Monday 12 July 2010

Patent Search Online


As you may already know, the best free online Parent Search for "Prior Art" is at Espsace.com


Previously it was locked down to prevent certain keyword searches only available to patent companies and lawyers. Now the service is vastly improved and I recommend that you try it!

Prior Art search is essential before even considering a Patent, or Patent Application!!

Monday 14 June 2010

The Chinese way of working has almost defeated one British entrepreneur, writes Malcolm Moore in Wuxi

This is a very funny story of a British entrepreneur determined to make his fortune by manufacturing high-end electric scooters in China and importing them to Britain.



Read this very amusing and colourful true story here about manufacturing in China , and you'll get a clear picture of how this advanced manufacturing nation operates!!

The moral of the story. Get your product manufactured and made by companies that care, and havea reputation to uphold... Preferably English speaking too. Making products in China is laughably prone to errors, and there are a whole host of companies that profess to help you to do this. Trust me, there are better ways!!

How to protect your invention for FREE

I get a lot of emails from inventors, and here is a recent example. Luckily this 15 year old inventor was switched on and asked me the right questions

Sent: 09 June 2010 18:30
To: john@thebigconsultant.com
Subject: Feedback Form

I am 15 years old and have an idea which I believe will dominate both the [removed for protection] and in [removed for protection] markets.

I would like to know three things however before I disclose details of my idea; 1/do you offer advise on the viability of designs, 2/ do i need my idea to be protected before I disclose details of it to yourselves and 3/ do you have the resources to produce on a large scale as well as prototyping.

I eagerly await your response.

Elliot Bell


My response:-

Hi Elliot,

Thank you got your interesting email.

You certainly have a job on your hands if your idea is as good as you have outlined. However, you have correctly identified three very important questions and in answering them I will stress to you that you should seek to carefully protect your idea, be wary of advice you are given and make your own decisions very carefully.

To answer your questions:-

1. do you offer advise on the viability of designs,

I can look at your design and give you my honest opinion, based upon manufacturing and sales knowledge. However, you should not disclose your design to any party until you have a printed and signed Non-Disclosure Agreement. This should be signed by both parties, and this will protect your idea. You should have your own, and I’ll provide you with details on how to obtain this.

2. do i need my idea to be protected before I disclose details of it to yourselves.

Yes yes yes. But be careful. There are low cost and simple ways to protect your design which your should consider first.

Your first step should be to contact the Intellectual Property Office, or IPO. This is a government organisation that manages legal protection of ideas and there are several methods by which you should protect your design – see this page for more info http://www.ipo.gov.uk/patent/info and call them if you need to.

Please be aware that

i. some companies thrive on taking peoples ideas away from them.

ii. some lawyers want you to spend lots of money on patents too early.

iii. You should research all this information yourself carefully, and double check the advice.

iv. Ideally you should develop a “working knowledge” of how to protect you design. This is in stages, 1. By NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), 2. By post 3. Most importantly by patent application if your idea is good, (and other methods, see IPO website) 4. By full Patent Publication.

You should be safe to speak to me or others, after completing Step 2.

Note:-

a. If you “publicly disclose” your idea, i.e. you show someone without the NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) you may not be able to file a Patent in this country!!

b. If you disclose your design without an NDA agreement, someone may steal your idea! Patents offer more protection, but will cost £3,500 generally. Fortunately you can use other low cost ways to protect your design, for much less, for up to 12 months or more. This includes Registered Design Rights, Patent Applied For, and Trademarks. I would suggest that the best method right now is to make a copy of all your work or ideas, and post them by registered self addressed envelopes at your local Post Office to yourself. This gives a date, and leave them sealed!! This can then be used as evidence of your having the idea first. I have personally sign and sealed copies of my ideas and given them to professional people I trust, such as my accountant or family solicitor to keep in their safe.

c. You should read the information on the IPO Website, and especially the downloadable documents regarding “Patent Facts” and “Patents Essential Reading”. You should also be able to order a printed copy from them for free. I recommend that you have a NDA Agreement, that you and the receiving party sign and date. I can send you one of mine, or your could contact your local patent lawyers and ask them for one for free (if they are any good, and reasonable they should give you one). Also why not also ask for a free 1 hour consultation, if they are registered to give “Legal Aid”. Also, I recommend that you have posted your design to yourself, and I should say that you are protected enough to discuss your idea with a 3rd party.

3. do you have the resources to produce on a large scale as well as prototyping.

I work with a range of companies to deliver services, and there are a range of options available to you in order to undertake production. All have risks, levels of commitment and potential for varying financial reward. Typically the least risky will yield the lowest reward, and this would be to licence your developed and protected (step 4) product idea to a 3rd party manufacturer. The second way would be to set up a Ltd company, to own the IP and to create ‘shares’ in this to cover the costs of development (as the cost of setting up a company is large), however, this company itself may have value and could provide a vehicle for greater profits and flexibility, but requires investment of work and careful management. Third would be to sell the protected and developed idea outright for a on-off sum, which would leave you within the money, as they say, but you would effectively have sold the intellectual property. In addition there are variations on these themes, including stepping up royalties in case of higher sales numbers.

Manufacturing typically takes place in a global market now, and as you may have seen in the news, Apple’s Ipod is not made by Apple Inc, but by a Chinese company called Foxcon. They also manufacture the Playstation! I can arrange for large scale manufacture as well as prototyping, but this involves more of a legal process, and your product must show the capacity to generate a “return on investment” i.e. it will be profitable to sell, and suitable in terms of investment of time, money and production of tooling. The simple answer is yes.

