11–20 of 22 posts
It is just the name of the thing that has changed, not the thing itself.
I've actually got a ton of ideas for inventions but I have no idea how to break into the business. Any advice? Any books I could read?
I've actually got a ton of ideas for inventions but I have no idea how to break into the business. Any advice? Any books I could read?
The most innovative work will come from people spanning multiple areas of human knowledge: informatics and biology, chemistry and physics, sociology and medicine...
Now, I'm off to get my antidote fix of Richard Feynman ;) !
I've actually got a ton of ideas for inventions but I have no idea how to break into the business. Any advice? Any books I could read?
The other day I saw a commercial for the company Invent Help . I usually ignore them but for once it really got me thinking. They start by saying something along the lines of "are you an inventor..." which lead me to ask the same question as you (assuming you're Kevin); does anyone actually give them self the title "Inventor?" Event if you "invent" full time, doesn't that seem a bit pretentious? It could just be the…
And they took her money and provided her with a bunch of useless into on how to patent something.
The other day I saw a commercial for the company Invent Help . I usually ignore them but for once it really got me thinking. They start by saying something along the lines of "are you an inventor..." which lead me to ask the same question as you (assuming you're Kevin); does anyone actually give them self the title "Inventor?" Event if you "invent" full time, doesn't that seem a bit pretentious? It could just be the…
We have some of the same thoughts on the matter. There was a thread on invention and marketing that I had to drop. Treating the marketing aspect properly takes the conversation too far away from the main subject. Points like who invented what first are too hot to introduce without spending a lot of time accounting for them. (That surprised me.) The same goes for who can be considered an inventor today. I think invent…
1. About half-way through, you said that nobody would pay to own a pre-iPhone, or would give two twenty year olds the run of a plant. But what about Pebble? Granted, it's not built in a garage, but this printrbot could be: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/printrbot/printrbot-your...
You did say that there was a reversal of this trend, but can you clarify what you meant when you said "In 2012 it almost defies belief."
2. I like the take on attributing inventions to a single inventor - this was brought up in the book "The Myths of Innovation" by Scott Berkun which he talks about in a lecture at Carnegie Mellon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amt3ag2BaKc and the premise for my website http://brownieinmotion.ca (read the essay on 3M) where I say that expertise in one domain helps you solve problems in another (also the reason I pursued three degrees in engineering, music and economics).
3. I agree with your counter-argument to entrepreneurs chasing ideas that are too small. I wanted to add my thoughts on that. Groupon didn't think that selling 2-for-1 coupons were beneath them. I elaborated on it here: The Move to Less Productivity http://startupframework.tumblr.com/post/25224585415/the-move... Google, RIM, etc got to where they where by a series of small attainable steps. Eventually, they discover a scalable model.
4. Also wanted to add to your take on lottery tickets/incubators. Getting into an accelerator program was never a permission slip for doing what you love. But business planning is essential, even if the plan is worthless (to paraphrase Eisenhower) and to paraphrase the founder of Zappos: the goal is not to lower risk, but to go for higher expected positive outcome.
Thanks for sharing Kevin. If you don't mind, please critique my book-in-progress on innovation and startups: http://bit.ly/icecreamstart
He invented the disposable diaper, the form-fitting sanitary napkin, the squeezable bottle, the granola bar, microwave cookware, the underwire bra, the garbage compactor, stringless band-aid packaging, heated pizza boxes, and much more from his home in Connecticut.
I remember a few things quite clearly:
- He had a map of all the places he had flown to, much of it on his own plane.
- He was adamant that I learn how to draw if I ever wanted to invent something I could patent.
- There was an old Mercedes in his driveway that he modified to run on soybean oil and he regretted that he wasn't able to convince car companies or congress to take it seriously.
- He was incredibly generous with his time.
- His home was part workshop and he didn't have a long commute.
It's actually hard to believe that the man doesn't have a Wikipedia page. For those who are interested, he wrote a very short book called "Inventing Small Products" which could be taken as inspiration, not a "how-to" guide. He also wrote a book called "Going Solo" which I haven't read but for $3.99 used will order immediately.
I've actually got a ton of ideas for inventions but I have no idea how to break into the business. Any advice? Any books I could read?
There isn't really a 'break into the business' there is a process for filing a patent. You can look it up at uspto.gov. There are filing fees etc, they have been reduced for 'small' inventors courtesy of the JOBS act. Generally the application in by registered mail, and then answering all the questions that come back is sufficient. If you pay an attorney to do that its about $20K these days but it can be done for muc…
Also I'm most confused what to do after getting a patent. How do you interest companies in licensing it?