TROY – The United Inventors Association says that less than one in 20 patented inventions ever makes it to the marketplace. How can that be? If something is good enough to patent, won’t people want to buy it?
Short answer: Probably not. Patenting your whiz-bang may be the first step on a journey to the big time. In many cases, however, the first stop is a fleece market where experts are waiting to clip your wallet.
A Goggle search reveals scores of people eager to assess your invention, conduct marketplace research, help you apply for a patent, and spread good news that will bring investors, potential business partners and buyers flocking to your doorstep. All this will cost you something up front, of course. If your doorbell never rings, well, ?Sorry, no refunds.?
If you are an inventor and would-be entrepreneur, you can pay many thousands of dollars to self-appointed ?professionals? who don?t do anything you can?t do for yourself at far less expense.
?Look before you leap!? Your mom always said.
The good news is that reputable help is available. Where? Go to your favorite search engine and look for ?Help for inventors? or ?Help for entrepreneurs.? Forbes? Magazine says the United Inventors Association is an excellent source of information. Check out the U.S. Patent Office web site at www.uspto.gov. Ask your business friends for advice. Find a local inventors or entrepreneurs support group. Then, take the time to investigate before you commit to any up-front payments.
The Money Finders evaluates inventions and business plans without up-front charges, and then attempts to locate funding for promising projects. Money Finders client projects encompass wide areas of opportunity. Here are some current examples:
LIFE SCIENCES. A hip fracture prevention device developed to protect older people and others with failing eyesight, epilepsy, spatial disorientation or other balance problems that make them prone to fall.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. A modular wastewater treatment system that can be sized to serve a few private homes up to entire municipalities, resorts, industrial plants, institutions, military bases, temporary construction sites and farms. It promises a two- to three-fold performance improvement over conventional wastewater treatment systems.
DEFENSE AND SECURITY. Live-action holographic imaging systems that deliver three-dimensional real-time viewing without glasses or goggles. High-resolution ?you are actually there? imaging for government, military, police, emergency response, immigration control, and commercial defense and security applications.
HOME CLEANING. The Sponge Stick? is a patented handheld device for cleaning showers, toilets, tiles, sinks or other bathroom and kitchen surfaces. A tilting, swiveling cleaning head is attached to a telescoping handle that contains a cleaning solution. This is an engineered tool with unique features.
MEDICINE. A pharmaceutical development aimed at helping the more than 30,000 Americans of all ages suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and related diseases. Initial tests indicate this compound to be more effective than currently prescribed medicines and to produce fewer side-effects.
The Money Finders can evaluate your invention and/or business plan. There is no charge for initial reviews. After that, the organization?s professional associates offer legal and financial services, business plan refinement, managerial guidance, strategic and tactical planning and other services on a fee basis. When a funding search is successful, the client pays a finder?s fee to the organization. We?d like to help you succeed. And we want to help you avoid needless expense.
?He who learns from experience learns too late.? Henry Ford said.
For more information, click on MoneyFindersInc.Com
You also can contact Money Finders Founder Fritz Spademan, the author of this column, at (248) 643-4666.
