ago called dry wash n guard. The product was a waterless car wash, that wait for it.... really did work. Cleaned and polished the car or any metal paint surface without water. I bought a franchise from the company EnviroTech and they gave me starter pack which included Dry WashnGuard and two bottles. Not only was the product remarkable but the bottles could pre manually pressurised. Fill the bottle with Dry WashnGuard. Pump up the bottle Spray the product, do its job. De-pressurise the bottle. Empty the Dry WashnGuard back into its display bottle to be used for another day. [b:82ee8eec18]Perfect recycling[/b:82ee8eec18] By the way the product is still available on the net. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hello Everyone - Jim Shaikh | Dear All I have just registered and thought that I would introduce myself. I run a small engineering consultanncy based in Greenwich. We are experts in Fluid Flows and use simulation technology to aid the product design/development process (www.intelligentfluidsolutions.co.uk). As with other consultancy businesses, we tend to give away all of our best ideas to our clients and so have decided to develop our own product ideas. With the ultimate aim of licensing the product. We have just patented a new baby feeder concpet and are in the process of manufacturing a "proof of concept" device. But have may more ideas (some better than others). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Hello Everyone - Jim Shaikh | [quote:317350fdc4="jshaikh"]We have just patented a new baby feeder concept and are in the process of manufacturing a "proof of concept" device. But have may more ideas (some better than others).[/quote:317350fdc4] Hi, welcome to the site. Sounds like you're in an interesting field of work .. by baby feeder do you mean something along the lines of the anyway cup invention? [img:317350fdc4]http://www.babyassistant.co.uk/acatalog/anywayupcup.jpg[/img:317350fdc4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Baby Feeder | Hi No, we're looking at a baby feeder bottle concept that is "self-heating". So parents can provide warm milk to the baby when away from the home without having to carry thermos flasks, ask for hot water or have access to a supply of power. The bottle works instantly and lasts for about 20 mins. We have used our design and engineering skills as well as simulation technology to develop the product. A "proof of concept" device is currently being manufactured, we're hoping to test the device in early June. Not sure if it will work, but we will have to wait until we get a physical device. Jim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| U wrote: I have been thinking how many people really know how to search the patent websites for their idea. I know before my trip I had know idea how or what to do (still don't). =============================================== * Hi Mike, Maybe if you used the IPC or ECLA search system you'd have more luck. Keywords are, as they say here, "a crap shoot." Sometimes one lucks out and sometimes one receives a bunch of disrelated patents that have little to do with the price of T in China. Inventors who tell me, "there's nothing like it out there and not even at the patent office" - were using keyword searching. The point is, if it uses known earthly components (old technology but a new use for them) the chance that it could be found if one knew how to locate it, is more likely. I suggest inventors read books or study patent office sites in how to do formal patent searches using the classification system, which, afterall, is the input language of all patent offices irrespective of what part of the world they are located in. Regards, Penny :D | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You are right Penny. However for those that are still dipping their toes in the water, here are some key 'word search' tips: [list:5f5d62696b]1. Use only 'Title or Abstract' box, this gives you the widest hit. A lot of patents have no title and will therefore not show up. 2. Write out as full a description of your idea as possible. Underline key words. Use Spellcheck set first to UK and then to USA, remember Americans can't spell (sorry Penny). List all these words singly and use to search. If more than 500 patents come up (pretty likely), then combine keywords in pairs. Use all combinations. Most of what comes up is junk but check ANY possible match you could be surprised. Read all possible patents and note down any other keywords that you have not thought of. 3. Take new keywords and search again. 4. Take all keywords used to this point, take a thesaurus and write down all variations on those words that you can come across. Remember, not only are you dealing with people trying to 'hide' patents, you are sometimes dealing with some very bad translations. Once found a mirror referred to in a Japanese patent as 'rearward facing visual device'. 5. Take all words you have searched with so far and then spell them badly. A lot of inventors are dyslexic and file their own patents. These are not always checked for spelling. 6. If search takes you less than fifteen or sixteen hours a) you are not searching thoroughly enough, b) you have found your matching patent.[/list:u:5f5d62696b] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mike wrote: Use only 'Title or Abstract' box, this gives you the widest hit. A lot of patents have no title and will therefore not show up. * The only value of the Abstract is as a searching tool so maybe you may have something there but it depends on how squirrelly the Abstract was written to defeat professional searchers (hee, hee). The truth of the matter were you to talk to an examiner is that he would say, IMO, you want to give away as little as possible but state the point of the invention. Additionally, during prosecution the examiner is more than likely going to amend it anyway so too much emphasis on it may be wasted effort. As to all that other work, I'd be perspiring profusely by the time I was done not just reading but trying to figure out "how to figure" out your system. However if it works for you, as Martha would say: "it's a good thing." U wrote: If search takes you less than fifteen or sixteen hours you are not searching thoroughly enough, you have found your matching patent. Fifteen or sixteen hours!?! Holy Cow! Mike, Mike, Mike…why don't you just find the classification number, enter it, then Bob's your uncle - done! If you've got that much time to burn with no assured result, more power to you though. By the way, don't take offense but please do not call me a yank. I am proud of my British heritage and "subject-ship" (I know, there's no such word) but for how long I am going to be proud after Charles man's the bridge, not sure but that is an argument or shall we say a "viewpoint" for another day. Take care dear. Penny :D | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi there, I just found a 15-page list of complaints on U.S. invention submission company (targeting the UK) Davison & Associates (Davison Design and Development) known for its "Inventegration" packet of mumbo-jumbo. Take a look over the latest link while not forgetting the mentioned others: http://www.ripoffreport.com/revengead.htm Previously mentioned links highlighting their activities: 1. www.yourimagematters.co.uk/davisons 2. www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_293702.html# 3. www.thepittsburghchannel.com/pit/news/team4/stories/team4-90084020010801-210838.html 4. www.thepittsburghchannel.com/News/900840/index.html 5. www.thepittsburghchannel.com/News/784972/index.html FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION PREVIOUS LAWSUIT/COMPLAINTS http://www.ftc.gov/os/1997/07/daviscmp.htm http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1997/07/mouse.htm http://www.ftc.gov/os/1997/07/davisb~1.htm http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1998/06/petapp38.htm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Congrats jshaikh! All the best and great to have you here. Penny Las Vegas, Nevada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thanks Penny Jim | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| hi my name is steve and I thought we might be of some use to you all as we have set up a web site www.mustget1.com to promote new inventions and products I originally started it to get my own product of the ground but getting people to look at one item is mammoth task so we started adding other items then linked the site with eBay to get paying customers now we are getting over 10000 visitor a month we keep the site busy with small saleable items which leads people to the new inventions on our web site where the products can be purchased through eBay we do not charge any payments for adverts we do the listings and we sell all the products at the recommended retail price we just expect to pay a wholesale price as for distribution some of our customers act as a drop shipper and some send us small orders then we post out the product we have several new items up there at the moment but the more items we get up on the web site can only benefit every one in getting there product seen and sold We have been selling spider catcher for over a month now and they are quite pleased with sales and service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| mustget1 | Hi my name is steve and thought we might be of some use to you all 8) as we have set up a web site www.mustget1.com to promote new inventions and products I originally started it to get my own product off the ground but getting people to look at one item is mammoth task so we started adding other items then linked the site with eBay to get paying customers now we are getting over 10000 visitor a month we keep the site busy with small saleable items which leads people to the new inventions on our web site where the products can be purchased through eBay we do not charge any payments for adverts we do the listings and we sell all the products at the recommended retail price we just expect to pay a wholesale price as for distribution some of our customers act as a drop shipper and some send us small orders then we post out the product we have several new items up there at the moment but the more items we get up on the web site can only benefit every one in getting there product seen and sold We have been selling spider catcher for over a month now and they are quite pleased with sales and service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:9e6bd473a1="Penny Ballou"]I just found a 15-page list of complaints on U.S. invention submission company (targeting the UK) Davison & Associates (Davison Design and Development) known for its "Inventegration" packet of mumbo-jumbo. [/quote:9e6bd473a1] Thanks Penny I have learnt my lesson from ITE in Ireland. I believe - If I cannot manage to get my ideas (that is if they are any good) through the club and help and support of the members, then I will probably not be able to at all. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: mustget1 | [quote:56dd26cead="kola"]...we started adding other items then linked the site with eBay to get paying customers now we are getting over 10000 visitor a month we keep the site busy with small saleable items which leads people to the new inventions on our web site where the products can be purchased through eBay[/quote:56dd26cead] Hi, Welcome to the club's forum. Ebay is actually probabaly a really good way to get noticed on the internet as it ranks very highly on google searches. They also have some free listing days I think from time to time. Certainly worth regsitering with them to sell before the next free listing day comes up. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| its not worth putting 1 item on ebay it would take more money in promotion to get it seen what we have done is created a shop with loads of small items which sell in order to get pepole in to the store and web site so they see all products for sale we put the new inventions on the web site with added info ie about inventor ect which is linked to ebay then include them in the our shop with all the rest the more adds you have the more key word searches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi Kola Have heard of you from Tony. He would definitely recommend you as one of the ways to open more distribution routes. Good to see you oon the site! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi Mike You are absolutely right. That is why clubs like East London are so important. We are following in baby steps here in Ireland, with only one club set up this year but with work, more will follow. If inventors band together and support each other, there is no chance for the sharks to pick people off one by one. In London you have one of the strongest networking opportunities going with East London, Kingston etc. all in reasonably close proximity to each other with plenty of opportunity to learn from each group and their support systems. Nichy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mike, Did you know ITE was previously named "Global Development Services" and "Global Patent Research Services, Inc" in Virginia, U.S. an invention submission company. They got their tail kicked by the Federal Trade Commission then bolted to Ireland (no doubt for its tax/royalty advantages). In Ireland, they got it caught in a ringer again promptly registering "Castle Trading Ltd" in Jersey (known for being a tax free haven). Kenneth Rogers and Matthew Evans are well-known in some "circles" over here as is Jack Cameron for hustling UK inventors to turn over monies to him. Good to know you're on top of these types and I sure hope they didn't hit you too hard. Ta Ta Penny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content Disclaimer | [size=18:4f130fb77f][color=red:4f130fb77f][b:4f130fb77f]Content Disclaimer:[/b:4f130fb77f][/color:4f130fb77f][/size:4f130fb77f] All information is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute a legal contract between East London Inventors Club and any person or entity unless otherwise specified. Information is subject to change without prior notice. Although every reasonable effort is made to present current and accurate information, the club makes no guarantees of any kind. The web site may contain information that is created and maintained by a variety of sources both internal and external to the club. These sites are unmoderated forums containing the personal opinions and other expressions of the persons who post the entries. The club does not control, monitor or guarantee the information contained in these sites or information contained in links to other external web sites, and does not endorse any views expressed or products or services offered therein. In no event shall the East London Inventors Club, UEL or Knowledge Dock be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any such content, goods, or services available on or through any such site or resource. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Formerly homeless man triumphs with invention | [b:34e50d312b]Formerly homeless man triumphs with invention[/b:34e50d312b] May 21, 2005 ㅡ POHANG, North Gyeongsang ― He used to be homeless, wandering from one bench to another to find a spot to stay the night. But now Choi Seung-gwon, 43, has been offered 300 million won ($300,000) from a foreign buyer who wants to buy his idea. The Taiwanese buyer is interested in marketing a tool that Mr. Choi made for his elderly father, who spends most of his days squatting in vegetable fields. His father suffers from weak knees after years of bending to sow seeds. So Mr. Choi invented a sowing tool that doubles as a cane. Now Mr. Choi's father can scatter or deeply plant all kind of seeds ― from bean to cucumber to pumpkin seeds ― without straining his joints. After making a prototype, Mr. Choi applied for a patent and subsequently received an invitation to an invention exhibition in Seoul, where he met the Taiwanese buyer. "It wasn't too long ago that I was homeless and begging for food and shelter on a daily basis," he said. He was not always jobless, though. Previously, he was an employee for Posrec, an affiliate of Posco, Asia's third-largest steelmaker. But during the Asian economic crisis in 1998, he left the company, and started a small business of his own. In 2000, the business went bankrupt. He lost his house to creditors and his wife left him, taking their children to her parents' home. As he sought places to sleep near hospitals, he often thought about his father and his weak knees. He had always been good with his hands, so he thought about inventing a sowing tool. The nation's intellectual property office loved his idea. Domestic buyers said the machine looked very promising for provincial farms, where the elderly make up most of the farming population. by Song Yee-ho <mina@joongang.co.kr> http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200505/20/200505202249456879900090409041.html | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JUST FOR FUN: U2 Concert | [b:a1e5fa28af]The Puzzle[/b:a1e5fa28af] U2 has a concert that starts in 17 minutes and they must all cross a bridge to get there. All four men begin on the same side of the bridge. You must help them across to the other side. It is night. There is one flashlight. A maximum of two people can cross at one time. Any party who crosses, either 1 or 2 people, must have the flashlight with them. The flashlight must be walked back and forth, it cannot be thrown, etc. Each band member walks at a different speed. A pair must walk together at the rate of the slower man's pace: Bono:- 1 minute to cross Edge:- 2 minutes to cross Adam:- 5 minutes to cross Larry:- 10 minutes to cross For example: if Bono and Larry walk across first, 10 minutes have elapsed when they get to the other side of the bridge. If Larry then returns with the flashlight, a total of 20 minutes have passed and you have failed the mission. [size=9:a1e5fa28af][color=blue:a1e5fa28af][b:a1e5fa28af]Notes: [/b:a1e5fa28af]There is no trick behind this. It is the simple movement of resources in the appropriate order. There are two known answers to this problem. This is based on a question Microsoft gives to all prospective employees. [b:a1e5fa28af]Note:[/b:a1e5fa28af] Microsoft expects you to answer this question in under 5 minutes![/color:a1e5fa28af][/size:a1e5fa28af] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JUST FOR FUN: The Paper Plane Challenge | [b:f3707b17d9]How about for the next inventors club meeting at UEL we set our members a fun - but inventive task to do. There's that huge long corridor in the East Building, so why not make use of it for the first challenge, and since we covered KISS at the May meeting how about this something really simple that everyone can take part in.[/b:f3707b17d9] For those members that want to take part they bring with them a paper plane / glider they've made themselves. Whoever's flies furthest through the air before touching the ground on the night wins!! In order to keep it simple I suggest the following rules: [list:f3707b17d9]a) All planes be made from a single sheet of A4 paper (any weight, thickness, or colour they choose) b) All planes must be folded only, no cutting or tearing allowed c) No additional items added, e.g. no paperclips for weight / balance, no sellotape for binding, etc - the only thing you can use in your plane is that single, folded piece of A4 paper d) Each person has two attempts to throw the plane.[/list:u:f3707b17d9] [img:f3707b17d9]http://www.paperairplanes.co.uk/images/schultz.gif[/img:f3707b17d9] [size=9:f3707b17d9]so who wants to take part?[/size:f3707b17d9] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Innovation and Technology Transfer in the Thames Gatew | Hi, Welcome to the forum. The seamless display looks pretty amazing, espacially when used for flight sims. http://www.seamlessdisplay.com/presskit/72dpi/Horizon320_flightsim1s.jpg Have you tried running a driving sim on it as well? I know when I was learning to drive all they had available at our local driving centre was some lightbox with a shadow car you have to keep inbetween the lines of the road, that would certain be a nice thing to have to help teach new drivers about the dangers of driving through use of a sim, may even save some lives. :idea: Councils may have a budget to pay for such systems. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Is war the mother of invention? | [b:3c2daeeb71]An interesting article on this link[/b:3c2daeeb71] In war-time there is no need for an invention to be economically viable http://www.ingenious.org.uk/Read/Conflict/Waristhemotherofinvention/Iswarthemotherofinvention/ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Young Inventors in the USA | I think this shows an interesting difference between the ways the UK and USA embraces inventing ... and the level of work gone into these inventions is astounding .. and yet I'm sure our own UK students could come up with some pretty amazing inventions too. The Collegiate Inventors Competition’s mission is to recognize and encourage undergraduate and graduate students on their quest to change tomorrow. http://www.invent.org/collegiate/2004finalists.htm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| plastics | hello everybody I have a problem can you please tell me if there is A flexible plastic that will resist high temperatures without going britle thanks from stefen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: plastics | [quote:5d273067e7="stefen"]hello everybody I have a problem can you please tell me if there is A flexible plastic that will resist high temperatures without going britle thanks from stefen[/quote:5d273067e7] Hi, You may have to give more details like the type of heat - either direct or non direct and tempretures you have in mind as well as the period of exposure times and cooling down times, etc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inspired Recycling | [b:513837d5d1]Inspired Recycling[/b:513837d5d1] [i:513837d5d1]They came to our club on 26th May 2005 - below is some information about them and links to their site:[/i:513837d5d1] Inspired Recycling will encourage and support the design and development of innovative and imaginative products using recycled materials and seek to increase their presence in the market place. The programme is supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and is delivered by London Remade and West Focus . It offers tailored assistance for designers and entrepreneurs wanting to design and manufacture products from recycled materials. Tailored assistance for designing and making new products Inspired Recycling, an initiative by London Remade, is funded by the EU to provide tailored assistance for designers, inventors and entrepreneurs wanting to design and manufacture products from recycled materials. For further information email info@inspiredrecycling.org or visit www.inspiredrecycling.org. