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FAQs
Companion
Start-up Kits and
Home Study Courses
In the United States,
there is only one way to prove your rights to an invention. It begins by establishing your
"date of original
conception" and then "reducing it to practice".
The best method is to do
this is through proper
documentation. It costs very little.
The
Scientific Journal
shows you how. It also explains how to develop quality patents, make
patent application drawings while tracking your progress.
  
It's
easy for inventors and engineers to protect and develop their ideas. Our
Home Study Course
(includes the From Patent to Profit Workshops
series in audio cassette),
Start-up Kits and
Scientific Journals
show you how.
"The average time it takes most
first-time inventors to develop their ideas to a marketable state is 8
years. The From Patent to Profit system can cut this down dramatically. But
you must be prepared to take action...Steve Gnass, Invention Convention(TM)
Do you want to write a business plan? Think again. Don't waste your time on a business plan unless you are planning on going
into business and setting up your own sales organization. If you plan to
license or partner your invention with an established company in the field
of your invention, it must do its own business plan.
Inventor/author Bob DeMatteis does not manufacture or market
any of his inventions. Of the 16 patents he owns, all have been licensed
either before or during the patent pending process. The licensees must spend
their money on market ramp-up.
The most commonly overlooked source of funding is from
licensees. Let them spend their money to develop your concepts. In turn, you
earn royalties on sales.
This is the first book ever
written that covers in depth patent strategy and patent tactics in language you can understand. Includes how to maneuver through all the
new laws, rules and costs of the 21st Century Strategic Plan, effective
2003. It's also perfect for small businesses to learn how to manage their
IP...or for licensors to learn what licensees look for!
Read
more...includes our special offer!
Getting a Marketing Expert on your team at the earliest possible moment is
the most important requirement to make an invention successful...and is usually the
last step most first-time inventors consider. It is usually not until long
after they have spent much time and money on patenting and prototyping
that they even think about marketing and sales...quote from the book,
From Patent to Profit
Write
a patent application fast and save a lot of time and money!
PatentWizard
It'll save you hundreds, even thousands of
dollars the first time you use it!
Don't find the answer to your question here? Ask an expert online at
Innovation Insight
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Have Questions?
 Inventive
people are inquisitive people and are usually not afraid to ask questions.
Bob DeMatteis has been teaching and helping inventors for over 10 years and
has fielded thousands of questions. Here's a list of the most commonly asked
questions he's received.
How do I get started?
Start out by protecting your invention. The United States
is a "first-to-invent" country, not "first-to-file".
Your first-to-invent rights begin by writing an
invention disclosure to
establish your "date of original conception". Then keep proper records as
you "follow through and reduce it to practice". In other words, show that it
works the way you say that it works. You can't patent "blue sky", you have
to turn your idea into a legitimate invention.
Learn more about patents.
Do a patent search early on so that you know that you
have a patentable invention. Patent searches are usually the best tool
to prove the novelty of your invention. After all, you don't want to be
making a product that someone else has recently patented...it's illegal!
How do you do a patent search?
Try to make a prototype--no matter how crude--in order to prove the
functionality of the concept. It can also be used to introduce your
invention to prospective partners and licensees. If you can't make your own
prototype, there are many prototyping companies
around the country. Do an Internet search for one in your region or check
out the appendix in From Patent to Profit.
You can also file a provisional patent application in a
timely manner for only $80. This gives the invention a "patent pending"
status for one year. By the end of the year you have to file the permanent
patent application or you'll lose your priority date. Writing a provisional
patent application is not too difficult since the legal claims are not
included. What is a provisional patent
application?
If you're just starting out and not sure about the first
steps to take...start out with a
Scientific Journal.
It'll tell you exactly what to do. For a few dollars more, you can get the Start-up
Companion Kit
that'll send you on your way. Both items have a 100% money-back guarantee.
How do I market my inventions?
There are several strategies you can use. One option is
to go into business, another is to license. In the book, From Patent to
Profit, five variations are discussed in length, four of which won't require much of
your monetary outlay.
