Category: Inventions

Strategies to Become a Better Inventor: Cultivating the Seeds of Innovation

Inventors have long held a distinctive place in human society. Their creative prowess and problem-solving skills have produced revolutionary advancements that fundamentally alter how we live and interact with the world. But how does one enhance their inventiveness? Here are some effective strategies to cultivate your skills and become a better inventor.

1. Cultivate a Mindset of Curiosity and Lifelong Learning

Invention thrives in a fertile mind, which is cultivated through continuous learning and an insatiable curiosity. Albert Einstein once noted, “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” Lifelong learning allows inventors to gather a wide array of knowledge and apply it to problem-solving in inventive ways. It also ensures you remain updated with the latest developments in your area of interest. Online courses, seminars, books, and lectures are all excellent resources.

2. Foster Problem-Solving Skills

Every invention begins with a problem that requires a solution. Therefore, honing problem-solving skills is crucial for any inventor. This involves identifying the problem, brainstorming possible solutions, evaluating these solutions, and refining them based on results. A methodical approach to problem-solving allows inventors to efficiently and effectively transform ideas into inventions.

3. Think Divergently

Divergent thinking, the ability to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions, is a key characteristic of successful inventors. Unlike convergent thinking, which narrows down possibilities to find one solution, divergent thinking opens the mind to a multitude of ideas, encouraging innovative solutions.

4. Embrace Failure

Most successful inventors have a history of failures behind their breakthroughs. Thomas Edison famously said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Understanding that failure is not a dead-end but a learning opportunity cultivates resilience, a crucial trait for inventors.

5. Develop Prototyping Skills

The ability to translate theoretical ideas into tangible prototypes is a critical part of the invention process. Whether it’s a physical product, a software application, or a scientific hypothesis, skills such as drafting, modeling, coding, or even 3D printing can aid in this transition. As you refine your prototyping skills, you’ll be able to more effectively test, refine, and ultimately perfect your inventions.

6. Understand Intellectual Property Rights

Inventors must understand how to protect their ideas. Familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. Knowledge in this area can prevent others from exploiting your inventions and ensure that you receive proper recognition and financial rewards for your work.

7. Network with Other Inventors and Innovators

Building relationships with other inventors and innovators can provide invaluable support, feedback, and inspiration. These connections can open doors to collaborative opportunities, provide diverse perspectives, and even help find potential investors for your ideas.

8. Persistence is Key

Invention is often a long, winding road filled with setbacks and challenges. Persistence is a crucial characteristic of any successful inventor. As you navigate the highs and lows of the invention process, your determination can be the driving force that ultimately leads to success.

9. Seek Out and Respond to Feedback

Constructive feedback is a powerful tool for improving an invention. It provides fresh perspectives and can reveal flaws or opportunities you may have overlooked. It’s essential to remain open to criticism, assess it objectively, and use it as a resource for refining your invention.

10. Practice Creativity

Like any other skill, creativity improves with practice. Engage in activities that stimulate your creative thinking such as drawing, writing, music, puzzles, or even travel. By regularly exercising your creative muscles, you’ll be better prepared to think outside the box when inventing.

Conclusion

Becoming a better inventor is a journey of continuous growth and development. It involves fostering a particular set of skills, embracing a mindset of curiosity and resilience, and navigating the practical aspects of bringing an idea to fruition. While the path to inventiveness is undoubtedly challenging, it is equally rewarding, and the strategies outlined above can serve as a guide for those eager to make their mark in the realm of invention.

June 11, 2023
How to Sell an Idea to a Company

In this article I’ll talk about how to sell an idea to a company. I just want to provide you with a disclaimer upfront: it’s not easy, and sometimes it’s best to have a professional invention company work on your behalf (that’s why I offer a free invention kit on the right to budding inventors to help them professionalize their offering).

Ok, so now that you know it’s not a walk in the park, let’s get on with it. Like most things that lead to success, it’s best to follow a methodical approach.

