Cover image for The Complete Idiot's Guide® To Cashing In On Your Inventions

The Complete Idiot's Guide® To Cashing In On Your Inventions

Author Richard C. Levy
Release Date: 2010/06/01
ISBN: 9781615640072
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Book Description

Patent applications are booming!

Innovative strategies to market inventive products.

The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Cashing In On Your Inventions, Second Edition covers every aspect of the inventing process from concept to market- and this new edition offers more in-depth coverage of the development process, prototyping and manufacturing helping readers identify how to go about turning their ideas into something tangible that they can market.

* Written by the co-developer of the Furby and over 200 other products

* Features information on how to protect inventions

* How to find companies interested in buying or licensing inventions

Table of Contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Dedication
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Introduction
  5. Part 1 - How to Get Your Great Ideas on the Road
    1. Chapter 1 - How to Realize Your Full Potential
      1. Overcoming Naysayers
      2. The First Pitch
      3. America, the Land of Opportunity
      4. Answering the Call
      5. Investing in Your Invention
      6. Education Isn’t Everything
      7. Levy’s 10 Commandments for Success
    2. Chapter 2 - Beware of Invention Marketing Flimflam Artists
      1. Who Are These Parasites?
      2. The Numbers Reveal the Truth
      3. Attack of the Killer Patent Attorney
      4. Rogues Unlimited
      5. Project Mousetrap and Other Sweeps
      6. The Price Is Not Always Right
      7. A Step in the Right Direction
      8. Heads Up!
      9. Before You Contract for Services …
      10. How to Tell the Pros from the Cons
      11. A New Twist to an Old Scheme
      12. How Do They Get Your Name?
      13. What to Do If You Are a Victim
      14. States (Inventor) Rights
      15. How to Find an Honest Broker
    3. Chapter 3 - Licensing Versus Venture Capital
      1. First Things First
      2. Business Options
      3. The Licensing Option
      4. The Advantages of Licensing
      5. The Disadvantages of Licensing
      6. Whoah! Not So Fast!
      7. Doing It Yourself: The Venturing Strategy
      8. Prerequisites Common to Licensing and Venturing
      9. Other Thoughts on Choosing a Commercialization Strategy
      10. Think About Costs, at All Costs
      11. If You’re Still Not Sure
  6. Part 2 - How to Build ’Em and Make ’Em
    1. Chapter 4 - Mock-Ups and Models
      1. The Necessity of Prototypes
      2. Exceptions to the Rule
      3. Models of a Different Fashion
      4. Know Your Audience
      5. Building a Better Prototype
    2. Chapter 5 - Made to Order
      1. Development and Production Cycles
      2. Offshoring Your Product
      3. Protect Your IP
      4. Put English on the Deal
      5. Avoiding Problems
  7. Part 3 - Getting High Marks
    1. Chapter 6 - Finding a Home for Your Brainchild
      1. Finding a Licensing Partner
      2. Attend Trade Shows
      3. Conferences and Meetings: Networking Meccas
      4. Big Companies vs. Small Companies
      5. Public Companies vs. Private Companies
      6. Where to Find Product and Corporate Profiles
      7. Brand Licensing: Another Way to Say “Opportunity”
    2. Chapter 7 - Knock. Knock. Buy My Invention, Please!
      1. First Impressions
      2. The N.I.H. Syndrome
      3. Choosing Your Target and Making Your Mark
      4. The Corporate Culture
      5. Lookin’ to Hook ’Em
      6. Sign on the Dotted Line
    3. Chapter 8 - Turning a Proposal into a Marriage
      1. Honesty Is the Only Policy
      2. You Should Hear a Pin Drop
      3. Covering Every Base When You Pitch
      4. Multiple Submissions
      5. Unfavorable Odds
      6. Your Champion
    4. Chapter 9 - Negotiating Your Deal
      1. On Lawyering
      2. Conducting Business
      3. Winning at What Cost?
      4. Agreeing to Agree
      5. Advances
      6. Royalties
      7. Guarantees
      8. The Option Agreement
      9. Levy’s 10 Commandments of Contract Negotiation
      10. Terms of Endearment
      11. Patents. Trademarks. Who Pays?
    5. Chapter 10 - Key Deal Points
      1. I Do Not Have All the Answers
      2. You Show Me Yours, and I’ll Show You Mine
      3. Fairness and Flexibility Rule
      4. Management by Objectives
      5. The Spirit of Agreement
      6. Setting the Scene and the Mind
  8. Part 4 - Goin’ for the Gold
    1. Chapter 11 - All About Patents and the USPTO
      1. The Big Three in IP
      2. Keepin’ a List and Checkin’ It Twice
      3. What Is a Patent, Exactly?
      4. Established by Law, Built by Innovation—the USPTO
      5. Only Inventors Need Apply
      6. Copy Documents, Not Ideas
      7. Submarine Patents—Periscope Up!
      8. The Inventors Assistance Program
    2. Chapter 12 - It All Begins with a Patent Search
      1. Looking for a Green Light
      2. How to Conduct a Patent Search
      3. Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries
      4. Electronic Databases
      5. PTDL Publications
