Inventors Association of New England IANE

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Upcoming IANE Speakers

To see a list of upcoming speakers and meeting info, check out our website at http://www.inventne.org/meet.html

September 12: Jeffery Conley, President of Eureka Medical in Burlington, a resource for independent inventors with ideas for medical devices and healthcare products, offering no-cost services to refine and present product ideas to the best-matched medical supply companies <www.eurekamed.com>

October 17: Angelo Tortola, IANE member and President of Venture Technologies in North Billerica, inventor and developer of the Game Light (over six million sold), the Electronic Swing Groover golf training device featured in Brookstone and Sharper Image, plus medical and military equipment. <www.venturetechnologies.com>

December 12: Saul Palder, Inventor of Smart Spin, a kitchen cupboard storage system for plastic containers and lids now available in Wal-Mart and Target. Saul and his product are featured in the cover article in the July/August/September issue of Inventors' Digest <www.smartspin.com>

Also Inventors Clinic meeting dates are September 14 and November 16 in Lexington

Monday, August 15, 2005

Staples Invention Quest - 10 Finalists

View the 10 finalists, then help make office product history by voting for the invention you think will make your workday easiest. Voting begins August 10 and ends August 24.

View the finalists - http://inventionquest.dja.com/Pages/FinalistsInfo.php

Cast your vote - http://inventionquest.dja.com/Pages/Finalists.php

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Product-To-Market Boot Camp

http://www.centerdesignbusiness.org/progs_designers.html

The Center for Design and Business is offering a one-day Product-to-Market Bootcamp

Product-To-Market Boot Camp

This intensive full-day workshop is for the artist, designer, inventor or entrepreneur who is bringing a new product design or invention to market. It provides a step-by-step approach to the process of moving from the idea stage to the marketplace. Throughout the day, the various sessions focus on concept evaluation, market research, user feedback, intellectual property protection, product development, team building, presentation methods, business models, and dealing with the realities of entrepreneurship. Guest presenters include David Josephs, David Guay, Deb Morais and Ann Poulos.
Note: Fee includes course workbook and lunch.

Click here to download a PDF file with more information on the Product Idea-to-Market Boot Camp.

Presented by: Elizabeth Pierotti, Inventor, Product Developer, Educator and Cheryl Faria, Director, The Center for Design & Business. Guest presenters include David Josephs, Intellectual Property Attorney; Deb Morais, Marketing & Communications; Ann Poulos, Business Research Specialist; Jim Segovis, Bryant University; and David Guay, Models and Prototypes
Date: Thursday, October 20

Time: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm

Fee: $350 ($300 for Center Associates*) Fee includes course workbook

Location: Rhode Island School of Design

United Inventors Association August Newsletter

The United Inventors Association August Newsletter is now available online at:

http://www.uiausa.org/Publications/Newsletter/HTMLFormat/August2005Newsltr.html

This Month:

What’s the Difference Between a Trademark, a Copyright and a Patent?

Ask the Expert: How and When to License?
By Don Kelly, Patent Agent, Member of the Licensing Executives Society-US/Canada
QUESTIONS:
1. Is it possible to obtain a licensing agreement with a large refrigeration manufacturer to begin production or would I have to wait for the patent to be issued?
2. What would be the steps to take in presenting this to prospective companies? Making a prototype would be quite expensive and I would need to contract with a refrigeration manufacturer to build it.

OFFICE UPDATE
By Carol A. Oldenburg, Administrator
Why Join??

Book of the Month
The Complete Collection

Service Providers
A listing of Service Providers that support the UIA mission through their paid Professional Membership.

UIA Classifieds
A listing of Service Providers that support the UIA mission through their paid Classifieds

Visit Our Advertisers

Welcome & Welcome Back
UIA's Newest and Renewing Members

Coming Events
Events of interest to independent inventors

Who's Who at the UIA

About the UIA


read it all at http://www.uiausa.org/Publications/Newsletter/HTMLFormat/August2005Newsltr.html

QVC Connection for your inventors!