Please be careful of who you talk to regarding the idea, before you have made steps to protect yourself. Your design would not be worth anything, if for example, any company could just copy it. Also check your sources of information, and remember that even friendly looking organisations may be wishing to make a profit from you.

I do however recommend this book on the subject, and it really is the best that I have seen and covers all the details of patent laws, registering, designing, legal documents, marketing, and dealing with businesses http://www.abettermousetrap.co.uk/book.htm . I do strongly suggest you purchase this, and it will even tell you how to mark your drawings so that they are copyrighted for example (another free protection).

If you do have any other questions, then please feel free to ask. And if you want me to appraise your idea, then I should look forward to seeing that you have taken the steps outlined (NDA, copies posted to self, drawings marked copyright etc).

I wish you the best of success in the meantime, and well done for asking the right questions.

Best regards,
John Biddleston
MDes BSc LCG QTS


So the moral is, 1. Get an NDA which you can do for FREE is is invaluable 2. Seek to file Patent Applied for (you can write this yourself, and filing is FREE 3. Review IP such as copyright, trademarks and posting to yourself (which admittedly will cost you a stamp!!)

Wednesday 19 May 2010

Guess what? I am NOT a ROBOT! (beep!)

As you might have gathered by now, I am a BIG fan of building robots. Building them, teaching about them and using the technologies in things like automation products. I heard this song on the radio...

And it reminded me that, Guess What, I'm not a robot. I think some R&R and holiday time is on order! I like the images embedded in this video, and makes you think what is possible in the future?

Friday 14 May 2010

New Recycling Plant

The BIG Consultant has been contracted to help with the commissioning and planning proposal applications for a new recycling and gassification plant in a major northern city.

The client, has expressed an interest to move quickly, utilising private funding. Furthermore, rapid understanding, development and design changes are best made making heavy use of 3D engineering CAD.

These are early pictures, but the final proposal will be the most advanced and efficient recycling and power generation plant in the UK. Buyers from this grid, will be large band name companies, and even better, the waste to energy from established distribution networks will feed the plant. Free energy?? Yes please!!

I'm all for government investment, but sometimes private enterprise can move more quickly, and in this case provide benefits for the local economy, improved waste services, environmental benefits and jobs. A very worthwhile and profitable investment Indeed.

We are CON-DEM'ed !!!!

Hmmm, it seems we are waking up to a CON DEM government! My prediction, there will be some fireworks soon. A seep sizzling of resentment and suppressed ideas!!

As always, Steve Bell says it best. What an amazing political cartoonist.


You can find Steve Bell's "IF" cartoon clicking here and also the main daily cartoons like the above by clicking here

... I do wonder what is going to happen to all those bloated "Regional Development Agencies" and quango's floating around. There's a lot of waste going on in this part of the country, but as ever, will the changes promote successful business development and true innovation.

My comment, its really time for a new politics, and I don't think that the politicians have worked this out yet! There is a solution, but it may not be as obvious at the moment? Comments please!

Friday 5 March 2010

Solid Smack!



Check out SolidSmack! What is SolidSmack?

"This is a very small behemoth of an online community about 3D CAD, technology, design, robots, and the occasional blast of intensely cool product design and technology. Updates on in the world of 3D, add a splash of business insight and web tech in the mix and there you have SolidSmack.

Get your 1000mg of SolidSmack.com Stat here!!! http://www.solidsmack.com

It’s your daily multi-vitamin of coolness.

Thursday 25 February 2010

makerfaire.com: Maker Faire Newcastle 2010: Makers

Im attending the makerfaire.com: Maker Faire in Newcastle on the 13th & 14th of March.



Its a weekend aevent and should prove to be a lot of fun, with some interesting things to see and people to meet.

Tuesday 9 February 2010

Circuit Bent Furbies

Do you remember the Furbies. Early 90's annoying robots that you can't turn off?

Well its sweet sweet justice that someone has made a guide to dismantle and mess about with these creatures internals. http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/03/circuit-bent-furby.html

Circuit bending, is a really interesting activity, and well worth Googling! There are some amazing 'circuit bent' musical instruments for example!!



Wednesday 20 January 2010

Steve Jobs - Find what you love, and , Don't lose faith!

Innovation and inventing is a tough game, and many get disheartened. Its easy to do and a common story.

Why not listen to one of the worlds most sucessful innovators and his three product development stories!!



Inspiring!!

Sunday 17 January 2010

ProtoType This - Fighting Robots



Prototype This is a great new programme on the Discovery Chanel which shows the entire process of developing a product design into a manufactable solution.

They do this by making a model quickly using Rapid Prototyping to discover if the product will work!! Check it out!

Rare self-rolling giant snow balls found in UK

Have a look at these babies!

"Also known as snowrollers, snow bales and snow doughnuts, they form mostly in unusual conditions created by a precise combination of snow, ice, wind, temperature and moisture on the prairies of North America.

But this week's frozen weather has allowed the snow cylinders to make a freak appearance in the UK."

[Via Derren Brown, via The Telegraph]

Where can you go to learn how to get your product to market?

Where can you go to learn how to get your product to market?

There are inventors clubs all over the country: Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham to name a few. But what do you find there?

To my mind there are elite groups of sharks, charatans and parasites that wish to take over your Intelectual Property. These rings are not unlike being passed from one adviser to another at Business Link.

All the time somebody is making a commission!! Ching ching.

My advice:-
1. Reasearch your market carefully.
2. The internet is your best friend. It never tells on you when you ask it questions regarding your product or invention.
3. Write a business plan!! - they dont tell you how to do this at the inventors clubs (",)
4. Make carefull notes and strategy on how to procede.

The business plan is the single most important aspect of any product related endeavour!!

You can download a free business plan template here