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hello everyone- Tony Allen | As a new member I wanted to take the time to introduce myself. I am the inventor of the Spider Catcher, (check us out on www.spidercatcher.net). Throughout the years I had a few businesses including my most recent successful shop-front business which began many years ago with the red & white butchers’ strips, this type of shop-front proved very popular and the business spread throughout Ireland and the UK. The passion for inventing products always stayed with me and as a result I spent many evenings in my garden shed working on new ideas which I then would later discuss amongst my friends at our local pub. One evening when discussing my new idea Spider Catcher, one of my close friends said that I was always talking about inventions and suggested that I should actually do something about my idea. Further to that conversation I visited a patent office who carried out a patent search, it actually turned out that this was indeed a very unique idea for picking up insects and no similar product had ever been patented. Also during that time, I took the Spider Catcher to an inventor show in the UK and I was absolutely taken back with the huge media reaction Spider Catcher received. Spider Catcher really took off from then onwards winning the Gold Medal and top Italian Cup at the Geneva Invention Show. Due to the amount of work and time involved I decided to leave the shop-front business and concentrate full-time on Spider Catcher. Spider Catcher is now selling in Australia, Germany, France, Switzerland, Ireland and the UK. We have also received inquiries from around the world including Japan, Canada etc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi tony hello from Babs & Steve mustget1 i gave spider catcher a mention in the forum last week and just spoke to Ranjith (stable table) about the club as he is based in London will catch up with you soon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| http://www.abc.net.au/newinventors/ Worth checking out the site they seem to add new inventions to the page all the time. This show has been going for over 30 years [b:aefb4c3856]The history[/b:aefb4c3856] Many brilliant Australian creations made their debut on ABC TV's 'The Inventors' — from the Sarich orbital engine and electronic ignition system to the Swirlon rotary brush and solar energy tracker. Since its TV debut in 1970, 'The Inventors' broadcast winners for 11 years, with more than 200 episodes displaying the talents of over 750 inventors. 'The Inventors' was one of the most watched programs on television at the time. The panel members changed little during its history. Marketing expert Nick Lamont was replaced during the first series by Vic Nicholson while Professor Neville Stephenson joined the panel in 1978 after the death of former Lord Mayor of Sydney, Leo Port. The irrepressible Diana "Bubbles" Fischer was one of the most popular panellists, coining the phrase that lingers in Australian parlance: "Does it come in other colours?" Geoff Stone hosted 'The Inventors' for the first decade before Stuart Wagstaff took over for the 11th series sitting alongside advertising agency creative director Ross Quinlivan and Professor Neville Quarry, at the time head of the School of Architecture and Building at the NSW Institute of Technology.... http://www.abc.net.au/newinventors/about/ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This site has some nice information http://www.goodwood.co.uk/aviation/ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hello fellow inventors! Ranjith Wijekoon. | Hello my name is Ranjith Wijekoon, I am the inventor of the stable table and the lawn master, you can see these products on amazon.co.uk the link below will take you there, just copy and past it! http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009DRH4U/qid=1117600300/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/026-3764628-0215624 I previously used to be a Rolls Royce technician however now I am following my passion which is to invent. After coming third in most innovative product at The Ideal Home Exhibition, my products are now breaking into the market with companies such as Argos and Homebase selling it. [img:756e66d356]http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0009DRH4U.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg[/img:756e66d356] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi, welcome to the forum. Your inventions look very good, how did you manage to get them into the argos catalogue? Oncein there I'm sure it will do very well and get seen by millions of other people. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Local Innovation Stories | Hello all...can anybody help? I'm on the hunt for some innovation/invention stories (that I can use in the firm's newsletter; both individual and companies; patent granted and patent applied for). Anything that might be interesting, and provide others with a bit of PR! We produce a South East edition, and a Midlands edition. The latest (first) one can be found at; http://www.hlbbshaw.com/main.php?toolbar=1 The next issue is imminent; please email me if you would like a copy. Free of charge of course! Thanks for reading. Victoria | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Material Specification | Stefan, I suggest you take a trip to Ticona's website - see http://www.ticona.com/index/products.htm - and then click on the 'Product data' button. This will give you a very extensive list of material properties and the corresponding plastic that will suit your requirements. At the Product Design Lab we have a contact at Ticona but please check out this route first. Regards Rob | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A good resource for all sorts of legal agreements is www.clickdocs.co.uk. These are chargeable though. Take a look at http://www.clickdocs.co.uk/partnership-agreement-forms.htm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi all! | hi everyone! Im finally back online! was changing isp and they took there sweet time! see you all at the next meeting! cheers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Innovative stories | Hi Victoria, Welcome to our website where to start for a story for you. I have had many inventions and innovations I started at the age of 12-13 whilst at school and I am now 68 you would have thought that I would have learned by now. But no I am still modifying and coming up with ideas as the need arrises. I am at the moment trying to get a new lighting system to market for HGV lorries etc which will add to road safety and protect operators licenses. If you have time I could go on all day with my past achievements and some failures. E mail me if you need more and we could possibly talk on the phone. Terry Jennings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:9d6d8bf69e="Penny Ballou"]Mike, Did you know ITE was previously named "Global Development Services" and "Global Patent Research Services, Inc" in Virginia, U.S. an invention submission company. They got their tail kicked by the Federal Trade Commission then bolted to Ireland (no doubt for its tax/royalty advantages). In Ireland, they got it caught in a ringer again promptly registering "Castle Trading Ltd" in Jersey (known for being a tax free haven). Kenneth Rogers and Matthew Evans are well-known in some "circles" over here as is Jack Cameron for hustling UK inventors to turn over monies to him. [/quote:9d6d8bf69e] Thanks Penny, I didn't know that, but it doesn't suprise me. I just hope they won't be around for long. Trouble is no one regulates or cares about companies like this. I think however appearing on WatchDog (BBC consumer complaints program) some damage has been done. Good luck Penny, Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Greetings, Closing ITE would certainly put more money back into pockets and the economy; however, a view of their quarters when first they began to what they have now, clearly indicates they have no plans to close. The way to close all invention submission companies is to cut off their (blank) done by continually educating and informing inventors of syrupy sales sharks. Anywho, take care and thanks for the note. Oh! since it's been sort of quiet on this board of late, do you or anyone have any questions about the U.S. you would like answerwed? If not, ta ta and catch you later. Penny :P | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:0b57d793de="Nichy"]Hi Mike You are absolutely right. That is why clubs like East London are so important. We are following in baby steps here in Ireland, with only one club set up this year but with work, more will follow. If inventors band together and support each other, there is no chance for the sharks to pick people off one by one. [/quote:0b57d793de] Hi Nichy, Power to the people. I think it is about time people with talent and skills are given the support, help and respect they deserve. If we manage to find the right manufacturer, the right market and the right funding it should benefit everyone. However recently I will be honest I have had much input on this site or been thinking about inventions. Because the club meetings are infrequent (once a month), the fellow inventors may find there lose some momentum. I know most inventors need guidance and support. I know when I have tried to talk to family about my inventions I have received a negative response. Not they are negative, just they are not intune witht the process. The club is good because everyone I believe will help others to receive the support they deserve. Lastly Nichy. I hope you club in Ireland goes from strength to strength. I wish you all the luck and success and keep signing in to the site. Mike | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: JUST FOR FUN: U2 Concert | [quote:b0ccf577f5="Diamond"][b:b0ccf577f5]The Puzzle[/b:b0ccf577f5] U2 has a concert that starts in 17 minutes and they must all cross a bridge to get there. All four men begin on the same side of the bridge. You must help them across to the other side. It is night. There is one flashlight. A maximum of two people can cross at one time. Any party who crosses, either 1 or 2 people, must have the flashlight with them. The flashlight must be walked back and forth, it cannot be thrown, etc. Each band member walks at a different speed. [/quote:b0ccf577f5] AHA.. It's the Chicken, Fox and the sack of grain scenario. I am not very good at puzzels. :wink: Mikeym | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: JUST FOR FUN: The Paper Plane Challenge | [quote:a11f43817d="Diamond"][b:a11f43817d]How about for the next inventors club meeting at UEL we set our members a fun - but inventive task to do. There's that huge long corridor in the East Building, so why not make use of it for the first challenge, and since we covered KISS at the May meeting how about this something really simple that everyone can take part in.[/b:a11f43817d] [/quote:a11f43817d] Great challenge, we are getting back to the old great egg race values. Total respect. I can make a great sky bomb. Starts out as a plane then turns into a bomb... Good thing I am not in the aviation business :wink: Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Is war the mother of invention? | [quote:b4d1f25332="Diamond"][b:b4d1f25332]An interesting article on this link[/b:b4d1f25332] In war-time there is no need for an invention to be economically viable http://www.ingenious.org.uk/Read/Conflict/Waristhemotherofinvention/Iswarthemotherofinvention/[/quote:b4d1f25332] By the way the link doesn't work. I suppose if you look at it, there was probably more useful inventions during the second world war i.e. doodle bug, spitfire fighter plane etc, than during the 70's, 80's and early 90's. Not that people were not inventing, just they didn't have the funding or the backi ng. As Albert Trotter would say. "During the war" I suppose all good inventions would have been consider by either side if it meant it would help to win the war. Inventors would not be appreciated for there ideas or make an financial gain because they were inventing for the war effort. Infact many inventors would be met with negativity. i.e: The Wallace bouncing bomb would never work (according to the film) The war the mother of invention? Maybe.. certainly without wars sad to say, we may have never have seen as many inventors during our time. That is my opinion anyway. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Now ther's an idea (just for fun) | Firstly I would like to say to Diamond. [b:7eb2712657]The paper plane[/b:7eb2712657] making is a good idea. Although I am not sure seeing grown men and women chucking paper planes down a large corridor would do the university's image any good. :wink: I thought what about ... Finding an unusual object an re-inventing it. (Terry may appreciate this). For example: Take the humble video cassette. Could anyone give it a new lease of life.... By the way.. I want a share in the royalties. :wink: Mikeym | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 200 Miles Per Gallon in a Car? | [b:13870792a6]200 Miles Per Gallon in a Car? Absolutely - Fuel Efficient Gas Vaporizers - Now on One CD - 920 Gas Saving Vapor Systems - The Largest Collection of Info Ever in One Place[/b:13870792a6] [size=9:13870792a6]Vapor Systems Technology Inc. of Spring Valley, California is an R&D company involved in projects that deal with increasing gas mileage and fuel economy through the use of gas saving fuel systems, also known as fuel vaporizers, or vapor fuel system... Distribution Source : PRWeb[/size:13870792a6] Date : Sunday - June 12, 2005 (PRWEB) June 12, 2005 -- Vapor Systems Technology Inc. (http://fuelvapors.com) of Spring Valley, California is an R&D company involved in projects that deal with increasing gas mileage and fuel economy through the use of gas saving fuel systems, also known as fuel vaporizers, or vapor fuel systems. As a result of over 400 hours of research they compiled for use in their own projects, they"ve produced the most incredible collection of information on 900+ fuel-stingy inventions specifically built for increasing gas mileage. There has never been anything like it made available to the public before. Their no-installation-needed CD even includes a dynamite fully functional search engine that reveals all the details, drawings, specifications and comments from their inventors. As company CEO Barbara Allais states: "We are so sure you"ll be satisfied that the CD even comes with a 10-day money-back guarantee if you"re not completely happy with it"! It"s fairly common knowledge that gasoline introduced into an engine in liquid form by carburetor or fuel injector needs to be changed into a vapor before it will burn. Liquid fuel simply won"t ignite. The heat of the engine partially helps vaporize fuel, but most of the liquid gasoline introduced goes out the exhaust as unburned fuel. That's why it"s currently necessary to have catalytic converters, and other types of emission control devices. There is, however, a much better, more efficient way. Back in 1932, Charles Nelson Pogue built a vapor system that was tested by Ford Motor Company and Winnepeg Motor Company of Canada. Instead of using conventional methods of dispensing liquid gasoline into the engine, he created a superheating device that boiled the fuel into a dry vapor. It was documented that his system got over 205 miles per gallon, and it sent shock waves through the Stock Market as oil shares plunged at the announcement of the results! For whatever reason, his device never made it to market, and he suddenly became a very prosperous manager of an oil filter company. But regardless of that, the cat had been let out of the bag... In the 1970's, a young man named Tom Ogle of El Paso, Texas turned the automotive world on it's ear with an astounding claim of over 100 miles per gallon with his vaporizer-equipped V8 Ford (see the actual US patent by following the website link below). His story was well-documented in the El Paso Times newspaper, and the half-dozen articles can be obtained through the El Paso Library research division (justs ask for information about the Oglemobile as it came to be known). Mr. Ogle took the local press on test drives multiple times, thereby proving his claims. One of the stories reports that a Shell Oil Company representative asked him what he would do if someone offered him a very large sum of money (reportedly $25 Million). He said he"d not be interested, he was going to bring it to market. Unfortunately, shortly afterward Mr. Ogle met with an untimely demise before he could realize his dream. The author of this CD, Vapor Systems Technology president David Steckling, is an ASE-Certified Automobile and Heavy Truck Master Technician, was a California state smog inspector for nearly 20 years, and is now a technical editor at the leading automobile repair information company in the world. He brings over 25 years of experience in the industry. On top of that, he is a college graduate in Computer Science. While preparing to build their own fuel vaporizing projects, his company chose to see what had already been done. With all those qualifications, Vapor Systems Technology has produced a top quality product that bears the results of over 400 hours of research. There are a number of ways to vaporize fuel. Following are some of them: exhaust, electric or coolant-heated, catalytic, ultra-sonic, exhaust-blended, steam-blended, hydrogen converter, etc. VST chose the best, most effective systems, and put over 900 of them on the disc! It even has a search engine installed directly on the CD, so that any desired info can quickly be found without guesswork. Over 650 of these systems have expired patents, and can be built, or even sold, by anyone. Every conceivable tip, research result, building recommendation and helpful hint from the inventors is right at your fingertips. Rumors of these types of systems have been around for years, but now, thanks to the internet, the truth can come out and be available to everyone. Virtually every fuel vapor system that ever enjoyed success is on this CD, and if you would like to stop paying at the pump, and build yourself a vaporizer, this product is a must. For more information, visit our website: http://fuelvapors.com For a review of this CD, visit http://www.vehicleinfo.com/AutoMuse/archives/2004/12/200_miles_per_g.html For Tom Ogle"s 100+ mile per gallon system information, see: http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/srchnum.htm You will need to type his patent number, 4,177,779 into the search window field. Click the search button, and it will take you right to all the information on his system. # # # Vapor Systems Technology David Steckling 619 335-6651 E-mail Information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| someone invented a device that connects to a PC and VCR and uses VHS Tape to back computer data very cheaply... is that what you mean? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I am trying to pull together infomation on partnership agreements and how they work, can you help. ============================================== Hi there Welshtyke; Just out of curiousty what type of partnership are you talking about. Is it with a co-inventor? For a business? For a possible licensing deal? Who gets what, financially? I ask primarilly because agreements are just that. You state what you want and will provide while the other "partner" states what he/she wants and will provide. Usually there are mutitudes of clauses reciting repercussions of failing to deliver, exit/succession rights; how revenue will be divided (percentages/and profits) and when; amendment rights; etc. It would be fairly easy to create a template to use as a guide if you tell me what type of partnership is contemplated. Penny :D | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:96ce2ad997="Diamond"]someone invented a device that connects to a PC and VCR and uses VHS Tape to back computer data very cheaply... is that what you mean?[/quote:96ce2ad997] Not really. More like a brainstorm type of thing. O.K maybe not a good example. I meant taking an everyday object and transform it into something else... To be honest I have not been able come up with anything yet, so maybe it wasn't such a good idea. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discovery Science Channel | I've noticed this new Discovery Channel has quite a few invention related programmes such as Better by Design Pure Inventions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adapting and modifying an existing piece of equipment | This sort of thing is being done all the time. A simple modification to an answering machine which I did many years ago to an old tape answering machine. Take a modern answering machine and readadapt it so that the opening message plays through extension speakers. My version years ago was extremely large and bulky. Then record a dog barking on the opening message. Hook this up to the normal door bell and have answering machine answer immediately anyone rings the door bell. This would warn would be burglars who would think you have a dog. This would help to protect your property. My version was copied by a Japanese firm who tried to market it too early but with modern technology this would be fairly simple to produce so come on BT lets do it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pure Inventions If you look carefully at the start and end of this programme you will see our own Mike Keenan trying to set fire to his hand. It is shown in Maxwell Hutchinson's brain at the start and end. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Adapting and modifying an existing piece of equipment | [quote:81b3fd7fd0="Terry_Jennings"]This sort of thing is being done all the time.[/quote:81b3fd7fd0] I didn't mean this to be too serious. It is just for fun. like the paper aeroplane. I didn't mean a video recording machine, just the humble tape. Recycling if you like. I suppose this wasn't a good example, but was the first thing that came to hand or my head. I will give an example. A paper could be reshaped into a ring to hold your keys. After all this is what innovation is about, isn't it? The rules are - well are none. You don't have use the whole of the video tape, maybe just part of it, but turn it into something else. Not too technical, no wiring judt for fun. And who knows it may even help others to solve problems / issues they may have. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Another Idea (Just for Fun) | Hmm. What about Bringing one of your hobbies? I make jets, cars, helicopters and boats out of kebab sticks and superglue. maybe someone else also does or has some sort of hobby that they can bring and show, especially if it is hard to do and they could explain what kind of tools they use and how the managed to do whatever the did. Cheers richard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Do you put engines inthese things? I would certainly love to see one of these sometime. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOW TO LICENSE YOUR PRODUCT | [b:cdb341cf80]HOW TO LICENSE YOUR PRODUCT[/b:cdb341cf80] [i:cdb341cf80]Extract from the following Website http://techweb.ceat.okstate.edu/ias/checklisthandouts/licensing.htm[/i:cdb341cf80] Preparing to License Your Product Before considering licensing an invention, an inventor needs to have the following steps completed before approaching a licensing agent or attempting to license a product yourself. Intellectual property rights (patent or patent-pending); Drawings; Prototype; Initial marketing information; One-page typewritten description of your goals for the invention; and Concise typewritten description of how the invention works. Source: Don Boshears, Boshears &Boshears Consulting Licensing Basics A license is a grant of permission to allow another to make use of intellectual property rights. The intellectual property right may be for a patent, trademark, trade secret, or copyright. The license may even be for technical or business "know-how". A license differs from an assignment of intellectual property rights. An assignment conveys title of the intellectual property. In a license, title of the intellectual property usually stays with the owner (called the "licensor"), rather than being conveyed to the license holder (called the "licensee"). Licenses may be exclusive or nonexclusive. A nonexclusive license means that the intellectual property rights conveyed may be granted to more than one licensee. An exclusive license does not necessarily mean that there is only one licensee. It may mean that the scope of the license is exclusive to a certain geographical area, to a specific product area or to a limited field of use. For example, a licensor may grant an exclusive license for a product for sale in the United States and may grant another exclusive license for the product sales outside the United States. A patent license is a grant of permission to make, use or sell a patented product, design or process. A nonexclusive licensee normally does not have the right to sue an infringer, while an exclusive patent licensee can sue for infringement. By being granted the license, the licensee can sell or use the patented invention without being sued for infringing the patent. A trademark or service mark license is a grant of permission by the owner of a trademark to allow another to use the mark. A trademark license differs from other types of licenses because the trademark owner must exercise some degree of control over the nature and quality of the goods or services on which the licensed trademark is used. This is because a trademark is used to indicate the quality of the goods and the source of the goods. Therefore, the licensor of the trademark must exert control to be sure that the public is not deceived into buying goods or services, thinking they have a certain quality or are from a certain source when they do not. If adequate quality control is not present, the trademark license may be deemed a "naked license" and invalid. Even worse, the mark may cease to indicate the quality or source of the goods or services, and therefore may be considered abandoned or lost. Quality control usually means that the licensor has supervised the goods or services sufficiently to guarantee their quality. A trade secret license is a grant of permission to make, use or sell a product, design or process made using a trade secret. In order to keep a trade secret confidential, there must be plans and controls in place to keep the information secret. So a key part of the trade secret license is specifying and monitoring the controls and protection put in place by the licensee so that the trade secret is kept confidential. In a know-how license, the licensor has usually developed or has access to key technology that is sought by the licensee. Sometimes the know-how is a trade secret, but often it is not. In a license for know-how, the licensee is willing to license and pay for the transfer of the licensor's technology knowledge. Like other types of intellectual property, copyrights can be assigned or licensed to others. However, there are some differences in the rights of both the licensor and licensee. Any copyright transfer executed after January 1, 1978 may be terminated by the author of the copyright or the author's successors, unless the work was for hire or transferred by will. Congress provided for this termination to provide authors with a second chance at licensing their work after it has been published and perhaps more valuable of the work able to be ascertained. The termination may occur at any time during a five-year period beginning thirty-six years after the date the assignment or license was executed. This right to terminate may not be waived or relinquished by any agreement. Only after the date of termination, can the author make a new agreement. Advantages of Licensing In order to be successful, a licensing agreement should mutually benefit both parties. There are obviously many reasons why the parties may want to license. One of the benefits to the licensor may be maximizing income by expanding market opportunities without large capital expenses. A benefit to the licensee may include rapid entry into a market using technology developed and tested by others. Whatever the advantages are, the license agreement should be structured so as to maximize the benefits to each party. In order to do so, the compensation paid by the licensee to the licensor must be fair to both sides to have a really successful long term licensing arrangement. While the licensor wants to maximize income from the license, the licensor must balance that need with making sure the licensee makes an adequate profit after payment of the license fees, to give incentive to the licensee to maximize the market. Valuation Approaches for a Licensing Agreement In determining the value of the intellectual property to be licensed and hence the value of the license, one needs to look at the economic advantage of the intellectual property, any barriers it raises to competition with others and whether it can open up or maintain a strong market position. Determining a fair amount to pay for license has a number of approaches, three of which are the market, cost and income approach. 1. Market Approach In the market approach, the value of a license is determined by looking at comparable licenses and products in a similar market area. For example, if the license is for a patented electronics product, other license arrangements in this electronics area would be examined to see how others value similar products. This type of approach may work well in an area where this type of information is commonly known and available. 2. Cost Approach In the cost approach, the vale of a license is based upon on the costs of developing the intellectual property. For example, in valuing a set of patents to be licensed, the cost of developing the technology and the patent costs would be considered in setting the license fee. If the license is for a trademark, the cost of obtaining the trademark and the costs associated with publicizing the trademark would be considered. This is probably one of the least effective ways of adequately determining a fair license fee. One major pitfall with the cost approach is that while certain technology or products may be very expensive to develop and may even be superior, buyers may not be willing to pay the cost if a less expensive alternative is available. Another problem is that inventions that are simple and inexpensive to develop, yet have huge market appeal would have too low a licensing fee with the market approach. 3. Income Approach The income approach to determining license fees focuses on what the intellectual property can earn in the open market. Inherent in this calculation is an assessment of the amount of income that can be generated, over what length of time, and the risks associated with collecting that income over time. A problem with this approach is that it is often very difficult to accurately determine these factors. Taylor Russell & Russell, P.C. Article Appearing in October 20, 1997 Austin Business Journal http://www.russell-law.com/Licensng.htm How to License Your Product Most individual inventors should consider licensing their "patent rights" to an existing manufacturer and simply collect a quarterly royalty. It is important to understand that you license the "patent rights" and not the invention. In other words, you must either have a patent or have applied for a patent ("patent pending"). No manufacturer is going to seriously consider licensing your idea without a patent or patent pending (see our Patent Protection section). Licensing your invention is basically a four-Step process: 1. Locate Manufacturers 2. Prepare Marketing Material 3. Submit Marketing Material to Manufacturers 4. Negotiate License Of course reaching Step 4 depends upon how well you do Steps 1 - 3. You will first want to locate 20 to 100 manufacturers who make products similar to your invention. You will then want to prepare a professional looking marketing letter and possibly even a professional brochure of your product. You may even want to start your own product WebSite showing your invention in further detail for the manufacturers that receive your marketing letter. After you receive some responses from manufacturers, the next step is to negotiate the licensing agreement, which you should hire an experienced attorney for. If you are unable or unwilling to take the time for the four-step process, then you should consider seeking the help of a licensing agent or attorney. Adapted from: http://www.inventorfraud.com/license.htm LOCATING MANUFACTURERS Step 1 involves searching for manufacturers that might be interested in your invention. When locating manufacturers to send your marketing letter to, you should search for companies who already make products similar to your invention. You should attempt to locate at least 20 to 100 manufacturers in the field of your invention. You can search your local library for information about manufacturers throughout the United States. Below is a listing of free databases that you can search for manufacturers: CompaniesOnline Search http://www.companiesonline.com/ Harris Info Online http://www.harrisinfo.com/welchio.htm Industry.Net http://www.industry.net/buying_guide/ Industry Search http://industrysearch.com/ MRO Explorer Search http://www.mro-explorer.com/ The Original Yellow Pages http://206.141.250.39 Thomas Register of American Manufacturers http://www.thomasregister.com/ Trade Easy http://www.tradeeasy.com Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence http://www.okalliance.com/ Oklahoma Manufacturer's Directory http://www.odoc.state.ok.us/oknet/mandir99.nsf Also, check out http://www.inventorfraud.com/companies.htm for companies interested in new products. After locating 20 - 100 manufacturers that would potentially buy or license your patent rights, you should then rank the manufacturers into a list based upon which manufacturers you want to approach first. You should also contact the companies and ask if there is a specific person or department you should mail you marketing letter to. MARKETING MATERIALS The next step is to prepare a marketing letter that you will send to all of the companies you located with the above databases. The marketing letter should be as brief and professional as possible. (See the guide on the next page). You should not utilize a handwritten letter or any other unfinished material. You may want to include some of your professional patent drawings with the marketing Letter. You should also attempt to have the manufacturer sign a Confidentiality Agreement prior to disclosing your full invention. After locating manufacturers and preparing your marketing letter, you should then send the marketing letter individually addressed to each manufacturer on your list (speak with a patent attorney prior to sending the letter regarding confidentiality issues). You should attempt to tailor each letter according to the company you are contacting. Companies typically have a chain of command to process your letter, so you may not hear a response for 2 to 3 weeks. If you have not heard anything from a company after approximately 4 weeks has passed, you should directly contact the company by telephone to see if they are interested in purchasing or licensing the patent rights to your invention. The IAS is providing web space for qualified inventors and that address can be given to potential licensees. The IAS also has a limited capacity to help you develop a brochure. Call for more details. You should seek the assistance of an experienced attorney prior to submitting any invention information to a company whether or not you have a patent application filed. Submit Marketing Material to Manufacturers -Sample Marketing Letter [YOUR NAME] [YOUR ADDRESS] [YOUR PHONE #] [DATE] [CONTACT PERSON'S NAME] [MANUFACTURER NAME] [MANUFACTURER ADDRESS] Re: [NAME OF YOUR INVENTION] Dear [CONTACT NAME or MANUFACTURER NAME]: I am the inventor of an invention entitled "[INVENTION TITLE]." I filed a utility patent application for my invention on [FILING DATE] through the law firm of [NAME OF LAW FIRM]. I selected your company because you manufacture [IDENTIFY THEIR PRODUCTS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO YOUR INVENTION]. I believe the [INVENTION TITLE] will benefit your company in many different ways. [IDENTIFY HOW YOUR INVENTION FITS WITHIN THE MANUFACTURER'S PRODUCT LINE]. Briefly stated, my invention comprises [BRIEFLY IDENTIFY MAJOR COMPONENTS]. The unique features of my invention are [UNIQUE FEATURE]. The advantages of the [INVENTION TITLE] are [STATE ADVANTAGES]. I have enclosed a brochure of my invention, which briefly displays the key components for your review. You may also visit my web site at [ADDRESS OF WEBSITE] for more detailed information about the [INVENTION TITLE]. I am willing to consider selling or licensing the patent rights to my invention. If you are potentially interested in the [INVENTION TITLE], please contact me anytime at [YOUR PHONE NUMBER]. I look forward to your response. Very truly yours, YOUR NAME Enclosure: Brochure NEGOTIATING THE LICENSE After you receive communications from one or more manufacturers interested in your invention, you then will need to negotiate the "license agreement." Before you start discussing numbers with the manufacturer, you should immediately hire the assistance of a reputable attorney or agent who has negotiated license agreements before. The license agreement will have important provisions in it regarding how much you are paid up-front, the percentage of royalties, infringement issues, and other important issues that only a skilled attorney or agent can properly negotiate and draft. Contact the IAS office for a list of attorneys or agent that assist you. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturers Telephone Numbers | If you've got an invention you may want to consider approaching a manufacturer to produce your idea. Here is a list of manufacturers that supply to argos. http://www.argos.co.uk/static/StaticDisplay/includeName/ProductHelplines.jsp.htm a... Aerobed 0800 437 0407 Airsprung Ltd 01225 779107 Aiwa (UK) Ltd 0870 1689000 Alba Radio Ltd 0870 8730079 Al-Ko Garden Products 01963 828050 Amcor Dehumidifier 020 8560 4141 Answercall (Alba Group - Telecoms) 0870 2413201 Arbiter Group Plc 020 8970 1908 Autolok Security Ltd 0800 3286596 AVF 01952 670009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b... Babyliss 0870 5133191 Baumatic 01189 336900 Beko UK Ltd 0870 7741050 Beldray 01902 406243 Belkin 00800 22355460 Belling 0151 4327999 Benysports.co.uk.ltd 01535 637711 Betacom (Alba Group - Telecoms) 0870 2413201 Binatone Broadband 0845 3457855 Binatone Telecom Plc 0845 3459677 Bionaire/Holmes Product 0800 0523615 Bissell 0870 2250109 Black and Decker Ltd 01753 511234 Bodi-Tek 0800 0351111 Body Sculpture International 01274 693888 Bosch Power Tools 01895 838791 Bosch White Goods 01895 834466 Braun Consumer Helpline 0800 7837010 Braun Personal Care 0800 174543 Breville 0800 525089 Brita Ltd 01869 365 800 Brother UK Ltd 0870 8304020 BT Plc 0800 800150 BT Plc (Fax Machines) 0870 2408026 Bush Radio Plc 0870 8730079 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- c... Cable & Wireless (Alba Group - Telecoms) 0870 2413201 Cannon Cookers 0870 1506070 Canon UK Ltd 0870 5143723 Carl Lewis 0870 8730076 Carmen 0845 6589700 Casio Electronics Co Ltd 020 8208 0881 Centurion 01707 330550 Chicco (Nursery) UK Ltd 01623 750870 Churchill China 01782 577566 Clarion (GB) Ltd 01793 898521 Coleman UK Plc 01275 845024 Constellation 0161 6204231 Cosmopolitan 0114 2420405 Creda Cookers 0870 1506070 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- d... Daewoo Electronics 0118 9252577 De Longhi Ltd 0845 6006845 Digisender 01797 226123 Domena 01825 768899 Dreamland 0870 8553350 Dremel 01895 834466 Dualit 01293 652500 Dyson Appliances Ltd 0870 5275104 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- e... Earlex Ltd 01483 454666 Electrolux 0870 5950950 Electrolux Floorcare 0870 6055055 Elysee Cosmetics 020 8443 3636 Epson (UK) Ltd 0870 2416900 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- f... Falcon 01652 656000 Fellowes 01302 836836 Fisher Price 01628 500302 Flymo 01325 300303 Franklin UK Ltd 0800 3285618 Freecom 01423 704715 Fuji Photo Film (UK) Ltd 01234 245383 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- g... Gaggia UK Ltd 01422 330295 George Foreman 0845 6589700 Glen Dimplex Ltd 0870 7270101 Goblin 0845 0777700 Goodmans Car Audio 0113 2868613 Goodmans Industries Ltd 0870 8730079 Gracco 01604 875555 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- h... Hanson 01442 270444 Hasbro UK Ltd - Toys Division 0800 3287007 Henry Hoover 01460 68600 Hewlett Packard 020 7216 0059 Hi Gear 020 8847 4422 Hippo Golf (Europe) Ltd 01283 512201 Hitachi Home Electronics Ltd 0845 7581455 Holmes Products 0800 0523615 Homemix 01327 340601 Hoover Candy Ltd 0870 5400600 Hornby Hobbies 01843 233525 Hotpoint Consumer Line 0870 1546474 Hotpoint Cookers 0870 1506070 Hozelock Ltd 01844 292002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- i... Imetec 0870 8553350 Indesit 0870 4427664 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- j... J.V.C. (UK) Ltd 0870 3305002 Jabra 0800 327026 Janome UK Ltd 0161 6666006 JCB Power Tools 0845 6021381 Juicelady 0845 6589700 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- k... Karcher UK Limited 01295 752200 Keenets 01985 214551 Kenwood Electronics UK Ltd 01923 816444 Kenwood Ltd 02392 392333 Keter 0121 5060008 Kodak Ltd (APS Camera) 01442 261122 Kodak Ltd (Digital Camera) 0870 2430270 Konica Minolta (35mm Camera) 01908 208325 Konica Minolta (Digital Camera) 0870 0104107 Krups 0845 6021454 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- l... LG Electronics 0870 6075544 Layezee (also P&L) 01924 421209 Leapfrog 0800 1695435 Lego (UK) Ltd 0845 7080070 Lexmark Int. Ltd 020 7365 2496 Lindam 0870 1118118 Logitech 01753 870900 Logitech (Mobile Accessories) 020 7309 0126 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- m... Mamas and Papas 01484 438222 Marie Claire 0870 8553355 Masterplug Ltd 0800 1695566 Mattel (UK) Ltd 01628 500303 McCulloch 01325 300303 Meyer 0151 4828282 Micromark 020 8889 3232 Morphy Richards Ltd 0845 0777700 Motive Fitness 01535 637711 Moulinex 0845 6021454 MTV 020 8970 1908 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- n... New World 0151 4327899 Nicky Clarke 0800 525089 Nikon UK Limited 020 8481 6875 Nintendo (Technical Queries) 0870 6060247 NTL 0870 2413201 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- o... O2 (Network Problems) 0870 5214000 Olympus Optical Co. (UK) Ltd 020 7253 0513 Omas 0870 7440161 Onetel 0845 2267794 Orange Plc (Contract) 07973 100451 Orange Plc (Pay As You Go) 07973 100452 Oregon Scientific (UK) Ltd 0871 2221966 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- p... Paddy Hopkirk 01525 850800 Panasonic Consumer 08705 357357 Pentax UK Ltd 01753 792792 Philips Consumer Electronics 0870 9009070 Philips Domestic Appliances 0845 6010354 Pioneer Hi-Fi (GB) Ltd 01753 789500 Polaroid 0845 6060657 Polaroid (Digital Only) 0845 3004312 Polti UK 01249 813835 Pot Black (UK) Ltd 01237 478061 Power Devil 0870 8730079 Praktica UK Ltd 01727 732323 Prestige 0151 4828282 Prima International Plc 0113 2511500 Pure Digital 01923 277477 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- q... Qualcast 01895 838791 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- r... Raleigh UK Ltd 01773 532699 Reebok Fitness Equipment 0870 3300024 Reebok UK 0870 2427300 Remington 0800 2124380 Revlon 0870 5133191 Rio 01242 702345 Rosemary Conley 01457 829691 Rowenta (UK) Ltd 0845 6021454 Royal Doulton Ltd 01782 404041 Russel Hobbs 0845 6589700 Ryobi 01905 799893 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- s... Safety 1st 020 8236 0707 Sagem Communication UK Ltd 020 7536 5400 Salter Housewares 01732 354828 Salton Europe Ltd 0845 6589700 Samsung Opto-Electronics Ltd 01932 455300 Samsung UK Ltd 0870 2420303 Sanyo Europe Ltd 01923 246363 Saracen Cycles Ltd 01926 437700 Scholl 0114 2420405 Servis UK Ltd 0870 5168299 Sharp Electronics (UK) Ltd 0800 262958 Siemens 0870 2400070 Silentnight Beds 01282 850000 Singer Sewing Machines 020 7336 7986 Slendertone 0845 0707777 Slumberland Plc 0870 8553350 Sodastream 0800 0858373 Smoby UK Ltd 01795 477999 Solitaire Payphones 0870 6010024 Sony Playstation Care Line 0870 5998877 Sony UK Limited 0870 5111999 Spares & Accessories (Seme) 0870 2403585 Stanley UK 0870 7207550 Stoves Newhomes 0151 4327838 Sunagor 020 7722 2976 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- t... T-Mobile (Contract) 0845 4125000 T-Mobile (Pay As You Go) 0845 4121100 Tanita UK Ltd 0800 7316994 Teba 0870 6070731 Tefal UK Ltd 0845 6021454 The Croydex Group 01264 367310 Thomson 0845 0902004 Tomy 02380 662600 Toshiba (UK) Ltd 0115 9766958 Tower 0845 6589700 Townsend 01652 656000 Toyota Sewing Machines 0870 5133106 Tricity 0870 5727727 Triton Plc 0247 6372222 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- u... Ultrasonex 0845 6589700 Uniross 01603 628804 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- v... V-Fit 01535 637711 Valor Heating Ltd 0870 6090081 Vax Ltd 0870 6061248 Vidal Sassoon 0114 2420405 Virgin Mobile Telecoms Ltd 0845 6000789 Visitron TFT Screens 01952 210020 Viva 0800 525089 Vodafone Ltd 0870 0700191 Vtech Electronics Europe Plc 01235 546810 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- w... Wahl (UK) Ltd 01227 744330 Wharfedale 01452 727473 Whiteknight 0870 5727727 Wilson Sports 01294 316270 Winterwarm 0870 0116622 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- x... Xbox 0800 5871102 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- y... Yale Security Products 01902 364127 Yamaha-Kemble Music (UK) Ltd 0870 4445575 York Barbell (UK) Ltd 01327 701824 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- z... Zanussi 0870 5727727 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Get Your Invention on Channel 4 | Hi I am writing to you from a TV production company called Ricochet. We are currently producing the second series of Risking It All for Channel 4 and I am looking for people who are setting up a new business venture involving a new invention. I would love to hear from anyone who is doing something along these lines. Please contact me at jane.thorogood@ricochet.co.uk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Get Your Invention on Channel 4 | [quote:d861085cc0="marclewis"]Hi I am writing to you from a TV production company called Ricochet. We are currently producing the second series of Risking It All for Channel 4 and I am looking for people who are setting up a new business venture involving a new invention. I would love to hear from anyone who is doing something along these lines. Please contact me at jane.thorogood@ricochet.co.uk[/quote:d861085cc0] Hi, You say 2nd series, I don't remember seeing the first series, did that feature any inventors? If so what kind of people were featured in the first series? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| another idea | Nah i dont put engines in them although i certainly could. i did put a motor from a cd walkman into the the rotor of my helicopter and it worked really well. i could also put that paper over them and then rub on some paint or glue apparently and make them completely covered. i have a pic on my pc, is there a way that i could upload it to the website? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I have vaporisation concepts of my own, however, in many regards, this is how a diesel works. Diesels inject fuel into air so hot it burns instantly, self vapourising. I doubt the claims of '200 mpg' - this is similar to the claims of the Kaos Supercharger. The reason these gains are so doubtful, is because we're talking about an efficiency gain of over 600%, and the conventional engine does not waste this much percentage of its input fuel as unburnt Hydrocarbons or unburnt carbon (soot/particulates). The energy wastage (what doesn't push on the piston) of Internal Combustion engines is about 50% heat in the exhaust and 50% engine cooling via the radiator, according to figures I have seen. So most of the energy loss is via heat, after combustion of fuel. Improved combustion does improve efficiency, but not that dramatically. If Dan Merritts MUSE engine is anything to go by, fully burning HC's should raise efficiencies of a petrol engine to that of a diesel engine. But his enngine requires an entirely new head. The most efficient heat engine yet claimed by any credible research group is an external combustion type, such as that developed by Dr Ian Weslake-Hill of Wales Innovation Network, or the Starotor developed by Texus University (about 60-65% carnot efficiency). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| When reading this, I thought of an example of what you might mean to do: TV's have electron guns in them- space craft now use them to ionise xenon so it can be ejected in 'ion drives' at a velocity of 100 - 170, 000 miles per hour! Thats sounds like gobbledygook but they really do use ion drives like this. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Adapting and modifying an existing piece of equipment | [quote:68b09e1952="mikeym"][quote:68b09e1952="Terry_Jennings"]This sort of thing is being done all the time.