This email was submitted by Chris Holt. Thank you!


Dear Fellow Inventors,

We have some exciting news for our fellow independent inventors and product developers! We recently became product scouts for QVC Shopping Network. If the members of your organization have a product or invention (patented or not) that would be appropriate for QVC we’d love to hear from them. There is absolutely no charge to submit your product to QVC.

Even though the inventor is not required to have a patent it is important that they have done good market and patent searches on their idea to make certain that the idea is theirs to pursue. They do need to make sure that they are not infringing an already existing patent.

If they have done those things they will need an actual finished product (not a prototype) to submit to QVC. They do not allow us to submit a product that does not look exactly as it would look on a store shelf. They also do not want prototypes because they must be certain that there will be absolutely no changes in the product that they actually sell to the public. And, they must be able to conduct quality control tests on the product that will be sold.

If your inventors can get one finished product for submitting and QVC likes the product, they will refer the inventor to a factoring company that will loan the money to manufacture it for QVC.

If the members of your club have a product that is ready to be submitted for consideration please send it to:

QVC Connection
2912 Trophy Drive
Plano, TX 75025

Or, contact us at mary@qvcconnection.com or barbara@qvcconnection.com. We look forward to hearing from you and your membership.

Warm regards,

Mary Sarao & Barbara Pitts

Ask the Inventors!
QVC Connection

* P.S. You may or may not be familiar with us but we operate a website called Ask the Inventors!, where we offer free advice to novice inventors. We are also former board members of the United Inventors Association as well as current board members of the Texas Inventors’ Association. We recently wrote The Everything Inventions and Patents Book for Adams Media which is scheduled to be published February 2006. I, Mary, have also written two popular e-books, “Super Easy Guide to Step-by-Step Patent Searching Online” (http://www.asktheinventors.com/Books/patentsearch.htm) and “Create a Compelling Presentation for your Invention, ”(http://www.asktheinventors.com/Books/presentations.htm) that are offered without cost to visitors to our website, www.asktheinventors.com. Additionally, we have written for the United Inventors’ Association Newsletter and for the Texas Inventors’ Association Website, www.txinventors.com. As successful inventors and recognized experts on the subject, we have lectured extensively on the different areas of inventing and marketing at seminars, workshops and organizations around the country as well as appearing on radio and television talk shows. In 2001, we were featured inventors in the documentary film, “The Big Idea.” In July 2003, we were the subject of an article in the Dallas Morning News about our passion for assisting novice inventors that was picked up by the wire services and carried in newspapers nationwide.
*We include this biographical information so that you will know who we are and you will be assured that we are not a scam organization

The Patent Trap - Harvard Magazine Jul-Aug edition

Read the whole article at:
http://www.harvardmagazine.com/on-line/070575.html

Inventors' Incubus
The Patent Trap

Patents—a form of governmental protection to prevent ideas from being sold or used by someone else without permission—have a long and controversial history, dating back to Bohemia’s King Wenceslaus II in 1300. Queen Elizabeth I of England issued about 50 patents, some of them quasi-monopolies, including the right to manufacture and sell salt and vinegar. Historically, the purpose of patents has been to encourage creativity and innovation, with the idea that people would share ideas more freely if they knew that their original work and potential profits from it were protected.

But as Josh Lerner, Ph.D. ’91, Schiff professor of investment banking at Harvard Business School, and Adam B. Jaffe, Ph.D. ’85, Hecht professor in economics at Brandeis, argue in their new book, Innovation and Its Discontents: How Our Broken Patent System Is Endangering Innovation and Progress and What to Do about It, two small changes in the U.S. patent system have had giant unintended consequences. First, in 1982, appeals in patent lawsuits were consolidated from the regional federal circuit courts to a single specialized patent court. Second, in the early 1980s, Congress attempted to make the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) financially self-sufficient, with fees paid by patent applicants covering its costs. . . .

read the whole article at:
http://www.harvardmagazine.com/on-line/070575.html

~Garrett M. Graff

Josh Lerner e-mail address: jlerner@hbs.edu

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Big Idea Hunt Deflecto Winners

Congratulations to Alexander Wolfson one our members!