      6. Patent Search Steps
      7. Patent Classification System
      8. How to Order Copies of Prior Art
      9. What to Do with Your Search Results
      10. DIY Trademark Searches
      11. The Last Word
    3. Chapter 13 - How to Hire a Patent Attorney
      1. Do You Need a Patent Attorney?
      2. Do-It-Yourself Could Do You In
      3. Is That Your Final Answer?
      4. Levy’s Rules for Hiring a Patent Attorney
      5. Another Money-Saver
  9. Part 5 - Uncle Sam Wants (to Protect) YOU!
    1. Chapter 14 - How to Apply for a Utility Patent
      1. Provisional Application for a Utility Patent
      2. Nonprovisional Application for a Utility Patent
      3. Models Not Generally Required
      4. Solamente Ingles, Por Favor
      5. The Rules of the Game
      6. I Do Solemnly Swear …
      7. Patentability of Computer Programs
      8. Just the Fax, Please
    2. Chapter 15 - Flower Power! Applying for a Plant Patent
      1. Plant Patents: A Growing Business
      2. Beyond the Garden Walls
      3. Who Can Apply for a Plant Patent?
      4. Patent-Protected Grounds
      5. Infringement
      6. Turning to Trademarks
      7. The Cost of Doing Business
      8. Making Application
      9. Provisions and Limitations
      10. Inventorship
      11. Asexual Reproduction
      12. Helpful Hints
    3. Chapter 16 - Applying for a Design Patent
      1. Insurance Against Me-Too Competitors
      2. Form over Function
      3. Putting the Competition on Notice
      4. Lawyers Need Not Apply
      5. How to Find a Draftsman
      6. Design Patents Can Be Valuable
      7. Defining Design
      8. Claims
      9. Improper Subject Matter for Design Patents
      10. The Difference Between Design and Utility Patents
      11. Elements of a Design Patent Application
    4. Chapter 17 - Mark Your Words
      1. There Is Nothing in the World Like a Brand
      2. Trademarks Can Take Many Forms
      3. Dollars and Scents
      4. Supreme Court Makes a Colorful Decision
      5. Lost in the Translation
      6. All About Trademarks
      7. Do You Need a Federal Trademark Registration?
      8. Searches for Conflicting Marks
      9. Establishing Trademark Rights
      10. Terms of a Trademark
      11. Types of Applications for Federal Registration
      12. Use of the ™, SM, and ® Symbols
      13. Examination
      14. Publication for Opposition
      15. Issuance of Certificate of Registration or Notice of Allowance
      16. Bobbi’s Traps and Tips
      17. Correspondence and Information
    5. Chapter 18 - Securing Your Copyrights
      1. All About Copyrights
      2. Submitting Copyright Registrations
      3. In Search of Copyright Records
      4. Investigating the Copyright Status of a Work
      5. Application Forms
      6. For Further Information
    6. Chapter 19 - I’ve Got a Secret
      1. Trade Secret Basics
      2. In the Court
      3. Can Independent Inventors Have Trade Secrets?
      4. Protecting Your Secrets
    7. Chapter 20 - Say Ahhh! The USPTO Patent Examination Process
      1. First Office Action
      2. Your First Response
      3. Final Rejection
      4. Amending Your Application
      5. Time for Response and Abandonment
      6. How to Make Appeals
      7. What Are Interference Proceedings?
      8. What Rights Does a Patent Give You?
      9. Maintenance Fees
      10. Can Two People Own a Patent?
      11. Can a Patent Be Sold?
      12. Assignment of Patent Applications
      13. Infringement of Patents
      14. To Sue or Not to Sue
      15. Patent Enforcement Insurance
      16. Abandonment of Patents
  10. Part 6 - People Who Share, People Who Dare
    1. Chapter 21 - Hidden Treasures in Uncle Sam’s High-Tech Closets
      1. The National Institute of Standards and Technology
      2. The Technology Innovation Program
      3. Manufacturing Extension Partnership
      4. In Search of Innovation at USG Labs
      5. Open for Your Business
      6. The Department of Energy
      7. The Small Business Administration
      8. Small Business Innovation Research Program
      9. Small Business Technology Transfer Program
      10. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCS)
    2. Chapter 22 - Yes, Inventors, There Is a Santa Claus
      1. An Industry Overview
      2. If You Cannot Get to the North Pole …
      3. The Toys Legends Are Made From
      4. The New York Toy Fair: A Networking Mecca
      5. The Professional Edge
      6. Questions for Self-Analysis
      7. Molding the Deal
      8. The Hit Parade
    3. Chapter 23 - Inventor Organizations
      1. Expanding Your Network
      2. Care to Share?
      3. Inventor Organizations Thrive on American Soil
      4. Truth in Packaging—Caveat Emptor
      5. Take Your Pick
  11. Appendix A - Glossary
  12. Appendix B - Agreement Templates
    1. Invention License Agreement Template
    2. Option Agreement Template
    3. Trademark License Agreement Template
    4. Agreement to Hold Secret and Confidential Template
  13. Appendix C - Resources
    1. Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries
    2. Federal Laboratories
    3. State and Local Inventor Organizations
    4. Toy and Game Manufacturers
  14. Index
18.118.7.102