[/quote:68b09e1952] I didn't mean this to be too serious. It is just for fun. like the paper aeroplane. I didn't mean a video recording machine, just the humble tape. Recycling if you like. I suppose this wasn't a good example, but was the first thing that came to hand or my head. I will give an example. A paper could be reshaped into a ring to hold your keys. After all this is what innovation is about, isn't it? The rules are - well are none. You don't have use the whole of the video tape, maybe just part of it, but turn it into something else. Not too technical, no wiring judt for fun. And who knows it may even help others to solve problems / issues they may have. Mikeym.[/quote:68b09e1952] Hmmn, I can only think of technical ideas. Probably the simplest idea might be to recycle the case for something. It has a lockable flap. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| My main hobby, I guess, is researching and writing. If anyone wants something researched, then let us know and I might give it a bash. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I don't think war is the 'Mother of invention' - a more primary need is food, and I would theorise that food preparation, farming and cooking are the original forms of invention. If we think about it, in order to survive, you must plan for food shortages, and this means understanding logistics, which acts to evolve our ability to predict and plan (and generating numerical skills). For example, when Hannibal took elephants over mountains, the issue was food supply and logistics. These skills do appear to have roots prior to war - or rather, a 'war on hunger'. Farming requires planning, forethought, conceptualisation, innovation, creativity. The food needs to be prepared and made edible, which is requiring tools and which is innovative in its own right (tasty recipes). Since society is based not on everybody doing everything, but ranks and roles that work together, producers have to be able to sell and trade what they create, and so an evolutionary force requires the development of the ability to produce products that are desirable to others - this can only be achieved by improved product design - hence food growers and producers have got to be able to understand the market and apply creativity to their resources to command the highest esteem (the original currency) from the tribe or society. This is product design and innovation. Considering aspects of this is seen in monkeys, it must be a very ancient driver. Monkeys do not use 'technology' in war but do to make food. The war or hunting behavior is waged through group co-operation, communication, deception and planning - but not technological innovation, indicating that farming, food processing and trade, are evolutionary drivers for skills that lead to innovation and product design skills, whilst war is older still but drives different mental skills. Now of course, we use all this heritage to wage war. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| If they build it, it will suck all the money from the economy - they are building it so its users evade paying taxes. I would suspect that it would be built by tax subsidised ship yards too. Should it be destroyed at sea I don't think we would make many collections for them! I can see them being attacked and having to rent protection, and they will dock at tax free nations - perhaps with their own private airfields. Another point I think, is it will use huge ammounts of energy - I wonder if they will have to pay carbon taxes? I doubt they would get tax free fuel either. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This is an interesting one. Firstly, I would say, if you believe in over-unity machines, don't bring it up when talking to acedemics. Those scientists who have claimed to have built machines that produce more energy than is put in, do not actually claim 'they make energy' - what they actually say, the machine taps into energy that was already there, but previously was unseen or unknown to science - such terms they use include 'zero-point energy' for example, for this energy. In this way they do not claim to break the laws of thermodynamics but instead sit within them. There does not seem to be anyway to break the laws of thermodynamics. For example, quantum fluctuations that do, are unstable and dissapear before they have any effect, meaning some form of 'energy accountant' is at work at the most basic level of reality. making the production of energy from nothing, impossible. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| free energy | Fair enough... but if that is true then since all matter is was created from some form of energy, then where did the first bit of energy come from if not from nothing? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| another idea | woopsi I posted on the wrong topic... What i meant to say was that i have a pic of it on my pc from my mobile phone. is there a way that i could show you? Richard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Women Inventors | When Trevor Baylis was talking at the Birmingham NEC the other week he asked the audience to name 3 women inventors - I just happened to be looking for info on carpet stretchers and found a holw list of them: http://staff.lib.muohio.edu/~shocker/FemInv/sub.php?iname=Domestic SUBJECT Patent number INVENTORS NAMES Assignees Title Place Date Domestic 504,647 Abell, Clara Dishcloth holder Baldwinsville, NY Sept. 5, 1893 Domestic 212,343 Adams, Catherine A. Improvement in kitchen cabinets Milford, CT Feb. 18, 1879 Domestic 483,275 Adler, Hattie Mollerup, Carl C. (1/2) Clothes drier Denver, CO Sept. 27, 1892 Domestic 26,005 Alden, Mrs. Corintha Apparatus for ironing clothes Cassadaga, NY Nov. 8, 1859 Domestic 62,800 Allen, Charlotte W. Improved smoothing iron stand Newport, KY Mar. 12, 1867 Domestic 340,027 Allen, Harriet B. Pan for washing dishes St. Louis, MO Apr. 13, 1886 Domestic 467,906 Allison, Emeline Doubling and winding device for domestic use Omro, WI Feb. 2, 1892 Domestic 428,996 Anderson, Johanna Washing machine Braceville, IL May 27, 1890 Domestic 254,898 Anderson, Sallie J. Dish washing machine Bartlett, TN Mar. 14, 1882 Domestic 258,689 Angell, Ida R. Flat iron heater Delphos, OH Jun. 6, 1882 Domestic 74,786 Annis, Emeline T. Improved pillow support Mount Morris, NY Feb. 25, 1868 Domestic 237,154 Armstrong, Mary E. Dust brush Baltimore, MD Feb. 1, 1881 Domestic 317,433 Atwood, Eliza Chester Dust pan Geneva, NY May 5, 1885 Domestic 499,951 Baird, Carrie S. Dish drainer Brisbin, PA June 20, 1893 Domestic 297,555 Baker, Harriet E. Scrubbing brush Springfield, MA Apr. 29, 1884 Domestic 336,077 Baker, Mattie J. Ironing table San Jose, CA Feb. 16, 1886 Domestic 235,403 Baldwin, Mary H. Shirt ironing board Hamlin, TX Dec. 14, 1880 Domestic 35,289 Baldwin, Sarah A. Combination of sofa and bathing tub Waterbury, CT May 20, 1862 Domestic 492,755 Baltzell, Virginia C. Apparatus for hanging and adjusting window curtains Madison, WI Feb. 28, 1893 Domestic 179,503 Ballou, Lydia K.; Lee, George G. Improvement in mosquito nets and canopies Water Viet, MI July 4, 1876 Domestic 275,012 Banning, Carina B. Banning, Carina B. ; Murray, Robert A. Dust pan Boston, MA Apr. 3, 1883 Domestic 357,895 Bardill, Maggie Wash boiler Groton, Dakota Territory Feb. 15, 1887 Domestic 146,566 Barnes, Mary A. Improvement in boiler washing machines Olympia, WA Jan. 20, 1874 Domestic 350,966 Barnes, Mary H. Sad iron cleaner Binghamton, NY Oct. 19, 1886 Domestic 343,688 Barney, Susan E. Napkin ring New York, NY June 15, 1886 Domestic 119,109 Bates, Mary A.; Bates, Joseph W. Improvement in wash boilers St. Paul, MN Sept. 19, 1871 Domestic 202,919 Beasley, Maria E. Improvement in foot warmers Philadelphia, PA Apr. 30, 1878 Domestic 492,899 Becker, Margaret J. Window cleaner Cohoes, NY Mar. 7, 1893 Domestic 44,039 Beecher, Evelyn Hoadley, Beecher & Co. Basket Waterbury, CT Aug. 30, 1864 Domestic 354,764 Bell, Catharine E. Heater for beds West Point, MS Dec. 21, 1886 Domestic 26,408 Bellinger, Elizabeth Composition for kindling fires Mohawk, NY Dec. 13, 1859 Domestic 265,741 Bidwell, Jane A. Carpet stretcher Plain City, OH Oct. 10, 1882 Domestic 245,271 Bigham, Maggie Washing machine Pontoc county, MS Aug. 9, 1881 Domestic 130,691 Binford, Martha Eleanor Washing machine Jackson, TN Aug. 20, 1872 Domestic 443,742 Birdsall, Anna E. Bailey, Ellene A. Bed clothes fastener Brooklyn, NY Dec. 30, 1890 Domestic 471,462 Birdsong, Mary L. Sewing machine operating attachment Arcola, MS Mar. 22, 1892 Domestic U1,831B Bishop, Luna Bellows New Haven, CT Dec. 22, 1831 Domestic 229,946 Blacker, Mary W. Strap for baby carriers Bentwood, NY Jul. 13, 1880 Domestic 315,382 Blaine, Sarah C. Bolster spring Chattanooga, TN Apr. 7, 1885 Domestic 155,823 Blake, Sarah W. Improvement in piano pedal attachments Waterbury, CT Oct. 13, 1874 Domestic 417,978 Bomar, Mattie A. Balfour, Emma (1/2) Curtain fixture Sherman, TX Dec. 24, 1889 Domestic 527,316 Bonsall, Millie V. Pelzer Art Co. Lace curtain frame Salem, OH Oct. 9, 1894 Domestic 473,653 Boone, Sarah Ironing board New Haven, CT Apr. 26, 1892 Domestic 496,185 Bowling, Mary Ann Clothes drier Scandia, KS Apr. 25, 1893 Domestic 311,283 Boyd, Margaret Emily Foot warmer Carthage, IL Jan. 27, 1885 Domestic D22,728 Bradfield, Lucetta; Riggs, R. Coselmac Holder for soap cups Harrisonville, OH Aug. 22, 1893 Domestic 168,133 Bradley, Maria Improvement in portable lunch heaters New York, NY Sept. 28, 1875 Domestic 195,255 Bradley, Maria Improvement in portable lunch heaters Morrisania, NY Sept. 18, 1877 Domestic 244,540 Brass, Margaret A. Dish washer Juniata, NE Jul. 19, 1881 Domestic 273,453 Bridges, Mary Jane Bridges, Mary Jane ; Gunn, Martha E. Combined clothes washer and churn Wimberly Mill, TX Mar. 6, 1883 Domestic 83,453 Brisbane, Sarah H. Improvement in scissors Fordham, NY Oct. 27, 1868 Domestic 37,851 Britain, Clarissa Floor warmer St. Joseph, MI Mar. 10, 1863 Domestic 41,274 Britain, Clarissa Lantern dinner pail St. Joseph, MI Jan. 19, 1864 Domestic 43,088 Britain, Clarissa Improved dish drainer St. Joseph, MI June 14, 1864 Domestic 44,393 Britain, Clarissa Improvement in lamp burners St. Joseph, MI Sept. 27, 1864 Domestic 247,606 Brown, Eliza Weyburn, Sarah E. (1/2) Pillow sham holder Breedsville, MI Sep. 27, 1881 Domestic 143,959 Brown, Ruth T. Improvement in buckets Newport, KY Oct. 28, 1873 Domestic 422,371 Bryan, Catharine M. Dish washing and straining machine NewSharon, IA Mar. 4, 1890 Domestic 181,034 Bryant, Mary A. Improvement in ironing boards Freeport, ME Aug. 15, 1876 Domestic 356,348 Buck, Martha C. Wire dust whip Ogden, MI Jan. 18, 1887 Domestic 516,911 Buckingham, Amanda E. Scrubber Hermosa, SD Mar. 20, 1894 Domestic 200,504 Buell, Harriet J. Improvement In pillows New York, NY Feb. 19, 1878 Domestic 189,602 Bugh, Samantha J. Improvement in sad irons St. Joseph, MO Apr. 17, 1877 Domestic 475,663 Burke, Mary C. Wash board Montpelier, ID May 24, 1892 Domestic 311,640 Burlingame, Amy L. Napkin pin or holder Willett, NY Feb. 3, 1885 Domestic 267,323 Burlingham, Myra Ironing board Oradell, NJ Nov. 14, 1882 Domestic 169,145 Burns, Dorinda F. Improvement in bird cages New York, NY Oct. 26, 1875 Domestic 417,228 Burns, Rhoda A. Sadiron holder Shrewsbury, MA Dec. 17, 1889 Domestic 523,103 Burt, Eliza C. Washing machine Detroit, MI July 17, 1894 Domestic 353,016 Cadwell, Lydia J. Drier Chicago, IL Nov. 23, 1886 Domestic 220,341 Cameron, Elizabeth W. M. Improvement in napkins and analagous articles Brooklyn, NY Oct. 7, 1879 Domestic 354,683 Campbell, Angeline H. Soap receptacle Philadelphia, PA Dec. 21, 1886 Domestic 363,045 Cannom, Charlotte C. Dish drainer London, Ontario, Canada May 17, 1887 Domestic 419,497 Caradine, Virginia C. Apparatus for washing and draining dishes Sherman, TX Jan. 14, 1890 Domestic 31,953 Carnes, Caroline H. Reel New York, NY Apr. 9, 1861 Domestic 269,006 Carnes, Serena M. Sad iron holder New York, NY Dec. 12, 1882 Domestic 294,196 Carnes, Serena M. Sad iron holder New York, NY Feb. 26, 1884 Domestic 35,138 Carpenter, Mary P. Ironing and fluting machine Buffalo, NY May 6, 1862 Domestic 52,136 Carpenter, Mary P. Improved mop wringer Buffalo, NY Jan. 23, 1866 Domestic 231,279 Cosand, Alice Curtain ixture Kokomo, IN Aug. 17, 1880 Domestic 141,322 Chapman, Clarinda P. Improvement in wash boiler attachments Afton, IA July 29, 1873 Domestic 195,983 Chase, Mary S. Improvement in night lamps Boston, MA Oct. 9, 1877 Domestic 317,508 Cheshire, Elizabeth; Cheshire, Edward Needle Cincinnati, OH May 12, 1885 Domestic 506,470 Churchill, Margaret E. Washing machine St. Joseph, MO Oct. 10, 1893 Domestic 114,265 Clark, Celia P. Improvement in needle sharpening attachments for sewing machines Lock Haven, PA May 2, 1871 Domestic 226,976 Clark, Emily A. Washing machine Alexandria, NE Apr. 27, 1880 Domestic 110,825 Clark, Sarah J. Improvement in washing machines Richmond, IN Jan. 10, 1871 Domestic 178,234 Clark, Sarah M. Improvement in mirror adjusters Milwaukee, WI June 6, 1876 Domestic 461,700 Cobb, Jennie S. Dustpan Buffalo, NY Oct. 20, 1891 Domestic 355,139 Cochran, Josephine G. Dish washing machine Shelbyville, IL Dec. 28, 1886 Domestic 391,782 Cochran, Josephine G.; Kritch, Jacob Dish washing machine Shelbyville, IL Oct. 30, 1888 Domestic 512,683 Cochrane, Josephine G. Dish cleaner Shelbyville, IL Jan. 16, 1894 Domestic 472,434 Coffman, Lucinda Carpet stretcher Monroe City, MO Apr. 5, 1892 Domestic 79,552 Collard, Mrs. Lois A. Improved quilting frame Plainview, MN July 7, 1868 Domestic 380,551 Colt, Emma S. Dust pan Kansas City, MO Apr. 3, 1888 Domestic 120,717 Colvin, Margaret P. Improvement in washing machines Battle Creek, MI Nov. 7, 1871 Domestic 199,693 Colvin, Margaret P. Improvement in clothes pounders Battle Creek, MI Jan. 29, 1878 Domestic 202,792 Colvin, Margaret P. Improvement in clothes pounders Battle Creek, MI Apr. 23, 1878 Domestic 248,712 Colvin, Margaret P. Clothes pounder Battle Creek, MI Oct. 25, 1881 Domestic 79,955 Combs, Elizabeth A. Improved bleaching apparatus Monroe, WI July 14, 1868 Domestic 5,950 Cook, Mary Ann B. Sad iron Boston, MA Dec. 5, 1848 Domestic 355,061 Cook, Sabrina W. Washing machine Dayton, Washington Territory Dec. 28, 1886 Domestic D23,131 Cooper, Retta M. Holder for knives, forks, etc. David City, NE Mar. 20, 1894 Domestic 524,459 Copland, Virginia L. Shade attachment for gas jets Washington, DC Aug. 14, 1894 Domestic 89,028 Corbett, Catharine F. Improvement in fluting machines Boston, MA Apr. 20, 1869 Domestic 249,459 Cottle, Latitia Phelips Spoon and ladle Woodstock, Ontario, Canada Nov. 15, 1881 Domestic 372,123 Cox, Phebe E. Dish washing machine Readington, NJ Oct. 25, 1887 Domestic 479,703 Crosby, Mary Anna Dish washer Durand, WI July 26, 1892 Domestic 527,322 Crosby, Mary A. Dish cleaner Durand, WI Oct. 9, 1894 Domestic 174,355 Cross, Margaret N. Improvement in cleansing compounds San Francisco, CA Mar. 7, 1876 Domestic 178,236 Crutchfield, Sallie E. Georgi, Ralph Improvement in ironing stands Lexington, KY June 6, 1876 Domestic 389,366 Cunningham, Emma C. Dust pan Altoona, PA Sept. 11, 1888 Domestic 90,997 Currie, Susan C. Pocket book New York, NY June 8, 1869 Domestic 491,987 Curtis, Ruby Z. Clothes drier Minneapolis, MN Feb. 21, 1893 Domestic 285,735 Davis, Addie Manufacture of tufted rugs Rutland, VT Sep. 25, 1883 Domestic 438,533 Davis, Harriet Ellen Dish washer Topeka, KS Oct. 14, 1890 Domestic 524,133 Davis, Nannie Guy Steam pressing attachment for sadirons Washington, DC Aug. 7, 1894 Domestic D20,828 Davis, Nannie G. Spoon Washington, DC June 9, 1891 Domestic D21,312 Davis, Nannie G. Spoon Washington, DC Jan. 26, 1892 Domestic 157,988 Dearbaugh, Emily K.; Dearbaugh, John Improvement in ironing tables and press boards Huntington, IN Dec. 22, 1874 Domestic D20,666 Dempsey, Alice J. Spoon Washington, DC Apr. 7, 1891 Domestic D21,221 Dempsey, Alice J. Spoon Washington, DC Dec. 8, 1891 Domestic D21,222 Dempsey, Alice J. Spoon Washington, DC Dec. 8, 1891 Domestic 220,016 Dennis, Mary A. Harrison, William H. (1/2 Improvement in refuse strainers for kitchen sinks Newark, NJ Sep. 30, 1879 Domestic 448,507 Detrich, Eoline ; Walker, William J. Wash boiler St. Louis, MO Mar. 17, 1891 Domestic 97,892 Dewey, Mary Soap holding attachment for sewing machines New Albany, IN Dec. 14, 1869 Domestic 222,026 Dexter, Mary J. Improvement in portable bath closets Milwaukee, WI Nov. 25, 1879 Domestic 383,871 Dey, Anna Louisa Buffet for housekeeping New York, NY June 5, 1888 Domestic 244,115 Dietz, Emma L. ; Dietz, Mary A. Dust pan Oakland, CA Jul. 12, 1881 Domestic 346,740 Dillon, Ellen Flat iron heater Sioux City, IA Aug. 3, 1886 Domestic 103,432 Disston, Mary Improved wall paper protector Philadelphia, PA May 24, 1870 Domestic 89,638 Dittrich, Julie Improved sad iron Hoboken, NJ May 4, 1869 Domestic 133,837 Dodge, Elizabeth A. Ice pitcher Washington, DC Dec. 10, 1872 Domestic 247,244 Douglas, Amanda M. Mosquito net frame Newark, NJ Sep. 20, 1881 Domestic 462,629 Dowell, Frances S. Washing machine Eureka Springs, AR Nov. 3, 1891 Domestic 499,528 Dowell, Frances S. Wire clothes line Eureka Springs, AR June 13, 1893 Domestic 432,747 Downing, Pamealia Washing machine Bay City, MI July 22, 1890 Domestic 222,879 Dunn, Gertrude A. Improvement in paper dishes and buckets Chicago, IL Dec. 23, 1879 Domestic 422,750 Eells, Emma P. Polishing powder San Francisco, CA Mar. 4, 1890 Domestic 286,407 Elkins, Ida Apparatus for killing mosquitoes Brooklyn, NY Oct. 9, 1883 Domestic 208,577 Elliott, Bettie Improvement in quilting frames Guntersville, AL Oct. 1, 1878 Domestic 518,397 Erslev, Bertha M. Swinging support for clotheslines Brooklyn, NY Apr. 17, 1894 Domestic 503,410 Everett, Mary S. Stand for sadirons Brooklyn, NY Aug. 15, 1893 Domestic 484,951 Everett, Mary S. Cover for ironing boards Brooklyn, NY Oct. 25, 1892 Domestic 460,819 Eversmeyer, Annie L. Clothes drainer Laporte City, IA Oct. 6, 1891 Domestic 407,727 Farewell, Helen Wash boiler Detroit, MI July 23, 1889 Domestic R7,576 Farnam, Harriet A. Improvement in fly traps South Bend, IN Mar. 27, 1877 Original 111,332 jan. 31, 1871 Domestic 87,036 Faurot, Mary Improved compound for removing mildew from linen, & c Scranton, PA Feb. 16 1869 Domestic 466,903 Feaster, Florence G. Carpet fastener Ephrata, PA Jan. 12, 1892 Domestic 471,215 Felix, Numa J. Curtain Brooklyn, NY Mar. 22, 1892 Domestic 276,377 Ferguson, Caroline Clothes basket St. Louis, MO Apr. 24, 1883 Domestic 249,465 Ferguson, Elizabeth Knife cleaner Westminster, Ontario, Canada Nov. 15, 1881 Domestic 490,431 Ferguson, Georgiana Window cleaner Mount Vernon, NY Jan. 24, 1893 Domestic 233,340 Fithian, Joanna Dish drainer Knightstown, IN Oct. 19, 1880 Domestic 84,102 Fleming, Caroline F. Improved washing machine Belleville, IL Nov. 17, 1868 Domestic 146,128 Forrester, Elizabeth M. Improvement in combined duster handles and window operators Salem, MA Jan. 6, 1874 Domestic 178,135 Foster, Julia Improvement in bed dusting racks Philadelphia, PA May 30, 1876 Domestic 482,348 Fowler, Elizabeth R. Ironing board Chetopa, KS Sept. 13, 1892 Domestic 420,651 Fowler, Jennie B. Nursing nipple Bridgeport, CT Feb. 4, 1890 Domestic 160,176 Fox, Jane Ann Improvement in dish drainers Stamford, NY Feb. 23, 1875 Domestic 102,246 Fries, Karolina Improved compound for cleaning silk West Zanesville, OH Apr. 26, 1870 Domestic 150,315 Frike, Anna Improvement in wash boards Fowler, IL Apr. 28, 1874 Domestic 525,143 Gair, Marie Curtain hanger St. Louis, MO Aug. 28, 1894 Domestic 431,943 Gaugh, Maria A. Wash dish pan and drainer Newport, KY July 8, 1890 Domestic 483,439 Gibbs, Marian R. Washing machine Cherry Creek, NY Sept. 27, 1892 Domestic 275,189 Gibler, Mary J. Cleaning compound Beloit, WI Apr. 3, 1883 Domestic 478,004 Gibson, Sallie Elizabeth Washing machine Princess, KY June 28, 1892 Domestic 461,608 Gilmore, Elizabeth Curtain drier Greencastle, IN Oct. 20, 1891 Domestic 368,582 Gooch, Emma J. Napkin supporter Washington, DC Aug. 23, 1887 Domestic 6,423 Goodman, Agdalena S. Improvement in broom-brushes Duval County, FL May 8, 1849 Domestic 80,781 Goodwin, Lizzie C.; Stockwell, Ira H. Improvement in tatting shuttles Worcester, MA Aug. 4, 1868 Domestic 179,653 Goodwin, Mary A. Improvement in hot air registers Port Chester, NY July 11, 1876 Domestic D22,729 Gosden, Rosa Bidet Midhurst, England Aug. 22, 1893 British patent 15,291 Aug. 25, 1892 Domestic 159,090 Grabham, Angeline P. Improvement in quilting frame clamps Mineral Point, WI Jan. 26, 1875 Domestic 471,636 Graham, Eliza M. Machine for hanging wall paper Mobile, AL Mar. 29, 1892 Domestic 349,036 Greeley, Mary A. Candlestick Ottumwa, IA Sept. 14, 1886 Domestic 333,517 Greeley, Mary Agnes Candlestick Ottumwa, IA Jan. 5, 1886 Domestic 114,004 Green, Marion Improvement in implements for slitting and joining rags for carpets Coldwater, MI Apr. 25, 1871 Domestic 439,001 Greenwood, Kate Mansfield Mirror support Kensington, England Oct. 21, 1890 Domestic 333,007 Greer, Eliza M. Folding and adjustable window bracket shelf Stockton, CA Dec. 22, 1885 Domestic 464,499 Grenelle, Linnie A. H. Window curtain holder Hampton, IA Dec. 8, 1891 Domestic 61,335 Griswold, Ellen M. Improved support for window sash Hagerstown, MD Jan. 22, 1867 Domestic 201,005 Grube, Lavinia Improvement in clamps for attaching mop heads and wringers to pails Liberty Mills, IN Mar. 5, 1878 Domestic 310,507 Guffin, Matilda C.; Guffin, Andrew J. Washing machine Rushville, IN Jan. 6, 1885 Domestic D20,687 Hallett, Emma V. Spoon, etc. Hartford, CT Apr. 21, 1891 Domestic 199,704 Hampton, Emma S. Improvement in dish washers Detroit, MI Jan. 29, 1878 Domestic 368,206 Hardy, Mary Laureta Mosquito netting attachment Eureka Springs, AR Aug. 16, 1887 Domestic 493,401 Harrison, Nancy Malinda Carpet fastener Perry, IA Mar. 14, 1893 Domestic 517,694 Hartpence, Phoebe M. Curtain stretcher Harrison, OH Apr. 3, 1894 Domestic 440,150 Hawes, Grace Marion Dish washer Birchardville, PA Nov. 11, 1890 Domestic 337,153 Hayward, Adelaide M. Soap dish Boston, MA Mar. 2, 1886 Domestic 209,121 Heaton, Amelia A. Improvement in clothes driers Binghamton, NY Oct. 22 1878 Domestic 179,792 Heilmann, Rosa Improvement in washing machines New York, NY July 11, 1876 Domestic 354,600 Hemenway, Malvina Nash Dust pan Mexico, NY Dec. 21, 1886 Domestic 172,313 Herzberger, Eliza Improvement in ash sifters Washington, DC Jan. 18, 1876 Domestic 502,296 Hiatt, Ella L. Folding handle for dust pans Dublin, IN Aug. 1, 1893 Domestic 177,939 Hibbard, Susan M.; Nichols, Catharine; Webster, Emeline C.; Eastman, Francis S. Improvement in feather dusters Geneva Lake, WI May 30, 1876 Domestic 158,841 Hildreth, Mary E. Improvement in sad iron holders Mount Pleasant, IA Jan. 19, 1875 Domestic 202,438 Hill, Emily A. Improvement in ironing tables Princeton, IN Apr. 16, 1878 Domestic 371,938 Hinsdill, Julia M. Mattress Grand Rapids, MI Oct. 25, 1887 Domestic 101,129 Hobson, Mary Improved dish washer Williamsburg, MO Mar. 22, 1870 Domestic 58,825 Hoffman, Amelia B. Improved dust pan Roxbury, MA Oct. 16, 1866 Domestic 60,009 Hoffman, Amelia B. Improved crumb remover Roxbury, MA Nov. 27, 1866 Domestic 193,249 Hoffman, Julia J. Improvement in dish washers Garnett, KS July 17, 1877 Domestic 51,047 Holden, Delia E. Darning last Cleveland, OH Nov. 21, 1865 Domestic 488,562 Holden, Martha B. Carpet sweeper Chicago, IL Dec. 27, 1892 Domestic 451,607 Holmes, Helen V. Stretching and drying curtains Chicago, IL May 5, 1891 Domestic 289,536 Holmes, Josephine M. Sad iron holder Sioux City, IA Dec. 4, 1883 Domestic 364,415 Hooper, Mary P. Carpenter Netting canopy for beds, & c New York, NY June 7, 1887 Domestic 443,853 Hoyer, Margaret Baby walker Rixford, PA Dec. 30, 1890 Domestic 241,218 Howell, Charlotte C. Washing machine Kouts Station, IN May 10, 1881 Domestic 121,370 Hubbard, Maria C. Improvement in wash boilers Troy, NY Nov. 28, 1871 Domestic 404,354 Huber, Katie Powell, Charlotte (1/2) Soap receptacle Milwaukee, WI May 28, 1889 Domestic 51,054 Hulings, Margaret Improvement in spinning machines Indianapolis, IN Nov. 21, 1865 Domestic 331,062 Hull, Elizabeth Folding soap dish New York, NY Nov. 24, 1885 Domestic 128,881 Hull, Elizabeth B. Improvement in washing machines Clinton, IL July 9, 1872 Domestic 256,694 Hull, Elizabeth B. Bed bottom Clinton, IL Apr. 18, 1882 Domestic 85,447 Hunt, Eliza D. Improved washing machine New York, NY Dec. 29, 1868 