1. Is it unique or protectable?

Firstly, let’s distinguish between an’ idea’ and an ‘invention’.

Idea

If the idea that you want to sell to a company is a new feature for a website, a better way for an existing product to function, or a scenario for an advertisement, it clearly falls into the ‘idea’ space. This means that it may not be patentable or protectable. In saying that, have a look at our feature on patenting an idea. Much of the time you may not wish to spend too much money on protecting it if you come to the conclusion that it is not something that can effectively be patented or protected in some form.

Invention

If your idea is a new kind of product, a new process or a new technology, then it falls into the ‘invention’ space. This means that you may need to consider protecting it in the form of a patent. The first place to start is doing a free patent search. You can then look at doing a provisional patent application and going down a process to protect it before you try and sell it to a company.

2. The Market

The next step would be to get a better understanding of the market for your idea or innovation. Do some research online to see what else is out there (you may have done this already), go to shops in a similar space and speak to sales consultants, or just consult with family, friends or co-workers about your idea.

Talk to people. Sometimes it’s best to be open about things and not too cagey, but you can judge for yourself. See what the feedback is for your idea.

This market research will be really valuable and can help you tweak your idea, or provide you with some questions that need answers, or give you the boost you need to take your idea to a company. Sometimes it will open up new ideas in your mind, or someone will suggest something seemingly obvious that you didn’t think of. Be psychologically prepared: your idea may be criticized or put down. Listen to the criticism, but in the end it’s up to you whether to dismiss it or to incorporate some of the feedback into your idea.

Also try and find out the potential size of the market for your idea. If it’s a niche market, try work out how big it is. Is it a product that could only work in the USA, or does it have potential to go international? Is it limited to one category, or could it be expanded into new ones? In doing this research, be realistic. Don’t assume that since the market you are targeting is a billion-dollar market, that you’ve suddenly got a billion dollar idea, or that it will be easy to capture even 1% of that market. Do your sums.

3. Sourcing and Manufacturing

If your idea is a tangible ‘real-world’ product, then it is going to have to be produced. Before you step into potentially difficult meetings with the companies to whom you will be trying to sell the idea, it will really help for you to be prepared. Research how your product is made, what materials are used, what processes are involved. What are the costs of the raw materials, and where are they sourced? Is your product something that could be manufactured locally, or will it need to be manufactured in China? Obvious questions but you’ll be surprised how often this is overlooked. If you can, do some kind of cost analysis based on quantities of production, and quantities of scale. When you do finally step into the meeting, you’ll be well prepared to answer some of the questions the may have. It will also place you in a much better negotiating position,

And don’t worry too much if you don’t have ‘perfect’ information (the company you are selling the idea to will probably have much more market data than you), but have enough information at your disposal so that it’s obvious you have done your homework.

4. Research the Right Companies

The web is your best friend here. You’ll be able to find, through Google searches most likely, target companies. Search for products in your idea’s niche, and see who manufactures them. Try find out who the parent company is of one of the companies you are researching, see how the companies are connected, and look out for who heads product development, research, or strategy. Go onto LinkedIn and see if you have any connections to these people. If not, just phone the company up and ask who is the person responsible for new ideas and development, and you’ll often be directed to the right person that way.

5. Presentation

It is very important that you are well-prepared for your meeting. Be sure to have some kind of presentation, whether it be Powerpoint slides, or designs that you hand out, or even a prototype. The more tangible you can show your idea, the more likely you are to sell your idea to a company . Watch Shark Tank on Youtube to see which presentation techniques work and which don’t.

6. Stamina

Be prepared to be rejected 9 times out of 10. Don’t walk into the first meeting thinking you are going to walk out a millionaire. It is going to take a lot of hard work and persistence to making this idea work for you.

