Idea - execution help?

[amgchristian]

As of late I have pretty much applied everything I learned from Mj's book to my daily life. Before I discovered all this I remember three years back my dad was talking to me about an idea that is not being done. Today, I confronted him and asked "what happened to those ideas you had"? He replied saying he didn't know what to do. In my language, he didn't know how to execute it.
Now my dad isn't a certified engineer but he is the type of guy that can disassemble a car and assemble it if given the right tools. We don't even go to the mechanic because he can fix 5 of our cars no problem.
He later told me.. "I actually have another idea!"... So I carefully listened and was shocked. I told myself h o l y ****. "You have some world-changing ideas, why haven't you done this a long time ago"? And again he replied saying "he didn't know what to do"

So back to the topic, I Google and searched along the lines of "making your idea come to life" and what not. I didn't really find a complete answer so this is where I need advice.

-He wants to make a prototype but might need additional help because this is something you can't just go to home depot and start building on from there. Who can we safely tell and produce the prototype?

-How to protect the idea/prototype from being stolen.

Not sure if I'm even asking the right questions in order so please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thank You

 

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[Eskil]

I am in the same boat with one of my ideas. But - ask yourself this;
Can the idea be executed in sub-components (by different engineers / manufacturers / people) ? Because if so - you could keep it a secret and simple assemble the indidually engineered components for yourselves.

If not, I would first apply for a provisional patent - and then try to find someone with the knowledge and/or materials that could hell you. After signing NDA of course. NDAs may sound silly to some, but what you want is at least to *appear* as if you have the legal power to seem intimidating enough so that anyone involved won't be tempted to take it further. I hope this made sense.

 

[amgchristian]

I am in the same boat with one of my ideas. But - ask yourself this;
Can the idea be executed in sub-components (by different engineers / manufacturers / people) ? Because if so - you could keep it a secret and simple assemble the indidually engineered components for yourselves.

If not, I would first apply for a provisional patent - and then try to find someone with the knowledge and/or materials that could hell you. After signing NDA of course. NDAs may sound silly to some, but what you want is at least to *appear* as if you have the legal power to seem intimidating enough so that anyone involved won't be tempted to take it further. I hope this made sense.

That's a question I would have to ask him. It's not silly to me. An NDA sounds quite important to be honest. Especially if you're getting serious.

 

[Felix II]

Depending on the complexity, either get the tools you need (like Solidworks for designing parts) and learn how to use them, or find an engineer to design it for you, or hire a development company.


Worry less about your idea getting stolen and more about getting your idea made.


I design a lot of products for a company that contracts me. I'll send a design to 10 people for quotes on getting it made (after I complete the design and have every spec needed to build it). I do this hundreds of time per yer. Not one design has ever been stolen.

Sometimes the owner of the company will ask about IP protection (like when a regulatory body requests design specs or a customer wants more technical information). I always tell him the same thing: Anybody can buy one of these products, send it to a an engineer, and have the product reversed engineered in a week. (A few of the products are patented, but most are not.)

But guess how often that happens? Never.

Unless you have some ridiculous proprietary technology (i.e., water powered engine, pocket cold fusion power device, terabit wireless transceiver, etc...) that would be worth millions or billions of dollars just due to its nature, don't worry about getting your idea for physical products stolen.

 

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[kurtyordy]

I know I put this out before on another thread, but here is what I planning to do with my invention ideas. The likelihood of them getting to market under my car is slim to none due to the fact that I have not passion to push any of them forward or that I am lazy, not sure.

So I plan to submit them to quirky | social product development or for those who wish for not affiliate link- quirky | social product development

The odds of making huge money here are probably slim as well, but it allows me to declutter my mind. I have found that until I mentally unload an idea, my mind just keeps sticking with it and working on it and wasting brain power.

The reason I say I plan to and have not done so yet is because they do not currently take paypal and paypal is where my mad money is right now. They say they are planning on adding paypal.

So until they do I interact about 5 mins a day to build social cred there so when I do give them my ideas, there is a greater chance of success.

Might not be the option for you, but just wanted to give you another approach.

 

[Eskil]

You could also - instead of contacting engineers / manufacturers to make prototype components, get a CAD program and send the drawings to individual 3D printing firms online. If your idea lends itself to that type of thing that is.

 

[Ikke]

I can't help you with licensing tips. But splitting up the parts between different manufacturers is a good idea. That is when you are sure that the mechanical side of things (design) is worked out into detail with every tolerance specified.

Otherwise it might just be as smart to get a small (say 1 to max 5 employees) to work it out for you from start to finish and get them to sign a NDA or something along those lines to prevent them from stealing the idea.
Although knowing a few of these prototype businesses (most owner operated) myself. They just want to earn a living doing what they are good at, making prototypes.
So don't be too afraid, as they probably won't be even able to market it anyway.

And just another random idea would be to also select a company on the basis the have plenty of work so that they don't need a whole new venture to earn a living.

Good luck with your product.

 

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[amgchristian]

I need help finding these prototype companies. Where do I look for them? Before giving out or telling them my idea, what should I have done already? So far I need an NDA. Is there anything else? Thank you

 

[Eskil]

Does the idea involve electronics? Or is it mechanical?

 

[amgchristian]

The idea we are currently trying to execute right now is mechanical. The second is electronic/wireless.

 

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[Felix II]

The idea we are currently trying to execute right now is mechanical. The second is electronic/wireless.

Let me know if you need any help/guidance with the electronic/wireless one. This is my area of expertise.

 

[amgchristian]

Let me know if you need any help/guidance with the electronic/wireless one. This is my area of expertise.

Where are you located?

 

[Felix II]

Where are you located?

Utah!

 

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[amgchristian]

I'm still finding myself stuck. They say I need to do a patent search. I did a search in the uspto website but none came up. I just don't know about international however..

 

[MNentre]

Hey AMG,

I remember reading about a thread a while back where Amail was offering free CAD drawings and mechanical renderings, here is the thread: https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/ge...id-models-drawings-renderings-lemme-help.html

I think this is a perfect opportunity to contact him and see what he has to say. He seems like a great guy and is more than willing to give back to the community. See if he can help you get out of your rut.

 

[Amail]

I think most people go about patent issues backwards. You may think it's a great idea, but will it sell? Is there demand for it?

I'm listed on a couple of patents my employer has. One has to do with a method of using hot gas plastic welding for attaching strain sensors to polypropylene pipe insulation and the other is for an ROV operable subsea strain sensor. Not very glamorous, but hey, it trips my trigger. We did not pursue a patent before deploying this technology. We developed the idea, built and tested prototypes, got clients to buy the system, and got it installed and fully functional. Once we realized our customers would buy this we took a deeper look at the business implications. We saw that once our competitors saw the actual application coupled with the proven customer demand, they could easily duplicate what we've done and eliminate our competitive advantage. So, we got our patents.

I urge you to consider making your prototype and testing demand before going down the patent road. If people buy it and you lose a competitive edge by not having it patented, then by all means proceed at that point. Otherwise you're setting up your own roadblock.

 

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