Domestic 70,092 Hunter, Nannie W. Improvement in the manufacture of soap Elizabeth City, NC Oct. 22, 1867 Domestic 352,247 Hunter, Sarah L. Flower pot Little Rock, AR Nov. 9, 1886 Domestic 148,706 Inesly, Susan T. Improvement in sad iron stands New York, NY Mar. 17, 1874 Domestic 35,759 Ingersoll, Henrietta C. Broom Bangor, ME July 1, 1862 Domestic 57,514 Ingraham, Cornelia F. Improvement in sewing machine bobbins Indianapolis, IN Aug. 28, 1866 Domestic D21,674 Irwin, Mary A.; Irwin, Joseph A. Carpet stretcher Iuka, IL June 28, 1892 Domestic 189,740 Israel, Hannah E. Improvement in washing list indicators Stockton, CA Apr. 17, 1877 Domestic 469,146 Jack, Mary A. Washing machine Braceville, IL Feb. 16, 1892 Domestic 177,643 Jackson, Mary P.; Ball, Sarah P. Improvement in self heating smoothing irons Philadelphia, PA May 23, 1876 Domestic 444,584 Jacoby, Augusta Sad iron heater Langhorne, PA Jan. 13, 1891 Domestic 463,056 Jayne, Alice M. Drain for dishes Bradford, PA Nov. 10, 1891 Domestic 510,025 Jenkins, Fannie J. Flatiron Boston, MA Dec. 5, 1893 Domestic 404,545 Joel, Rosa Washing machine New York, NY June 4, 1889 Domestic 354,062 Joel, Rosa; Joel, Henry Washing machine Jersey City, NJ Dec. 7, 1886 Domestic 426,536 Johnson, Harriet Washtub Brooklyn, NY Apr. 29, 1890 Domestic 169,643 Johnson, Mary Ann Improvement in clothes wringers Washington, DC Nov. 9, 1875 Domestic 187,016 Johnston, Elizabeth B. Improvement in devices for killing mosquitoes Germantown, KY Feb. 6, 1877 Domestic 143,451 Jones, Barbara Improvement in sad irons State Line City, IN Oct. 7, 1873 Domestic 459,549 Jones, Lena Wash boiler Lordsburg, NM Sept. 15, 1891 Domestic 243,573 Jones, Lizzie Irwin Portable bath tub Texarkana, AR Jun. 28, 1881 Domestic 179,703 Jordan, Mary S. Improvement in hooks for web drawing Bristol, NH July 11, 1876 Domestic 151,598 Judson, De Etta Improvement in sad iron holders Detroit, MI June 2, 1874 Domestic 353,563 Kaliski, Louisa Clothes boiler Buffalo, NY Nov. 30, 1886 Domestic 206,881 Kaufmann, Bertha Speer, Leopold J. (1/3) Improvement in wash boards Philadelphia, PA Aug. 13, 1878 Domestic 204,338 Keeler, Kittie E. Improvement in sad iron stands Apulia, NY May 28, 1878 Domestic 517,699 Kelly, Louise Washing machine Rosebank, NY Apr. 3, 1894 Domestic U1,809K Kies, Mary Straw weaving with silk or thread Killingly, CT May 5, 1809 Domestic 59,233 Knox, Angelina J. Improvement in wash bowls and water closets combined Boston, MA Oct. 30, 1866 Domestic 53,633 Knox, Susan; Corrister, W. D. Improvement in fluting machines New York, NY Apr. 3, 1866 Domestic 389,930 Koelsch, May V. Soap receptacle Delafield, WI Sept. 25, 1888 Domestic 506,436 Koenig, Rosa Mangle Milwaukee, WI Oct. 10, 1893 Domestic 139,252 Lafferty, Susan Dish pan Chicago, IL May 27, 1873 Domestic 26,327 LaForme, Francis J. Nursing bottle Boston, MA Nov. 29, 1859 Domestic 302,916 Lamborn, Phebe R. Fly screen door attachment West Liberty, IA Aug. 5, 1884 Domestic 168,402 Laumonier, Celine Improvement in combined traveling bags and chairs New York, NY Oct. 5, 1875 Domestic 197,480 Letts, Elizabeth W. ; Letts, Jeremiah S. Improvement in dish cleaming machines Ripon, WI Nov. 27, 1877 Domestic 277,143 Lewis, Emma Jane Carpet fastener San Francisco, CA May 8, 1883 Domestic 120,886 Lewis, Mary E. Improvement in dish washers Mansfield, OH Nov. 14, 1871 Domestic 331,308 Liggett, Mary J. Bed cover fastener Wooster, OH Dec. 1, 1885 Domestic 420,559 Lincoln, Elizabeth J. Portable ash basket San Francisco, CA Feb. 4, 1890 Domestic 181,353 Lindsley, Sarah Improvement in washing machines Collins, NY Aug. 22, 1876 Domestic 242,947 Loos, Mary A. Floor oil cloth Philadelphia, PA Jun. 14, 1881 Domestic 529,869 Lord, Mildred M. Washing machine Milwaukee, WI Nov. 27, 1894 Domestic 413,071 Lowe, Rosa H. Securing the covers of beds Sumner, Washington Territory Oct. 15, 1889 Domestic 450,727 Lumley, Mary Washing machine Versailles, MO Apr. 21, 1891 Domestic 497,673 Lyle, Alice A. Dish drainer Kinzua, PA May 16, 1893 Domestic 235,092 Macallister, Alma C. Sad iron heater Brookline, MA Dec. 7, 1880 Domestic 493,631 Mackie, Susan Arabella Washboiler London, England Mar. 21, 1893 Domestic 320,266 Maesel, Emma L. Basket New York, NY June 16, 1885 Domestic 507,443 Malin, Rebecca Curtain fixture Portland, IN Oct. 24, 1893 Domestic 214,782 Mann, Adelaide E. Improvement in wash boilers Lawrence, MA apr. 29, 1879 Domestic 506,055 Marks, Mary A. Washing machine Toledo, OH Oct. 3, 1893 Domestic 158,104 Marney, Melissa A. Improvement in starch polishes for linen Troy, NY Dec. 22, 1874 Domestic 346,761 Marsh, Fanny K.; Margerum, Mary Dust pan Bloomsburg, PA Aug. 3, 1886 Domestic 507,233 Marshall, Emily C. Drainer for dishes Philadelphia, PA Oct. 24, 1893 Domestic 462,569 Martel, Emma Curtain pole supporter San Francisco, CA Nov. 3, 1891 Domestic 188,475 Martin, Rosa Improvement in stoves for heating sad irons Portland, OR Mar. 20, 1877 Domestic 432,419 Martinot, Mary L. W. Wash boiler New York, NY July 15, 1890 Domestic 446,260 Martinot, Mary L. W. Clothes drier New York, NY Feb. 10, 1891 Domestic 140,932 Marwedel, Emma Improvement in apparatus for cleaning knives, forks, & c Washington D.C. July 15, 1873 Domestic 457,360 Mason, Emily O. Window clothes line support New York, NY Aug. 11, 1891 Domestic 413,952 Mathews, Fannie Aymar Curtain pin New York, NY Oct. 29, 1889 Domestic 363,527 Mavis, Harriet B. Ironing board Burlingame, KS May 24, 1887 Domestic 230,641 McCarty, Cremora F. ; McCarty, William Amory, Francis; Snow, Samuel (1/2) Flat iron Boston, MA Aug. 3, 1880 Domestic 379,236 McCastline, Minnie B. Carpet fastener Syracuse, NY Mar. 13, 1888 Domestic 358,049 McCastline, Minnie Brinton Carpet fastener Geddes, NY Feb. 22, 1887 Domestic 502,314 McKeever, Marcia Washing machine Promise City, IA Aug. 1, 1893 Domestic 371,468 McMaster, Mary Amelia Carpet weaver Antioch, CA Oct. 11, 1887 Domestic 451,945 Means, Jennie L. Ironing board Nicholasville, KY May 12, 1891 Domestic 56,773 Mercier, Ariadna B. Improved clothes washer Providence, RI July 31, 1866 Reissued as R4,227 Jan. 3, 1871 Domestic R4,227 Mercier, Ariadna B. Improvement in clothes washers Providence, RI Jan. 3, 1871 Original 56,773 Jul. 31, 1866 Domestic 505,407 Merrill, Hattie Clothespin Westphalia, KS Sept. 19, 1893 Domestic 189,897 Mey, Amalie Improvement in stove leg casters Buffalo, NY Apr. 24, 1877 Domestic 533,659 Meyenberg, Julia E. Ceiling supporter Chicago, IL Feb. 5, 1895 Domestic 442,906 Miller, Addie Dickman Dish washing machine Portland, OR Dec. 16, 1890 Domestic 414,562 Miller, Florence Shankland Dish washer Hoopeston, IL Nov. 5, 1889 Domestic 455,988 Miller, Florence Shankland Dish washer Sibley, IL July 14, 1891 Domestic 77,516 Miller, Sarah P. P. Improved basket Beaver, PA May 5, 1868 Domestic 464,376 Miller, Viola A. Floor scrubber Aurora, MO Dec. 1, 1891 Domestic 359,090 Minnick, Maggie E. Washing fluid Galveston, TX Mar. 8, 1887 Domestic 492,373 Minor, Mary E. Dustpan Colfax, IN Feb. 21, 1893 Domestic 328,506 Moffitt, Ruth Carpet stretcher Wheatland, IL Oct. 20, 1885 Domestic 57,950 Moody, S. A. Improvement in ladies dress elevators New York, NY Sept. 11 1866 Domestic 496,274 Moor, Charlotte E. Cleaning compound New York, NY Apr. 25, 1893 Domestic 275,932 Moore, Jennie M. Brush White Sulphur Springs, WV Apr. 17, 1883 Domestic 267,242 Moss, Annie Maria H. Dust pan Monroe, CT Nov. 7, 1882 Domestic 527,872 Muller, Carrie E. Bedclothes holder San Francisco, CA Oct. 23, 1894 Domestic 356,881 Murdock, Jeanette P.; Murdock, George J. Sad iron New York, NY Feb. 1, 1887 Domestic 453,845 Murphy, Louisa D. Clamp for drapery Chicago, IL June 9, 1891 Domestic 114,462 Murray, Jessie H. Improvement in washers and wringers combined Kirkwood, NY May 2, 1871 Domestic 373,424 Murray, Maude C. Holder for bed covers Bardstown, KY Nov. 15, 1887 Domestic 525,427 Myers, Adeline J. Flatiron heater Industry, IL Sept. 4, 1894 Domestic 334,674 Neal, Sarah C. Bath or bathing apparatus New York, NY Jan. 19, 1886 Domestic 176,336 Negus, Hannah A. Improvement in ironing tables Winterset, IA Apr. 18, 1876 Domestic 182,069 Newton, Anna; Guyer, Henry Improvement in ironing tables Jersey City Heights, NJ Sept. 12, 1876 Domestic 333,082 Nichols, Kate E.; Whitney, Emma V. Individual holder or rest for table service articles Leominster, MA Dec. 22, 1885 Domestic 375,563 Nixson, Marian Curtain ring Windsor, England Dec. 27, 1887 Domestic 494,020 Noble, Harriet Isabel Sadiron New York, NY Mar. 21, 1893 Domestic 347,123 Nunn, Emma G. Adjustable handle for dusters Vassar, MI Aug. 10, 1886 Domestic 69,363 Ober, Maria A. Improvement in churn dashers Chazy, NY Oct. 1, 1867 Domestic 399,432 Ocobock, Malinda Knopp Wash boiler Maple Rapids, MI Mar. 12, 1889 Domestic 483,634 Oneal, Elizabeth Foster Washing powder Philadelphia, PA Oct. 4, 1892 Domestic 532,089 Overton, Mary A. Portable drier Fond du Lac, WI Jan. 8, 1895 Domestic 449,746 Parmley, Mahala J. Dish washer Footeville, WI Apr. 7, 1891 Domestic 124,079 Parry, Martha Improvement in puffing irons Rochester, NY Feb. 27, 1872 Domestic 233,011 Partridge, Helen D. Foot bath Brooklyn, NY Oct. 5, 1880 Domestic D23,676 Payne, Mary C. Dustpan South Haven, MI Oct. 2, 1894 Domestic 434,801 Pease, Lovinia E. Pillow sham holder East Saginaw, MI Aug. 19, 1890 Domestic 194,927 Petrie, Margaret Newcomb, Augustus (1/2) Improvement in mosquito bars Vallejo, CA Sept. 4, 1877 Domestic D23,199 Pickard, Lizzie Sink strainer Toronto, Canada Apr. 17, 1894 Domestic 226,877 Pierce, Mary Fletcher Dust pan Boston, MA Apr. 27, 1880 Domestic U1,822P Planton, Julia Foot stove Philadelphia, PA Nov. 4, 1822 Domestic 21,626 Porter, Emma T. Clothes drier frame Washington, DC Sept. 28, 1858 Domestic 103,501 Potts, Mary F. Improved sad iron Ottumwa, IA May 24, 1870 Reissued as R9,020 Jan. 6, 1880 Domestic 506,252 Potts, Mary F. ; Potts, Joseph H. Sadiron Austin, IL Oct. 10, 1893 Domestic 113,448 Potts, Mary Florence Improvement in sad irons Ottumwa, IA Apr. 4, 1871 Reissued as R5,102 Oct. 15, 1872 & R8,925 Oct. 7, 1879 Domestic R5,102 Potts, Mary Florence Chalfant, Isaac P. (1/2) Improvement in sad irons Ottumwa, IA Oct. 15, 1872 Original 113,448 Apr. 4, 1871 Reissued Oct. 7, 1879 R8,925 Domestic R8,925 Potts, Mary Florence Enterprise Manufacturing Co. & American Machine Co. Improvement in sad irons Philadelphia, PA Oct. 7, 1879 Original 113,448 Apr. 4, 1871 Reissued Oct. 15, 1872 R5,102 Domestic R9,020 Potts, Mary Florence Enterprise Manufacturing Co. & American Machine Co. Sad iron Philadelphia, PA Jan. 6, 1880 Original 103,561 May 24, 1870 Domestic 465,885 Price, Sarah M. ; Klaiss, J. F. Clothes drier Bloomville, OH Dec. 29, 1891 Domestic 337,349 Pridham, Emma L. Wash board Philadelphia, PA Mar. 2, 1886 Domestic 488,323 Pyle, Alice A. Carpet cleaning apparatus Richmond, VA Dec. 20, 1892 Domestic D23,815 Pyle, Katharine M. H. Birge & Sons Wall paper Wilmington, DE Nov. 20, 1894 Domestic 464,777 Quinn, Mary V. Dish handler Minneapolis, MN Dec. 8, 1891 Domestic 464,778 Quinn, Mary V. Dish cloth handler Minneapolis, MN Dec. 8, 1891 Domestic 330,618 Ransom, Mary Combined ironing board and table Brooklyn, NY Nov. 17, 1885 Domestic 438,639 Rapelye, Mary L. Bedclothes holder Summit, NJ Oct. 21, 1890 Domestic 269,880 Rawlings, Emma J. Pillow sham support St. Louis, MO Jan. 2, 1883 Domestic 522,533 Raymond, Emma H. White, T. Stewart ; Friant, Thomas ; Perkins, Gaius W. ; Reed, Charles J. Carpet sweeper Grand Rapids, MI July 3, 1894 Domestic 326,455 Reid, Ida C. Ironing table Oakland City, CA Sept. 15, 1885 Domestic 494,761 Regan, Genevieve T. V. Scrubbing brush Long Branch, NJ Apr. 4, 1893 Domestic 519,736 Reid, Mary Dish drainer Fairfax, IA May 15, 1894 Domestic 381,643 Reinhardt, Louisa Washing machine Louisville, KY Apr. 24, 1888 Domestic R7,866 Rennie, Sarah N. Rennie, William J. (1/2) Improvement in dust pans Binghamton, NY Aug. 28, 1877 Original 191,368 May 29, 1877 Domestic 296,452 Rhoads, Annie E. Washing compound Baraboo, WI Apr. 8, 1884 Domestic 225,302 Riley, Elizabeth J. Dust pan Indianapolis, IN Mar. 9, 1880 Domestic 507,847 Ring, Eliza F. Ironing board Westfield, MA Oct. 31, 1893 Domestic 208,035 Roberts, Mary N. Improvement in sad iron holders Indianapolis, IN Sep. 17, 1878 Domestic 117,568 Robertson, Harriet C. Improvement in dish washing machines East Saginaw, MI Aug. 1, 1871 Domestic 181,718 Robinson, Susanna L.; Powell, Franklin A. Improvement in flat iron heaters Pontiac, IL Aug. 29, 1876 Domestic 175,257 Robison, Kate Improvement in fans Washington, DC Mar. 28, 1876 Domestic 136,456 Roescher, Rosa; Petersen, Nicolai Mosquito net frame Memphis, TN Mar. 4, 1873 Domestic 61,467 Rose, Adaline Improved carpet sack Bath, NY Jan. 22, 1867 Domestic 141,015 Rosenthal, Caroline Improvement in reels for clothes lines Philadelphia, PA July 22, 1873 Domestic 490,887 Rouech, Marian L. Rouech, Azell N. ; Rouech, Augustus E.; Rouech, Maggie A. (3/4) Soap receptacle Bay City, MI Jan. 31, 1893 Domestic 204,759 Rowe, Emilie G. Improvement in sad iron polishers New York, NY Jun. 11, 1878 Domestic 222,741 Russell, Elvira A. Improvement in pressing irons Minneapolis, MN Dec. 16, 1879 Domestic 322,070 Rutan, Jennie S. Window cleaner Philade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: free energy | [quote:ed7d8ff4fe="Rickz21"]Fair enough... but if that is true then since all matter is was created from some form of energy, then where did the first bit of energy come from if not from nothing?[/quote:ed7d8ff4fe] Good point. As an amateur, I've pondered this a lot. It seems to have come from nothing, so the goal of physics is to explain how! I think physicists realise this, and this is why they talk about 'information' a lot. One way it could be explained, the creation of something that is 'real' is through its context to something else, so the context of other information makes reality, more real, so information is part of a higher whole - for example, I think it was Lorentz who said that inertia (a fundamental property of mass) is a result of 'the universe holding onto the object'. Now a theory has emerged that says that entanglement to quantum particles creates inertia, which is basically the same theory. So, on its own, 'information' has no essence, but its properties come from the context of that information - entanglement with other 'virtual' things. Underneath everything, really does seem to be nothing, so its like a program running on a [i:ed7d8ff4fe]self created[/i:ed7d8ff4fe] software - the Universe as a whole. Very mysterious! Even physicists talk about God. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Adapting and modifying an existing piece of equipment | [quote:980f9f64a7] Hmmn, I can only think of technical ideas. Probably the simplest idea might be to recycle the case for something. It has a lockable flap.[/quote:980f9f64a7] That's the idea. As I said the tape cassette was probably not the best example. Who knows I may have a go, although this subject doesn't seem to created much enthusiam. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Get Your Invention on Channel 4 | [quote="DiamondHi, You say 2nd series, I don't remember seeing the first series, did that feature any inventors? If so what kind of people were featured in the first series?[/quote] Well there is a website for it. And seems there was a first series. Actually I remeber now, This was the program where people gave up there jobs and put everything into a business. If it is. I liked that show. I have included the URL if interested. http://www.ricochet.co.uk/html/progs/progs-riskingitall.htm#take_part Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: 200 Miles Per Gallon in a Car? | [quote:d998d26071="Diamond"][b:d998d26071]200 Miles Per Gallon in a Car? Absolutely - Fuel Efficient Gas Vaporizers - Now on One CD - 920 Gas Saving Vapor Systems - The Largest Collection of Info Ever in One Place[/b:d998d26071] [/quote:d998d26071] That's very interesting Diamond, but do you of a device that will make my car go like a rocket?................. Other then a rocket of course. :P Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I think a tape is a hard one - the case is brittle so I cant see it being used for much. One challenge I heard of was reinventing the Knife and Fork - but I can't think of an improvement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: 200 Miles Per Gallon in a Car? | [quote:be17ae39c7="mikeym"][quote:be17ae39c7="Diamond"][b:be17ae39c7]200 Miles Per Gallon in a Car? Absolutely - Fuel Efficient Gas Vaporizers - Now on One CD - 920 Gas Saving Vapor Systems - The Largest Collection of Info Ever in One Place[/b:be17ae39c7] [/quote:be17ae39c7] That's very interesting Diamond, but do you of a device that will make my car go like a rocket?................. Other then a rocket of course. :P Mikeym.[/quote:be17ae39c7] Shell Optimax works for me | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| good to see you back online again!! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Giant machines | Powerpoint slide show - very awesome machine: [url]http://webpages.charter.net/bobad/where.pps[/url] I think this sort of machine, is what managers think they would end up getting invoiced for if they let the engineers take control of the company! As a serious point, the tale raises an important issue about scale and economy. Is it better to mass-produce lots of smaller machines and have nothing very big, or build giants like that, that despite being efficient, that if they go wrong will shut an entire operation? Can anyone think of better mining approaches, and strategies for sorting and removing the product? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Have you noticed much difference in the petrols? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: 200 Miles Per Gallon in a Car? | [quote:75c67e2ff0="Diamond"]Shell Optimax works for me[/quote:75c67e2ff0] I was considering a device called SpiralMax.Basically: Apparently it swirls the air going into the chamber giving a better burn on the mixture. Increasing your fuel consumption and better response from the engine. Trouble is I opened my bonnet and quickly closed it again. These modern engines are above me... Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:67f677e7f4="ATB"]Have you noticed much difference in the petrols?[/quote:67f677e7f4] Yeah, They are more expensive and less quality (in my opinion). :? Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:940ce9e113="ATB"]I think a tape is a hard one - the case is brittle so I cant see it being used for much. One challenge I heard of was reinventing the Knife and Fork - but I can't think of an improvement.[/quote:940ce9e113] I agree it is a hard one. I was sitting in my living at the time and had a glance around the room for an object. However I think I could make a nice money box or maybe ven somewhere to keep you important documents. Lets face it, no one be bothered with you tapes if they broke into your house? Mmm.. Knife and Folk. I would say this would be a difficult subject to tackle, because in my opinion these untensils have been around for such along time all the adaptions have been made. But I will keep thinking.. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Giant machines | [quote:11ae64e771="ATB"]Powerpoint slide show - very awesome machine: [/quote:11ae64e771] Wow!! That thing is crazy. The answer to your question. If it takes less time to do its job, then it has to be more economical and efficient. e.g: Say, it was clearing foundatons for an hotel. A normal work force took 2 months to this but this mechanical monster took 4 weeks. In those two months other machinery could not be used, but had to be there just incase there was jobs to be done or if hired need to be on site just in case they were not available during the work (so the cost of hire is included although half of the machinery is not used).. Long winded I know, but I digress because they take for 4 weeks to complete the foundations, time is cut to build the hotel and the hotel can open early increasing revenue and economy for the country it is built in. But on the same token who pays for the cost of the build and running of the machinery? And should it stop working they can always revert to original methods. That is my opinion any way. Mikeym. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:3383a14176="ATB"]Have you noticed much difference in the petrols?[/quote:3383a14176] I've noticed my car seems to be sluggish and get less MPG's when using Tesco Fuel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: Giant machines | [quote:eeb8afa85e="mikeym"][quote:eeb8afa85e="ATB"]Powerpoint slide show - very awesome machine: [/quote:eeb8afa85e] Wow!! That thing is crazy. The answer to your question. If it takes less time to do its job, then it has to be more economical and efficient. e.g: Say, it was clearing foundatons for an hotel. A normal work force took 2 months to this but this mechanical monster took 4 weeks. In those two months other machinery could not be used, but had to be there just incase there was jobs to be done or if hired need to be on site just in case they were not available during the work (so the cost of hire is included although half of the machinery is not used).. Long winded I know, but I digress because they take for 4 weeks to complete the foundations, time is cut to build the hotel and the hotel can open early increasing revenue and economy for the country it is built in. But on the same token who pays for the cost of the build and running of the machinery? And should it stop working they can always revert to original methods. That is my opinion any way. Mikeym.[/quote:eeb8afa85e] I just think, mass produced machines would be cheaper overall, than one offs - like insects are more successful than the dinosaurs. But I guess another benefit of huge machines is you only need one team to operate it. Maybe, smaller machines will take over when they can operate themselves? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I agree, AVG is good. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Innovations from around the world | http://www.coolbusinessideas.com/archives/2004/12/ The Thinhaler CNN.com: A 22-year-old design graduate has invented a gadget that could make asthmatics' lives a lot easier. Frustrated after seeing his asthmatic friend struggle to breathe in smoky bars, Adam Bates decided to design a wallet-sized inhaler. Bates, who suffers from mild asthma himself, said inspiration for the 6mm-thick Thinhaler came from an asthmatic friend, who would leave her asthma in haler at home if it would not fit in her bag or she would complain about having to take a bag out with her because her inhaler was too bulky. Bates' design can fit into a wallet, in the slots normally designed for credit cards. The Thinhaler will not be any more expensive than those already on the market, and could cost as little as £2-3. [img:73ecae1c0b]http://www.coolbusinessideas.com/thinhaler-thumb.jpg[/img:73ecae1c0b] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This is a Dolphin using a Sponge, ripped from the ocean floor, to hunt for food without getting its snout stung by stinging creatures. I think this can be considered contributing proof that getting and making food is the original driver for invention: [img:9f222a24f1]http://www.crtiforumflash.ipbhost.com/DolphinSponge060605.jpg[/img:9f222a24f1] "Dolphins living in Shark Bay, Western Australia, use conically-shaped whole sponges that they tear off the ocean bottom to protect their snouts from stinging creatures as they look for food on the sea floor. Photograph © 2005 by Associated Press. The dolphins teach the tool use to their young, which scientists say proves that the behavior is transmitted in social learning. Michael Kreutzen, lead author of the recent research report about the dolphin tool use was published in the June 6 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Kreutzen says, "Cultural evolution, including tool use, is not only found in humans and our closest relatives, the primates, but also in animals that are evolutionally quite distant from us. This convergent evolution is what is so fascinating." That's an [i:9f222a24f1]invention[/i:9f222a24f1]: They just don't know how to patent it. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The following list is what occurs to me: -----------Behaviour:---------Technology:------Communication/Society Chimp---Fighting-------------No-----------------Yes -----------Hunting-------------?-------------------Yes -----------Food G/P*----------Yes----------------Yes, but not always -----------Habitat building---Yes----------------Yes, but not always Dolphin--Fighting------------No-----------------Yes ------------Hunting/Feeding-Yes----------------Yes Birds-----Fighting-------------No----------------Yes -----------Food G/P-----------Yes----------------Yes, but not always -----------Habitat building---Yes----------------Yes, but not always Insects--Food G/P-----------Yes**-------------Yes -----------Fighting-------------No-----------------Yes, but not always I cant think of much or any use by other animals, of technology in war. *G/P - Gathering/Preparation **Smart behaviors, using each other, structures made of other insects etc. Not true inventions, but again, the smarter behavior is seen when not engaging in war, but building habitats and making/preparing and storing food. (So perhaps feminist stereotypes of men need to be addressed(!) - were as much builders and makers/traders as we are war mongers.) War is perhaps too fast for more intelligent behaviours, and group work, as seen in hunting, is a very mamallian trait, and is seen in Reptiles and many other creatures, even squid and Box Jellyfish. Team Sports, play very quickly, and appear to be based on hunting pack behaviour, in terms of the skills being used. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| There is another discovery programme called "How it's Made" Just seen it for the first time and it's very interesting .. it's shown how things like nails are made, cycles, cloth, etc. I think by seeing the manufacturing processes involved it's very helpful for anyone considering making a new product | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:1ad4ae5866] I've noticed my car seems to be sluggish and get less MPG's when using Tesco Fuel[/quote:1ad4ae5866] That will probably be the water in it. :wink: There is a new petrol called Total Excelium. I may try it. Mikeym. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| hobbies to the market | I have my jets and helicopters and various other modles that i have constructed from plans in my head and was wondering if anyone thinks that they would sell. i wiil try and get some pics of the one that i have here in the uk up on the site. while on the topic... does anyone know of any hobbies that have made it to the market? preferable invention hobbies... unique designs or hobbies that have been transformed into an enterprise of some sort. richard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Very interesting topic. I havent made an invention out of a hobby, but I have ideas and am looking to build a simple aerodyne to test principles, maybe look at it from then. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: hobbies to the market | [quote:64d298276d="Rickz21"]I have my jets and helicopters and various other modles that i have constructed from plans in my head and was wondering if anyone thinks that they would sell. i wiil try and get some pics of the one that i have here in the uk up on the site. [/quote:64d298276d] You'd probably find potential buyers of such models on ebay.. you best bet is also to make models of recent things from movies. I know of someone that paid a lot of money for a replica outfit that was very similar to the one worn by johnny depp in the movie pirates of the caribbean - they made the outfit themselves and sold it for something like $1,500 on ebay. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rapid Prototyping Services | 3T RPD Ltd supply functional prototypes using Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technology, enabling their customers’ new products to be assembled, tested, trailed and launched into the marketplace ahead of their competition! Whilst high-tech design software can provide photo-realistic images ideal for the concept stages of product development, a physical prototype speeds up the approval process and can be used in functionality testing, assembly trials, wind tunnels and marketing photography. Parts can be built in single pieces up to 700x380x580mm, supplied with a permanent surface colouring in a range of standard shades, and delivered in less than 7 days. Contact us on 01635 817468 or visit our website www.3trpd.co.uk [img:ca57f1a225]http://www.3trpd.co.uk/images/finishing/black-component.jpg[/img:ca57f1a225] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Poly Crop - a GREEN future | [size=18:01fab7c366]G.R.E.E.N[/size:01fab7c366] [color=darkred:01fab7c366][b:01fab7c366]– Genetically Responsible Engineering for the Environment and Nutrition[/b:01fab7c366][/color:01fab7c366] Think that genetic engineering is bad? I hope that by the end of this topic for discussion that you may feel differently..... G.R.E.E.N is a concept that applies to only certain forms of genetic engineering, that serves benefits to the environment, cuts energy expenditure and pollution, cuts or eliminates the use of toxic sprays, dramatically improves health-giving nutrient levels, and is engineered in a 'responsible' way. A ‘G.R.E.E.N’ crop has to fulfill a health benefit of any food product, reduce chemical use, and benefit, versus conventional crops, the environment generally. In fact, there could be greater environmental benefits through such crops than the use of Organic foods, which need more space to provide a given yield, which could increase loss of natural habitats. [b:01fab7c366]Responsible Engineering[/b:01fab7c366] There is another aspect to ‘G.R.E.E.N’ crops – genetic transplantation, rightly, raises certain risks and issues. In several ways, gene engineering can be harmful, but they can be avoided, reducing risks associated with this new science. Firstly, genetic engineering raises a consumer health issue; one of the early experiments in Aberdeen on GM Potatoes ignited a huge controversy, and claims of a cover up and witch hunt. The lead scientist discovered that a GM potato, when fed to rats, caused organ and brain shrinkage. Following this, he was hounded from his job and his work discredited. [url]http://www.global-reality.com/biotech/articles/othernews007.htm[/url] However, the highly esteemed scientist was likely to be right – the reason why the potato was harmful was simply because it was engineered to express a natural plant pesticide in the edible portion of the crop. This results in a harmful agent which is now ‘systemic’ - meaning in all parts, and because this is ingested, it's harmful to the animal. The simple rule is, never make bio-poisons systemic, and if you do, ensure they fully degrade into harmless byproducts by the action of heat, such as steam, and always so treat the food. Normally, plants put the poison in the skin or case, therefore poisoning a boring insect such as larvae which eats through it on its way to the nutritious part, or any animal that eats it whole. When we process foods, we can then remove this part. In addition, there may be other ways to breed pest-resistant crops, whilst preventing the toxic agents from passing into the end food. The great benefits of doing that, are the opportunity to eliminate an even more poisonous problem – chemical sprays that are extremely toxic, and don’t degrade, accumulating in the body because they are made with the halogens – chlorine or fluorine. These agents are often similar to Nerve Poisons used in Chemical Warfare. Secondly, gene transplantation is perfectly natural and occurs all the time – viruses have been shown to do it. In one case, two completely different genus – a bacterium and a yeast, exchanged a massive amount of genes, sideways. It amounted to nearly 30% of their genome. Even in humans, new genes appear by virus and may be inherited. For example, HIV resistant people have been found to be infected with a new virus that successfully blocks HIV from inserting itself in your DNA. Life forms also rigorously trade Micro RNA, which may implant in DNA via a reverse transcription. In fact, this could well be the process through which all viruses evolved. Micro RNA trading is also involved in Cancer. The problem though, is that when man gets in on the act, he tends to damage part of the cell and this part, known as the ‘Epigenetic Code’ may result in unforeseen consequences. The use of genetic engineering uses processes not seen naturally, which may imply that the implanted genes may somehow be more dangerous - [url]http://www.btinternet.com/~clairejr/MaeWan/maewan_4.html[/url] The epigenetic code effects evolution and gene expression, and can have potentially massive consequences – it is also inherited. Therefore, ‘responsible’ genetic engineering should always preserve the integrity of the cellular systems that operate the DNA, they are an indivisible part of the system. Another requirement of ‘responsible engineering’ is to avoid moving genes from wildly different species – such as a Jelly Fish gene into a pine to make glowing Christmas trees – when scientists do this they (rightly) bring themselves into disrepute. It increases the risk of unforeseen evolutionary consequences. Finally, to be ‘responsible’, genetic engineering should not only be as close to natural forms, and preserve the genetic integrity of the whole cell, it should only involve gene transplantation when simple breeding and cross breeding of similar compatible species (accelerated natural selection) has been exhausted as an avenue and only transplantation remains, and is also worthwhile in terms of the environmental and human benefits. [b:01fab7c366]Genetically engineering the 'Poly Crop' - the solution to so many of our problems? [/b:01fab7c366] The 'Poly Crop' is a concept by myself, so named because it is a crop that: a) provides multiple products, and b) which also provides a complete, multiple nutrient food needed for optimal health (as in the terms 'poly-pill' and 'poly-meals' designed to boost health and longevity through special combinations of nutrients). The Poly Crop concept is further extremely efficient in converting sunlight to nutrients and useful chemicals, and efficient also in terms of its farming and managing - very little energy or chemicals are needed. The benefits also include the growth of local industries near to the market, reducing greatly transport burdens and energy costs. This can lead to a renaissance in many rural countries and economies, providing great opportunities for 3rd world nations to supply industrial growth, also at very minimal environmental impact. Poly Crops would be genetically engineered and capable of providing fuel, materials, and food of an equivalent quality to meats (fish) for optimal human health, banishing micronutrient malnourishment! So what would this be? Firstly, it needs to be based on a great existing candidate, and secondly, it requires additional genetic engineering. My view is that the crop is based on Hemp, and genetically engineered to remove any potential for abuse. It will also be bred to look visually different to hemp so it cannot be grown amongst it. This crop could be accomplished be hybridizing the Hemp with its other cousins, such as Flax. The resulting plant can also be bred to be shorter and concentrate its nutrients into the most valuable products. [b:01fab7c366]Hemp – the worlds most useful crop?[/b:01fab7c366] First, one cannot talk about industrial hemp, without a disclaimer! Industrial Hemp, is NOT the same as Cannabis – it doesn’t contain nearly enough psycho-active compounds to be abused. It is also very difficult to grow cannabis next to industrial hemp, using the hemp as cover, and in all the trials where hemp is grown, this has never been a problem. But even despite that, public opinion against Hemp is such that it is apparent that the crop needs to be differentiated so that it looks different to any variety that can be abused, making co-growing impossible without being obvious. The engineering of leaf shape and pigmentation can make Industrial Hemp a different species altogether, in effect. Here are some on line resources: [url]http://www.hemp.com/[/url] [url]http://www.naihc.org/[/url] [url]http://www.hemptech.com/[/url] Hemp is a mighty crop, capable of solving very many problems, at a stroke. It’s actual cellulose productivity is huge – this grass can supply vast amounts of material for paper, clothes, and materials for replacing steel (its fibres are structurally excellent), concrete, plasters, foams and fillers, plastics, and wood. It can thus protect a lot of natural habitat and combat a lot of emissions from energy use and material processing. Another benefit of hemp, is as a potentially superb animal food – helping to protect virgin habitat like forests from being cleared for animal grazing on less productive grass. Hemp is also unusually nutritious – rich in plant O3 fatty acids, rich in good quality protein, and rich in vitamins and soluble fibre. But it can be improved. My view is that, if done [i:01fab7c366]responsibly[/i:01fab7c366] some genetic engineering can be desirable. That is, if done the ‘G.R.E.EN’ way…. [u:01fab7c366]Genetic engineering ideas:[/u:01fab7c366] [b:01fab7c366]Brain Food[/b:01fab7c366] - a crop that boosts intelligence and reduces inflammatory disorders Omega 3 fatty acids are the key to many aspects of health. Research shows the plant form - Linolenic Acid, is very poorly utilised and does NOT, contrary to popular opinion, convert into the most important and critical fatty acids DHA and EPA. DHA and EPA can convert to each other, so a source of DHA is basically able to deliver all the desired benefits. These O3's dramatically cut the risk of heart disease, diabetes, depression, mental illness, learning disorders, stabilise Manic Depression, cut premature pregnancy, reduce most inflammatory conditions - asthma, eczema, arthritis ect - and should raise fertility. They also protect the aging brain very effectively. A recent UK research program managed to make a plant produce the higher Omega 3 fatty acid DHA by making it convert the naturally occuring plant form of Omega 3 fatty acids, Linolenic Acid, into the higher form necessary for the brain. This was accomplished by taking an algae gene (which naturally makes DHA) and adding it to a plant. Although they did not use a Linolenic acid rich crop they still demonstrated that the opportunity is there right now. So this hemp product, which produces a lot of Linolenic Acid - and thus would make a lot more DHA - would make an ideal target and the result is a superbly nutritious food - a rich dietary source of DHA is perhaps the singularly most important resource available to western man for combating disease. [b:01fab7c366]A Crop that Fights Obesity[/b:01fab7c366] Protein; Genetic engineering could improve hemps protein 'quality' - the spread of its amino-acids - which is already apparently second only to Soy. On the plus side, hemp produces more protein, and this, not carbs, are the key targets for better nutrition. Evidence is leaning towards the idea that protein, not the absence of carbs, causes the weight loss consistently seen in the Atkins dieter - protein is an appetite suppressant. So the Poly-Crop would be a producer of proteins rather than carbohydrates, of the best quality for adding into many other foods and improving quality. In trials, people who ate the most protein rich foods (the foods with the highest proportion of calories as protein) ate the least and reduced overall calorie intake, and were the slimmest. These result are unlikely to be a flash in the pan - our traditional diet, where obesity is rare, is much richer in protein than modern diets. People who still live on Protein rich diets are generally very slim. [b:01fab7c366]Antioxidants:[/b:01fab7c366] Increasing evidence is showing how critical antioxidants are to our health. Carotenoid genes and other antioxidants will be needed to protect the poly-crops O3 fatty acids (which overwise will turn rancid) and support our health. The use of more gene transplanting, such as again from algae such as Haematococcus Pluvialis which produces an extremely potent carotenoid called [i:01fab7c366]Astazanthin[/i:01fab7c366], which naturally protects fats in the marine food chain (and dyes Salmon pink) would be very useful, and could be blended with Lycopene producing genes from tomatoes. Alpha Carotene is pro-vitamin A (makes Vitamin A when the body needs it) and is essential to the health of third world people, who are commonly deficient. Mixed Tocopherols and Tocotreinols (natural vitamin E) are biologically far more powerful than alpha tocopherol which is usually found in supplements. A blend may have special effects on health and prevent the oxidization of cholesterol and lower LDL - vital in combating heart disease. These could be added by tuning existing genes and sourcing from rice or palm. [b:01fab7c366]Vitamins[/b:01fab7c366] Hemp is naturally very rich in B vitamins. [b:01fab7c366]Soluble Fibre[/b:01fab7c366] Hemp is rich is soluble fibre - only soluble fibre, not insoluble, has been shown to benefit the gut/bowel. Increasing evidence is showing that a lack of soluble fibre may trigger problems and effect gut bacterial balances, causing allergies and other conditions. [b:01fab7c366]Reducing sprays[/b:01fab7c366] Hemp is naturally pest resistant: The Poly-Crop with hemp 'heritage' should enjoy exceptional pest resistance. Industrial Hemp is already very low in the 'natural' psychoactive bio-pestides, such as THC, yet is still noted for pest resistance and low need for sprays. However, it could be improved if necessary through the use of other natural bio-pesticides from other plants. These could still be potentially harmful to humans i.e. causing mineral deficiency such as is seen from Soy. One way to increase the natural pest resistance of a crop, whilst avoiding any side effects in humans would be to use control genes or signalling agents so that the production of a particular compound can be controlled and broken down before harvesting. Plants produce, from nutrients, poisonous defenses when they are being attacked. These compounds will not be produced so much at other times and are converted back to nutrients - clever! Unfortunately some still remain, and to get harmful effects down, we use varieties which have been selected to be so lacking in defenses that they need pesticides to protect them. So, a logical avenue would be a genetic approach where a special plant message hormone can be produced and emitted by the farmer just prior to harvest. The toxin genes are programmed to be switched off through receptors and the crop then destroys these chemicals just in time for eating. Another possible strategy - a tuning of the control genes so that the seed can detect when it is removed from its plant. At this point a gene kicks in which removes the seeds poisons, returning them back into nutrients by the time the product is processed ready for consuming. I believe this to be a novel concept, and it allows the importing of extra genetic defenses yet that will not be harmful to human consumers - a tough crop that converts into an edible one. The result is a [u:01fab7c366]spray-free[/u:01fab7c366] crop. Further, the use of herbicides may no longer be needed. In the next few years, a new autonomous farm vehicle is being perfected. Already, it can accurately identify individual weeds and apply chemicals only to them, protecting the rest of the crop. It uses face recognition technology to tell the difference between them. Such approaches can be added to spraying systems. [b:01fab7c366]Also, other major farming issues are;[/b:01fab7c366] a) Fertilizers - energy intensive, run-off damages aquatic ecology, and it encourages reduced mineral uptake from the soil, impairing nutrient quality in the food. b) Ploughing - damages soil structure, increase soil erosion (a serious problem), and reduce mineral uptake through shallow roots (according to the Soil Association) a) can be eliminated in poly-crop through engineering with the genes for producing bacteria hosting roots that fix nitrogen, from plants that already do this. b) ploughing might be unnecessary if harvesting of seeds and a portion of the crop can be done without killing it, and then the field managed by precise targeting of new weeds together with over seeding. This allows the roots to remain, and this reduces growth requirement, improves yields and increases nutrients. The experience of 'Mixed Crop Farming' shows how yields can leap if the plants are not re-ploughed and seeded. Soil erosion is dramatically cut. The Poly-Crop offers sizeable advantages, in terms of chemicals/energy and value of the product [b:01fab7c366]Materials[/b:01fab7c366] For building, including building foams, fillers, and composite fibres and structural components. Fibres can be set with resin to produce materials stronger than steel. Hemp carbon is also [i:01fab7c366]sequestered[/i:01fab7c366] - meaning materials made from it are taking CO2 out of the atmosphere. Replace Steel: QinetiQ have developed a Hemp based composite for cars. Building Fillers: A building plaster/filler/insulation has been developed based on Hemp, which has many superior properties and allows faster building construction. Plastics: Tapioca starch has already been used to make plastic bags. Hemp could be similarly developed to make a range of plastics. A massive yield of cellulose, which is easier to use that wood in processing to make paper, and in doing so, makes much less pollution. Plastics as shown by plastic carrier bags produced from tapioca starch [b:01fab7c366]And also, [/b:01fab7c366] Provide a huge amount of ultra nutritious, near perfect food Energy crops with conversion of cellulose to vehicle fuel by a number of routes Is soil strengthening, drainage improving. Polycrops dense growth protects soil from erosion, whilst the potential that might be offered by not having to plough offers benefits through root depth and soil structure so increased mineral uptake into the edible crop and reduced downstream flooding due to lessoned run-off. Still think genetic engineering is a bad idea? All ideas by ATB, 04/01/2005 [img:01fab7c366]http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.gif[/img:01fab7c366] [url]http://www.crtiforumflash.ipbhost.com/cc%20page.htm[/url] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi Stuart, Welcome to the website. I saw your presentation at Croydon RTI and was very impressed with the exmaples of prototypes shown, espacially the examples of parts that had their own hinges, etc built into the design without any assembly needed as well. I think the first thing we need to know is what software formats you can accept 3D drawings in and if there is any particular package you recommend. I'm sure there are many inventors that would benefit from such a service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Meccano - For Model Building | Has anyone ever used Meccano to build a prototype of any of their ideas? I want to get hold of some, I have a few ideas I reckon I could build full scale working prototypes with using Meccano. [img:9284a7ccf2]http://2-han.com/omoshiro_1/meccano/renault/img/renault_kiri_500.jpg[/img:9284a7ccf2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BTW Here are some interesting Meccano links http://cm1cm2.ceyreste.free.fr/meccano.html http://www.eleinmec.com http://www.selmec.org.uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/dms/meccano/gallery.html | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| menco | WOW! that looks awsome! I think I'd like to just mess around with the stuff. don't really know about building a prototype though as it is very limmited to just one material. but it looks real good and like a lot of fun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Albert Einstein - was he a plagiarist? | Interesting article titled 'Einstein - Plagiarist of the Century' Whilst that may be an exageration, it raises some interesting points: - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [size=18:43f3cb9d51]ALBERT EINSTEIN[/size:43f3cb9d51] [b:43f3cb9d51]Plagiarist of the Century[/b:43f3cb9d51] Einstein plagiarised the work of several notable scientists in his 1905 papers on special relativity and E = mc2, yet the physics community has never bothered to set the record straight in the past century. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- by Richard Moody, Jr © 2003 777 Treadlemire Road Berne, NY 12023 USA Email: Slmrea@aol.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b:43f3cb9d51]Abstract[/b:43f3cb9d51] Proponents of Einstein have acted in a way that appears to corrupt the historical record. Albert Einstein (1879-1955), Time Magazine's "Person of the Century", wrote a long treatise on special relativity theory (it was actually called "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies", 1905a), without listing any references. Many of the key ideas it presented were known to Lorentz (for example, the Lorentz transformation) and Poincaré before Einstein wrote the famous 1905 paper. As was typical of Einstein, he did not discover theories; he merely commandeered them. He took an existing body of knowledge, picked and chose the ideas he liked, then wove them into a tale about his contribution to special relativity. This was done with the full knowledge and consent of many of his peers, such as the editors at Annalen der Physik. The most recognisable equation of all time is E = mc2. It is attributed by convention to be the sole province of Albert Einstein (1905). However, the conversion of matter into energy and energy into matter was known to Sir Isaac Newton ("Gross bodies and light are convertible into one another...", 1704). The equation can be attributed to S. Tolver Preston (1875), to Jules Henri Poincaré (1900; according to Brown, 1967) and to Olinto De Pretto (1904) before Einstein. Since Einstein never correctly derived E = mc2 (Ives, 1952), there appears nothing to connect the equation with anything original by Einstein. Arthur Eddington's selective presentation of data from the 1919 Eclipse so that it supposedly supported "Einstein's" general relativity theory is surely one of the biggest scientific hoaxes of the 20th century. His lavish support of Einstein corrupted the course of history. Eddington was less interested in testing a theory than he was in crowning Einstein the king of science. The physics community, unwittingly perhaps, has engaged in a kind of fraud and silent conspiracy; this is the byproduct of simply being bystanders as the hyperinflation of Einstein's record and reputation took place. This silence benefited anyone supporting Einstein. [b:43f3cb9d51]Introduction[/b:43f3cb9d51] Science, by its very nature, is insular. In general, chemists read and write about chemistry, biologists read and write about biology, and physicists read and write about physics. But they may all be competing for the same research dollar (in its broadest sense). Thus, if scientists wanted more money for themselves, they might decide to compete unfairly. The way they can do this is convince the funding agencies that they are more important than any other branch of science. If the funding agencies agree, it could spell difficulty for the remaining sciences. One way to get more money is to create a superhero - a superhero like Einstein. Einstein's standing is the product of the physics community, his followers and the media. Each group benefits enormously by elevating Einstein to icon status. The physics community receives billions in research grants, Einstein's supporters are handsomely rewarded, and media corporations like Time Magazine get to sell millions of magazines by placing Einstein on the cover as "Person of the Century". When the scandal breaks, the physics community, Einstein's supporters and the media will attempt to downplay the negative news and put a positive spin on it. However, their efforts will be shown up when Einstein's paper, "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies", is seen for what it is: the consummate act of plagiarism in the 20th century. [b:43f3cb9d51]Special Relativity[/b:43f3cb9d51] Jules Henri Poincaré (1854-1912) was a great scientist who made a significant contribution to special relativity theory. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy website says that Poincaré: (1) "sketched a preliminary version of the special theory of relativity"; (2) "stated that the velocity of light is a limit velocity" (in his 1904 paper from the Bull. of Sci. Math. 28, Poincaré indicated "a whole new mechanics, where the inertia increasing with the velocity of light would become a limit and not be exceeded"); (3) suggested that "mass depends on speed"; (4) "formulated the principle of relativity, according to which no mechanical or electromagnetic experiment can discriminate between a state of uniform motion and a state of rest"; and (5) "derived the Lorentz transformation". It is evident how deeply involved with special relativity Poincaré was. Even Keswani (1965) was prompted to say that "As far back as 1895, Poincaré, the innovator, had conjectured that it is impossible to detect absolute motion", and that "In 1900, he introduced 'the principle of relative motion' which he later called by the equivalent terms 'the law of relativity' and 'the principle of relativity' in his book, Science and Hypothesis, published in 1902". Einstein acknowledged none of this preceding theoretical work when he wrote his unreferenced 1905 paper. In addition to having sketched the preliminary version of relativity, Poincaré provided a critical part of the whole concept - namely, his treatment of local time. He also originated the idea of clock synchronisation, which is critical to special relativity. Charles Nordman was prompted to write, "They will show that the credit for most of the things which are currently attributed to Einstein is, in reality, due to Poincaré", and "...in the opinion of the Relativists it is the measuring rods which create space, the clocks which create time. All this was known by Poincaré and others long before the time of Einstein, and one does injustice to truth in ascribing the discovery to him". Other scientists have not been quite as impressed with "Einstein's" special relativity theory as has the public. "Another curious feature of the now famous paper, Einstein, 1905, is the absence of any reference to Poincaré or anyone else," Max Born wrote in Physics in My Generation. "It gives you the impression of quite a new venture. But that is, of course, as I have tried to explain, not true" (Born, 1956). G. Burniston Brown (1967) noted, "It will be seen that, contrary to popular belief, Einstein played only a minor part in the derivation of the useful formulae in the restricted or special relativity theory, and Whittaker called it the relativity theory of Poincaré and Lorentz" Due to the fact that Einstein's special relativity theory was known in some circles as the relativity theory of Poincaré and Lorentz, one would think that Poincaré and Lorentz might have had something to do with its creation. What is disturbing about the Einstein paper is that even though Poincaré was the world's leading expert on relativity, apparently Einstein had never heard of him or thought he had done anything worth referencing! Poincaré, in a public address delivered in September 1904, made some notable comments on special relativity theory. "From all these results, if they are confirmed, would arise an entirely new mechanics would be, above all, characterised by this fact that no velocity could surpass that of light because bodies would oppose an increasing inertia to the causes, which would tend to accelerate their motion; and this inertia would become infinite when one approached the velocity of light. No more for an observer carried along himself in a translation, he did not suspect any apparent velocity could surpass that of light: and this would be then a contradiction, if we recall that this observer would not use the same clocks as a fixed observer, but, indeed, clocks marking 'local time'." (Poincaré, 1905) [b:43f3cb9d51]Einstein, the Plagiarist[/b:43f3cb9d51] It is now time to speak directly to the issue of what Einstein was: he was first and foremost a plagiarist. He had few qualms about stealing the work of others and submitting it as his own. That this was deliberate seems obvious. Take this passage from Ronald W. Clark, Einstein: The Life and Times (there are no references to Poincaré here; just a few meaningless quotes). This is how page 101 reads: "'On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies'...is in many ways one of the most remarkable scientific papers that had ever been written. Even in form and style it was unusual, lacking the notes and references which give weight to most serious expositions" (emphasis added). Why would Einstein, with his training as a patent clerk, not recognise the need to cite references in his article on special relativity? One would think that Einstein, as a neophyte, would overreference rather than underreference. Wouldn't one also expect somewhat higher standards from an editor when faced with a long manuscript that had obviously not been credited? Apparently there was no attempt at quality control when it was published in Annalen der Physik. Most competent editors would have rejected the paper without even reading it. At the barest minimum, one would expect the editor to research the literature to determine whether Einstein's claim of primacy was correct. Max Born stated, "The striking point is that it contains not a single reference to previous literature" (emphasis added) (Born, 1956). He is clearly indicating that the absence of references is abnormal and that, even by early 20th century standards, this is most peculiar, even unprofessional. Einstein twisted and turned to avoid plagiarism charges, but these were transparent. From Bjerknes (2002), we learn the following passage from James MacKaye: "Einstein's explanation is a dimensional disguise for Lorentz's. Thus Einstein's theory is not a denial of, nor an alternative for, that of Lorentz. It is only a duplicate and disguise for it. Einstein continually maintains that the theory of Lorentz is right, only he disagrees with his 'interpretation'. Is it not clear, therefore, that in this [case], as in other cases, Einstein's theory is merely a disguise for Lorentz's, the apparent disagreement about 'interpretation' being a matter of words only?" Poincaré wrote 30 books and over 500 papers on philosophy, mathematics and physics. Einstein wrote on mathematics, physics and philosophy, but claimed he'd never read Poincaré's contributions to physics. Yet many of Poincaré's ideas - for example, that the speed of light is a limit and that mass increases with speed - wound up in Einstein's paper, "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" without being credited. Einstein's act of stealing almost the entire body of literature by Lorentz and Poincaré to write his document raised the bar for plagiarism. In the information age, this kind of plagiarism could never be perpetrated indefinitely, yet the physics community has still not set the record straight. In his 1907 paper, Einstein spelled out his views on plagiarism: "It appears to me that it is the nature of the business that what follows has already been partly solved by other authors. Despite that fact, since the issues of concern are here addressed from a new point of view, I am entitled to leave out a thoroughly pedantic survey of the literature..." With this statement, Einstein declared that plagiarism, suitably packaged, is an acceptable research tool. Here is the definition of "to plagiarise" from an unimpeachable source, Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition, Unabridged, 1947, p. 1,878: "To steal or purloin and pass off as one's own (the ideas, words, artistic productions, etc. of one another); to use without due credit the ideas, expressions or productions of another. To commit plagiarism" (emphasis added). Isn't this exactly what Einstein did? Giving due credit involves two aspects: timeliness and appropriateness. Telling the world that Lorentz provided the basis for special relativity 30 years after the fact is not timely (see below), is not appropriate and is not giving due credit. Nothing Einstein wrote ex post facto with respect to Lorentz's contributions alters the fundamental act of plagiarism. The true nature of Einstein's plagiarism is set forth in his 1935 paper, "Elementary Derivation of the Equivalence of Mass and Energy", where, in a discussion on Maxwell, he wrote, "The question as to the independence of those relations is a natural one because the Lorentz transformation, the real basis of special relativity theory..." (emphasis added). So, Einstein even acknowledged that the Lorentz transformation was the real basis of his 1905 paper. Anyone who doubts that he was a plagiarist should ask one simple question: "What did Einstein know and when did he know it?" Einstein got away with premeditated plagiarism, not the incidental plagiarism that is ubiquitous (Moody, 2001). [b:43f3cb9d51]The History of E = mc2[/b:43f3cb9d51] Who originated the concept of matter being transformed into energy and vice versa? It dates back at least to Sir Isaac Newton (1704). Brown (1967) made the following statement: "Thus gradually arose the formula E = mc2, suggested without general proof by Poincaré in 1900". One thing we can say with certainty is that Einstein did not originate the equation E = mc2. Then the question becomes: "Who did?" Bjerknes (2002) suggested as a possible candidate S. Tolver Preston, who "formulated atomic energy, the atom bomb and superconductivity back in the 1870s, based on the formula E = mc2". In addition to Preston, a major player in the history of E = mc2 who deserves a lot of credit is Olinto De Pretto (1904). What makes this timing so suspicious is that Einstein was fluent in Italian, he was reviewing papers written by Italian physicists and his best friend was Michele Besso, a Swiss Italian. Clearly, Einstein (1905b) would have had access to the literature and the competence to read it. In "Einstein's E = mc2 'was Italian's idea'" (Carroll, 1999), we see clear evidence that De Pretto was ahead of Einstein in terms of the formula E = mc2. In terms of his understanding the vast amount of energy that could be released with a small amount of mass, Preston (1875) can be credited with knowing this before Einstein was born. Clearly, Preston was using the E = mc2 formula in his work, because the value he determined - e.g., that one grain could lift a 100,000-ton object up to a height of 1.9 miles - yields the equation E = mc2. According to Ives (1952), the derivation Einstein attempted of the formula E = mc2 was fatally flawed because Einstein set out to prove what he assumed. This is similar to the careless handling of the equations for radioactive decay which Einstein derived. It turns out that Einstein mixed kinematics and mechanics, and out popped the neutrino. The neutrino may be a mythical particle accidentally created by Einstein (Carezani, 1999). We have two choices with respect to neutrinos: there are at least 40 different types or there are zero types. Occam's razor rules here. [b:43f3cb9d51]The Eclipse of 1919[/b:43f3cb9d51] There can be no clearer definition of scientific fraud than what went on in the Tropics on May 29, 1919. What is particularly clear is that Eddington fudged the solar eclipse data to make the results conform to "Einstein's" work on general relativity. Poor (1930), Brown (1967), Clark (1984) and McCausland (2001) all address the issues surrounding this eclipse. What makes the expeditions to Sobral and Principe so suspect is Eddington's zealous support of Einstein, as can be seen in his statement, "By standing foremost in testing, and ultimately verifying the 'enemy' theory, our national observatory kept alive the finest traditions of science..." (emphasis added) (Clark, 1984). In this instance, apparently Eddington was not familiar with the basic tenets of science. His job was to collect data - not verify Einstein's theories. Further evidence for the fraud can be deduced from Eddington's own statements and the introduction to them provided by Clark (ibid., p. 285): "May 29 began with heavy rain, which stopped only about noon. Not until 1.30 pm when the eclipse had already begun did the party get its first glimpse of the sun: 'We had to carry out our programme of photographs on faith...'" (emphasis added). Eddington reveals his true prejudice: he was willing to do anything to see that Einstein was proved right. But Eddington was not to be deterred: "It looked as though the effort, so far as the Principe expedition was concerned, might have been abortive"; "We developed the photographs, two each night for six nights after the eclipseThe cloudy weather upset my plans and I had to treat the measures in a different way from what I intended; consequently I have not been able to make any preliminary announcement of the result" (emphasis added) (Clark, ibid.). Actually, Eddington's words speak volumes about the result. As soon as he found one shred of evidence that was consistent with "Einstein's" general relativity theory, he immediately proclaimed it as proof of the theory. Is this science? Where were the astronomers when Eddington presented his findings? Did anyone besides Eddington actually look at the photographic plates? Poor did, and he completely repudiated the findings of Eddington. This should have given pause to any ethical scientist. Here are some quotes from Poor's summary: "The mathematical formula, by which Einstein calculated his deflection of 1.75 seconds for light rays passing the edge of the sun, is a well known and simple formula of physical optics"; "Not a single one of the fundamental concepts of varying time, or warped or twisted space, of simultaneity, or of the relativity of motion is in any way involved in Einstein's prediction of, or formulas for, the deflection of light"; "The many and elaborate eclipse expeditions have, therefore, been given a fictitious importance. Their results can neither prove nor disprove the relativity theory" (emphasis added) (Poor, 1930). From Brown (1967), we learn that Eddington couldn't wait to get it out to the world community that Einstein's theory was confirmed. What Eddington based this on was a premature assessment of the photographic plates. Initially, stars did "appear" to bend as they should, as required by Einstein, but then, according to Brown, the unexpected happened: several stars were then observed to bend in a direction transverse to the expected direction and still others to bend in a direction opposite to that predicted by relativity. The absurdity of the data collected during the Eclipse of 1919 was demonstrated by Poor (1930), who pointed out that 85% of the data were discarded from the South American eclipse due to "accidental error", i.e., it contradicted Einstein's scale constant. By a strange coincidence, the 15% of the "good" data were consistent with Einstein's scale constant. Somehow, the stars that did not conform to Einstein's theories conveniently got temporarily shelved - and the myth began. So, based on a handful of ambiguous data points, 200 years of theory, experimentation and observation were cast aside to make room for Einstein. Yet the discredited experiment by Eddington is still quoted as gospel by Stephen Hawking (1999). It is difficult to comprehend how Hawking could comment that "The new theory of curved space-time was called general relativityIt was confirmed in spectacular fashion in 1919, when a British expedition to West Africa observed a slight shift in the position of stars near the sun during an eclipse. Their light, as Einstein had predicted, was bent as it passed the sun. Here was direct evidence that space and time were warped". Does Hawking honestly believe that a handful of data points, massaged more thoroughly than a side of Kobe beef, constitutes the basis for overthrowing a paradigm that had survived over two centuries of acid scrutiny? The real question, though, is: "Where was Einstein in all this?" Surely, by the time he wrote his 1935 paper, he must have known of the work of Poor: "The actual stellar displacements, if real, do not show the slightest resemblance to the predicted Einstein deflections: they do not agree in direction, in size, or the rate of decrease with distance from the sun". Why didn't he go on the record and address a paper that directly contradicted his work? Why haven't the followers of Einstein tried to set the record straight with respect to the bogus data of 1919? What makes this so suspicious is that both the instruments and the physical conditions were not conducive to making measurements of great precision. As pointed out in a 2002 Internet article by the British Institute of Precise Physics, the cap cameras used in the expeditions were accurate to only 1/25th of a degree. This meant that just for the cap camera uncertainty alone, Eddington was reading values over 200 times too precise. McCausland (2001) quotes the former Editor of Nature, Sir John Maddox: "They [Crommelin and Eddington] were bent on measuring the deflection of light"; "What is not so well documented is that the measurements in 1919 were not particularly accurate"; "In spite of the fact that experimental evidence for relativity seems to have been very flimsy in 1919, Einstein's enormous fame has remained intact and his theory has ever since been held to be one of the highest achievements of human thought" (emphasis added). It is clear that from the outset Eddington was in no way interested in testing "Einstein's" theory; he was only interested in confirming it. One of the motivating factors in Eddington's decision to promote Einstein was that both men shared a similar political persuasion: pacifism. To suggest that politics played no role in Eddington's glowing support of Einstein, one need ask only one question: "Would Eddington have been so quick to support Einstein if Einstein had been a hawk?" This is no idle observation. Eddington took his role as the great peacemaker very seriously. He wanted to unite British and German scientists after World War I. What better way than to elevate the "enemy" theorist Einstein to exalted status? In his zeal to become peacemaker, Eddington lost the fundamental objectivity that is the essential demeanour of any true scientist. Eddington ceased to be a scientist and, instead, became an advocate for Einstein. The obvious fudging of the data by Eddington and others is a blatant subversion of scientific process and may have misdirected scientific research for the better part of a century. It probably surpasses the Piltdown Man as the greatest hoax of 20th-century science. The BIPP asked, "Was this the hoax of the century?" and exclaimed, "Royal Society 1919 Eclipse Relativity Report Duped World for 80 Years!" McCausland stated that "In the author's opinion, the confident announcement of the decisive confirmation of Einstein's general theory in November 1919 was not a triumph of science, as it is often portrayed, but one of the most unfortunate incidents in the history of 20th-century science". It cannot be emphasised enough that the Eclipse of 1919 made Einstein, Einstein. It propelled him to international fame overnight, despite the fact that the data were fabricated and there was no support for general relativity whatsoever. This perversion of history has been known about for over 80 years and is still supported by people like Stephen Hawking and David Levy. [b:43f3cb9d51]Summary and Conclusions[/b:43f3cb9d51] The general public tends to believe that scientists are the ultimate defenders of ethics, that scientific rigour is the measure of truth. Little do people realise how science is conducted in the presence of personality. It seems that Einstein believed he was above scientific protocol. He thought he could bend the rules to his own liking and get away with it; hang in there long enough and his enemies would die off and his followers would win the day. In science, the last follower standing wins - and gets to write history. In the case of Einstein, his blatant and repeated dalliance with plagiarism is all but forgotten and his followers have borrowed repeatedly from the discoveries of other scientists and used them to adorn Einstein's halo. Einstein's reputation is supported by a three-legged stool. One leg is Einstein's alleged plagiarism. Was he a plagiarist? The second leg is the physics community. What did they know about Einstein and when did they know it? The third leg is the media. Are they instruments of truth or deception when it comes to Einstein? Only time will tell. The physics community is also supported by a three-legged stool. The first leg is Einstein's physics. The second leg is cold fusion. The third leg is autodynamics. The overriding problem with a three-legged stool is that if only one leg is sawed off, the stool collapses. There are at least three very serious disciplines where it is predictable that physics may collapse. Science is a multi-legged stool. One leg is physics; a second leg is the earth sciences; a third, biology; and a fourth, chemistry (e.g., cold fusion). What will happen if, for the sake of argument, physics collapses? Will science fall? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- References: Bjerknes, C.J. (2002), Albert Einstein: The Incorrigible Plagiarist, XTX Inc., Dowers Grove. Born, M. (1956), Physics in My Generation, Pergamon Press, London, p. 193. Brown, G. Burniston (1967), "What is wrong with relativity?", Bull. of the Inst. of Physics and Physical Soc., pp. 71-77. Carezani, R. (1999), Autodynamics: Fundamental Basis for a New Relativistic Mechanics, SAA, Society for the Advancement of Autodynamics. Carroll, R., "Einstein's E = mc2 'was Italian's idea'", The Guardian, November 11, 1999. Clark, R.W. (1984), Einstein: The Life and Times, Avon Books, New York. De Pretto, O. (1904), "Ipotesi dell'etere nella vita dell'universo", Reale Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, Feb. 1904, tomo LXIII, parte II, pp. 439-500. Einstein, A. (1905a), "Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper" ("On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies"), Annalen der Physik 17:37-65. Einstein, A. (1905b), Does the Inertia of a Body Depend on its Energy Content?", Annalen der Physik 18:639-641. Einstein, A. (1907), "Über die vom Relativitätspringzip geforderte Trägheit der Energie", Annalen der Physik 23(4):371-384 (quote on p. 373). Einstein, A. (1935), "Elementary Derivation of the Equivalence of Mass and Energy", Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 61:223-230 (first delivered as The Eleventh Josiah Willard Gibbs Lecture at a joint meeting of the American Physical Society and Section A of the AAAS, Pittsburgh, December 28, 1934). Hawking, S., "Person of the Century", Time Magazine, December 31, 1999. Ives, H.E. (1952), "Derivation of the Mass-Energy Relation", J. Opt. Soc. Amer. 42:540-543. Keswani, G.H. (1965), "Origin and Concept of Relativity", Brit. J. Phil. Soc. 15:286-306. Mackaye, J. (1931), The Dynamic Universe, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, pp. 42-43. Maddox, J. (1995), "More Precise Solar-limb Light-bending", Nature 377:11. Moody, R., Jr (2001), "Plagiarism Personified", Mensa Bull. 442(Feb):5. Newton, Sir Isaac (1704), Opticks, Dover Publications, Inc., New York, p. cxv. Nordman, C. (1921), Einstein et l'univers, translated by Joseph McCabe as "Einstein and the Universe", Henry Holt and Co., New York, pp. 10-11, 16 (from Bjerknes, 2002). Poincaré, J.H. (1905), "The Principles of Mathematical Physics", The Monist, vol. XV, no. 1, January 1905; from an address delivered before the International Congress of Arts and Sciences, St Louis, September 1904. Poor, C.L. (1930), "The Deflection of Light as Observed at Total Solar Eclipses", J. Opt. Soc. Amer. 20:173-211. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Jules Henri Poincaré (1854-1912), at http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/p/poincare.htm. Webster, N. (1947), Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition, Unabridged, p. 1878. About the Author: Richard Moody, Jr, has a Master's Degree in Geology, is the author of three books on chess theory and has written for the Mensa Bulletin. For the past four years, he has done intensive research into Albert Einstein. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Actually I've never played with Meccano before, used other things as a kid, like LEGO and other contruction kits, but I don't think anything as many varied pieces or is as strong as Meccano | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Something to do for fun | I want to build a type of remote control helicopter. It is going to be like a hovercraft that can fly and uses air from the main fan to stabilize and direct the motion of the craft. I have my own ideas and plans and was wondering if anyone out there has some time, tools and interest in building new things from scratch. [code:1:b521d302bc] /--| / --|___________------------------------/ 0 | / cp | fan | /---------------------| /_______| fan |____/ tail [/code:1:b521d302bc] going to look something like that, i want to channal some of the air created by the main motor/fan through the tail and out (0) for directions and stability. is it possible? anyone want to help me build it just for fun? Richard :lol: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Great site Rickz21 I've come across these before and thought about building one (to see if principles can be verified) with the help of an American inventor called Steve Joslin. But then I thought where would I get the electrical equipment? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| meccano | Many years ago I went to an exhibition of meccano I think it was at Olympia and saw creation in meccano. Some of the most memorable ones was a working model of Tower Bridge and one that belonged to a friend of mine, now dead, of a Grandfather clock all made of meccano including the works and yes it did work and kept good time. I believe that this has been featured in the meccano magazine. Meccano was fantastic stuff and yes you could build almost anything in it. Another friend of mine who lost a leg used meccano to keep his artificial legs in good working order when they broke and he was waiting for a replacement. Yes I did say 'legs' he had 6 of them all hanging up in his workshop all held together with bits of meccano. The other great stuff was 'Junero' it was a shaping kit for metal similar to meccano but came with a punch to make the holes where ever you wanted them. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I tried to paste it Ric but I couldn't see what it was. I like the project though. I have been thinking about building an 'aerodyne' - like a helicopter, uses the 'Coanda Effect' to fly. In theory, it will be very easy to design and make. I'm not worrying about control at the moment, its more to see if we can verify principles claimed by various authors. The best aspect, the craft looks like a flying saucer! I'll try to find some on-line sources and post them up. Will your craft be electric or fuel powered? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I don't by anymeans know a comprehensive history of the field, or all the principles of physics, but I find the whole area fascinating. Einstein didn't believe in quantum entaglement, yet the modern trend seems to be to see everything as involving entanglement. It's looking like quite a bit of Einsteins work will be turned over, and if as this guy says, the surviving bits like E=MC2 turn out to be attributable to someone else, what reason is there to put him on such a pedestal? He, as I understand it, will mostly be remembered for concepts of space time curvature to explain gravity, yet this may be explained in otherways, and still supplies paradoxes yet to be explained. And the business about the cosmological constant also shows the mans falibility. Clever dude? Undoubtably. Greatest genius of the 20th Century? Don't think so. Oh, and he thought it was impossible to ever make a bomb out of the atom..... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| It's a good question - I'd like to know the answer too! I gather that you can patent general ideas in the US, causing problems in all sorts of ways. So I guess, you would patent the above example as 'the use of a photo-optical device to affect changes in a photo-sensitive coating on the label side of a disc such as to write visible messages/labels, where that laser is the writing laser of the DVD player' Not in propper patent terminology, but you get my drift anyway. I'm not sure I agree with being able to do that though - I think patents should be there to protect the investment of time and effort where that investment is specifically critical to make something happen, and where it is original. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| That said, I'm being a bit hypocritical as I want to do just this and seek a license agreement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Suspended animation | Hot on the heels of the discovery that Hydrogen Sulphide can cause 'hibernation' (I think it was in rats or mice), comes another amazing scientific discovery - [url]http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,15739502-13762,00.html[/url] Boffins create zombie dogs By Nick Buchan of NEWS.com.au June 27, 2005 From: Eerie ... boffins have brought dead dogs back to life, in the name of science. SCIENTISTS have created eerie zombie dogs, reanimating the canines after several hours of clinical death in attempts to develop suspended animation for humans. US scientists have succeeded in reviving the dogs after three hours of clinical death, paving the way for trials on humans within years. Pittsburgh's Safar Centre for Resuscitation Research has developed a technique in which subject's veins are drained of blood and filled with an ice-cold salt solution. The animals are considered scientifically dead, as they stop breathing and have no heartbeat or brain activity. But three hours later, their blood is replaced and the zombie dogs are brought back to life with an electric shock. Plans to test the technique on humans should be realised within a year, according to the Safar Centre. However rather than sending people to sleep for years, then bringing them back to life to benefit from medical advances, the boffins would be happy to keep people in this state for just a few hours, But even a this should be enough to save lives such as battlefield casualties and victims of stabbings or gunshot wounds, who have suffered huge blood loss. Advertisement: Duing the procedure blood is replaced with saline solution at a few degrees above zero. The dogs' body temperature drops to only 7C, compared with the usual 37C, inducing a state of hypothermia before death. Although the animals are clinically dead, their tissues and organs are perfectly preserved. Damaged blood vessels and tissues can then be repaired via surgery. The dogs are brought back to life by returning the blood to their bodies,giving them 100 per cent oxygen and applying electric shocks to restart their hearts. Tests show they are perfectly normal, with no brain damage. "The results are stunning. I think in 10 years we will be able to prevent death in a certain segment of those using this technology," said one US battlefield doctor.[/url] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| fun project | hi ATB! did you try press the needed number of spaces? try pressing spacebar the number of times indicacated below. 59 times on line 1 4times on line 2 2 times on line 3 I want it to be electric or which ever is lighter i guess. what is an aerodyne? and what is the Coanda effect? flying saucer?...Awosme! i love reading stuff about ufo's! Especially about how thery relate to the origin of man! I am currently readin ' chariots of the Gods' by von Daniken. so far it has been really good! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| suspended animation | Short of an attack from outer space I think that is one of the most terrifying things i have ever heard! It is either going to destroy religion or back it. it will change everyones life. it will either give hope to those that have none or it will take away what little hope some of us have. Although it would pave the way for interstella travel...... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This company is making one: [url]http://www.americanantigravity.com/jetfan.html[/url] However, it makes some erroneous claims: "The remarkable device shown levitating below operates on the Coanda-Effect and utilizes airflow around a UFO style-body to achieve flight. The key is manipulating the airflow to get the air to 'stick' to the curvature of the body -- [b:a4d24abbf4]a process that JetFan is pioneering![/b:a4d24abbf4]" He's not pioneering it - its at least 50 year old technology. He's using a fan to blow air over the sides of the disc. High pressure air will tend to 'grip' a surface, like water does as it flows over the back of a spoon. The air then flows around the sides and up again back into the underside of the disk, creating high pressure under the disc. The fan sucks from the top, lowering air pressure above the disk. Also, the flow of air over the top also should reduce pressure like a wing, and the result is more lift. It's not an 'anti-gravity' machine, just a clever but 'conventional' aircraft. Simpler designs would use a centrifugal fan (impeller), rotating one way, and another fan stacked beneath rotating the other way, to neutralise counter spin (like your idea is also to do). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kyoto HEAVY | You've heard of the Kyoto Agreement. You've heard of 'Kyoto Lite' when agreement could not be reached..... Well here's 'Kyoto [i:ff2e496b90]EXTRA LARGE![/i:ff2e496b90]' ATB's Kyoto terms: 1: Oil production from fossil sources should be capped at current levels 2: Growth in transport sector to be accomplished through efficiency gains only 3: Coal to be universally phased out as an electrical energy power source 4: General moratorium to use nuclear and renewables 5: New domestic buildings to derive most heating/cooling energy without CO2 emissions, existing ones to get conversion grants. Industrial activities to be more vertically integrated to recycle heat and energy (i.e. smelting/refining can recycle its heat) 6: 'Carbon' tax (not trading. Tax multiplied by a nations GDP per capita level) 7: Total 'warming potential' used as the basis of emissions taxes - i.e. Methane as well as CO2. This would be a 'warming tax' rather than just a CO2 tax. 8: Carbon / warming negated credits: from tax contributions, any activity that acts to reduce future CO2 levels or other global warming agents, should recieve a fixed value credit per unit. 9: Globally fund development with a global fund based on Carbon Tax | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| On the development funding - I think these technology areas look promising: I.E. a) Bio-fuels via Algae b) Polymer conversion technology to convert cellulose into fuel, liberating agricultural wastes c) Fast cycling nuclear reactors to assist renewables without burning methane d) Develop electric-to-fuel and thermal-to-fuel technology for converting deserts to solar-powered fuel sources. e) Cheap Solar thermal technology for domestic space and water heating, and absorption cooling. f) Efficiency technology, such as the Starotor, Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, and heat reclamation and heat pump technology. g) Hybrid technology such as cheap Ultra-capacitors, Lithium Sulphur batteries. And when competitive, each nation has to set increasing quotas to phase these technologies in. Grants given on a 'environmental benefit' basis. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Firework factory - on display! | Have you ever wondered what would happen if a firework factory set alight? [url]http://www.ebaumsworld.com/fireworkfactory.html[/url] I sure hope no one was hurt, but that was quite amazing footage. 8O | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tiger vs Crocodile | I'm posting this, because some months back I was interested in a similar scenario for an essay on evolutionary theory I was writing. Then I came across some actual footage of a Tiger fighting a similarly full sized crocodile, in the wild. And we all know how helpless we'd be, minus our groups, one on one and no weapons, if we encountered either of these two great predatorial killing machines. But what if they chose not easy targets, but each other? Imagine a tiger is threatened by a crocodile.... So I thought I would ask you, which of these specialised predators, each representative Kings of their special groups - reptiles and mammals (ignoring us), - would you expect to win a fight before you saw the footage? (please vote honestly!) It has in my opinion, some interesting evolutionary implications, and I think this is a great way to bring them up. The scenario - a female tiger is protecting her cubs from a crocodile: [url]http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=isnichwahr.de.croc[/url] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I think in terms of 20th Century scientific work with the most repercussions, and without being 'politically correct', that of Rosalind Franklin is probably amongst the greatest ever. She basically "was responsible for much of the research and discovery work that led to the understanding of the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA." But instead the honours went to Watson and Crick | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [quote:0cb104d825="ATB"]I gather that you can patent general ideas in the US, causing problems in all sorts of ways.[/quote:0cb104d825] ============================================== Unproven "ideas" be they general or not are **not** usually patentable in the U.S. unless they consist of and meet Statutory Requirements: (a) method or a process (let's say a medical technique) (b) a machine - typically with moving parts or something which does something (c) an article of manufacture - such as a tool (d) a composition of matter - such as taking gravel and sand to come up with cement or creating "Dolly", the sheep (e) an improvement invention for all or one of the above There are three main patents in the U.S. a small entity (defined as 500 or less persons though I'm referring to only one (1) person) though small entitys typically on submit either a Utility and/or Design Patent. Others include but are not limited to Plant patents (asexually reproducible plants providing novelty and being unobvious) and S.I.R. patents (Statutory Invention Registration) - a defensive document (and maneuver) authorising the Commissioner of Patents to publish the application without examination (the U.S. is a "Review and Examination" country) even though it meets "attributes specified for patents" but does **not** exlude others from making, using, selling, and/or importing it and it appears to be citable as prior art. Why file a S.I.R.? One answer might be preventing big business from gobbling up one's system of doing business ultimately closing it down especially if one can't afford a lawsuit to protect one's patent. It's a way to surrender in public domain technology and methods one can't afford to protect but wants a patent for. In the case of Design patents statutory requirements are almost the same as the above requiring they be (a) Useful (b) Novel over prior art [Novelty is different in the U.S. from rest of the world excluding Canada- as patents are granted to the "first to invent" **not** the "first to file"] and, (c) Unobvious ("...though an invention is not identically disclosed or described" ...."if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains". In the case of a Design patent, the design has to be novel, unobvious and nonfunctional (ornamental/cosmetic as opposed to providing a utilitarian feature(s)). What contributes to an invention being deemed useful? Just about anything which includes it has to work (in the case of Utility patent applications). An idea alone - where the inventor had not worked out its nuts n' bolts- would not teach how it is made and used in the specification nor likely show same in the formal drawings (interconnections and operation); and, if not, the aforementioned would likely not support the legal Claim(s) and vice-versa. What contributes to an invention being deemed novel? It has to be different from any/all prior art - - be the art patented or not at the time of submission. What contributes to an invention being deemed unobvious? A tough question to answer. My rule of thumb is personaly having an Ah! Ha! moment: if I look and can't figure out what it is or what it does, I may have an Ah! Ha! moment when it is demonstrated. In other words, I would likely say, "Good grief! Who knew!!" "Who would have thought it could do/produce that!" On the other hand, patent examiners have specific guidelines which include creating a mythical person such as an auto mechanic (were the invention is an auto tool). This mythical person deemed "one skilled in the art" would evaluate then conclude the tool is not only Useful (my rule of thumb = it could replace one or more other like tools), Novel, but it must be Unobvious too. Examiner's are fickle, interpretation of rules and guidelines can be fickle, hence, one should have monies set aside during patent prosecution to amend, fight for, and convince an examiner why one's art is useful, novel, and unobvious - in the U.S. Penny :wink: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most people I assume would say that the [i:910ac6e1c8]crocodile[/i:910ac6e1c8] would win such an encounter. What is shocking about the video, is how easily the Tiger killed the crocodile - it was almost no effort. The tiger was faster, smarter, stronger and more strategic - by far. The tiger is a quantum leap in evolution over the reptile. It explains why it is that dinosaurs did not return to land as large predators. Of course, the crocodile is adapted to water, but it would surely have returned to other niches if it was permitted to. Dinosaurs, like velociraptor, and larger animals, would have returned. It is therefore interesting to see that a tiger is more than capable of killing an equivalent or even a significantly larger dinosaur, without obtaining injury. Consider also that Sabre-tooth tigers were more than twice as large as modern tigers and we can see that all but the largest dinosaurs would have been prey to such an animal. And as for the largest aggressive dinosaurs, like triceratops, with this new insight, I think we can say that an animal like an elephant or a woolly mammoth would probably also have much more capable, should they have both lived at the same time, in terms of [i:910ac6e1c8]smartness, organisation, speed [/i:910ac6e1c8](of thought and muscle), [i:910ac6e1c8]power and strength on demand[/i:910ac6e1c8]. Elephants would displace such animals until they drove them extinct. In fact, a pack of wolves could probably kill most dinosaurs. This is evolution, and what fascinates me, is it's not the ugliest, most aggressive looking animals that are the most powerful, deadly killing machines - it's the cutest. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Many thanks Penny :o This is the sort of detailed information I would have a hard time digesting down the pub, and why I think forums can be so useful to inventors. Thanks again - I'll come back with any more questions if I may, when they come to me! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi ATB, "The Pub!?" lol! No time for the pub unless you're making money from your product. "Gotta" get crackin' at the bench then spend all your spare time at the pub - - - after you've made money. It takes a certain type of disciple to stay focused unless one is a hobby type of inventor with nothing better to do than churn out unqualified ideas one after the other. Either way, have one on me! :wink: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Re: hobbies to the market | [quote:b057fb6dbf="Rickz21"]I have my jets and helicopters and various other modles that i have constructed from plans in my head and was wondering if anyone thinks that they | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||