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Page 11
Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . 5
Patent Reform. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Recap of Recent Meetings . . . . 3
Sites Built for Inventors . . . . . 10
Visit our website: www.tbic.us
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“Inventors Helping Inventors”
The Tampa Bay Inventors Council is here to help you succeed, forge ahead, maintain your
purpose and achieve what you intend to. Everyone in this group is behind you.
W
elcome
to 2012!
This year
has all the potential
to be an amazing
year for inventors
in Tampa Bay. We
will have
Wayne Rasanen
national coverage from thousands
of reporters as they converge for the Republican
National Convention
in Tampa this August.
They will be in town
for weeks looking
for anything interesting to report on so if
you have an interesting project, you may
well be able to get on
national news. From
what I’ve been told, they
will be desperate to find
anything to fill hundreds of
hours of programming on anything
other than politics. The Tampa Bay Inventors Council will be contacting the media
and inviting them to come to our meetings
and meet our inventors. As a group we have
a better chance of getting their attention so
I hope that I can count on all of you to be a
part of the organization.
Last year we managed to bring in speakers
from all over the country to talk about a variety
of subjects and as part of our effort to address
the issues that matter to our inventors, we want
your feedback on the topics that matter most
to you. If you know a speaker who you believe would be good for our group,
please let us know. If you think
of someone that we should
contact or if you know
about an event that could
benefit our members,
please share! We will
continue to inform our
members about opportunities related to
inventing at the meetings and through our
email lists. When we
all work together, we
can make the group more
dynamic and a greater value
to us all.
I invite you all to sign-up and
be a part of the longest running Inventors
group in Tampa Bay. Together we can make
2012 the best year ever!
Wayne Rasanen, President, Tampa Bay Inventors
Council
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
Make your inventing process more effective and more fun!
Bring a Friend!
A few benefits you will enjoy with your membership:
• Bi-Monthly Newsletters
• Informative Speakers at Regular Meetings
• Free Workshops
• Updates on Legislation affecting the industry
• Current Industry News
• Focus Groups
• Inventor-Related Computer Programs
• Inventor’s Library
• Formal Presentations toMarketing Media Representatives
Page 2
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • Jan.-Feb. 2012
Past Meeting Summary
General Meeting Summary
Nov. 9, 2011
First guest speaker: Matthew Madsen of
Pitch Tank. Pitch Tank is a part of TV Goods
Inc., a business started & run by world famous
entrepreneur Kevin Harrington. Matthew was
promoting an upcoming Pitch Tank event,
scheduled to be held locally the weekend of 10
- 11 Dec. 2011.
Pitch Tank provides training to help independent inventors commercialize their products.
Bring your invention idea and find out how to
market it to the masses. This event will cover
mass marketing, branding, intellectual property,
manufacturing, e-commerce, web design and all
the latest marketing trends and strategies. Learn
the techniques to market your product through
television shopping channels, infomercials and
the internet directly from Kevin Harrington and
his team of experts.
In addition to a private one-on-one with Kevin’s team you will:
n Have the team evaluate your product or
idea’s marketability.
n Learn the foundation of protecting your
brand and personal assets.
n Learn the basics of prototyping, patenting,
and manufacturing.
n Learn techniques to build a successful
website.
n Learn how to promote your product to the
world.
The regular price of this event is $995. However, Matthew offered our club a deep discount.
TBIC members may attend for only $495! All
info and registration can be found at www.TVGoodsInc.com.
Second guest speaker: Mark Reyland, director of United Inventors Association, described
changes happening to UIA and gave lots of
instruction about invention innovation. Existing entirely to unify the inventor community
nationwide, the United Inventors Association of
America is one of the oldest and largest 501(c)3
non-profit inventor organizations dedicated to
inventor education and support. Its mission is
to provide reliable information to inventors,
as well as certification to groups and inventorfriendly firms who agree to comply with rigorous professional and ethical standards. As Mark
put it: “At the UIA we don’t have anything to
sell your [TBIC’s] members; no books, CD’s
or coaching. This is about education and ac-
cess to professionals.” In addition to being UIA
director, Mark is founder and current CEO of
Obvious Ideas LLC, a Cincinnati based product
development company.
Mark says before you start on the process of
commercializing your invention, keep in mind:
Inventing is a BUSINESS OF FAILURE. Mark
has seen independent inventors lose their life
savings, homes, marriages; he’s even known
some who committed suicide. It’s very difficult
and rare for an independent to actually make
money from his/her invention. American business just isn’t geared for people like us and the
deck is stacked against us.
You must know where you intend to go if you
expect to ever get there. Learn the basics of
business principles in general, and the basics of
your invention’s market in particular. Don’t be
unwilling to partner with a business person who
is trustworthy. He/she probably knows more
about business than you do.
Education about where to go is YOUR responsibility. Don’t expect business partners, licensees, manufacturers, distributors or lawyers
to teach you the basics.
A PRODUCT is simply a wrapper for a FUNCTION. Examine a given problem carefully.
Think about it from the standpoint of the type
of
person/worker/artisan/consumer/business
who encounters the problem. As a solution
evolves in your mind, resist the temptation to
embody it into a product just yet. Keep thinking about the solution. This solution and how
it works is called “the function.” Keep refining
the function BEFORE ever thinking about what
the invention will look like. After the function
has been perfected, after how it works to solve
the problem has been perfected in your mind,
THEN start to think about what the invention
will look like as a product. Keep in mind that
consumers care much more about how well a
product performs its function than about how
“cool” the product is.
Before any potential team member or investor will devote any TIME, TALENT or TREASURE to your invention’s commercialization,
YOU must answer the following three questions to his/her satisfaction:
n Will your invention work; actually solve
the target problem?
n Will anyone care; is it a big enough problem?
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • Jan.-Feb. 2012
Continued on Page 4
Page 3
Past Meeting Summary (Continued from Page 3)
n Will enough of the people who care be
willing to pay us money for your solution
to their problem?
Mark outlined the main reasons independent
inventors fail:
Lack of knowledge. Take the time to learn
your craft. Use the hundreds of available
sources in your invention’s industry to learn
how the commercialization process works.
UIA can help.
Lack of a great idea. People around you
will always support you, but in the end they
may simply not know what they are talking
about. Just because you think it’s a great idea,
and just because your friends say so, does not
mean everyone really thinks so. Including
your target market and those businesses that
sell to it.
Lack of reality. The people you present to
in your invention’s industry are professionals;
that industry is their career and (for the most
part) they know what will sell and what won’t.
