Progress Thread - Spot On

[Kinsey6287]

Well, the time has finally come... (caution... I'm a Marine... I don't know what foul language is anymore)

After blowing loads of money on different ideas without doing my due diligence in either investigating the market, interest in the product, or finding out an item already existed, I think I actually have my fastlane product.

Two days ago I was standing outside my townhome freezing my a$$ off watching my dog drop dinosaur size loads, and I was thinking about the guy on here who invented the paint-brush covers that preserve your paint brushes. I was thinking about how such an easy design, and and something that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture can help almost EVERYONE who has ever lived in their own personal space. Not any specific market,.... EVERYONE. Just moved into your new apartment and need to paint? Having a baby and need to paint a nursery? Starting a business and need to paint a sign, work shop, or door? They've got it covered! Literally!! lol

Then I started thinking,... What else does everyone do. Not just a few people here and there... But EVERYONE. And what does EVERYONE do, that is almost ALWAYS a pain in the a$$??

And it hit me. Like a ton of F*cking afghany raped sheep!!

I went inside, paused the episode of Chicago Med that my fiance was watching, and told her... What did she do?

Laughed. But then she thought about it,... and actually said "I'd buy it"

So, today is Monday. Instead of growling and moaning when I woke up at 6:30am... I was up at 3:00 am bright eyed and bushy tailed. I spent the next 2.5 hours scrolling through the US Patent database to find that it didn't LOOK like anyone had made my idea yet.

Fortunately I am the Engineering Manager at my company. I have a 3D printer and 3D modeling software right here at my desk. So, I modeled up three different versions, sent them to the printer,... and 40 minutes later I had 15 prototype parts.

I walked around the office showing a few choice people. Not a SINGLE bad review. I asked how much they'd pay for it.

From 3:00 am until noon I had already accomplished more than I had EVER with any other project.

I've got a small market review, I have all rough draft drawings documented and dated, I have 3D models, and I have working prototypes.

I am writing this as a progress thread to let everyone here see that no matter how many times you fail,... you MUST keep going. Even if you're low-crawling, struggling to keep shifting one knee above the other, and one hand out ahead of you.... you MUST keep going.

This is going to be my story. Even if this fails, you guys will know what failed, and hopefully not make the same mistake. And if this takes off.... Then you all get the front seat view of this wild roller coaster right from the start. I'm going to document my every step here.

One thing I will not do, until the appropriate time comes, is tell anyone on here what the idea is. I'll only tell the brand name I already came up with.... SPOT ON

At 9:00pm EST I will make daily updates as to what progress and action I took that day.

So hold on tight, keep all hands, arms, feet, dongs, and nipples inside the car please! YEEEEHAAAAWWW!!!!! Here comes SPOT ON in every household!!!!

 

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[BlindSide]

Well, the time has finally come... (caution... I'm a Marine... I don't know what foul language is anymore)

After blowing loads of money on different ideas without doing my due diligence in either investigating the market, interest in the product, or finding out an item already existed, I think I actually have my fastlane product.

Two days ago I was standing outside my townhome freezing my a$$ off watching my dog drop dinosaur size loads, and I was thinking about the guy on here who invented the paint-brush covers that preserve your paint brushes. I was thinking about how such an easy design, and and something that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture can help almost EVERYONE who has ever lived in their own personal space. Not any specific market,.... EVERYONE. Just moved into your new apartment and need to paint? Having a baby and need to paint a nursery? Starting a business and need to paint a sign, work shop, or door? They've got it covered! Literally!! lol

Then I started thinking,... What else does everyone do. Not just a few people here and there... But EVERYONE. And what does EVERYONE do, that is almost ALWAYS a pain in the a$$??

And it hit me. Like a ton of F*cking afghany raped sheep!!

I went inside, paused the episode of Chicago Med that my fiance was watching, and told her... What did she do?

Laughed. But then she thought about it,... and actually said "I'd buy it"

So, today is Monday. Instead of growling and moaning when I woke up at 6:30am... I was up at 3:00 am bright eyed and bushy tailed. I spent the next 2.5 hours scrolling through the US Patent database to find that it didn't LOOK like anyone had made my idea yet.

Fortunately I am the Engineering Manager at my company. I have a 3D printer and 3D modeling software right here at my desk. So, I modeled up three different versions, sent them to the printer,... and 40 minutes later I had 15 prototype parts.

I walked around the office showing a few choice people. Not a SINGLE bad review. I asked how much they'd pay for it.

From 3:00 am until noon I had already accomplished more than I had EVER with any other project.

I've got a small market review, I have all rough draft drawings documented and dated, I have 3D models, and I have working prototypes.

I am writing this as a progress thread to let everyone here see that no matter how many times you fail,... you MUST keep going. Even if you're low-crawling, struggling to keep shifting one knee above the other, and one hand out ahead of you.... you MUST keep going.

This is going to be my story. Even if this fails, you guys will know what failed, and hopefully not make the same mistake. And if this takes off.... Then you all get the front seat view of this wild roller coaster right from the start. I'm going to document my every step here.

