ADHESIVES (Types): Adhesives are glues, substances which can adhere on material or to another section of glue. There are many types of adhesives manufactured today. Each has a special purpose. Some, like white glues (Elmer'sTM wood and fabric type) are designed to work with porous surfaces, because they bond into the pore. Others like Super GlueTM bond by the displacement of air thus creating a powerful vacuum for adhesion. Many adhesives can be combined with other structural elements to form composite structures of great strength.
ARTIST RENDERING: Artist renderings are professional color, two-and three-dimensional drawings of a product concept. Artist renderings usually show the product in one of several ways (e.g., in use by the end user to illustrate its size and function; as a cut-away to reveal its inner workings, etc.). These drawings are usually expensive and time-consuming to produce. They are often used in sales, marketing and technical development of the product.
BRAINSTORMING: The simultaneous art and science of generating ideas via sustained amorphous, unconventional and straightline thinking. Brainstorming is one of the most enjoyable methods of creative thinking. It can lead to unexpected lines of thought and open new vistas for the imagination. Brainstorming can be done individually or in groups.
BUSINESS PLAN: A Business Plan is a formal business proposal complete with all background and data needed to understand the proposed business. Business plans are complex projections of what a company is expected to do from its inception through a point three-to-five years in the future. A good business plan can make or break an inventor's chance to obtain working capital through most established financial sources. Consult your attorney and accountant before releasing any business plan to investors. If incorrectly structured, the business plan can hurt you and your invention. There are many good books on preparing business plans. Consult one before beginning one.
COMPANY IDENTITY: The face that your company puts on for the world at large is your company's identity. It doesn't matter if its just you and your answering machine, you must have some sort of company identity. It will be reflected in your business cards, stationery and the way you conduct business. Part physical, part psychological and totally the production of the inventor, a company identity is put in place long before the invention ever sees the light of day. The DBA (Doing Business As) is your first step toward creating a company identity. Getting a DBA is a simple filing with the county in which you are conducting business. It allows you to conduct business under the name of the company. This allows you to open a bank account and cash checks made out to the company as well as open a post office box under your company name. It is an important first step to establishing a company identity.
COMPANY IMAGE: This is the "face" you put on your company for all the world to see. Everything that your company sells, produces, prints or distributes, either in product or promotional material, contributes to the overall company image. Good company images take on a life of their own and can help market and sell almost any type of product.
COMPUTER ARTWORK: Computer artwork is any artwork generated by a computer. Many new computer systems can be used to create very precise technical artwork as well as freehand line art for product representation. The best of the new machines are capable of producing color renderings that rival the best work of many conventional artists and photographers.
CONCEPT: A concept is an idea whose parameters have been fleshed out. A concept may be one idea, or it may consist of several ideas that make up a product, service, or business. A concept always contains the elements of product and market. Concepts rarely are sold to anyone at this stage of development, except investors who know and trust the inventor.
CONCEPT DRAWINGS: Concept drawings are usually the original, basic drawings done by the inventor. They may be very crude or they may be of professional quality depending upon individual talents. The concept drawing is the general name given to artwork that does not represent a true final product, only the concept for the product in its earliest stage of conception. Inventors often use them during dog and pony shows for the raising of initial capital during the very early phases of the product's development.
DEALS: As Donald Trump put it, The Art of the Deal is the essence of business negotiations. Deals are nebulous things until they firm up and become real. As the entrepreneurial inventor, you are at the center of the entire process, and must learn to see the deal as a physical structure that benefits everyone involved. Deals are totally without structure until one side or the other puts limits, goals or expectations on paper. Then the deal is something to be played like a hand of poker. You must use your skills to protect your interests, while giving up enough to keep backers interested in doing business. Make "drop dead" points or benchmarks (on paper for your own use) beyond which you won't negotiate any further on a given point (without concession on other important points). This definite mindset and plan will help you attain a positive business position and create deals that work for everyone involved.
DESIGN PATENT: Design patent is a patent on any new, original and ornamental design for an article of manufacture. The design patent protects only the appearance of an article, not its structure or function. A design patent has a life of 14 years.
DESTRUCTIVE TESTING: Destructive testing is a variety of tests used to determine the expected life of a product when exposed to various external destructive elements. It is a process of determining the operational envelope of a product. This is the chance that the inventor has been waiting for, to take a sample of his product and beat the. . . . out of it, for all the grief it's caused him! Get all your frustrations out during the destructive testing phase. It's good for your inner peace to be able to blow off steam at your product for a good cause. The testing process is also important to document the ability of the product to operate under various conditions.
DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT: A disclosure document is (1) the set of papers describing your idea that is sent to the Patent Office for registration with the Disclosure Document Program, and (2) a document that is used to disclose your idea to anyone in particular when you first invent it. This document should have a witness stamp on it to verify its date.
DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT PROGRAM: This is a program offered by the Patent Office, it allows inventors (in total confidence) to disclose and register ideas with the Patent Office. It has a limited time frame of two years until the ideas are discarded (destroyed). It is not a patent application, nor is it any sort of patent protection. It is solely to help inventors establish a credible date of conception for dealing with the many aspects of the inventing process. The program has value in setting up meetings under proper secrecy protocol.
DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT STAMP: This is the official stamp put on the documents by the Patent Office when they register your idea with the Disclosure Document Program. It contains your registration number and date the document was received by the Patent and Trademark Office.
DOG & PONY SHOW: A "Dog & Pony Show" (D&P) is any presentation that you use to promote your idea. D&Ps can be used to raise money or get publicity for your product. Any time you present an idea to anyone, you are doing a form of D&P.
DREAMERS: Often confused with inventors and visionaries, dreamers are people who only dream about a product or venture. Dreamers are rarely doers. Inventors, by contrast, are dreamers who act on their ideas.
DREMEL TOOLTM: A Dremel Moto-ToolTM is a motorized, hand-held (mostly), multipurpose tool that has interchangeable heads for drilling, shaping and cutting a variety of materials. It can work on woods, plastics, foams and some metals. No inventor worth his salt should be without this most basic prototyping tool. Once you have one, you'll never understand how you got along without one up until that point. Several companies make this type of tool, but Dremel is the top of the line and has a wide variety of adapters that increase its abilities.
ENTREPRENEURIAL INVENTOR: An entrepreneurial inventor is a rare breed of individual who has the courage and drive to pursue dreams. Without entrepreneurial inventors, there would be no future, no progress, only a continuation of today. Entrepreneurial inventors are thinkers, tinkerers, promoters, project managers, and leadersΓÇörolled into one.
ESTIMATES & PROJECTIONS: Estimates and projections are various areas of accounting that must be presented to investors to create a comfort level regarding your project. Your projections must substantiate your claim that the product will make money for an investor with minimum risk to his capital. This doesn't mean you should distort the facts in any way. Instead, you have a goal to work toward in preparing your numbers. You can reach this goal through proper, detailed research of your concept. Almost any project can be structured to attract one type of investor or another. Simple estimates and projections can usually be prepared by an inventor and his team (if one exists). Otherwise the inventor may have to call on accounting and finance expertise in preparing his business plan. The most important thing to remember while preparing your projection is that you may have to live with exactly the funding you have said the project requires. So, be sure to include contingency cash in your estimates to cover a worse-case scenario.
FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY: Fiduciary responsibility is the responsibility that an attorney has to safeguard your confidential information. Attorneys normally take this responsibility very seriously. If yours doesn't, get a new attorney!
FIELD TESTING: Field testing is a way of determining the actual elements that must be modified or changed to make the final product function effectively. Field testing should always be done by end users who will not go lightly on the product. Most field tests are conducted using pre-production prototypes.
FOAM CORE: Foam Core is a prototype material made of a thin layer of open-cell Styrofoam sandwiched between two pieces of paper. It is rigid, workable material that is ideal for making models and mock-ups. It can be painted, cut, glued and sanded.
FOAMS (Types): There are many different types of foams. Foams are man-made (artificial) substances. Foams come in rods, sheets, tubes, blocks, etc. Foams come in various densities and hardness. Foams are also available in mixable configurations that "set up" in a matter of moments. These foams (mostly of the urethane type) are ideal for prototyping because they are moldable around other objects. They can be sanded, sawed, shaved and generally worked to any surface texture and shape. Each type of foam has different qualities that make them suited for different uses. Foam is a versatile material for many prototype and production applications.
FOREIGN PATENTS: Almost all countries have patent systems. There is no such thing as an "international patent." Each country has different rules and requirements to get a patent. However, several groups of countries will allow you to patent your device in one and get a patent in the others with little or no paperwork. Among these are the EEC (European Economic Community) Common Market countries (EEC Patent application) and the Nordic Patent which includes Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Most foreign patents require a periodic payment (yearly in most cases) to maintain your patent. If you intend to market your device in any particular country and want protection there, make sure to apply for a patent in that specific country. Be forewarned, it is very expensive to obtain and maintain foreign patents.
FUTURISTS: Futurists are individuals (or groups) whose concern for the future is shown in their action today. They may be forecasters, inventors, designers, environmentalists, etc. Their bond is an awareness of the future and a desire to participate in the shaping of the future. Their concerns touch every field of human experience and endeavor. Many futurists are members of The World Future Society. Their ranks include many famous thinkers and scientists.