This is from their inventor's network email. To subscribe, please email: InfoBig@BigIdeaGroup.net



To Our Inventor Network:
We're pleased to announce the winners of the Deflecto Compu-Desk Organizer Idea Hunt. We were impressed by the quality and quantity of the submissions, despite the challenging specs for this Hunt.

For reasons of confidentiality and competitive concerns, the ideas can't be revealed until Deflecto chooses to license the inventions and bring them to market.

Donna Aikins and Dixie Layne
Jodie Anderson
Tom and Ken Cirignano
Mark Garratt
Aric Gervelis
Beth Goldfinger
Deanna Gwinup
Jon Haehnel
Mark Hansen
Eric Huber
Shelley Hunter
Jason Ivey
George Jones
Davis Kim
Chris Miksovsky
Mark Mitchell
Greg Morrison
Mark Nelson
James Noble
Colin and Jill O'Banyel
Bryon Thompson and Peter Aiston
Robert Warren & Sally Mazur and Herb & Anne Robinson
Alexander Wolfson
Ricky Wong and Roger Lee
Wei Wong

Winners will be receiving their merchandise prizes shortly. We will also notify winners on an individual basis of Deflecto's interest in licensing ideas once they have reached final decisions.

Congratulations to our winners, and thanks to everyone for entering.

You received this email because you are a member of ourInventor Network. To unsubscribe or change your emailaddress, please email: InfoBig@BigIdeaGroup.net.

Big Idea Group
814 Elm Street, Suite 300
Manchester, NH 03101
Phone: 603-641-5955
Fax: 603-641-5995
InfoBIG@BigIdeaGroup.net
(C)2005 Big Idea Group

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Mom Inventors Newsletter

Mom Inventors, Inc. Newsletter
June - July 2005
read it online at: http://www.mominventors.com/press/newsletter.htm

Meet our featured inventor, Amy Bergin, inventor of the Couponizer. See how she took her product from the kitchen table to QVC! Our Frequently Asked Question: how can you get a few prototypes made without going overseas? Check out the fantastic new items added to the Mom Invented online store, what's new at the Mom Invented Boutique, upcoming media appearances, industry news, an announcement about The Good Morning America's Mother of Invention Challenge and an announcement about Oprah's invention search.

We hope you're taking action and working on your own product ideas - even one small step each day counts!

Tamara Monosoff,
Founder and CEO

Featured Inventor Amy Bergin
Meet Amy Bergin inventor of The Couponizer®. Read how Amy successfully sold her product on QVC and fully enjoyed the experience!
Click here to read her story

What's New at Mom Inventors, Inc.?
ABC's Good Morning America's Mothers of Invention Challenge was an enormous success! Not only has the volume of entrants been phenomenal, the quality of so many is truly remarkable. Judges from Mom Inventors Inc., Good Morning America, and West & Associates are reviewing them now. The finalists will be aired on Good Morning America on August 27th and the winner of the challenge will be announced on Good Morning America on September 3rd. Other than this, no prior notice will be sent to entrants. If you entered, we wanted to express our appreciation and gratitude to you for the tremendous effort put into your submission.
Mom Inventors, Inc. Website

Mom Inventors Handbook:
How To Turn Your Great Idea Into The Next Big Thing Hits Bookstores September 1st!
The much anticipated book, the Mom Inventors Handbook: How to Turn Your Great Idea into the Next Big Thing will be officially launched on Good Morning America on Friday, September 2nd.
The Mom Inventors Handbook gives practical step-by- step advice for putting inspiration into action. The book takes inventors from idea development to marketing and sales covering everything from market research to prototype development, manufacturing and licensing and debunks some common myths. It simplifies the invention process; even providing stories from real mom inventors sharing their 'aha' moments and lessons learned.
Beginning in September, Tamara will embark on a 12- city book tour starting with New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, and Denver. We will post a calendar soon of both television appearances and book signings. Look for one in your area. Tamara would love to meet you in person!
To order the Book Online

