Invention Product Design Series!

Article Series: Proper Invention Product Design: use our own professional expertise in your invention design

Hi fellow inventors, we are being featured on Idea Tango, a great web 2.0 community for inventors, specifically for our Product Design service expertise. We are going to be doing at least an eight article series specifically for Invention Product Design.

Inventing is like a small business: tough, long and requires an immense amount of time and research. At least typically. When your just starting out, these next blog articles will help you:

• Narrow down your best concepts
• Design proper “Design Criteria” for your product in relation to your competitors
• Finish your product design
• Model your invention in 3D
• Understand Engineering and CAD
• Prototyping: Virtual: Uses, features, and when you need a physical prototype
• Prototyping: Physical: Different types, what you need, etc.
• Manufacturing contact tips and more

I am excited for this series, as so many of our clients start out very “green” with little knowledge of just how much is required for inventing, but, it is not daunting, it just requires time and effort. A little bit of knowhow, will also help you go a long way.

Good Luck!

-Salem Honey,
VP Marketing
Design My Idea.

DMI Profiled in Inventors Digest

Article in a sentence: Understanding the customer’s needs are key to any product development.

by Inventors Digest, Inventors Digest Magazine April Issue 2008

If you have a web browser, you can have a prototype – a virtual one, that is. Design My Idea LLC has developed VirtuType, a Web-based computer-aided design (CAD) product. Post a virtual prototype on your web site, and potentioal investors and customers can zoom, spin and virtually try your product – even change its colos. We invited Brian Gates, the company’s president and lead designer, to this month’s session of TalkBack.

While a picture may be worth a 1,000 words, it would seem having a physical prototype in hand would be even better. What are the advantages of a virtual prototype over the real deal?

A virtual prototype allows an inventor to share unlimited samples of their product across the world instantly for very little investment. Users can examine parts, change accessories and simulate device functions. And you can modify colors or materials and ensure you have the most recent design at your fingertips. This technology delivers instant gratification.

Talk about the suite of services you offer and how you differentiate your operation from the competition.

Design My Idea offers inventors a single solution for designing, developing and marketing their invention. We offer a complete range of design services including industrial design, 3D modeling, packaging, product branding, web development and everything in-between. Our goal is to simplify the design process for inventors while enabling them to achieve superior quality design by bringing all these services into one company. Design My Idea operates on a National level by utilizing the internet to interact with our clients and our company’s success is based solely on the response received by our boss, the inventor.

Talk about how increases in computational power and Internet bandwidth affected your business.

The “new” internet has really enabled us to expand our business into every home. We have worked with stay-at-home parents thousands of miles away and individuals living in remote areas to develop their idea without ever meeting face to face. Inventors are able to instantly review their designs and offer feedback while being able to share their assets with friends and family at a moment’s notice. Just as we have seen the continual increase in online shopping for products, I suspect we will see the same for innovative product development through the web.

How can you reassure inventors and independent product developers that their ideas are safe with you?

Design My Idea treats every idea with the utmost consideration for confidentiality. We accept inventor provided non-disclosure agreements or offer a standard NDA to all potential clients. Submitted concepts are only reviewed by necessary personnel and the information is destroyed or returned should the client pursue another direction for their development. Inventors control user rights to all design materials through a private project portal.

Who are some of your clients and what did you do for them?

Our clients range from first-time inventors to corporations seeking help in various phases of product development. Plane Clean Air came to us two years ago seeking packaging designs and branding for their new product. We developed various styles of packaging, complete product branding, trade-show material and a video for an infomercial. With our help, they have landed their product in hundreds of travel boutiques worldwide and on target.com.

MBL of America, an ultra high-end audio equipment manufacturer, came to us seeking the development of an advertising campaign for their products.

Hexi-Deck was the first-time invention for a newly retired engineer, seeking to develop his new invention as a legacy for his family. We refined his design concept, created 3-D models for marketing purposes and developed the brand around the product. He is currently in talks with a major hardware manufacturer to license this product.

Tell us about your plans for the coming year.

Design My Idea in partnership with Patent Law & Venture Group will be releasing the world’s first and only Intellectual Property marketplace designed to allow Patent, Trademark and Copyright holders to post, bid and sell their IP through the World Wide Web. This unique service will allow for the free posting and searching of IP content while simplifying the negotiation process between IP holders and corporations. Visit www.MyIPdeal.com for more information on how to easily leverage your IP.