One thing I will not do, until the appropriate time comes, is tell anyone on here what the idea is. I'll only tell the brand name I already came up with.... SPOT ON

At 9:00pm EST I will make daily updates as to what progress and action I took that day.

So hold on tight, keep all hands, arms, feet, dongs, and nipples inside the car please! YEEEEHAAAAWWW!!!!! Here comes SPOT ON in every household!!!!

Best of luck to you! Hope it works out better than you could dream for

 

[Kinsey6287]

Ok, as promised here's update #1

So, the day started and ended with a bang. I got a lot done this morning before lunch as you can read above. But what did I do with the rest of my day???? Well, I worked... lol I do still have to pay bills...

After work though, I went to Target. What I am designing has a direct impact on an entire section of Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's... all these big name stores. So I had to do some more research. And it paid off.

So now it's 9:04 EST, and I now have 5 different product designs. Tomorrow I'll model them up, and 3D print them to do fit / form/ function testing.

Tonight I also did a small but much needed pricing exercise. Fortunately in a previous job I learned a very valuable step in any product realization. Take the time to evaluate "Real / Win / Worth"

What does this mean? Well, at this stage you evaluate the opportunity. Is it real? Can you win this opportunity? And is the juice worth the squeeze? Sit down and answer these questions with an unbiased view of the project. Involve your significant other / best friend / spouse / kid or who ever you need to at this point. The more perspective the better. I will use this strategy throughout my process and will give detail on what it consists of at each stage.

So,... was it real? Yes. Target's entire section proved that in actuality this idea/product is NEEDED. Can I win? Well, I've got working prototypes, I have a good understanding of who my market is, and I have a decent price point that I'm trying to stay focused on. I am going down the path of patent research and will hopefully be able to patent this idea/product so that it is protected and I am the only solution in the market. Is it real? Yes. This problem is something that I, and just about EVERYONE I know, has had personal struggle with. And if you talk to 5 different people and ask their process of how they currently tackle this problem,... you'll get 5 different and almost always comical solutions.

So, path ahead:
- Make prototypes of 4 new products
- Test
- Request quotes from injection molders for tooling & piece parts
- Re-visit pricing exercise
- Research provisional patents and trademarks
- Weigh provisional patent vs. utility / design patent and which may be better for me at this point

I want to make sure I get all of this finished by March 31. This is 2 weeks.... I may be done in a week. But I do have a day job...

Thanks again everyone on here for getting me to this point, and for keeping my mind sharp. I look forward to the next step, and hopefully helping someone else here who is going along the same path.

Goodnight!!

 

[Kinsey6287]

So, path ahead:
- Make prototypes of 4 new products
- Test
- Request quotes from injection molders for tooling & piece parts
- Re-visit pricing exercise
- Research provisional patents and trademarks
- Weigh provisional patent vs. utility / design patent and which may be better for me at this point

Ok, i-day+2

So, what did I accomplish today? Well to be honest it was an insane day at work, so not much. I started the day by waking up at 3:37am. I researched utility vs provisional patents until it was time to shower and leave for work at 6:30. Got to work at 6:55. Besides it being an INSANE day I had to stay late to fabricate a fixture for a missile program we're working on, so I left just before 8:00 pm. So needless to say, during that 13 hour span not a lot got accomplished.

I did receive a quote from one injection molder who specializes in fast molds. So their tooling cost is lower than others, but their piece parts are much higher. I am still awaiting two other quotes from conventional injection molding houses, and one from over seas for a fair comparison. I thought about re-formatting my cost vs. pricing today after getting the first quote but think that comparing costs between vendors is the best bet moving forward as I'm not being forced on a timeline. In my day job I am held to a delivery for DoD parts, and I have little to no time to compare costs. Here, it's all about giving the consumer the best solution at the best price, so I feel like I have time.

I also 3D printed more of the current 2 product I have. The other 4 are on hold until a "slow" day at work comes around. I plan on using the new printed parts to show to prospective investors.

While I was on my lunch break I did find some things that would be VERY useful for some of the folk here who are on the same path as me. If you're an inventor trying to keep your process budget on the low end of the spectrum, take a look at this:

TRI-STATE Patent Pro Bono Program to Launch in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut

Back in 2015, some lawyers within the UTPO got together and started a group who give Pro-Bono Legal assistance for patent applications. The article is for the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut states, however after more research it looks like this valuable service is available to anyone in any of the these great 50 states. Just do a quick google search.

I contacted the one reference in this article and after some networking I received the following email:

Hi Matt,


Thanks for your questions. Unfortunately, as an employee of the USPTO, I am not permitted to provide you with advice on the timing of the filing of trademark and patent applications. Those considerations are best taken on by an attorney who can represent you before the USPTO.


Regarding patents, you may be able to receive assistance from a volunteer patent attorney. Please contact Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, New York to see if you qualify. VLA (VLA) serves New Jersey inventors. Their phone number is (212) 319-2787.

Best wishes,


John

So, as luck would have it, there is MOST DEFINITELY help out there. There's no reason to spend THOUSANDS for a patent. A little research,.... or even this forum post, could save you THOUSANDS.