Mom Invented Store Great New Products Added

  • BocaBeth - DVD, VHS & CD teaches English and Spanish to toddlers and very young children.
  • Udderly Yours Breast Pillow - Holds the breast in position when nursing
    Baby Dance! DVD introducing toddlers and preschoolers to dance
    Potty Shield - improves aiming and makes potty time more sanitary and fun for boys by turning your toilet into a urinal.
  • SoftStoppers - Cute creatures that act as a door stop in your child's room
    Journals: Pregnancy, Child Medical, Adult Medical, Small Home, Large Home, & For My Family
  • Diaper Dress - decorative cover is the perfect accessory to America's #1 selling baby shower gift--the Diaper Genie®
  • Mother's Third Arm - independently helps children to reach bottles, cups, toys and more
    Each time you purchase an item from the Mom Invented Store you are directly supporting a mom inventor.
    *We're looking for more high quality, sale-ready mom invented products -for any market- to sell on the online store. For information contact: jpeterson@mominventors.com

Mom Invented Boutique What's New?
A shirt that inspires! This fashionable shirt is just what you need to inspire yourself and others to take action... "Leap and the Net will Appear" shirt.
Mom Invented Boutique

New Columnist for Entrepreneur.com Tamara to Write "Ask the Expert" Column Starting in September
Entrepreneur.com Ask the Expert

Frequently Asked Question

How do I make a plastic prototype of my product without having to have an expensive injection mold made?
We have been contacted by many inventors who have said that they are not able to make a sample of their product because building a mold in the United States is cost prohibitive and overseas factories require minimum runs of 10,000 units. Therefore, they often feel stuck because they need samples of their product to test its functionality and to show it to prospective consumers and buyers.
Answer:
First, we have found domestic molds to be expensive. Due to competition you may be able to shop around (www.thomasnet.com) and find aggressive pricing. However, keep in mind that once you make your mold, it is often not economical to ship it overseas, which means you are committing for a time to do your production in the U.S. Second, the idea that you must do 10,000 units for an overseas run is really not true. From the overseas factory's perspective, they only want to work with you if you are likely to be a profitable customer. If you shop around enough and persuade factories that you are serious and that there is potential for your product, you should be able to find a factory who will do an initial run of fewer units: say 1500 to 3000 units. Now, if you truly only need a couple of units, there is another option that is not familiar to many people.
Using a technology called stereolithography, "Rapid Prototyping" enables inventors to have prototypes made quickly from Computer Aided Drawings (CAD) by a large machine rather than an expensive injection mold. Depending on complexity and size, the cost of rapid prototypes will range from a couple hundred dollars to a few thousand, but are a bargain considering the alternatives (simple steel injection molds alone can cost thousands of dollars).
To learn about rapid prototyping or to locate companies that provide this service, do a Google search or visit these Websites:

General Information

Specific Provider


Industry News
All Baby Child Expo (ABC Tradeshow) - Sept 9-12, 2005
The largest juvenile tradeshow in the United States for independent and specialty juvenile stores is being held on Sept 9 - 12, 2005 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. I am told that exhibit booths are currently sold out but there is a waiting list.
If you have a booth already and are looking for someone to share the space and cost, please send us an email. Some companies have contacted us wishing to share space at this show. Please email info@mominventors.com.
All Baby & Kids Expo

Announcements Oprah is Seeking Ideas
Send your invention and proof of patent to: The Oprah Winfrey Show, Is Your Idea Worth Millions?, c/o Team TG, PO Box 917940, Chicago, IL 60661. Deadline: September 1, 2005
For More Information

email: bkofoed@mominventors.com
phone: 925-932-6674
web: http://www.mominventors.com

We welcome any suggestions or feedback on our newsletter.
Thank you for being a member of our community!

