Anyone need inventing questions answered?

[ron komorowski]

Hi! Many here know me. I like this place. Nothing like watching young special people with extraordinary drive like all the people here!

I am not so young anymore and have atleast a couple decades in the inventor field. I also write or am featured in the only inventors magazine called Inventors Digest.

Anyone need any questions answered about inventions or intellectual property I'd be glad to help.

Ron Komorowski
Inventor of Handi-Straps
Handi Straps Lifting System Home

[Joseph D.]

I have a great idea I'm willing to work with someone one development but I can't seem to find the person I should be talking to though. Is there any way you can tell me how to find the person I need to speak with?

[ron komorowski]

If you want to jump into this exciting field you have to read/study. There is a magazine I occasionally write for called Inventors Digest they will talk about what you need. Some good books are written by Don Kracke, Ron Popeil, Jack Lander, Harvey Reese all about inventing will also answer your questions on how to prototype or develop, find investors etc.

You need to read because the answer you are looking for is very indepth. This is one field you must read/study. You cannot learn from the guy next to you when he has time to explain because there is way too much to explain.

Those books and the magazine are the best sources I've ever found. There is also a good inventor community online who I tell about this forum often. They are Edison Nation. Hope that helps!

Ron

[Pennystockalerts]

I want to know that from you that do you agree penny stock investment is very risk?

[jlr88]

Ron,

If you have time, I have a couple of questions for you. 1) What were the key factors for you specifically when deciding whether or not to license your product to a separate manufacturer? 2)What are the risks and tradeoffs, in your opinion, for licensing compared to striking out on your own via direct web sales or a separate distribution model? 3)Can you offer any insight into brand development when dealing with multiple products that are related, but sold through licensing or other third-party methods?

I am asking these questions largely for academic purposes (building off of a theoretical invention), and would appreciate any response you might offer. Thanks!

[foxtrot934]

Hello my name is John Atkinson. I have an invention that will change aviation. I do not know how to go about getting a prototype and getting it developed though. I do not have buckets of money to get one built at the moment due to my age. What are your suggestions? Thanks for any help.

[ron komorowski]

JLR...licensing or manufacturing. I will combine your 3 questions. This subject is covered many times and we just covered it in the inventor's magazine once again.

You will have an idea. Sometimes you can simply order a few thousand pieces or even less from a manufacturer for under $5000 and start selling to catalogs, trade shows, fairs etc. yourself. You may have to, to prove your idea or it is too small to license or you may just choose to manufacture yourself because you can because it is cheap...so you do.

You can also do a little of both, license and get involved with parts of manufacture, marketing, shipping, whatever...make deals, whatever you would like. License the invention and then become a salesman for the company too, or help in the manufacturing plant...whatever...that's what I did with my current invention.

Sometimes you may have an idea that takes $500,000 or more to develop and you must license or the market is way too big or it will take 3 million for the initial advertising campaign.

Each idea is different. NOBODY with any experience can give you a definitive answer if they are willing to make a choice between the two. If you have an idea person that only wants to license they will advise you to choose licensing every time but I have seen many women who knew nothing about engineering or inventing go get a patent and order $5000 worth of pieces from China and get out there and sell them working their way towards mass retailers...but they had a simple consumer product too.

To find your answer for you you must read inventor books and thoroughly research your idea and it's market and find the answer that fits you.

MANY, MANY great inventions nobody would have invested in except the inventor. There would be no Microsoft, Dell computers, Apple or Google if the original guys with the ideas didn't take care of their dream themselves. Nobody would license their ideas, they tried.

Ron Komorowski
Inventor of Handi-Straps
Handi Straps Lifting System Home

[ron komorowski]

John...for your aviation idea it may be too big for you so you need help. I have an idea for an unsinkable ship as I challenge the floatation theory that is considered physics law. I think it is wrong and floatation also depends on the amount of water pushing down in a given body which in turn pushes up on an object that will float. The current theory was discovered by a man in a bath tub. When he found the answer he actually was so happy he got out of the tub naked and ran down the street. I just don't trust his theory as the answer.

I was going to check with the Stevens Institute I believe who researches ship building. Get them to help me prove my theory. Sometimes they will help so maybe find an institute that studies aviation.

Also, colleges. I have worked with many colleges on many ideas. In fact I am starting the first annual inventors show in NJ this year with Kean and area colleges. They are always open to the public for idea evaluation and may use as a class project.

Military and other Federal research centers may be interested and even give you a grant. Check DARPA...forget the other government research sponsored research centers...I've contacted them all...no picnic but you can try. Also try for SBIR and STTR military grants. Find info through your SBA or try direct. From there you will find other places. Long shot for the grant but at least they may link and network you to a more fitting option. I did this and the network they exposed me too was real helpful.

Check your Governor's office website and your Senators. They both have helped me alot in the past with ideas. Good luck!

Ron Komorowski
Inventor of Handi-Straps
Handi Straps Lifting System Home

[aliendropper]

I would like to know good product design service companies in China?
That dont charge thousands either

[BigBucksTuck]

Hi Ron,

I'm a junior studying robotics at MIT and an aspiring inventor. I have sketchbooks full of ideas ranging from fairly plausible to highly unlikely. Beyond that, I've never really made anything tangible from these sketches, mainly because I don't have any money.