So, unfortunately this is all I accomplished today. While walking through the house I did think of another product idea that Impacts anyone who moves into a new home/apartment/condo or whatever. However I want to stay focused on these few products that focus on the same problem. So this other product,.. I quickly drew out a sketch of a solution and I have placed it next to my car key holder to give me an every day reminder to eventually tackle that next issue.

So, for "Idea" day + 2"... I'm still on track and doing quite well.

Stay tune and I'll continue to share my progress to success through a simple idea to a complex and popular problem.

Thanks for following and making comments!

 

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[OldFaithful]

Great progress. I hope you're successful with this project!

My 1st thought as I read the thread was a cautionary warning...a little red flag in the back of my mind.

Just be careful about using your employer's time/software/equipment to build your prototypes, and about involving your co-workers in the process. Word will spread. Since you are in Engineering you'll understand, they might have a clause in your hiring paperwork that says "anything you develop while in their employ belongs to the employer". I'd hate for you to develop the next "paint brush cover" and then find that your employer owns/wants your IP. It can happen.

 

[Kinsey6287]

So, path ahead:
- Make prototypes of 4 new products
- Test
- Request quotes from injection molders for tooling & piece parts
- Re-visit pricing exercise
- Research provisional patents and trademarks
- Weigh provisional patent vs. utility / design patent and which may be better for me at this point

Great progress. I hope you're successful with this project!

My 1st thought as I read the thread was a cautionary warning...a little red flag in the back of my mind.

Just be careful about using your employer's time/software/equipment to build your prototypes, and about involving your co-workers in the process. Word will spread. Since you are in Engineering you'll understand, they might have a clause in your hiring paperwork that says "anything you develop while in their employ belongs to the employer". I'd hate for you to develop the next "paint brush cover" and then find that your employer owns/wants your IP. It can happen.

Thank you for the heads up. I did think about this initially and confronted the founder/president of the company. He totally ok'd it and wants to buy-in 10%. Also it helps that he is my future father in law. Lol. He started this company from his basement, and it's now a 17 million dollar a year business focusing on DoD aerospace components. So it's nice to have his brain to pick from time to time.

So, with that being said, I-Day+3 has been not progressive at all. I was hit with a bombshell at work and was on the milling machine and lathe all day making a jig to help solve an issue with manufacturing.

I'm taking a bit of a break for the night, so this will be my daily update. I wish there was more to report, however it's been a helluva day and I'm burnt out.

I haven't received any more quotes from the other injection molders I went out to. I do know I'll have a local quote before Friday. The salesman wants to meet for lunch to discuss the quote.

Tomorrow I'll be printing the other 4 parts, the test and price.

At this point I've actually found it may be more cost effective to 3D print pieces to sell. It may not look as pretty as a molded part, but it works just the same, and costs a ton less. Maybe I'll do my broad market research and customer testing with 3D printed parts until it is verified, then jump on top of the cost for molded parts. We'll see.

Also tomorrow I'll be starting my provisional patent write-up and also reach out to the pro-bono patent lawyer. I'll be sure to post links on here of any sources of information I find, and let you guys and gals know how this whole pro-bono thing works out.

So, thanks for reading, and look for more progress tomorrow! Time to get some sleep.

 

[Kinsey6287]

All,

Well, my apologies as I have not updated my progress thread in a few days. It's certainly not from lack of progress though! So, what have I accomplished?

Every morning I have been up at 3:00am, and putting in a good 3 hours of work on this project before going to my day job. I get back home from work at 6:30 and work until 11pm. I thought I'd be exhausted! But in fact I wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed excited to get the project rolling.

So, I connected with a Pro-Bono Intellectual Property & Patent Attorney here in New Jersey who was a huge help! And yes, totally fee-free. She provided me with a template to begin working on my provisional patent and did a complete USPTO search for anything that may be like my product. Low and behold...... nothing! Sweet! I may have a great opportunity here!

I spent the next few days typing the super-dull patent jargon, then I made my own patent drawings.

So, today I submitted the provisional patent and can absolutely claim PATENT PENDING on anything and everything associated with my product!! WHOO HOOO!!!!

I also have registered as a new business with the state of New Jersey and received my business license, received authorization to collect taxes on sales, created a logo, and am currently working on the trademark application.

So, here is an updated To Do list:
1. Trademark Logo / Product Name
2. Continue to work on Business Plan
3. Get UPC Codes from GS1
4. Create Website with ability to purchase product from the website
5. Choose Packaging
6. Design Labels
7. Review Pricing
8. SELL SELL SELL

I really can not wait to make that first legitimate sale. I've given away about 50 already to people at work to test and try out at home. No bad reviews yet!

Please, if anyone has any questions on the process thus far, ASK!!! I am MORE THAN HAPPY to share any and all info on my process so far. I think I'm making great progress so far given that It's been less than two weeks. Let me know what you guys think!

 

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[MB2]

Massive mustering by Marine!.Happy for you man.

As an aspiring inventor I would like to know how did you take the first step, the first step to find a pain-point.Still I have trouble finding pain-points and those things you knnow. You have mentioned that your idea came up while you were thinking about ''everyone".Can you clarify it little bit.