Ever think of a new gadget/invention and someone else comes up w/same thing?
By Amy
@artemis432 (7474)
Abernathy, Texas
August 23, 2007 12:33pm CST
Ever think of a new invention - or idea - but never do anything about it - and find it in the marketplace after? I have. First, as a teenager, I started an advertising business'. At first I thought, why not answer several ads for delivering flyers as well as call up small business' and offer my services - then pay another teen to deliver them - use a backwards phonebook to check up on them. You could pay them more then a fast food joint that likely be working at if they weren't working for you and you'd still have a lot left over. Then, I actually made a sort of newsletter publication, directed towards homeowners. We would offer services relevant to the single family homewowner - thoroughly check them out for them - less work.
I got several clients, small businesses who couldn't afford other advertising avenues - and believe it or not - this was before you got a lot of advertising in the mail. Eventually, I wanted to actually do mailings. I had a partner, as I was shy - I did all the behind the scenes work - including - getting them hooked on the phone - and he closed the deal in person. He sounded like a used car salesman but he always got the sale. I started it, he ended it. But he eventually decided that 'getting rich quick' was too much work, and quit. He was attending school full time.
He had the car, and he was the customer liason - I was too shy. Soon after, a newsletter just like ours came out in the mail, then valpak and on and on. Businesses which are making a lot of money.
In a way it worked out okay, I didn't get rich quick, and all of my research, as fun as it was, in guerrilla advertising and marketing and such fell by the wayside, but it opened up my time so that I could nanny for a friend who couldn't otherwise afford childcare at first while she returned to work after having her baby.
There are other ideas for gift items and such that I never followed through on that eventually someone else did. Now I have card/bumpersticker ideas - hundreds and want to do something - not sell them piecemeal to Hallmark and such - before the same thing happens!
What about you - have an idea you never followed through on - and now someone is a multi-millionaire on the same idea you came up with yourself?
1 person likes this
2 responses
@stealthy (8181)
• United States
23 Aug 07
Eons ago when I was in graduate school in physics, I had the idea to make miniature flourescent light bulbs in a similar shape and size to regular incandesant light bulbs. I tried to get the department glassblower to help to come up with a prototype. However, he was afraid to work with the chemicals that are coated on the glass that help the flourescing. So nothing came of it because it isn't good enough to just have an idea, you have to reduce it to practice to get a patent. Now, of course, you see them all over the place and they touted as being money saving and good for the environment.
@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
23 Aug 07
You don't need a prototype when filing for patent protection. However a a working prototype is useful in determining if your product will actually work as you imagined.
However, patenting isn't necessasry a first course of action anyway - I was too quick to say that. Documenting the idea and placing it in a specially bound inventors notebook or filing a disclosure document with the U.S. Trademark and Patent office(from then you have a year), invest in a nuetral Third Party feasibility study, read through related patents to make sure the idea is original. Then file for patent protection - but be prepared now to lay out alot of money! From idea to manufacture most ideas cost alot.
I'm likely singing to the choir. There is likely little you don't know it would seem. That would have been a great idea! Too bad the glassblower was afraid to proceed. He's prolly kicking himself - as I'm sure you would have been generous.
@stealthy (8181)
• United States
25 Aug 07
Yes at that time I really didn't have much time to work on something that was totally unrelated to my degree research and studies and had no money for it either. Also, I didn't know much about such things then and still don't know as much as I probably should. All my patents are owned by the company I worked for when I got them and I never received anything for them and the patent department lawyers did all the applying and stuff, we scientist "just" came up with the ideas, did the research and wrote the internal memoranda that were use by the patent attorneys, etc.
As far as the glassblower was concerned, if he had been willing to work on it and it had led somewhere, as far as I was concerned we would have been equal partners.
@craftcatcher (3699)
• United States
23 Aug 07
I had a great idea for a new floor mop design one day while I was mopping my kitchen floor. I had one of those old fashion rag mops and I thought there has to be a better way to wring this thing out instead of getting your hand in the filthy water or buying one of those big squeeze handle buckets. So I drew up a picture of a handle that you could pull up and twist to wring out the mop.
A few weeks later I added to the idea. What about attaching a little cannister on the side with a button on top and a small hose to squirt cleaning fluid onto the floor in case you just wanted to do a touch up.
Over time I pretty much forgot about the idea. But to my horror about a year later, I see my original idea as a reality on a tv commercial! It was virtually identical to my drawing except they used a different type of mop head than I had in mind. Then again to my horror, just a couple of years ago I see the new mops with the cleaning fluid canniter to squirt on the floor right in front of the mop.
So that's two ideas that I should have acted on and didn't. I could have been rich 20 yrs ago if I had. I still kick myself about it.
@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
23 Aug 07
I know what you mean. How impressive you actually drew your ideas out. Some of my ideas are boppys - nursing pillows that go all the way around - have a button or velcro... some months ago I heard of something similiar. I also thought of pillows that stay cool so you don't have to keep turning it over - I thought of that long ago and recently saw it in a catalog. Or rocks and other things with words like love, Create!, inspire, loyalty and the like - and of course that's been done!
I encourage everyone to forward with ideas. Even before you secure the funds to develop the idea - buy the patent! Copyright the idea. Buy the trademark, website, domain name!