Inventor's Digest August E-Newsletter

To subscribe to Inventor's Digest E-Newsletter, go to
www.inventorsdigest.com

August 1, 2005

Dear Inventor,August is the time to celebrate inventors and the amazing contributions they have made ... and continue every day to make ... to our society! Check out the August calendar on our web site for specific programs of interest. We have lots of information to kick off YOUR month so sit back, relax and find just the type of information you need.

*** Mark you calendar now for August 27 - 28 ... "Success through Invention-The USPTO and YOU," a two day conference at the Sawyer Center in Santa Rosa, California. Call the Center's director Steve Schneider at 707-524-1773 or send him an email: sschneider@santarosa.edu. There are lots of other great events ... including one this Saturday in Hawaii ... that are listed on our web site's calendar so check it out!

*** Oprah wants YOU! We've just learned that the Oprah Show is looking for hot, patented inventions to feature on an upcoming show. Send a sample of your product PLUS proof of patent to: The Oprah Winfrey Show, Is Your Idea Worth Millions?, c/o Team TG, PO Box 917940, Chicago, IL 60661. Deadline: September 1, 2005.

*** The East London Inventors Club has a great on line forum that any inventor, anywhere in the world should take advantage of. It's the perfect spot to ask questions and learn from others. Go to: http://www.eastlondoninventorsclub.com

*** The U.S. Census Bureau honors National Inventors' Month® with this profile on its web site. "Inventions make life easier and, in some cases, more enjoyable. They include color television, traffic lights, disposable diapers and the World Wide Web. Unfortunately, the most common picture of an inventor is that of a quirky, if not downright eccentric, genius. Doing away with that stereotype is one of the goals of National Inventors' Month®, held each year in August as well as getting young people interested in science and technology. Each year, some 370-thousand patents are applied for. Nearly 190-thousand are granted, with about 1-in-5 going to individuals. The remainder are awarded to corporations, about half of them foreign. One can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at http://www.census.gov.

*** The Arizona Governor's Celebration of Innovation honors those who, through technological innovation, show leadership in and passion for the state's technology community. Nominations are being accepted for those pacesetters who set the standard in the state's rapidly growing technology industry. Know someone who should be recognized? Go to www.celebration-of-innovation.com or contact the Arizona Technology Council office at 602-343-8324, ext. 104. Deadline: August 26. Registration Fee: $35.

*** Throughout the country during August, there are lots of great seminars/workshops on how to market new products. Check out the list in the August edition of Inventors' Digest the Newsletter that is available to subscribers only. If you want to see it online, just go to www.inventorsdigest.com and click on SIGN IN. Type in the user name and password that is on your mailing label, and you can see the list of marketing workshops on page 5 of the newsletter.

*** The U.S. Congress began its summer break with no action on H.R. 2795. As we reported in the August Newsletter, there are two areas of particular concern to inventors: changing to a first-to-file patent system and publishing all patent applications 18 months after filing. On our web site, under NEWS, we feature an article by patent attorney Brad Pedersen, "First to File: A Train Wreck Waiting to Happen?" In that same section is a list of names and addresses of members of Congress to whom you should write as well as other information about the legislation. Unlike those who are fighting FOR this legislation -- some of the nation's biggest corporations -- the voice of the independent inventor is not much more than a whisper from the last row at a rock concert. But, luckily, a few inventors have banded together and hired very experienced Washington lobbyists who have already made a difference by stopping back room shenanigans that would have brought H.R. 2795 out of Committee. The Professional Inventors Alliance (PIA) needs your help! Go to www.piausa.org and make a financial contribution to this grassroots effort to protect your patent rights. I know the principals of PIA, and they have each worked tremendously hard for inventors' rights over the years. Now it's your turn ... write letters to members of Congress and write a check to PIA. If you think it's hard to develop and protect inventions today ... you don't want to see what it will be like if this bill passes.