No matter what your well-meaning friends tell
you, you are not going to make a gazillion dollars from every great idea you have.
United Inventor Association basic membership is FREE. Premium membership is $99.00
per year. Benefits of membership include the
following services:
The Inventor Education Forum, where inventors can get useful information about the
INVENTING, INNOVATION and COMMERCIALIZATION processes. There are administrators and moderators, as well as members and
usergroups, who know lots about these subjects
and want to answer your questions.
The Daily Inventor Blog, posted each day
with interesting and informative information
designed to help inventors at all levels educate
themselves about the processes of inventing and
product development.
The “Just Ask Us” E-mail Feature, a special
e-mail address which goes to the most appropriate members of UIA’s team of engineers, patent
lawyers, marketing specialists and manufacturing experts. The response is very quick and
pertinent.
The Inventor Resource Room, which contains videos, documents, radio interviews, plus
info about funding and reputable inventorfriendly manufacturers.
The List of Inventor Clubs, nationwide. Yes,
TBIC is on the list and has been for years.
Page 4
Newsletters, notifications, updates, communications, etc.
Be sure to go to www.uiausa.org. The headquarters is in the nation’s capital:
The United Inventors Association of America, 1025 Connecticut Ave., Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20036
General Meeting Summary
Dec. 14, 2011
Club president Wayne Rasanen began the
meeting by reminding us of the inventors’ booth
this club and several others will share jointly in
the upcoming Florida State Fair, in Feb. This
big booth (20’ x 30’) will be indoors right next
to the beer vendor. That means LOTS of foot
traffic. Some radio announcers will be covering
the fair, and their operation center will be very
near our booth. That means the chance of interviews. This booth is everyone’s big opportunity
to get feedback and suggestions about their invention/product from thousands of people! To
hand out literature, business cards, surveys, etc.
To perform demos and have people try out the
product while the inventor makes important observations. And to ask people how much they
would pay for the product.
Of course, your invention ought be protected
(patent or other). Also, actual selling is not permitted. No monetary transaction may take place
in the inventor booth. No problem! Just say:
“Let’s do lunch.” Or say: “Contact me; here’s
my card.” INTERACT! NETWORK! Meet
new important contacts. Move your project
ahead! HERE’S YOUR CHANCE!
This booth is also a big opportunity for our
club to get itself more well known within the
region by showing what we have to offer the
local inventor community. Even club members
whose projects are not ready to present to the
public can help. Just speaking about the club
to fair-goers and handing out pamphlets, newsletters and fliers can work wonders. HERE’S
OUR CHANCE!
Tonight’s first speakers were Mark Stadnyk
and Randy Landerneau. Mark is currently on
the club’s Board of Directors, Randy was this
club’s president in 2002 - 2004. They discussed
the America Invents act, the recently enacted set
of new laws affecting the nation’s patent system.
Continued on Page 10
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • Jan.-Feb. 2012
Inventors Calendar of Events
January 14: Thomas A. Edison Kiwanis Inventors
Fair, Ft. Myers
Designed to raise self esteem, assist children with the application and synthesis of knowledge and skills, experience the scientific method, encourage creative thinking, motivate students,
tie together the curriculum, develop higher order thinking skills,
enhance library, computer, research and entrepreneurial skills,
and prepare students for tomorrow’s challenges.
Ideas are useless unless they are nurtured. They can grow
into inventions and inventions can change the course of history! This program teaches what to do with an idea, steps to
develop it, protect it, pay for it and share and profit from it.
May 1-3: National Hardware Show, Las Vegas,
Nevada
The catagories are: Hardware & Tools; Homewares; Lawn,
Garden & Outdoor Living; Paint & Accessories; Tailgate Products; Storage & Organization; Plumbing & Electrical; International Sourcing and the Inventors Spotlight.
This year’s “Inventor’s Spotlight” section is co-located with
Pitch Tank, and inventors have the chance to pitch their breakthrough business concepts and products to Kevin Harrington,
Investor Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank and Chairman of TVGoods,
and to Steve Rogai, CEO and Co-Founder of TVGoods.
www.NationalHardwareShow.com
www.EdisonFairs.net/InventorsProgram
March 10-13: International Home & Housewares
Show, Chicago, Illinois
Each booth includes a $100 United Inventors Association
premium membership and a $39 subscription to Inventors
Digest magazine.
www.uiausa.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=128672
March 31: Tampa Bay Mini-Maker Faire, Tampa
A Maker Faire is place where we celebrate the processes
of learning and doing, and where we share our discoveries,
curiosities, inventions, innovations and ideas as inquisitive,
explorative amateurs. Tampa Bay Mini Maker is a celebration of regional do-it-yourself character and spirit. Tampa Bay
Mini Maker Faire is a family-friendly event showcasing both
established and emerging local “makers.” See homemade machines, robots, DIY science and technology, urban farming and
sustainability, alternative energy, bicycles, unique hand-made
crafts, as well as music, food and educational workshops.
June 13-15: INPEX® - The Invention & New Product
Exposition, Pittsburgh, Penn.
INPEX is America’s largest invention trade show. INPEX
provides a forum for inventors to exhibit their inventions and
attempt to make contacts with companies interested in licensing, marketing or manufacturing new products. Inventors with
appropriate new products will have the opportunity to present
their inventions to representatives from many companies at
the Invention Show. Operated by InventHelp, The Invention &
New Product Exposition (INPEX) is a unique trade show that
showcases numerous inventions, new products and innovations that are available to license, market or manufacture. “The
Invention Show” brings inventors and entrepreneurs together
with industry representatives in one convenient forum.
www.inpex.com (888) 544-6739
http://TampaBayMakerFaire.com
Marketing
and advertising
don’t have
to be expensive
to be effective.
Let us show
you how.
727-230-9679
www.MMDept.com
www.MMDprinting.com • www.MMDwebPro.com
Creative • Media Planning/Buying • Public Relations • Promotions
Online Presence • Web Hosting• Email Campaigns • Printing
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • Jan.-Feb. 2012
Page 5
Obtaining Patents Under
The America Invents Act (Patent Reform)
T
However, the aspects of the AIA that are imhe America Invents Act undeniably portant depend on the facts and circumstances
has changed the foundations of U.S. relevant to a given applicant.