Going into business to market your inventions is the
costliest of all alternatives. Over time, you will become more of an
administrator than an inventor, since it will require hiring and managing
people. But there are some time- and money-saving variations on this theme
you can apply. Like sub-contracting the manufacturing or hiring commissioned
marketers.
Rarely do inventors make good administrators or marketers. The
smartest decision an inventor may ever make is to build and develop relationships with heavy-hitting sales companies and individuals in the field of your
invention. Let those experts market your inventive products. After all,
isn't that you do best--invent? Then get an expert marketer on your
team who is already an established supplier in the field of your invention, and let them sell a
million! Learn more about marketing
inventions.
Where do I get money to develop my inventions?
 You probably already know the answer to this question. If
you are developing your inventions yourself, then you'll have to look for
money in all the normal places. This means, 2nd TD loans on your house,
selling stocks and bonds, borrowing from family members or running up credit
cards. You could also consider venture capital money, but keep in mind that
they will almost always want you to be an expert in your field, have a
related company that is already in business and have a team assembled with others
who are also experts (such as a manufacturing expert and sales expert). You'll
also need to have bulletproof patent protection in place. This usually means
more than one patent already granted.
However, there's a much better place to "find development
money". That's through licensing. Your licensing the rights to your patents
to third parties, means they must spend their money to ramp-up manufacturing and marketing. That includes all aspects such as machinery,
molds, dies, packaging, advertising, trade show participation, inventory
build up and so on. It may also include paying your patenting costs, your
R&D and travel expenses.
Where do I find marketers?
If there is any one "best place" to start, it would be to
attend a major national trade show in the field of your invention. Not a
small regional one, but one in which you will be able to meet with several
entrepreneurial companies and their officers. You could spend tens of
thousands of dollars traveling around the country offering your inventions
for license. Or, for several hundred dollars you can attend a major trade
show and be able to talk with many of the same decision-makers. It'll save you
a lot of time (months? years?) and a lot of money.
Keep in mind that the purpose of attending the trade show
is to network with potential marketing experts (companies) in the field of
your invention. You are not there as an exhibitor. You want to gather
information about the companies...size, market influence, niche marketers
and so on. Want to know more?
Should I employ an invention promotion company?
Invention promotion companies that have any degree of
success are few and far
between. As of December, 2001, the only one we know that has a good
reputation with a strong success rate is the Arthur D. Little Company. But
they specialize only in certain fields.
Don't forget that those companies that want to license or
partner the development of your inventions, want to deal directly with
you...not through some intermediary. Besides, you can do the preliminary
work much better than any of the work we've seen done by the invention
promotion companies. Learn more about
invention promotion companies.
How much does it cost to get a patent?
It can easily cost $6000 to $8000 to get a patent issued.
Sometimes more depending upon how complex the invention may be. But if you
follow the From Patent to Profit system and its teachings, it'll cost
you a whole lot less and be
much more affordable. You can learn how to
write your
own provisional patent applications and save a bundle of money.
You see smart inventors almost always file provisional patent
applications first--only $80--then follow-up with the permanent patent
application within one year afterward. Usually, by this time the invention
has become profitable, thus affordable to file the permanent patent
applications. Experienced inventors know that partnering companies and licensees can pay your patent costs.
It's done all the time. Want to learn more
about patenting?
How much can I sell my patent for?
Probably not much unless your products have been on the
market for quite some time. Patents are worth 20-50 times more
today than just 10-15 years ago due to record judgments granted infringers.
But it will be difficult to get what you'll perceive to be a fair value via a
straight sell early on in the development cycle. The chief reason is that the purchaser will not have the same
vision you have (nor the emotional attachment!). It will not want to buy a
"pig-in-a-poke" and will therefore be very cautious.
 Almost invariably you can earn more by licensing your
invention. Royalty income over five to ten years, and hopefully for the life
of the patent, will usually be far greater than any amount you could receive
from an outright sale. Learn more about
licensing.
Essentials of
Patents gives you an excellent overview of patent evaluation and the
problems associated with evaluations. But what may be more important, is
that you can read all about what others look for when licensing in your
patents. This will help ensure that you make the right decisions and take
all the right strategic steps beginning in the early stages of development
and patenting.
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