Happy National Inventors' Month and thank you for all your inventive, creative efforts!

Sincerely,
Joanne Hayes-Rines,
PublisherInventors’ Digest

INVENTORS' DIGEST
America's Only Inventors' MagazinePublished since 1985
www.inventorsdigest.com

University of Oklahoma Selects Product Idea to Product Success for Entrepreneur Course

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

University of Oklahoma Selects Product Idea to Product Success for Entrepreneur Course

Norman, Oklahoma – July 21, 2005 – University of Oklahoma, a leading research institution, has selected the book Product Idea to Product Success for its Entrepreneur Field Studies Course. The course is designed to help students learn new product introduction by working with technology developed by University researchers. Not just an academic exercise, students are offered to spin out a product idea to form their own company, or earn up to 20% in royalties by becoming a marketing agent.

Guiding the students throughout the semester is the book Product Idea to Product Success, A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Making Money from Your Idea, written by Matthew Yubas (Broadword Publishing). University of Oklahoma Instructor Jim Wheeler said, “Product Idea to Product Success is the only book I’ve found that takes you from idea to market that reflects the real-world. The book will help teach the course with its complete step-by-step process.”

University of Oklahoma has many patented ideas and technology coming from engineering, chemistry, biology, and health sciences. The Entrepreneurial Field Studies course (ENT 5083), is a win-win for the students and the University. Each student team will perform a due diligence, interview the scientists, perform market research, and plan all the necessary steps to turn the technology into a marketable product. The final project is to write a business plan that is presented to venture capitalists.

Class assignments that lead to writing the business plan are derived from the supplemental Product Idea to Product Success Invention Templates. The templates guide the students to perform market research and evaluation as well as the planning, development, and launch phases. Students will also learn how to decide whether to self-market or license the idea to a company.

“Product Idea to Product Success works well in the academic environment,” said Yubas. “The information provided has made it easier for thousands of entrepreneurs, inventors, and everyday people with ideas to bring new products to market. It’s my hope that bright ideas and technology created on campus can become market successes.”

CONTACT INFORMATION
Title: Product Idea to Product Success
A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Making Money from Your Idea
ISBN: 0-9725521-0-3
LCCN: 2003111239
Genre: Non-Fiction, Business, Entrepreneurship, Inventing, Marketing
320 pages
$24.95

Publisher: Broadword Publishing (http://www.broadword.com)
info@broadword.com
(858) 233-9639

Author: Matthew Yubas, B.S., M.B.A. (http://www.Product-Coach.com)
matt@mattyubas.com
(619) 820-1269

University of Oklahoma
Michael F. Price College of Business (http://price.ou.edu/index.asp)
Jim Wheeler, Instructor
jwheeler@ou.edu
(405) 325-7363

- end -

Thanks for the submission Chris Holt!

The Innovation & Design Channel - BusinessWeek Online

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/index.html


Coinciding with "Get Creative," BusinessWeek Online unveils a new Innovation & Design Channel - a vibrant forum devoted to the Creativity Economy. Each day the channel will offer fresh insight and tips into how to harness innovation in an increasingly competitive world.
Through analytical stories, design, self-assessment tools, graphics, and photos, we'll delve into the latest hotbeds of innovation: .

Car Buff features cool concept cars, reviews, a new Driving Force column on the culture of cars, and customer satisfaction rankings by J.D. Power. .

Check out Brand Equity for our 100 Best Global brands, unique product placements, branding case studies, and visit our Logo Doctors. .

Sample stunning graphics in the Game Room, where you can get sneak peaks of upcoming games, reviews, and free downloads. .

And drop by the Architecture section for cutting-edge design, model homes, sleek furniture, and more. There's nothing else quite like it on the Web. Enjoy