A substantial change under the AIA is the efpatent law, so that those who adapt
to this change may benefit, and those who do fective evisceration of the “best mode” requirenot will suffer. Originally proposed in 2005, ment. Under the prior law, an applicant was
the America Invents Act (“AIA”), colloquially required to include a description of the “best
known as the “patent reform bill,” was signed mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying
into law on September 16, 2011. This represents out his invention.” Most other countries do not
the most dramatic change to the U.S. patent law have such a requirement; one intent of effectively eliminating the “best mode”
since the 1952 revision. A spur to
requirement was to render the
Congress to pass the bill and to
The AIA affects U.S. patent law more “harmonithe President to sign it into law
was a perception that “reform” decisions on what ous” with that of other countries.
Although the AIA leaves the text
of the patent system has an important role to play in stimulating should be patented, of this “best mode” requirement in
the law, it amends another section
the economy, creating jobs, and
when a patent
to state that “failure to disclose the
promoting U.S. global competitiveness. The passage of time and application should best mode shall not be a basis on
retrospective analysis is necessary be filed, and how a which any claim of a patent may
be canceled or held invalid or
to identify to what degree the AIA
has had the intended positive ef- patent application otherwise unenforceable.” Thus,
although the “best mode” requireshould be filed.
fects. However, the AIA undeniment is nominally still present,
ably has changed the foundations
it is rendered “toothless” in that
of U.S. patent law, so that those
who adapt to this change may benefit, and those there appears to be no penalty for not satisfying it. However, it may remain for the courts
who do not will suffer.
The AIA affects decisions on what should to clarify the intent Congress may have had in
be patented, when a patent application should leaving the “best mode” requirement nominally
be filed, and how a patent application should present, and to determine whether it has any
be filed. Patent applicants must be aware of remaining practical effect. A prudent applicant
the provisions in the new law in order to op- will thus consider that some risk may be born
timize patent protection for the intended busi- in not conforming to the nominal “best mode”
ness purpose and avoid pitfalls. Furthermore, requirement. The provisions of the AIA pertainthe AIA includes a complex transition regime; ing to the removal of the “best mode” requirethat is, different provisions of the Act will re- ment came into effect on September 16.
Perhaps the most dramatic change is the
place corresponding provisions under the prior
law at different times in the future. Although the transformation of the U.S. patent law from a
provisions of the AIA will generally be imple- “first to invent” to a “first to file” regime. Unmented within the next 18 months, for certain der the prior law, an inventor who was not the
cases, provisions of the prior law may apply first to file a patent application could, in some
for many years. Thus, for the immediate term, circumstances, assert through an “interference
a patent applicant must synthesize clear busi- proceeding” that he or she was nevertheless
ness objectives with a detailed understanding entitled to a patent, by virtue of having been
of provisions under both the AIA and the prior the first to invent the claimed subject matter.
law in order to maximize the value of technical Although only a small fraction of patents and
innovations. This article considers only a few of applications were contested under the “first to
the changes to the U.S. patent law affected by invent” provision, it was criticized for adding
the AIA, specifically, those that are understood to the uncertainty born by patent applicants,
to clearly impact the procurement of patents. complicating the process of obtaining a patent,
by Lars H. Genieser, Ph.D. (Nov 9, 2011)
Page 6
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • Jan.-Feb. 2012
and being “inharmonious” with the law of other
countries. On the other hand, the “first to file”
system is perceived as being skewed toward favoring corporations, which have the sophistication and resources to ensure that patent applications are promptly filed for potentially valuable
innovations, over individual inventors and small
businesses. The AIA does provide for a “derivation proceeding” by which an inventor who
believes that another “derived” his invention
and filed for a patent can seek relief. However,
the time for a filing a derivation proceeding is
limited to one year from the issuance
of the patent being contested, or, if
the contesting inventor has also
filed a patent application, one
year from the first publication of the contested claim.
The AIA makes significant changes to the tests
imposed to determine
whether a claimed invention is “novel.” Under the
prior law, an invention being “known or used by others” in the United States, would
preclude the issuance of a patent,
but such knowledge or use in foreign
countries would not be a disqualifying event.
The AIA makes no such distinction between
domestic and foreign events, stating that the
claimed invention being “patented, described in
a printed publication, or in public use, on sale,
or otherwise available to the public before the
effective filing date” precludes the issuance of
a patent. The AIA does retain a “grace period”
under which “disclosures” made by the inventor (or one having obtained the subject matter
disclosed from the inventor) one year or less
before the effective filing date of the application are not disqualifying events. However, ambiguity remains, for example, as to whether a
“sale” or an offer for sale from the inventor to
another, not otherwise disclosed to the general
public, constitutes a “disclosure” entitled to the
one-year grace period. Numerous such interpretative issues are expected to arise for later
resolution by the courts. An important feature
of the AIA is that by “disclosing,” for example,
through publication, his or her invention, the inventor not only has a one-year “grace period” to
file an application, but also, is protected against
being disqualified by another who “discloses”
thereafter. This has led some to comment that
the AIA has effectively established a “first to
publish” regime. Entities intending to seek
protection for their innovations internationally,
should, however, continue to bear in mind that
the terms of and conditions for “grace periods”
vary greatly among jurisdictions, with some,
such as Europe, providing for no or only a very
limited grace period. Thus, if there is any possibility that protection outside the United States
may be sought, prudent practice is to file an application for patent before any disclosure.
The AIA stipulates that the “first to file” regime and associated changes to the tests for
“novelty” will take effect for claimed
inventions having an effective filing date on or after 18 months
from enactment of the Act,
that is, March 16, 2013.
However, this means that
the prior law may continue
to apply for continuation
applications that claim the
benefit of priority of an application filed 18 months
prior to enactment of the Act.
Thus, a dual regime is likely
to persist for years, with the prior
law applying to continuations and
chains of continuations claiming such benefit of priority.
A provision of the AIA that is relatively separate from other aspects of the patent law is the
implementation of a “prioritized examination”
track, which became effective on September
26, 2011. Under this track, an applicant can pay
the substantial filing fee of $4,800 and submit a
claim set not to exceed four independent and 30
total claims, so that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) will expedite examination. The extent of the advantage afforded by
“prioritized examination” remains to be seen as
it is implemented by the USPTO. Ultimately,
whether it is worthwhile to pay the fee will depend on the applicant’s business objectives and
circumstances.
The AIA dramatically alters the “playing
field” for obtaining patents. While the full
space of strategic variants is vast and important
aspects will become apparent as the courts interpret provisions of the Act in coming years, a
few possibilities can be considered.
