Tag Archives: patent-process

FOCUS! The Inventor’s Curse

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I remember the day when I realized that I needed to focus.

I was playing golf, poorly; I was playing tennis, so-so; I was canoeing in whitewater, not bad.

I realized that I needed to drop two of these sports and focus on just one, not to become a world-class champion, but to develop a high degree of skill.

I decided to move on from canoeing to whitewater kayaking.  I dropped the other two sports.

In whitewater kayaking it is critical to stay focused on each impending rapid to get maximum enjoyment, and to avoid disaster!

How does this relate to innovation, you ask?

The great quality of a creative person is that…they are creative.

They can see a problem and can rapidly envision a solution.

The curse of a creative person is….LACK OF FOCUS!

As I engage with inventors, innovators, product developers, visionaries, thought leaders I frequently hear “I have a lot of ideas….”

That is why I developed a 41 question rating system so that each idea, concept, vision can be compared to the others.

Why? So they can be prioritized.

If multiple ideas are simultaneously pursued, the death of all the ideas is virtually certain.

If the idea with the most promise is pursued first, commercialized, positive cash flow is created, and the break-even point (you recover your investment) successfully passed, then you can move on to the next idea in priority (assuming that the market window is still open).

I understand that it is so much more exciting to jump from one idea to another, following the next shiny moving object.

However, just as a magnifying glass focuses the energy of the sun to a single point and ignites a fire, so can focusing all your attention and resources on your best idea generate the momentum to move your idea into the marketplace.

Accomplishing each step fills you with energy and the satisfaction of positive progress.

Lack of focus pulls you backwards; singularity of focus propels you forward.

In my office I have signs everywhere with the Samurai quote “A focused mind shatters stoneTM”!

If you need help with focus, request the “First Steps” report and then give us a call.

We have been there ourselves and can keep you on track.

Whitewater Kayaking & Patents

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“Everything I know about Patents I learned through whitewater kayaking”.

Well, not everything; but there are a few aspects that illustrate principles for every inventor, innovator and product developer.

I remember the first time I went whitewater kayaking on the Upper Tellico River. I was with experienced paddlers from Tennessee who frequently run this “pool and drop” river. We were rapidly approaching a “horizon line” and they all headed for the shore. My heart rate increased – this must be serious!

The horizon line in whitewater lets you know that the river “drops” significantly. (If you are familiar with the event horizon of a black hole you know that it is that point that if you cross it, there is no turning back. On one side of the event horizon you are safe – on the other side of the event horizon, you are toast)!

On the river, you might face an un-runnable waterfall, a rapid that is beyond your skill level, or a rapid that will be thrilling, but doable. (Sometimes you discover that the rest of the river is nothing but exploding waves, undercut rocks, and downed trees – think of the river below Niagara Falls).

In order to make sure this is not your LAST whitewater journey, it is wise — very wise – to take the time to look ahead.

If it is the first two you have several options, leaving the river entirely by carrying your craft up the bank and walking to civilization, or “portage” (which means taking your craft on your shoulder and walking around the drop and continuing down river where it is safe).

If it is the last, then you get back on the river, navigate to approach the best route, plunge over the horizon line and enjoy an exhilarating ride.

In my encounter it was a waterfall, but is was runnable and I had an experienced support team with safety equipment ready to instruct me and to retrieve me if necessary.

What does this have to do with patents and inventing, you ask?

When you first have that spark of insight for a killer innovation, it is tempting to abandon all caution and plunge ahead, investing your resources in patents, trademarks, prototypes, molds, etc. prior to doing any research.

It is wiser to put on the brakes, and check out your brilliant idea first by doing some homework.

Has your concept already been commercialized? If a consumer product is involved, www.google.com/products is a great resource to use.

Has your concept already been patented, but not commercialized? www.google.com/patents is a super place to conduct a quick, informal look.

If your concept passes both of those tests, then it is time to see if your concept has the aspects of a viable product/service. While there are many elements to this (including luck and timing), the first element to examine is: will it sell, profitably, to a lot of people, for a long time? A rule of thumb is a 1 to 5 ratio between manufactured, packaged cost and the retail price.

Back to the whitewater analogy, before proceeding blindly ahead reconnoiter first to assess the risks and benefits before you cross that horizon line. Determine if you should proceed with care, abandon the quest, or plunge confidently full speed ahead, having assessed your probabilities of success.

The Patent “Which-Comes-First-The-Chicken-Or-The-Egg?” Dilemma

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In the early stages of your innovation journey you might be tempted to rush out and have a patent application filed.  Whoa!  Stop!  Wait!

This urge may be fueled by the legitimate concern that another bright mind is simultaneously working on the same innovation, or that “someone will steal my idea” if I hesitate.

Industry best practice is to first formulate your business strategy prior to crafting your intellectual property strategy (of which a patent is only one part).  That is correct, business strategy is “the chicken” and intellectual property is “the egg”.

Your first reaction might be: “business strategy?  I’m a creator, not a business person”  Welcome to the business of innovation.  Here are just a few of the questions you should ask, and answer, in developing your business strategy.

- Am I going to license my invention, or form a company, or both?

- Can my invention be reverse engineered?

- Do I reveal my “secret sauce” of how it works, or do I keep it a secret?

- Is my invention “shelf ready” (already manufactured, packaged and ready to ship), an idea on a napkin, or somewhere in between?

- Will I need government approval (FDA), or industry certification (UL) and how much time will that take?

- Who is my competition and what compelling benefits does my product/service have?

- What will be the life-cycle of my innovation and what will be the first version, second version, etc.?

- What countries outside the U.S., if any, are appropriate for this innovation?

Of course there are many other questions that must be asked and answered before you have a framework for deciding on the role that Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights and Trade Secrets will have to protect and promote your innovation.

Ron Reardon, Patents & More, Inc.