Help with an invention idea with no experience

[devilchef]

Hello all,
I am after some knowledge, help and heaps of advice.
I have an idea which I am unsure what to do with. I have no experience of the sector in which it will be applicable but needless to say that should it ever get to development, I am confident that this product would be in everyone's home. I am unsure of even where to start. I know that I don't have the funds to develop it myself or market it etc. I have no clue as to who to talk to see how a prototype could be made. I know that there is nothing on the market like this which surprises me and puts me off a bit as it seems to be a very simple idea, why hasn't anyone come up with it before?
I welcome all reply's and responses and advice on what to do, who to talk to etc etc.
Many thanks for your time.

 

[S2K]

The best advice I can give you is to search on this forum as there have been lots of people with ideas and no knowlege where to go next. Good luck!

 

[Josette]

I would worry less, at this stage, of whether or not you have the money to develop it or market it. Instead focus your energy on getting to understand the sector it's in. The more you understand about the market, the more you will be able to understand you inventions role in it.

Not having any clue as to what it is makes things difficult! Is it a gadget, an appliance of some sort? Is there a computerised or electronic element to it? you talk about building a prototype. Is it something that can be 3D printed, as a cheap prototyping start?

Why has no one come up with the idea before? Is it genuinely needed/wanted. Was prototyping too expensive before, is it more feasible now with 3D print option.

Sorry, trying to come up with ideas or advice without actually knowing what it is, is like playing football without a ball. Bit tricky to even know if you're running in the right direction.

Why don't you start by putting it all down in writing. Develop a brief summary of it. Just for you initially. Don't think too far ahead. Start developing a document and get your creative ducks in a row. Once you've created that you may be inspired to take another action that will lead you to more answers.

Good luck. Am dying to know what it is ;-)

Jo

 

[billmccallum1957]

Is it metal, plastic, wooden????

Is it manual, electrical, computerised????

Without some detail, its impossible to offer direction.

I know a couple of engineers who are into developing prototypes, but they are quite specialist and picky about what they build.

I have helped out many small new businesses over the years and would be happy to discuss.

 

[devilchef]

Thank you for your kind responses. @ bill, It would be electrical probably of metal and plastic, small and an addition to most items within the home. Dont think it would be computerised though. There have been many times when I have thought why hasn't this been invented which makes me think if it even can be but in todays modern, responsible society, i think it would definitely have its place in homes and businesses alike. @ jo, the sector it would join certainly is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world and is important in today's society. I am unsure if it could be 3D printed as it would be electrical. I don't know if that makes a difference. I should say there are products that do something similar to what my idea does but no where near what this product would do and the endless products this could work with in the home and any business anywhere.

 

[Clinton]

Please see this.

 

[devilchef]

My main concerns is the fact its so simple, why hasn't it been thought of already or rather can it be done? Maybe somrone has thought of it somewhere in the past but never made it to the light of day, I don't know but having searched for it, scouring the web etc without any luck, i cant find any evidence that it's been thought of...yet. I believe it definitely has its place and would serve its purpose it any home or business anywhere in the world where being green is becoming the norm.

 

[F_B]

Have you looked to see if anyone as applied to patent anything similar to your invention?
The Espacenet database is an excellent resource:
https://www.epo.org/searching-for-patents/technical/espacenet.html#tab-1

If you'd like any information on how to protect your invention, or if there is anything to protect and what the scope of that protection would look like, then I recommend contacting a patent attorney. Most firms, including ours, offer a free initial consultation, and any discussion you have with us regarding your invention will be completely confidential.

Alternatively the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys offer free IP clinics at many major libraries which are given by patent professionals:
http://www.cipa.org.uk/need-advice/ip-clinics/

 

[Gordon - Commercial Finance]

If there are no competitors, and you can't find any evidence that someone has thought of this before, and yet it is so simple, it will be one of two things: there's no need for it, or you've genuinely found a gap in the market.

I have no experience of the sector in which it will be applicable

The fact that you don't know much about the sector which you're looking to get into suggests to me that it might be the former unfortunately. Therefore, first port of call would be to find out as much as you can about the sector before you put any money behind this idea.

 

[Mr D]

If its worth doing from your point of view then go ahead with trying to get it going.
Getting funding might be hard if its totally new. And just because you think its a good idea doesn't mean the buying public or indeed retailers will.
For every item people use these days someone somewhere started with an idea and brought it to market.
And for every one of them there will be a thousand items that never made it that far.

 

[Chris @ businesshands]

My thoughts are:
1. If there is a genuine need for this in the home, then what is fulfilling the need now? How is it being done? Is someone really going to be willing to pay to have this role or function fulfilled. Maybe it's time to do some market research. Reach out to a load of your facebook friends and ask them if they've ever needed xyz - or how do they do xyz.
2. You might want to approach some product designers for a bit of high level advice. I'm sure they'll give you 15 minutes of their time for free to help you understand the process you need to go through and the costs associated with getting a product to market
3. Figure out how much of it you can do yourself and look to your close friends and family to see if they have the money to help fund it in return for equity in your new business

 

[ADW]

I have come up with many "can't fail" type of ideas and after relevant research have found that it nearly always has been attempted to some extent. Last was a pedal system for bikes where the pedal are extended o the downward motion applying more power without extra effort. Had a few options how this worked drawn out and planned. Research showed that even further back than Victorian times there were similar ideas about which didn't see the design moving forward. Been in the same situation with many other ideas as this is something I enjoy looking into. Rarely has something not already been considered but never let that stop you. I even recently found a new way of doing something that has not been done before and taking it further is extremely hard. It is like where the ever lasting light bulb gets canned as it screws up the industry (okay.... It wasn't quite that good but similar resistance).

Anyway, at your stage do a lot of research yourself to see if you can find it anywhere. Knowledge is power in the early days. Funding for a very good idea is relatively easy now.

 

[Asjs3n4]

Use sites like the way back machine to look at websites historically. It's hard to provide much help without any details. I have a few good contacts that could help. Perhaps PM me ? I have also created a 1st to market business and sold it...

 

[Mr D]

ADW - or try the selfie stick that took till this century to take off as a popular item but has been around for decades.
Or electric cars.