Bump on the skin leads to new invention
A bruised shin has turned Jay B. into an inventor.
Jay, his wife and two daughters are avid lovers of the outdoors. Some of the happiest times have been spent camping in their travel trailer.
One day, while washing the trailer, Jay bumped into its front coupling. That painful knock started Jay thinking about a way to protect his shins from another nasty bruise.
“I got the idea of making a sign holder for the front of the trailer,” said Jay. “Not only does it keep you from hitting your leg, it has curb appeal.”
Jay’s idea was to make a decorative item to hold a sign that could be personalized. For example, the signs could be in different shapes and include a name and hometown. The product makes the trailer coupling more visually appealing and less dangerous.
For someone who likes to tinker in his workshop, Jay found it easy to design and make a sign holder for his travel trailer. Then while on a family outing to the beach, the unique item became a hot topic of conversation among fellow campers. Several people wanted to purchase one just like it.
“Some of my camping buddies said I should try to market it,” said Jay. “I sat down at the computer one day and typed in ‘inventions.’ Hundreds of hundreds of websites came up. I chose a couple of the nicest ones and investigated them.”
Like many people, Jay was cautious about what he was finding online. He researched a few companies that promise to help people market new ideas and products. After researching and checking with the Better Business Bureau, he chose Invention Technologies Inc., of Coral Gables, Fla.
“They have worked with me real well said Jay. “I’ve been very pleased.”
“It’s my understanding that when they get new ideas from people they sit about in a board meeting and pick what they think will make money. They also do an initial patent search to see if anything like it is already out there. When they got my idea, they were very excited.”
Invention Technologies is helping Jay get a patent for his product, which is now officially named “Sign Holder.” The next step is finding a manufacturer that will license and produce the item. Jay said he and the company are aggressively searching for a manufacturer now, although it might take nine to 12 months to find the right producer.
The process of getting an invention from idea to manufacturer can be lengthy. He came up with the idea last year during summer camping season. Work on patenting and manufacturing began in earnest this past January.
Jay said many people come out with creative ideas but fail to do anything about them. There is a substantial financial investment required to get an idea patented and marketed and Jay, along with a friend and his father, are investing in the project. Despite the financial risk, he feels strongly enough about the product to take a chance.
It’s a risk” said Jay. “It may make money one day and the next fall flat on its face. It’s not a ‘get rich quick’ scheme. I don’t believe in that. The ‘Sing Holder’ has endless possibilities. It’s possible that it could be out by the end of this year or in the spring of 2006. I’m just waiting patiently now.
I’ve always liked to piddle with stuff and build things in my workshop. This is the first time I’ve ever tried to market anything. If it goes well, I have a fishing lure I might try next. And I am working on designs for other kinds of RVs.
“There are all these little bitty inventions that pay off big time. I would rather go ahead and give this a try and say at least I did it rather than have someone else do it.”