Design My Idea

Five tips for creating, developing and selling your invention

Article in a sentence: Informal focus groups, NDA’s, DIY prototypes, a professional appearance and trade shows can help your inventions cause.

by Brian Gates August 2007

When it comes to developing a million dollar invention, unfortunately there are no sure- fire paths to success. However, there are several things with which you can do to increase your odds and ensure your invention has enough potential to succeed. Below are five general tips that you should consider when developing your invention:

Tip One – Research, Research, Research
Make sure you spend a great deal of time not only investigating if your invention already exists but if there is also market potential. One of the simplest ways to do this is to conduct a focus group with your friends and family. Have them all over for a dinner or party and then informally ask them if your idea would be something they would buy. Their responses not only tell you if there is market potential but also may provide you with some clues on how to refine your concept.

Tip Two – Protection
We always suggest talking to a patent attorney about your invention. Many patent attorneys are willing to talk with you free of charge to recommend if you should pursue a patent. When sharing your idea with companies, always try to get them to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. A NDA is a contract that claims the parties involved, that are reviewing your idea, will not disclose, compete or share you idea. The following NDA was provided by Gene Scott of Patent Law & Venture Group for inventors to use when shopping around: Non-Disclosure Agreement

Tip Three – Prototypes
Developing a prototype doesn’t have to cost you thousands of dollars. For first-time inventors, the best way to see if your invention will work the way you want it to would be to make it yourself. Your initial prototype doesn’t need to be made of high quality materials or look like a well polished product. The concept is to see if what you envisioned has potential and prove it will work. If everything looks good then consider investing in either a digital or physical prototype.

Tip Four – Presentation
Image is everything and when it comes time to present your idea, it can make all the difference. A well-designed graphic or polished design can make the sale and acceptance of your idea that much easier. This is where your research and the help of a professional designer can put you above the rest. High quality and informative graphics provide credibility while educating and exciting your audience. The faster they understand and the more they are wowed, the better chances for your invention.

Tip Five – Marketing
One of the best ways to get your invention moving is to attend a tradeshow. There are tradeshows for just about everything and attending one can easily put you in front of a variety of companies, buyers and distributors. These websites can help you locate a tradeshow that is right for you: Trade Show Network or Business Trade Shows

While we could go on and on about the do’s and the don’ts for inventors, keep in mind that you are the master of your destiny and you can do well. Provide yourself with the information, tools and motivation to make your invention a success. Stay persistent, get creative and don’t take no for an answer.

Design My Idea

Inventors Time to Sketchup

Article in a sentence: Download Sketch Up so you can begin experiencing your invention in 3D for FREE!

by Brian Gates July 2007

If you have ever sketched on a napkin or played around with drawing in MS paint to express your invention, boy do we have a solution for you! While these methods are great for getting your ideas out of your head and into the heads of everyone else, they lack the ability to change the viewing angle without you having to redraw everything. Well that has all changed thanks to the 3D modeling program called Sketch Up.

Sketch Up has been around for a few years and is by far one of the easiest 3D modeling programs around. Users start by drawing a simple 2D shape that can be pulled or pushed into a 3D form. From there users can add different surfaces or features to arrive at a final design. The interface is extremely user friendly with the modeling experience being very straight forward. Even if you are new to the 3D modeling world Sketch Up provides you with the perfect balance of ease of use and quality of model.

This all sounds well and good but how much does this application cost?
Ready for this…NOTHING, ZIP, Zero. It’s 100% FREE!

In 2006 Google bought the company that produced Sketch Up and began offering the program for free to everyone in hopes that users will eventually model the world. If you are familiar with Google Earth you will remember seeing some 3D models of buildings as you explored large cities. Those 3D models of buildings were all modeled in Sketch Up and the two programs, Sketch Up and Google Earth, now work seamlessly together.

While Sketch Up was targeted to help the architectural community in its ability to quickly create 3D shapes, the simple modeling method is perfect for creating you invention. If you haven’t tried the application, I highly recommend downloading it to give it a try. Sketch Up will have a huge impact on the inventor community as it will allow us to begin moving from the 2D realm of design, to the 3D world, just like the big companies.

Design My Idea & Sketch Up

Why are we advertising a program that impacts our services? Well to be honest, it makes our services that much better. A Sketch Up model is great for getting the proportions and style of your invention, but the application lacks the precision of a 3D CAD package.

When an inventor has created a Sketch Up model of their invention, we are able to add the precision and exactness required for production. The Sketch Up model saves us time, the inventor money and ensures that the product reflects exactly what the inventor envisioned on the first try. (A Sketch Up model is not required for any services by Design My Idea)

Additionally if the inventor has requested us to model the invention from scratch, we are able to provide them with a completed model to view and manipulate in Sketch Up. Not only does the inventor get photo realistic renderings of their invention provided by Design My Idea, but they now have the ability to spin the model around, remove parts and even print out their own views.

Pretty cool stuff, in my opinion… Download Sketch Up Here >>

To download a PDF tutorial covering a Travel Mug modeling example for SketchUP Click Here
To view a VirtuType of the SketchUp model follow this link: Travel Mug VirtuType

Design My Idea