For example, an applicant may consider filing a patent application that does not disclose
the invention’s “best mode invention.” In some
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • Jan.-Feb. 2012
Continued on Page 14
Page 7
How to Find a Good Pate
T
By Jack Lander
here are two kinds of professionals
that are licensed to practice before the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Patent attorneys and patent agents. A patent attorney
is a full attorney who specializes in patent law.
He or she can represent you in court. A patent
agent has passed the “patent bar” -- that is, the
portion of law that deals only with intellectual
property such as patents and
trademarks.
Both patent attorneys and
patent agents must have
a degree in a technical
discipline, such as mechanical or electrical
engineering, chemistry,
pharmacology, etc. The patent
agent generally starts out in the profession
signified by his or her degree, and discovers that he likes the challenges of patenting. He then studies patent law, takes a
test before the U.S. Patent & Trademark
Office, and becomes a licensed patent
agent. A patent attorney usually gets his
law degree first, then, deciding that he
or she wants to specialize in patent law,
gets his technical degree.
Both agents and attorneys often
work as patent examiners for the Patent Office before going into private
practice, or working for a law firm. Many law
firms employ both patent agents and patent attorneys to write patent applications for inventors.
In selecting a patent professional (attorney
or agent), first consider his or her technical
specialty. If you have an electronic invention,
you should engage a patent agent or attorney
with an Electrical Engineering degree. If your
invention is the typical gadget, you should engage a mechanical engineer, and so on.
Your second consideration is that of trust.
Most patent professionals are ethical and trustworthy. But a few have chosen to “make an easy
buck” by processing patent applications that are
essentially worthless in terms of their ability to
command money from a licensee, or holding up
in court. Here are a few points to consider before committing to the professional:
n Does the professional delegate the patent
search to a professional searcher, or does he
Page 8
do this himself? (In my opinion searching
should be done by the professional searcher, not the agent or attorney. See my article
About the Patent Search.)
n Will the professional provide a patentability
opinion in writing? You should insist on this.
A wishy-washy spoken opinion would be
like the doctor telling you he doesn’t know
exactly what’s wrong with you but for a few
thousand dollars he’ll try to cure you. The
written opinion should compare the claims
that were found in the pertinent patents discovered in the search with the claims that he
or she will make for your invention.
n Do you feel comfortable with this
person? You should sense trust and
integrity, and also feel that you are
given unhurried answers to your
questions.
n Does this professional work well
with independent inventors. Some of the
larger law firms look down on us independent inventors as a nuisance because
we waste their time with annoying phone
calls and basic questions that their corporate clients don’t ask.
n Is the professional’s price per hour
(be sure to ask!) fair for your needs as
an independent inventor. Attorneys
and agents who work alone are usually less expensive than those in firms, and
may give better attention to your invention
than professionals who work mainly for corporations.
Ways to find patent attorneys or agents
One of the easiest ways is to get on the Internet, and go to www.uspto.gov. This is the
United States Patent & Trademark Office web
site. It lists patent attorneys and agents by state.
In the upper right corner of the home page key
in “patent attorneys,” and click. What will appear first is a list of states. Click on your state.
Next will appear a list of patent attorneys and
patent agents, by name, in alphabetic order. If
the person works for a firm, the firm is listed.
The last line of each entry states “attorney” or
“agent.” Some firms forbid an agent or attorney from working “on the side.” The only way
you’ll find out is to contact and ask.
Patent professionals also advertise in Inventors’ Digest magazine, along with patent search-
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • Jan.-Feb. 2012
ent Attorney
ers, prototypers, and marketing experts. Joanne
Hayes-Rines, the publisher, does not accept ads
from service providers known to be unethical.
To subscribe phone 1-800-838-8808.
Your local yellow-page directory lists patent
attorneys, but does not distinguish them from
patent agents. Beware listings that indicate
“patenting services.” These are often firms that
hope to snare you, and sell you worthless services. They are often departments within the
same unethical firms that blast their misleading
commercials on television. Many are affiliated
with “patent mills,” the semi-ethical patent attorneys or agents who grind out poor quality
patent applications in a few hours. Make sure
that the firm or person you hire to write your
patent application does only patent and trademark work, and that you may visit its local office for a free face-to-face initial interview.
If you have an inventor’s club or group in
your area, join it and ask for a recommendation
for a local agent or attorney. To locate the group
that may be near you go to the United Inventors
Association web site at www.uiausa.org UIA is
a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping inventors and inventor groups.
And last, if you use my mentoring services
I will recommend the searcher and attorney I
use. I know that both are ethical. The attorney
is located in the Washington, DC area. That
means that you’ll most likely have to deal by
mail, e-mail, and telephone. If you have prepared a written a detailed description of your
invention, and have sketches or drawings,
there is no reason why face-to-face contact is
necessary. My personal preference is to work
with a remote attorney or agent whom I trust
rather than a local attorney or agent I know
nothing about. n
Copyright 2004 Jack R. Lander. Jack Lander is a
mechanical engineer who has written for Inventors’
Digest magazine and Entrepreneur.com, and has
written his own books about invention innovation.
He has served as presidents of the United Inventors Association and the annual Yankee Invention
Exposition. A successful inventor himself, Jack now
manages Inventor-Mentor; offering personalized
coaching, invention evaluation and the preparing
of a custom plan, plus contacts and connections
within several industries. www.Inventor-Mentor.
com Jack@Inventor-Mentor.com Reprinted with
permission.
Forget the Patent.
Forget the Prototype.
by Stephen Key
Do you really need a patent or prototype?
Conventional logic argues yes, absolutely.
But it’s my opinion that this type of thinking
is outdated. It simply doesn’t make sense for
inventors and entrepreneurs to go through
the lengthy and expensive processes of filing for a patent and building a prototype before determining if there is initial interest in
their idea.
It is even more absurd to wait until after
a patent has been received or a prototype
built to contact a potential licensee. Unfortunately, many individuals let fear of their
idea being stolen cloud their judgment.
I believe it is important to have perceived
ownership – not necessarily a patent. Given
the backlog at the United States Patent and
Trademark Office, it can take up to three or
four years to be issued a patent. That’s far
too long to wait to make a move! And furthermore, filing for a patent can cost tens of
thousands of dollars.
Let me put it this way: I’ve never met a
patent attorney who didn’t think my idea
was brilliant. When you’re first starting out,
it’s much smarter to file for a provisional
patent application, or PPA. You can file for a
PPA, which is very inexpensive, yourself.
