Great Idea, now what? Patent? Contact companies?

[vintagelove]

So... I (or you) have a great idea. In my case it's an improvement on a pre-existing product sold by seemingly everyone (in different forms, from guitar pedals to software). However, I have never seen this idea implemented. It would solve the main "problem" with the product, and I have no doubt that if it were made by a good company, it would be the best product in that category, and sell well.

So, what do you do next? First off, my main desire would just to be having the product made, because, I think every guitar player who needs one, would want it. I don't really care about money (though a buck for every unit sold would be nice...).

Patent? Cost?

I am not even think abound a patent in the sense of "I want to sue people", but in the sense of being able to contact a few large companies and say "I have a patent pending, would you like to take a look at this product?". Something to have them even consider listening to me.


Anyway... I know this is a bit of an odd post. But what would you do in this situation? Try to put yourself in the shoes of a new dad who's middle class. Thanks

PS, feel free to PM me the email address of someone in the audio industry so I can save the above headache and get the pedal in the hands of those who want it.

 

[Brian Roth]

Two things come to mind. Hiring a patent attorney can cost thousands, It is possible to write/file a patent yourself, but you would really need to read through dozens of patents for similar products to "get a feel" for the proper wording and sequencing of the prose. Things like "...in the preferred embodiment..." "...as shown in prior art..." etc etc. Also, it can take years for a patent to be issued.

Second, big companies don't want to see ideas from outsiders...NIH... "Not Invented Here"...due to possible legal liability.

Why not just start your own Cottage Industry factory? Hewlett Packard and Apple began that way.....

Bri

 

[pucho812]

First thing that comes to mind here.
As a guy who worked for companies, we often had folks come up to us at trade shows and tell us I have a great idea for you. You guys need to make “insert idea here”.
More often then not the idea solves a problem they had made or pointed to a better way to solve a problem that only they run into. In other words it was something they wanted not something that we felt would really be worth bringing to market.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Make them and start selling them yourself. If its a really good idea the market will reward you.

JR

PS: I have 9 patents, mostly expensive wall paper.

 

[Brian Roth]

I was just old enough to drive and I began my own stomp box company in my parents garage. Production run was maybe six units, but it encouraged me to continue.

Bri

 

[Recording Engineer]

Make them and start selling them yourself. If its a really good idea the market will reward you.

That was my first thought. And if not yourself, partner-up with someone.

 

[ruffrecords]

If you are really not interested in making any money out of it then I would suggest you put it in the public domain. Build one, test it, document it and post all the details here. Then at least nobody else can patent it.

Cheers

Ian

 

[vintagelove]

. Build one, test it, document it and post all the details here. Then at least nobody else can patent it.

Now that is a great idea.

I just don’t have the time to make a company out of it. With a 1 year old at home, finding any time is a struggle.

I do have a friend who is a software developer. Perhaps it would be most efficient to create a software version first as a proof of concept. Also, while it could be done all analog, it would probably be best with digital control of the analog circuit. That’s honestly beyond my abilities, but if the software part was done first, someone with that capability might take interest.

Anyway, thanks for your thoughts.

 

[clintrubber]

... then I would suggest you put it in the public domain. Build one, test it, document it and post all the details here. Then at least nobody else can patent it.

Cheers

Ian

This indeed one of the possibilities: 'defensive publication'.
On the other hand, you don't want the usual suspects (Be..., Wa..., ...) to see it and 'lend' it. While indeed they can't patent it anymore, they still could make money from it, which I assume you don't want them to.

For obvious reasons, defensive publications are usually done in obscure places - as long as the search by the patent office (when considering a new patent) is able to find it.

Apart from all this, we'd obviously be curious to hear about your idea, so if you do decide to publish it here we'll sure read it.
(and not be abusing it)

 

[JohnRoberts]

Now that is a great idea.

I just don’t have the time to make a company out of it. With a 1 year old at home, finding any time is a struggle.

I do have a friend who is a software developer. Perhaps it would be most efficient to create a software version first as a proof of concept. Also, while it could be done all analog, it would probably be best with digital control of the analog circuit. That’s honestly beyond my abilities, but if the software part was done first, someone with that capability might take interest.

Anyway, thanks for your thoughts.

Over the decades I have pursued far more ideas that I thought were "great" than were received similarly by the market place.

I even had one patented idea (while working at Peavey), knocked off by Behringer (they got their own similar patent, and hired better lawyers). I only half joke that all patents do is give you permission to file lawsuits, Peavey sued and did not win in court.

For an example of one good(?) idea that I abandoned. http://www.johnhroberts.com/OD1.htm I designed this because I was concerned about the cheap 3 lamp outlet testers being dangerously fooled by RPBG. I abandoned this because it would have cost me several tens of thousands to get UL approval, and then I would need to tool up offshore production and make significant capital investments in inventory to hit a popular price point, to compete against mature 3 lamp testers that don't really work all that well. UL makes them add fine print to their instructions that they can't detect multiple faults. RPBG involves two mistakes.

In my experience you need to do more than invent a better mouse trap. You have to build it for a price that the customers will embrace, then make it available for them to buy, and then make sure they know that the better mouse trap exists. Not trivial. A large company partner can help with parts of that three legged stool, but routinely suffer from NIH (not invented here) syndrome. Without an internal champion to support an even good(?) outside idea, it will often fail to overcome internal resistance.

JR

 

[ruffrecords]

Interesting that it could (mostly) be done in software. This provides an alternative route to protection. If the clever bit is not what it does but the way you do it then the IPR is really in the code (the implementation). Fortunately code can a) be copyrighted (cheaply) and b) embedded in a microcontroller and protected so it cannot be read (the software equivalent of potting a circuit). Edit: If B etal then wants to build them in quantity you can licence them the chips (just as Ray Dolby did).

Cheers

Ian