Indiana Inventors Association

The medium is the message.   – Herbert Marshall McLuhan People new to innovation ask Mr. Ronald Jackson (founder of Jackson Systems ) for advice.  So he wrote a short book for them, Should I Patent My Great Idea? , based on his experience in developing 10 patented inventions and in bringing 40 products to market.  Mr. Jackson, with his characteristic enthusiasm for innovation, introduced us to his new book.  We learned that his advice resides as much in how he developed and marketed his book as in the content of the book itself. Mr. Jackson’s approach to innovation is practical and hands‑on, whether the invention is a HVAC zone control system or a book.  His book presents an overview of innovation and its risks, provides advice and options (including sample documents) for minimizing those risks, and leaves the reader to decide whether s/he has enough time, money, and enthusiasm to innovate. “Work on ideas with which you are somewhat familiar.”...

So, naturalists observe, a flea Has smaller fleas that on him prey; And these have smaller still to bite 'em, And so proceed ad infinitum.      -  On Poetry: a Rhapsody      Jonathan Swift Innovation in a free market is risky.  For example, a utility patent can help to minimize the risk of competition, but is itself a risk.  Investment (from $10,000 to $30,000) in a patent application is wasted if the patent office denies grant of a patent.  And a patent doesn’t even guarantee that we can use, sell, or profit from embodiments of our own inventions, though we can often do so without a patent.  Patent attorney Ronald Aust helped us understand the risk of a utility patent and how to minimize it. In some ways, a patent is like a land deed.  A deed specifies where someone’s land is; claims of a patent specify where (in the world of useful ideas) someone’s invention is.  Owners of either land or i...

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children.  One of these is roots, the other, wings."       Henry Ward Beecher Jim Bartek (317-614-0792), Business Development Manager of the Purdue Technology Center of Indianapolis ( PTCI ), offered us advice on whether and how to turn an idea into a business. Understanding where your idea fits into the market can help you decide whether starting a business is worth the effort, whether the juice is worth the squeeze. Benefits      Who needs help, why do they need it, and how can your business provide them with it?   Market share     What and who do you need to get your product or service to market?  What will keep competitors from kicking you out - a patent or trademark, a high start-up cost barring entry of competitors to the market, or a strong business network? Business model     Who specifically has the money you want...

“I don’t get no respect” – Rodney Dangerfield Sound familiar?  Getting past the gatekeepers to someone who can license your invention can be a challenge.  Gus Bigos (product scout for Evergreen IP ) explained why that is, and how a new-product development company (NPD) such as Evergreen IP, Big Idea Group, Edison Nation , Inventor Institute , inventRight , Pelham West , or The Carey Formula can ease your way.  (A list of other inventor-friendly resources is available.) The problem Most companies don't like to license an invention directly from an independent inventor.  Receiving disclosure of an invention (patented or unpatented) can harm a company’s efforts to patent its own similar inventions.  Licensing an invention untried by the market is riskier than buying a small company that has strong sales.  Optimal timing of a license agreement is hard to predict.  Coordinating expectations of a company and an independent inventor may require ...

" To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."      - Ralph Waldo Emerson " You can learn how to be you....  All you need is love ."      - Paul McCartney and John Lennon Sometimes, less is more. Imagine a dark June night in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and a hillside full of fireflies .  At first, each flickers independently.  Then pairs, then threesomes, flicker together.  Soon tens of thousands flash as one, in rhythm.  They have no leader, yet their synchronized light show couldn't be better.  Just individual fireflies being themselves.  As glorious as these creatures are, they aren't unique. Nature is filled with self-organized complex systems.  Rhythmic breathing synchronizes the heartbeats of a mother and her unborn child.  An athlete playing " in the zone " amazes onlookers.  Doctors use sandwiches ...

A patent can be a marvelous tool that helps you build and tap the market value of your invention.  Or it can be a useless burden that drains your time and money.  As with a hammer, you can hit the nail on the head or you can just injure yourself.  Patent attorney Elizabeth Shuster helped us understand what kind of tool a patent is by treating us to an overview of patents – what they are for, what kinds there are, what they are made of, how they are made, and how to use them. Uses of a Patent A patent gives you the right to prevent others from benefiting from your invention without permission.  That right to be negative can help you carve out a place in the market for the invention, persuade a business to license the invention, persuade potential customers to buy products that exemplify the invention, gain a reputation as an inventor and as a leader in your field, or stimulate growth of an industry.  But even though you have a patent, you might not be allowed to...