I recommend using a software program
like Patent Wizard to help you. Is a PPA
perfect? No. That’s not the point. For a year,
you have the freedom to test out your protected idea, without having to file for a patent. If a company IS interested in your idea,
let them decide to file for a patent! 97% of
all patented ideas never make enough money to cover the cost of filing for the patent.
Don’t join this statistic.
Do you really need a prototype?
It depends. I’ve met too many people who
think that they “need” to build a prototype
and instead of contacting potential licensees,
spend years perfecting the prototype with
design after redesign. If you need to prove
that your idea actually works, then yes, you
may need to create a prototype. But you
don’t need to spend thousands of dollars!
A rough, simple model can suffice. I prefer
Continued on Page 10
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • Jan.-Feb. 2012
Page 9
Past Meeting Summary (Continued from Page 5)
This act is controversial. Some say it provides
big corporations with an advantage while providing independent inventors with a disadvantage.
Also, some legal experts claim that the wording
of one section of the act might be unconstitutional. Therefore the Supreme Court may have to get
involved. Another major issue is this act’s changing of the U.S. patent system from first-to-invent
to first-to-file. The discussion was passionate
with lots of audience involvement. Alas, time did
not permit as much of an in-depth examination as
we would have liked.
Our second speakers were Gus Ibrahim and
Matt Davis of Worldwide TV Products, LLC.
WorldWide has been in the business of sourcing,
developing, marketing and merchandising products through TV shopping channels - including
HSN, QVC and others - for over 20 years. They
have a proven track record and have been responsible for airing hundreds of products, generating
over $500 million in retail sales.
While the major shopping networks are continually searching for products to sell via their
television and internet networks, the process to
bring products to air is often difficult and timeconsuming for inventors and even for manufacturers as well. But WorldWide is closely associated with all key decision-makers at the major
shopping networks. WorldWide’s experienced
team enables their clients to avoid the pitfalls
that may otherwise prevent access to this lucrative sales channel.
Worldwide TV Products’ services cover everything related to selling a product through a
dedicated TV show. It includes:
n Product screening
n Product development
n Marketing strategy
n Plans: Positioning, Pricing, Packaging and
Promotion
n Inventory control
n Sales presentations to buyer(s)
n Liaison with network key staff: Production, Programming, Legal, Logistics
n Guest training for on-air presentation
n Development and broadcast of on-air sales
presentation
n Post-broadcast analyses with proposed
strategic changes (if needed).
HSN and QVC mostly focus on two major
product niches:
1) Products needed and useful around the
home (innovative, space-saving and/or timesaving consumer products),
2) Cosmetic/beauty/personal care products.
For your product to be considered, it must fit
into one of the above niches and have a retail
price between $20 - $40. You must have already
gotten its “look & feel” to be slick and marketable as is; so don’t show up with a homemade
prototype. Gus and Matt suggest hiring a product designer to get the right look and feel that
the target consumer craves. You must also have
already gotten all manufacturing taken care of.
This includes an actual production-run of about
100 units. At that point, WorldWide will plug in
with your manufacturer and get the right number of units made (in the thousands), packaged,
warehoused and ready to ship. Shipping will
occur during the on-air broadcast.
Worldwide TV Products is local, located in
Clearwater. Get all info at www.wwtvp.com.
Forget the Patent (Continued from Page 9)
using a sell sheet to sell my ideas: it’s easy to
create and efficient. I include a brief benefit
statement about my product, a photo or rendering, and my contact information. Boom. Getting your idea out there as quickly as possible
counts the most.
The most important thing I want to stress here
is that business has changed: being first to market is much more significant than anything else.
Our appetite for newness is insatiable. Products
rapidly file in and out of the marketplace. Because ideas come and go very quickly, waiting
for a patent to be filed or a prototype to be built
just doesn’t make sense.
Page 10
Patents can be designed around. Prototypes
are going to change. Focus instead on doing
what really counts: selling your idea to a powerful licensee.
Stephen Key is an award-winning inventor, a
board member of Accudial Pharmaceuticals and has
a new book “One Simple Idea.” Along with business
partner Andrew Krauss, Stephen runs InventRight,
a company dedicated to teaching inventors and entrepreneurs the skills needed to successfully license
their ideas. www.InventRight.com
StartupNation is a free service founded BY entrepreneurs FOR entrepreneurs. Visit www.StartUpNation.com. Reprinted, with permission, from StartUpNation’s newsletter.
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • Jan.-Feb. 2012
E-Mail, Phone Call, or Face-to-Face:
Which Works Best when Contacting
Prospective Licensees?
By Paul Niemann of MarketLaunchers.com
T
his might seem like a pretty obvious
question; after all, it’s always best to
meet face-to-face, right?
Well, sure, but sometimes it is not economical to travel halfway across the country
to meet someone. You have other
options, and we’ll rank them
and list the benefits of each
one in this article.
E-MAIL
While e-mail is the
easiest, least expensive
and quickest method of
communication, it is also
the easiest for the person
on the other end to ignore
and delete.
PHONE
The phone is the second best method
of the three, but it has its drawbacks, too,
as you have probably found out if you have
called any companies.
Most executives and business owners have
voice mail; my estimate is that 80% of phone
calls to executives and business owners result
in getting their voice mail message.
FACE-TO-FACE MEETING
The best method of the three is to meet
face-to-face whenever possible. People like
to do business with people who they know
and trust.
Meeting someone in person allows you to
establish trust and show the benefits of your
invention to him or her.
Plus, it is much easier to communicate
back and forth when you can see the other
person’s non-verbal messages, such as his facial expressions.
When you do choose e-mail (and regular
mail), you should address the person by name,
instead of “To Whom It May Concern.” Ge-
neric messages are more likely to be trashed
than those with a name on them.
Plus, it shows more professionalism on
your part.
When I worked for an ad agency in St.
Louis back in the early 1990’s, we used mail
and the phone as a combination when
we called on businesses.
This was before the internet,
and we would call each prospect on the phone, confirm
his mailing address, and
then ask if we can send
him the informative information that we’ve
compiled.
Seventy percent of
them would say “Yes,” so
we would send it to them
AND then follow up with
a phone call no more than a
week later. By using the phone,
we made sure that each prospect actually RECEIVED and READ our information,
plus we could add the next step, which was
to set up an appointment for a face-to-face
meeting.
When you do that now, you can direct them
to your website if they say they did not receive the information that you sent.
