NEVADA INVENTORS ASSOCIATION

"Education, Assistance, and

Networking for the Inventor"

The Nevada INVENTOR

Official newsletter of and by the Nevada Inventor's Association

Volume: XVI No. 2 -Education, Assistance, and Networking for the Inventor- Feb. 2004

Next Meeting: Febuary 28, 2004 9:00 AM Washoe Medical Center Room cr102

Our web site is 'www.nevadainventors.org' Founded in 1988

We are a 501(c)6 group under IRS rules.

The purpose of NIA is to educate inventors and potential inventors through whatever means available, including regular meeting, classes, seminars, workshops, and evaluations, within NIA or in cooperation with other persons or organizations. The education of inventors, or potential inventors, may also include the publishing of written materials, such as a regularly published newsletter, flyers, notices, or letters.

Additional goals of NIA are to inform its members of private, civic, governmental, and public resources which may be of assistance to inventors; to promote a positive public image of inventors; to provide for its members a referral/resource directory; and to furnish assistance to its members, whenever possible, by directing their efforts toward the successful development of their inventions.

from INVENTORS DIGEST

by James Robert Daniels

Jim Daniels lives in Port Townsend, Wash. His careers have included the design of roads, aircraft ships, buildings and devices; invention and design consulting; community planning; writing, editing and publishing. As a professional writer, he's had both fiction and nonfiction work Published in newspapers, magazines, anthologies, books and online media. This article is based upon his latest book, How To Become An Inventor (September 2001, http://www.booklocker.com/bookpages/inventor.html).

ARE YOU AN INVENTOR? If you invent, you are an inventor. But how do you earn a living? That's an entirely different question, of course. It's not easy to establish a successful career in a creative field, whether it's art, writing or inventing. However, there are career inventors, many of whom I am sure are readers of Inventors' Digest. You can probably name a few professional inventors. How about Thomas Edison or Bill Gates? There are also a lot of professionals in the inventing business: patent attorneys, development and marketing specialists, and so forth.

Most of the time, we talk in terms of how you get things done as an independent inventor. However, some inventors do work at jobs for employers. You may work at a job that requires an inventor, but your title is "Planner," "Designer," "Software Engineer," etc. Hopefully, it's a fit with your interests, education and abilities. One man I know began as a "Plant Engineer." He was hired by various companies for different positions, but always ended up being transferred to "Product Development." During his career in that industry, over $600,000,000 worth of products were patented in his name. I would say he was an inventor.

Another inventor I've talked with told his employer about something he'd invented before he was hired. The Vice President gladly accepted his idea, but didn't put him to work on it because he was a "Development Engineer," not a "Research Engineer." A lot depends upon your employer's policies and attitudes when you work for someone else. Many government agencies also stifle creative thinking by restricting people to the niches that the "Human Resources" bureaucrats put them in. However, there are places such as the Army Research Office where inventing is the goal. During the 1980's, another Army agency experimented with dune buggies that they got from hot-rod builder Dean Chenowith, arming them with machine guns, cannon, and missile launchers. The sight of seventeen-year olds attacking M-60 tanks in dune buggies was unforgettable if short-lived, but it was a grand opportunity for some inventors while it lasted.

I think that some companies, perhaps Microsoft or Real.com for example, are likely to allow more creative input from any employee than a 50 year-old engineering firm. Research and development companies, organizations, divisions or departments offer many jobs that involve developing new products or processes. Specialty manufacturers such as software companies and wheelchair makers often design or modify customized products, and imagination and problem-solving are valuable to them.

It's true that those who take the biggest risk reap the biggest reward. Perhaps being a risk taker and having a strong need for independence indicate that going it on your own as an inventor is right for you. However, there are jobs out there for inventors who want a paycheck. The inventor of the Army's Hawkeye missile worked for Mattel Toys for 20 years. Inventing toys has its own rewards.

You can work for somebody else as an inventor. You just need to find the right job in the

Tish Wolfe is a freelance writer and is currently developing an invention. The article grew out of her recent experiences and research in finding an attorney. She can be reached at Crackpotinventor@ziplip.com.

TIM Haines is a successful INVENTOR who holds patents for medical devices in of field of joint replacement. He cofounded Hudson Surgical, Inc. to commercialize his inventions; he has since sold the company. Haines believes strongly in hiring an intellectual property (IP) attorney who keeps up with changes in the law, so as to fully utilize your patent's protection. How would you find such an attorney?

1. Invest time in your search. Haines stresses importance of a proper Search, commenting, "I invested a considerable amount of time in finding an attorney and ended up interviewing five."

2. Define the field of your invention in order to find a lawyer who specializes in your area. Just as physicians specialize in different areas so do IP attorneys For instance, if your invention is a mechanical one, like an engine, you wouldn't hire an attorney who specializes in plant patents

3. Use referrals to find an attorney. Ask friends, relatives, an attorney you deal with or business associates for referrals to a qualified IP attorney. You should ideally find an attorney within driving distance, for your own convenience. For example, you may have an invention that undergoes numerous changes in its prototype which you may need to show the attorney.

Call or join a local inventors organization. A group with members who are actively and successfully involved in inventing will be able to give you names of attorneys they're satisfied with/ Networking with such a group also has the side benefit of providing advice in your invention endeavors.

Local law schools can serve as another excellent resource. Ask your reference librarian for a listing. Call the Dean's office and ask for recommendations of IP law professors who also have a private practice.

Universities with research facilities can also give you qualified referrals. These institutions have in-house patent counsel offices that often outsource their actual patent applications. Ask them for a referral to the outside attorney they use. You can find these universities through your local reference librarian.

An intellectual property law association (IPLA) located in your area can also help with referrals. Find them through your county's bar association, which is often listed in the yellow pages of your phone book under "lawyers." You should be looking for a lawyer who's active in the IPLA and not just a member. Ask the IPLA for the names of their officers, since they're involved in keeping their membership informed of changes in IP law.

Before you contact any recommended attorneys, find out more about them in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory at your local library or online. To verify that they are registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), go to a Patent and Trademark Depository Library (PTDL) and ask for their publication, "Attorneys and Agents Registered to Practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office."

When you've narrowed your list to a couple of potential attorneys, give them a call and talk to them on the phone. "I would make sure I was comfortable with working with an attorney, in view of the fact that it generally takes two to three years, or possibly longer to obtain a patent," says Michael Friscia, an IP attorney and partner at Wolff & Samson in Roseland, NJ. "I want to make sure that I would he comfortable working with him. I would start out by discussing some general questions with a number of practitioners on the phone, and then setting us a meeting with the ones I had good conversations with."

Following are some of the questions you could ask.