7. Negotiation

If you’ve got to the point where a company is interested in buying your idea, you will need to have an idea of what kind of compensation you are looking for. This is probably a good point to bring in a lawyer or a invention advisory company to help you out, but generally your two options are:

a. An upfront one-off payment: here you will get a once-off fee for your idea. In some cases, if you are offered this, grab it. In others you may wish to be a but more pushy in getting a better longer lasting deal.

b. Royalties: sometimes this can be the best deal. You get a percentage (either for life or for a period of time), often a very low percentage such as 1-3%, of the wholesale price of each unit.

Other factors you will need to consider is that the purchasing company often wants some kind of exclusivity over your idea locally or globally.

How to Sell an Idea to a Company: Conclusion

This very broad and brief overview should give you some idea of how to sell an idea to a company. I recommend you also consider the invention kit on the right hand side, which will provide you with further information.

May 30, 2014
10 Things That Should Be Invented

Yes there are plenty of existing inventions in the world, many of which we may never have a use for (such as pet sunglasses). But that doesn’t mean we should limit our imaginations and hold back on new things that should be invented. Some of these are actually in progress, others are distant dreams, and some are just plain wacky.

So here is our list of 10 things that should be invented:

1. Dream Recording Device

The average person has between 4-7 dreams per night. But most of them are not remembered, or forgotten moments after waking. So wouldn’t it be nice to be able to record your dreams and play them back in 3D High Definition the next day? Imagine if you could simply set your dream Tivo to activate when it picks up that you are in REM Sleep (where dreams come from).

You could even filter them by category: funny, scary, adult-rated, and so forth. If your dream is really good then you could upload it to YouTube or broadcast it, or even produce a movie about it.

Of course there are many dreams that you may not want to remember, so the dream recording invention would simply delete it.

2. Self-Cleaning Clothes

This invention’s not too far away, and is likely to appear in our lifetime. Engineers in China have invented a method to get clothes to self-clean themselves when exposed to sunlight. All thanks to nanotechnology.

So instead of wasting time washing your clothes, you could simply go for a walk in the park. Good exercise and clean clothes all in one.

By why not tae this invention a bit further. Non-creasing clothes. Besides not cleaning your clothes ever again, you wouldn’t need to iron them either. An hour a day saved at least.

3. Instant Food

Imagine having a Netflix for food? You see a screen displaying a menu that allows you to select from thousands of dishes, as well as any fast food joint you can think of. Hungry for a Big Mac but don’t feel like collecting it? Just select it from the menu and have your 3D Printer print it for you. Want to snack on an artistically shaped pastry that tastes exactly like the one from a patisserie in France? Your 3D Printer will print it for you in under a minute. Delicious.

4. Permanent Puppies

Puppies are cute (by design). That’s why we all fall in love with them (we are programmed to look after something cute like a puppy or a baby). But after a while they grow up. We still love them but they’re not nearly as cute. So we get another puppy or kitten and the cycle continues.

So how about inventing a breed of dog that never grows up? A permanent puppy.

It stays small, cute and adorable all its life. But you still have to feed it (it’s not a toy).

5. Wound Healing Cream

Surely one day they’re going to invent a way to heal cuts and wounds significantly faster. Some kind of material that you just rub onto a wound (or a super-plaster of sorts), and within minutes the wound is healed and there are no scars.

It would have to involve a highly anti-bacterial substance, as well as a means to keep the wound moist, and a means to repair the skin and close the wound.

6. The Cure For The Common Cold

Here’s one that we all can hopefully agree upon. We’re living in the twenty-first century, and yet there is still no cure for the common cold. A cold brings you down: it makes you snivel and sniff and all congested for days.

And no one wants to get near you. There’s nothing pleasant about it. So surely one of the things that should be invented, and fast, is the cure for the common cold.

I mean how difficult can this be? Far more difficult things have been discovered before!