Paul Niemann runs MarketLaunchers.com,
where he builds web sites for inventors and small
businesses. The main benefit of having your own
web page is that you can show companies your invention’s web site when you’re not able to visit them
in person. Plus, all customers get FREE COACHING from Paul. Paul Niemann can be reached at
niemann7@aol.com or at (800) 337-5758.
Market Launchers lists new inventions for sale
or licensing and also helps manufacturers find
new products for their product lines. Their Invention Database is seen by: Manufacturers, product
scouts, investors, direct response TV companies,
catalog companies and other potential licensees.
Visit www.MarketLaunchers.com.
Reprinted with permission.
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • Jan.-Feb. 2012
Page 11
WEBSITES
Brief descriptions in parentheses.
U.S. Gov’t.
U.S. Gov’t. General Information Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.FirstGov.gov
USPTO Depository Library (UCF, Orlando) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://library.ucf.edu/GovDocs/PatentsTrademarks/default.asp
SATOP-Space Alliance Tech (NASA helps inventors; free) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.SpaceTechSoluttons.com
SBIR/STTR (gov’t. wants inventions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbir
Nat’l. Standards (gov’t. helps inventor’s business) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nist.gov/tip
D.O.D. Tech Match (military R&D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.DODTechMatch.com
Patent Offices, Patent Search
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.uspto.gov
European Patent Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.epo.org
Google Patent Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.google.com/patents
State Gov’t.
Florida Department of Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.state.fl.us/dor
New Business Start Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.sunbiz.org
USF Technology Incubator (free help to inventors; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.incubator.usf.edu
STAR TEC Center (Pinellas County business incubation; Largo) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.Young-RaineyStarCenter.org
Inventor’s Education, Advice, Books, Lessons, Info, Etc.
Edison Inventors Ass’n. (non-profit inventor’s club; Ft. Myers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.EdisonInventors.org
World Intellectual Property Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.wipo.org
National Inventor Fraud Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventorFraud.com
United Inventors Ass’n. (large nat’l. org.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.uiaUSA.com
Inventors Digest (magazine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventorsDigest.com
Patent Café (inventor’s issues) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.PatentCafe.com
InventionScore(evaluation service, Patrick Raymond) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.MyInventionScore.com
InventBay.com (info, manuf’ing, funding) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventBay.com
EdisonNation (education, contests, info) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.EdisonNation.com
Everyday Edisons (P.B.S. show, contests) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.EverydayEdisons.com
Idea Next Step (on-line contests) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.IdeaNextStep.com
From Patent to Profit (Bob DeMatteis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.FromPatentToProfit.com
Inventor Mentor (Jack Lander) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.inventor-mentor.com
Inventor Assistance (Ron Ezinga) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://inventassist.com/
The Basics of Patenting & Innovating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.inventors.about.com/od/firststeps
Ask The Inventors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.AskTheInventors.com
Inventions.com (inventor’s directory) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.inventions.com
Lloyd Marketing Group (Lisa Lloyd) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.LloydMarketingGroup.com
InventNet - Inventor’s Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventNet.com
MIT-Lemelson Inventors Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://web.mit.edu/invent
Invention Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventorHelper.com
Intnat’l. Federation of Inventor Ass’ns. (Budapest, Hungary) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.invention-ifia.ch
Intnat’l. Development Enterprises (nonprofit, 3rd world inventing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ideorg.org
Innovation TRIZ (problem solving method) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.innovation-triz.com
ASIT (inventor’s problem solving method) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.start2think.com
Invention Machine (R&D problem-solving software) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.invention-machine.com
KeyWord Patent Search (workbook) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.USIntellectualPropertyAttorney.com/PatentSearching.html
Stephen Key (inventor’s blog, coaching) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://StephenKey.com
Product Design, Prototyping, Manufacturing
R&R Associates (product design, prototyping; Sarasota) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.RnRAssociates.com
Invention-Aids (rendering & virtual prototypes, Mal Greenberg; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.invention-aids.com
Duracon, Inc. (Voytek Beldycki; Sarasota) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.DuraconInc.com
Chapman Mold (Brooksville) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.chapman-mold.com
Trident Design (product design, prototyping, licensing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.trident-design.com
Robrady Designs (product design, prototyping; Sarasota) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.robrady.com
EMS, Inc. (product design, prototyping; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ems-usa.com
Mydea Technologies (product design, prototyping; Orlando) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.MydeaTechnologies.com
eMachineShop (product design, prototyping, free CAD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.eMachineShop.com
Machine Design (rapid design & prototyping info.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://MachineDesign.com
Access International, Inc. (Asian man’fing. agent; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.AsiaSourceNow.com
PPI, Inc. (funding, R&D, design, manufacture) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ProtoProd.com
Concurrent Technologies Corp. (non-profit, military R&D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ctc.com
Society of Manufacturing Engineers (Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://chapters.sme.org/159/homepage.htm
Marketing Services
Innovative Product Technologies (Pam Riddle-Bird; Gainesville) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventOne.com
Hill, Coniglio & Polins (market research, planning, ads; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.HCPAssociates.com
My Marketing Dept., Inc. (Allen Jernigan; St. Pete) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.MMDept.com
Package Management Group, Inc. (packaging & marketing; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.pmg-packaging.com
Big Idea Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.BigIdeaGroup.net
Market Launchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.MarketLaunchers.com
Idea Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.IdeaVillage.com
Wal-Mart (sells inventors’ products) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://WalMartStores.com/Suppliers/252.aspx
Impama (invention marketplace) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.inpama.com
One Stop Invention Shop (Don Debelak) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://OneStopInventionShop.net
Page 12
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • Jan.-Feb. 2012
Licensing Agents
Invention Home (household products) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventionHome.com
DaVinci Legacy Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.DaVinciLegacyGroup.com
Planet Eureka (Doug Hall) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.PlanetEureka.com
Next Techs (patent sales broker, venture capital) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.NextTechs.com
Patent Lawyers, Patent Agents, Legal Services
Att’y. Referral Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www,AttorneyReferralOnLine.com
Kim Jacklin (reg. patent att’y.; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.JacklinPatents.com
Ed Dutkiewicz (reg. patent att’y.; Dade City) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.EdDuke.com
David Ellis (patent att’y.; Largo) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://Publish.pDesigner.com/DavidREllis/index.jsp
Dave Kiewit (reg. patent agent; St. Pete) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.patent-faq.com
Smith & Hopen (reg. patent att’y.; Clearwater) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.BayPatents.com
Stephen Powers (patent agent; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.GulfCoastIP.com
Mike Colitz (reg. patent att’y.; Dunedin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.colitz.com
Brent Britton (reg. patent att’y.; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ssd.com
Inventor’s All-In-One Services
Quirky (crowd-sourcing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.quirky.com
Idea Connection (innovation hosting) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.IdeaConnection.com
Innovative Consulting Group, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.biz-consult.com/ICG/
Obvia Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.obvia.biz
Design My Idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.DesignMyIdea.com
Jetta Co. (toys, electronics; Hong Kong) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.jetta.com.hk
Trade Shows
Invention Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventionConnection.com
Trade Show Nat’l. Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.tsnn.com
ERA Invention Showcase (Electronic Retailers Ass’n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://retailing.org
Catalogs, Mail Order
Nat’l. Mail Order Ass’n. (info. about catalogs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nmoa.org
Catalog Link (info. about catalogs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.CatalogLink.com
Catalog Times (learn to sell thru catalogs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.CatalogTimes.com
Tilbury Direct Marketing (agent representing many catalogs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://CatalogRep.com
Business Data & Info.