Currently, I have an idea for an invention that I'd like to start a business around. I'd like to make a prototype, but I can't afford the parts to assemble it. I also feel that while I have a rough idea of how it would work, it would probably take multiple rebuilds to get it just right.

My hope was to eventually approach VC's for funding for a business plan, which I have an outline for, but I feel like without a working prototype of my machine or a patent, the business plan holds no weight. Do you think I need a working prototype to approach VC's, or is an idea/schematic good enough? If I do need to make a working prototype, do you have any suggestions for getting funding? I suppose a worst-case scenario is to take out a personal loan and hope for the best, but this might be more risk then I'm ready to accept at this point.

Any advice you might have to help me get the ball rolling would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Travis

[godofsmallthings]

Travis: Curious, how much would the parts cost?
How big is the target market for this type of product?

[RonKomorowski]

Sorry I could not answer. My account was blocked by somebody. I made another one.

Travis...I just happen to have much experience with MIT and inventions, and other colleges around the Northeast.

This is very important for all college students that come up with ideas. Your college, especially MIT is the GREATEST place to incubate an idea AND get funding.

Let me tell you about my experience with MIT. First, last year I had a booth at the first inventor's Ingenuity Expo, a show for inventors. The school was trying to unite innovation inside and outside and expose all to opportunity.

As far as my inventions, I've asked many colleges to help me research, promote,develop etc. They have all the facilities and also have the best shot at attracting media and investors, which tends to come together.

Now, for unfair extra attention MIT students get with an idea. I SWEAR...an MIT student opens a paper bag a different way and here comes SUPREME media coverage....every inventor's dream!

There was an MIT student that came up with an idea (First I think) for an alarm clock that rolls off the night stand and rolls along the floor so you must get out of bed to shut off. She had a CRUDE prototype too. She made MAJOR news and the article said she had about 100 investors contact her in a few days.

Another MIT example, I was covered BIG in Popular Mechanics magazine for Handi-Straps. About a year later some MIT students designed a robotic worn system for lifting on paper. No prototype. It was ridiculous and just not feasible but atleast Popular Mechanics mentioned my Handi-Straps in their article as something to compare to. In the article it said how Federal science research centers and military research centers were looking at funding for further development. I COULDN'T GET THAT...AND MINE REALLY WORKS! MIT kids...get all kinds of attention (I'm jealous)

So Travis, you are in the BEST college in the country for your ideas. The SBA as well as people that can link you to grants, investors are all within your college! You must ask around there! I've never attended a day of college because of bad circumstances in my life at the time, yet colleges have welcomed me and tried to help. One college offered me free patent preparing which is worth $5000 to $10,000 a patent.

Many colleges have also studied my invention Handi-Straps on their own. Some colleges will build an outside inventor's prototype as a class project even.

As far as attracting outside investors...just tell them your an MIT student building and invention with the engineering department. Just the MIT name attracts investors.

I am actually starting a first annual inventor's show in New Jersey for inventors in and outside of the school which will include bringing inventors/innovators, colleges, investors, SBA and select manufacturers all together. This has never been done before. It will be in the same general area that Thomas Edison and Einstein lived and worked.

The reason I am doing this...this way, is from the great help that colleges tried to offer me with my inventions, but that help was not the commercial help I really needed. That is why I want all the resources put together in this one show.

Travis...this is important to many here...so let me know what you think about my advice. Your first request for help should be at your engineering dept. If a Professor tells you there is no help at MIT...tell him to go back to sleep and find someone that can give you the resources. You will be denied by some in the college.

Ron Komorowski
Inventor of Handi-Straps

[Addisonhuff]

Ron,

I have probably the most common question asked to any self made inventor, but I'll ask it one more time.

First,

1) I have the idea(s)
2) I have the passion
3) Inventing is my life

But how do I get the ideas off the paper and into the hands of consumers?

I guess more specifically, how did you do it? What were your first steps after drawing down the handi straps idea, raving about it to friends and family, and dreaming of what it could become? What were your steps (1.2.3...)?

Thanks! I appreciate your interest in helping young inventors! Hope to hear from you soon.

[Caprocker]

ron , since you are offering i am responding..i am a coach that has been in the business for 13 years..i have an invention that i am needing prototyped / manufactured etc. this particular invention is totally unique to field and can be marketed to thousands in conventions around the nation on a monthly basis...all leg work i would be willing to do...my question for you is this..with limited money and time how can i get this thing off the ground? i am not broke by any means but i have a family to feed and cant mortgage the house for this thing...its totally unique..it will be a huge hit in the coaching profession but i am at a loss how to get it going..any help from u or anyone else would be greatly appreciated....thanks , cap

[noob]

Ron, correct me if I'm wrong on this (my experience is with software, not hardware) but typically to design a hardware (even a prototype) requires a lot (or at least a few people) and typically not really a single person project. Of course I'm not referring to pet projects you'd do at home, more so inventing things like the iPhone or such new technologies. My friend who finished with a BS in EE says that each EE specializes in different areas and to build a hardware prototype, you typically require a team, people of different specialties, to combine knowledge in order to be able to build something. Some of the things you mentioned seem basic ideas that you could piece together but for complicated hardware, I presume you can't really do as a one man team? Also you didn't mention but I presume you weren't a student at MIT specifically?