7. Infinitely Flavorsome Chewing Gum

So you’re chewing your gum. Chewing and chewing. You’re really enjoying the flavor: it’s fresh, pungent, rich and sometimes even a bit spicy. And after a few minutes it’s gone, evaporated. You might as well be chewing on a piece of rubber; it tastes just the same. That’s why we say that someone should invent infinitely flavorsome chewing gum.

You can chew for hours if you like, and it will still have exactly the same flavor on the 100th minute as on the first.

Scientists, get chewing on this idea.

8. Batteryless Devices

One of the most painful things in the world is your mobile phone going dead. Especially when you’re out, with no access to a charger, and you need to receive a text or make a phone call. And smartphones are particularly bad at battery life. The problem is the very concept of the battery that requires an external electric power source to charge it.

In fact scientists are working on this very thing. A team from Georgia Institute of Technology have invented a way for devices to self-power based on body movements. This would be perfect for medical devices that are embedded inside the body, but also for mobile phones, radios and other things that require constant charging.

9. Non-Hangover Alcohol

Not sure how well this one would fly; some people love bragging about how drunk they got the night before. But others would love to enjoy alcohol without feeling incredibly hung-over the next day.

So imagine if they came up with a substance that could be added to the alcohol that had absolutely no effect on the taste, but made you feel all jolly and well-rested the next day.

Problem with this is that it might encourage people to drink even more. Hmm…let’s move onto the next one.

10. Oxygen Particle Extractor

Ok I’m not sure how possible this is. But that’s the whole point of being inventive and creative: it’s to go beyond the possible. So this idea is a means to prevent the need to have a cumbersome and heavy oxygen tank with you when you dive in the ocean. Besides that, there’s always the worry that it might run out.

So the idea is this: extract, in real time, the Oxygen particle from the Hydrogen particles as you breathe it in. This allows you to stay underwater for as long as you want, without worrying about having to come up (ok you’ll need to come up at some point, I guess).

In Conclusion

Well that’s it folks, the 10 things that should be invented. We hope that gets your imagination buzzing.

January 31, 2013
Invention of Soccer

Many people are interested in the invention of soccer. While many sports have their roots in recent history, some sports can be traced back thousands of years to civilizations in the B.C. era. Organized athletics have been practiced by just about every civilization, from rudimentary team games to global tournaments found today.

The game of soccer is played worldwide and has become one of the greatest sports inventions of all times. While no single person can be credited with the invention of soccer, it is known that the game of kicking a ball around on a field that eventually developed into soccer was played over 3000 years ago.

The invention of soccer likely has its roots in ancient Asia. The earliest form of a soccer type game is dated back to Japan in the year 1004 B.C. Exact statistics and content of the game is unknown except that a ball was kicked around from one person to the next. In 50 B.C., a Chinese text was written which explains a game played between two teams, one from China and one from Japan.

The game described was very similar to that of soccer, and the text can be found in the Ethnological Museum in Germany. Greece and ancient Rome were also said to have played a game resembling soccer, but back then a team could consist of anything up to 27 players. One point of certainty is that the game we refer to as soccer was played in 611 A.D in Kyoto, Japan.

The invention of modern soccer, or football as it is better known outside the US, traces back to Britain over 1500 years ago. It is rumoured that the soccer ball consisted of inflated animal bladders and, allegedly, human heads. Solid proof confirming the latter practice has not yet been found. Claims exist that animal heads were also used as soccer balls, to represent a fertility rite during the pre-Christian times.

It is still not certain from where exactly the invention of soccer originated, who created the rules or how many players a team should have, but by the year 1066, soccer was a well established game. Various countries would play soccer according to their own set of rules but the idea of scoring a goal in your opponents net was a basic rule everywhere. During the 1300s, soccer was a street game and played much more roughly than it is today. In 1314 King Edward II outlawed soccer, but the game was renewed a decree by leaders that followed.

The invention of soccer underwent numerous adaptations over the next few centuries, but the invention of modern soccer has its roots in 19th century England. Several football clubs existed, each playing their own set of variations of the game.