SCORE (Service Core Of Retired Executives) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.score.org
Small Business Development Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.asbdc-us.org
Small Business Administration (loans & loan info) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.sba.gov
Entrepreneurial Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.entre-ed.org
Start Up Nation (business education) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.StartUpNation.com/topics/11/Inventing.htm
Florida Women’s Business Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.flwbc.org
World’s Market Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.WorldOpinion.com
Thomas Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ThomasNet.com
Hoovers On-Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.hoovers.com
Industry Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://Research.ThomsonIB.com/
Funding, Angel Investors, Venture Capital
Angel Capital Ass’n. (angel groups, non-profit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.AngelCapitalAssociation.org
Alliance of Angels (angel groups) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://AllianceOfAngels.com
National Venture Capital Ass’n. (VC groups, non-profit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nvca.org
Florida Venture Forum (VC education, non-profit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.FloridaVentureForum.org
Quintic Capital, LLC (angels, VC, coaching; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://quintic-capital.com
Go4Funding (angels, VC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.Go4Funding.com
AngelList . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://angel.com
CEO Space (international networking club) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.CEOSpace.net
CAD Software (Computer Aided Design)
CAD Std (free 2D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.cadstd.com
Alibre (free 2D & 3D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.alibre.com/promos/online/personal.asp
CoCreate (free 3D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.CoCreate.com/products/PE2/ModelingPE2.aspx
Parts, Supplies, Materials
Don’s Salvage Yard (used stuff; Clearwater) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.DonsMarineSalvageYard.com
Skycraft Electronic Parts (new parts, Orlando) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.SkycraftSurplus.com
American Science & Surplus (mechanical & electrical) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.sciplus.com
W. M. Berg, Inc. (small parts supplier) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.wmberg.com
McMaster-Carr (industrial supply) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.mcmaster.com
American Plastics Supply (supplier & manf’er.;Clearwater) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.AmericanPlasticSupply.com
G-Wiz Fab-Lab (machine shop education & rental; Sarasota) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.gwiz.org
ADVERTISE WITH TBIC!
TBIC is now accepting advertisers for the TBIC Newsletter! If you would like to place an ad
please contact the TBIC Main office at: 727-565-2085
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • Jan.-Feb. 2012
Page 13
Patent Reform (Continued from Page 7)
cases, it may be advantageous to seek patent
protection on general aspects of an invention,
while maintaining the “best mode” as a trade
secret. A patent application might be filed on the
“best mode” at a later time. Such an approach
could stagger patent terms, and effectively
extend patent protection on the “best mode”
beyond 20 years from the effective filing date
of the invention’s general aspect application.
However, in adopting such an approach, the
applicant may take several risks. First, another
person might be the “first to file” on the “best
mode.” Second, the commercial application of
a “best mode” process that is maintained as a
trade secret, but of which the resultant product
is sold may continue to be considered a “public
use” that disqualifies a patent. Finally, the courts
assign practical consequences to not complying
with the vestigial “best mode” requirement of
the law.
As another example, an applicant that intends to only seek patent protection in the
United States may publish the invention to prevent another from filing a patent application on
it, wait the full one-year “grace period,” file a
provisional application, wait the full one-year
life of the provisional application, and then file
a nonprovisional application. Under the prior
law an inventor could publish, and then have
the one-year “grace period” to file a patent application during which the inventor’s own publication would not be considered prior art. The
act of publication did not preclude another from
filing a patent application. Rather, who was entitled to the patent would ultimately be resolved
under the “first to invent” standard. By contrast,
under the AIA, if an inventor knows he or she
is the first to publish, there is certainty that only
he or she may receive a patent.
In summary, those concerned with the patent
protection of innovations should seek understanding of key provisions of the AIA, monitor forthcoming implementation by the USPTO
and interpretation by the courts of provisions,
consider strategic implications, and be prepared
to reconsider general conclusions of effects of
the Act in light of specific facts and circumstances. n
Previously published in “IPFrontline”, the newsletter of PatentCafe®. www.ipfrontline.com www.
patentcafe.com PatentCafe® is the leading provider
of intellectual property asset management (IPAM)
software and informational resources. Reprinted
with permission.
Page 14
TBIC Members are entitled to
receive Discount Subscriptions
to Inventors Digest Magazine!
Inventors Digest is the official publication of the United
Inventors Association. TBIC
is an affiliate member of the
U.I.A. and therefore TBIC
members are entitled to a discount on the price of Inventors Digest subscriptions.
Regular Price Discount Price
$36 for 1 year$27 for 1 year
TBIC Members can get this
discount when subscribing
(or renewing) ONLY by phone or
snail-mail, not through Inventors
Digest’s website.
Phone: (800) 838-8808
Ask for the Account Manager
and explain that you are a TBIC
member and ask for the discount.
Snail-Mail: Send your check and a note
that explains the above to:
Inventors Digest
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Charlotte, NC 28202
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • Jan.-Feb. 2012
Dues Descriptions
Student Dues
Member Descriptions
2010-2011
Officers &
Officers
&
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
A Student Member at the $25.00 rate
Student
Member
must be
an active student enrolled in
Student Member
the may
$25.00
rate must
anA accredited
school. at
They
attend
President
be an active
studentthe
enrolled
in an accredmeetings
and receive
Newsletter.
Wayne
Rasanen
ited school.
