I’m asking this for my boyfriend who doesn’t use reddit. He’s in the fishing industry and has this brilliant idea for a tool that fisherman use everyday – but a much better version of it that would make the use of this tool much easier to use. It doesn’t exist yet, we checked. The problem is he (and I) have ZERO clue on how to get this going… I know that he needs to build or create some sort of prototype, right? Is there a company that can help with this? I know there are these “invention help” companies that exist, but are they legit? If they are legit, are there some that are considered better? How do they work and make money? Sorry if I’m just spewing a bunch of questions but I’m just at a loss when it comes to this stuff. I really want to help him make this a reality because he’s struggling financially at times and I just have this deep-down feeling that this could really be a great thing not only for him, but for the fishing industry in general. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I don’t know if others have said this here before, but at a glance I didn’t notice any mention of it: you do not require a working prototype in order to apply for a US patent. An idea is enough, and a patent lawyer could help you write the application.
If you’re fairly confident that the idea is patent worthy, you should consider getting started on an application for a patent right away.
This was very helpful - thank you!!
I’m an industrial designer and would be happy to help. The book one simple idea is a good approach for low risk inventing and I’ve made lots of materials for inventors following these guidelines. Send me a dm if you’d like
Oh wow, thank you so much! I just ordered the book so that step is done. I’ll be in touch.
Sounds good. I can outline the steps/ deliverables you’ll need for the one simple idea approach (licensing your product concept to an existing brand)
I’ve been through this several times. I’ve created products, created production mechanisms, developed packaging, and began to market. Some items didn’t go over well, some were real moneymaker. But in all cases, in a few months duplicate products made in China began to appear and were sold for less than 1/2 of my product. Patents and legal maneuvers were of no help. China will rip off your idea and shut you down. So be careful how much money you spend on development because your product lifetime will be short.
Find a patent attorney for an initial consult. Talk to designers, expediters, supply chain people, engineers, marketers, whoever you want. But protect your idea first. You don’t know what that means, so find out first.
I don’t know how you checked if this device exists, as an idea, if you haven’t done a patent search. If this goes anywhere, you’ll be talking to some subject matter experts. Make a lawyer your first expert.