In order to facilitate tournament play, they collaborated with each other to form a firm set of standard rules. On October 26, 1863, several clubs met and jointly established the first “universal” code. This code formed the basis of the rules that are used globally today.

From the simple kicking of ball, to the sport we know today, the invention of soccer has led to one of most popular sports in the world. The most well known professional soccer league is called the ‘MLS’ and every four years there is a soccer world cup.

All the history behind the game just goes to show, not all playing around is just a simple game that goes unnoticed. Football was created for fun and entertainment; today many people aspire to become of the world’s greatest players.

January 3, 2013
Hamburger Invention

The development of foods is a process that often gets overlooked. Foods we consider to be part of our every day lives, and have never had to live without, often got their starts from innovative people coming up with new ways to eat familiar foods. Take, for example, the hamburger invention.

A hamburger is a popular kind of sandwich. It is most commonly made with a beef patty that is fried, grilled, steamed or broiled. The patty is served between a bun with condiments such as salads and sauce between the bun as well. Hamburger also refers to the meat itself – which is ground beef.

There are many different theories as to how and where the first hamburger invention took place. The ground meat used to make hamburgers is traced back to the Mongols. Much like the hamburger of today, the Mongols’ version started as a convenient way to eat on the go. The Mongol cavalry often traveled long distances and sometimes did not dismount their horses for days. Because they needed food that could be eaten easily with one hand and without dismounting, they placed meat patties under their saddles. While riding, the meat would get tenderized. The meat was then eaten raw.

When the Mongols invaded Moscow, they brought with them this type of meat. The Russian’s renamed the meat ‘steak tartare’. This is because the Mongols were called Tartars. Over the years the dish was adapted and modified with raw eggs and chopped onions.

In the 1600’s, ships from Hamburg, Germany began visiting the Russian ports. The Russian dish of steak tartare was taken back to Germany and called ‘tartare steak’.

In the late 1800’s, sailors who had visited Hamburg started calling the meat ‘ Hamburg steak’. The hamburger invention process took a significant leap when food stalls in New York City offered this dish in the hopes of attracting German sailors. Immigrants from Germany to the United States also brought along Hamburg steak. The reason why Hamburg steak was so popular was because the German’s flavored low-grade minced beef, therefore making it affordable to the lower classes as well.

The meat was then cooked to form a filet, and eventually came to be known as ‘Hamburger’. The hamburger invention was conceived.

Nowadays the word ‘hamburger’ can be used to describe the sandwich or the meat patty itself. While Hamburg in Germany is given credit for the type of meat used in hamburgers, there are many claims as to where the first modern hamburger originated. One such claim of the hamburger invention is in Wisconsin. It is said that in 1885 Charlie Nagreen tried to sell fried meatballs at a county fair. Because people found them hard to eat, he flattened them and served them as a sandwich.

Another claim to the hamburger invention was made by a man by the name of Louis Lunch. He claimed that he invented this meal in Connecticut in the 1970’s, as a quick meal for businessmen and office workers. His hamburger invention, however, was made with toasted bread and not a round bun.

During the first World War, the hamburger’s popularity plummeted in the United States, largely due to anti-German attitudes. The hamburger was also given the alternate name of ‘salisbury steak’ during that period. The modern day fast food hamburger became popular when Ray Croc bought the McDonald’s chain and opened his first franchise in the mid-1950’s. The term ‘burger’ now refers to a round bun with any type of filling, be it chicken, fish or vegetarian. A hamburger with cheese is commonly known as a ‘cheeseburger’.

Like many food items that we take as a given, the hamburger invention process was a long and gradual process, with people using ideas they learned from others and adapting to their own particular purposes. From a rudimentary convenience food to today’s quickly-prepared fast food meal, the invention of the hamburger demonstrates the adaptability of foods, and the innovation that goes into improving them.

January 3, 2013