They may attend meetings and
Sustaining
Member
Wayne
Rasanen
President
the Newsletter.
Areceive
Sustaining
Member ($75.00 per yearVice President
goodharbinger@yahoo.com
see below)
enjoys the benefit of attendSustaining
Member
Kirk Hamlin
ing
meetings, seminars,
A Sustaining
Member socializing
($75.00 perand
year- seeAndrew Yauch - Vice President
Secretary
networking
withthe
other
members,
receiv- meetbelow) enjoys
benefit
of attending
ing
the seminars,
Newslettersocializing
and participating
as
Rob
Aiken
ings,
and networking
Gayla Kilbride - Treasurer
a with
reviewer
our Focus receiving
Groups. They
otherinmembers,
the NewsBoard Members
are
allowed
to present their
letter
and participating
as a protected
reviewer in ourRobert Aiken - Secretary
Lloyd
Arnel
product
to
all
of
the
various
companies
Focus Groups. They are allowed to present
Voytec Beldycki
(such
informercial
andtocatalog
their as
protected
product
all of comthe variousBoard Members;
panies)
that (such
come as
to informercial
the TBIC toand
findcatalog Wojciech Beldycki
Mark Peterson
companies
new
products that
for the
market.
companies)
come
to theMembers
TBIC to find Earl Deen Tony Pettry
usually
find other
members
the usu- Kirk Hamlin
new products
for the
market.with
Members
Joe Navarro
prototyping
knowledge
and
ally find other
membersthey
withneed,
the prototyping
Allen Jernigan
pay
that
member
for
their
time
and
for
Mark
knowledge they need, and pay that member Mark Peterson Stadnyk
prototyping
materials
Sustaining
for their time
and forused.
prototyping
materials
Founder
members
may askmembers
to have amay
free ask
Focus
used. Sustaining
to have aFounder Ron E. Smith
Ron
E. Smith
Group
done Group
on their
product
and
are and
free Focus
done
on their
product
allowed
to
display
their
product
in
our
are allowed to display their product in our
designated
designateddisplay
displayarea.
area.
T.B.I.C. Prorated Sustaining Membership Dues Schedule
$75 per year, prorated.
Renewal date: 01 January.
People
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until...
Jan.
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...until the following Jan. 1st.
Then they renew their membership for a full year at $75.
Visitors
VisitorsWelcome
Welcome
The
TheBoard
BoardofofDirectors
Directorsof
of TBIC
TBIC
wants
wantstotowelcome
welcomeallallvisitors.
visitors. AdAdmission
for
visitors
is
$5.00
mission for visitors is $5.00 per
per
meeting,
unless
accompanied
by
meeting, unless accompanied an
by
active
member.
We
hope
that
you
an active member. We hope that
can
see
the
benefits
of
becoming
a
you can see the benefits of becommember!
Our Bylaws
allow visitors
ing a member!
Our Bylaws
allow
to visitors
attend two
without
oblito meetings
attend two
meetings
gation
to join.
without
obligation to join.
Please
the Other
Other Members
Please Respect the
At aa recent
recent Board
Board Meeting,
Meeting, several
severalmembers
memberssaid
said
At
theyhave
havereceived
receivedcomplaints
complaintsabout
abouttalking
talkingininthe
theback
back
they
themeeting
meetingroom
roomwhile
whilethe
themeeting
meetingisisininprogress.
progress.
ofofthe
Someofofour
ourmembers
membersare
arehard
hardofofhearing,
hearing,and
andasassuch
such
Some
findititdifficult
difficulttotohear
hear
presentation
is competfind
thethe
presentation
if itifisitcompeting
ing with talking in background. While we acknowledge
with
in background.
wewe
acknowledge
that
that talking
networking
is vital for While
all of us,
ask in the future
networking
is
vital
for
all
of
us,
we
ask
in
the
future
that our members try to network before or after thethat
preour
members
to network
before or after
thecell-phones
presentasentation.
It try
would
also be appreciated
if all
tion.
would
also beanswer
appreciated
all cell-phones
wereItput
on silent
duringifthe
meeting. were
Thank
you!
Your Board Of Directors
put on silent answer
during
the- meeting.
Thank you! - Your Board Of Directors
Members are invited to write letters for inclusion in the newsletter. Email to robertraiken@verizon.net or
aletha@alethalady.com,
faxtotowrite
727-547-5490
mail to TBIC
our officeEmail
address.
Letters should be brief, to
Members are invited
letters fororinclusion
in the atnewsletter.
to robertraiken@verizon.net,
the fax
point,
and be accompanied
email
addressLetters
and phone
number.
Letters
beand
edited
for
to 727-547-5490
or mailby
to member
TBIC at name,
our office
address.
should
be brief,
to themay
point,
be acclarity,
taste and
be address
printed as
room
permits.
companied
bylength.
memberLetters
name,will
email
and
phone
number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and
length. Letters will be printed as room permits.
Page 15
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • Jan.-Feb. 2012
Page 15
TAMPA BAY INVENTORS COUNCIL
7752 Royal Hart Dr. New Port Richey, FL 34653
Information and articles printed in
this newsletter are not necessarily
ur
yo ate
endorsed by the TBIC and may
ck n d
not be applicable to everyone
che iratio
e to xp e
sur ip e her
Be bersh ound
f
m
me
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
Activities Calendar
Monthly meetings are held
every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of EVERY month.
All meetings start at
7:00 p.m.
Website Info
www.TBIC.us
Visit our website for information
about current and past happenings.
You can also download current and
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Acrobat Reader on your computer.
If you don’t already have it, go to:
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to download this free
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Just a note
We would like to remind our
members that our Board
Meetings are open to you if
you would like to sit in on
them. We usually meet directly after the first meeting
date each month.
Need to Reach
TBIC?
Office: 727-565-2085
or call: 727-251-4056
George Mouzakis
g.mouzakis@chicagobooth.edu
Newsletter Staff
Executive EditorGeorge Mouzakis
Contributing EditorRobert Aiken
To submit articles, send emails to: robertrraiken@verizon.net
Articles and other items must be received by the first Tuesday of the odd
months.
The Tampa Bay Inventor’s Council (TBIC) is a corporation as defined in Chapter 617, Florida Statutes, as a
not-for-profit. The corporation is organized exclusively
for charitable, educational and scientific purposes. The
TBIC is a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation, which
allows the receiving of tax deductible contributions of
goods and services. There are over 150 active members
willing to share their expertise and experiences with fellow inventors.