Ever since I joined NIA, about 4 years ago, interacting with my fellow inventors (and inventors to be) has been the highlight of the meetings for me.
The February meeting was a prime example. As the February meeting began the only thing I knew for sure, was that our featured speaker, Josh Ketcham would be speaking on his recent visit to China and the small amount of time it would take to discuss NIA business.
I really don't know what I was worried about, the dynamics of the group took over and before we knew it I was closing the meeting feeling very privileged to have been there!! Everyone was so willing to contribute from their experiences to help anyone in the group. There were open discussions on a myriad of items whether or not to patent a product, trade mark protection, product evaluation.
Dr. Torch came in with a report on the progress of the Nevada Science & Industry Museum and of course Art Gould always has a report on his miracle yardstick (the man is a model of perseverance).
What I know about the March meeting is that Don Costar will be the featured speaker and his talk will be on DOING YOUR OWN PATENT SEARCHES. After that who knows.
So if you haven't been to a meeting recently and you need some stimulation, a problem that needs to be solved or just to have some fun, come to our March meeting Saturday the 27th at Washoe Med.
I GUARANTEE YOU WILL HAVE A GREAT TIME !!!
If you have any ideas or suggestions please don't hesitate to call or fax me directly my numbers are: Phone 775-677-4824 Fax 775-677-4888 I would like to THANK YOU for your support.
Meeting Notes
The regular meeting of the NIA was held February 27 at the Washoe Medical Center (WMC) starting at 9:02. It was noted that the August meeting will be a picnic, location to be announced.
Don Costar was the first speaker. He discussed DRTV, patents pending, provisional patents, and patent applications. He will talk about doing a patent search at a future meeting.
Jerry Eldrige was nominated to serve as NIA sergeant at Arms. The membership voted approval. Steve DesJardes was nominated as the product liaison for product Evaluations. This was approved by the membership.
Our saying 'The past is prologue, study the past' Needs to be changed...... Any ideas?
Charles Ketcham talked about the three level RV and a cat fence and then presented the main speaker, Josh Ketcham.
Josh Ketcham talked about business in China for Waterlock (it is a polymer), a product that locks in oil or water. See 'http://www.worldwatch.com'. He also talked about his experience in China. The Yellow River is half dirt and there are 56 nationalities in China.
Linsay Sloan displayed her science project about the response time of people. 35 people were tested.
Dr. Torch talked about child rights, the Nevada museum of Science and technology, and a possible relocation to next to the bowling stadium.
Art Gould gave a demonstration of his bagger.
The meeting adjourned at 11:55
The number one scam company in the nation finally shot themselves in the foot. They are suing the lawyer who quit them because he couldn't take the stink anymore. Now he's trying to educate the public about who they are and what they do. Halleluja!! My hope is they picked the wrong guy to sue. If he can get an investigation going it will be the break we've been praying for all these years. Please let our members know about this. Maybe one, or more, of them will find the courage to speak up if they've been victimized by ISC. Don
NIFC - Do you have questions related to invention fraud? If so, the National Inventor Fraud Center may provide the answers. The NIFC was founded by Michael S. Neustel, a Registered Patent Attorney to provide information on invention marketing companys. NIFC provides lists of Bad Guys SM and Good Guys SM. They have compiled a comprehensive list of state laws against inventor fraud in 10 states. NIFC has information on getting your money back, truth lists, questions to ask and other topics that could save a lot of grief when determining how to market your invention. Check out the NIFC web site at http://inventorfraud.com
The Toy & Game Inventor s Forum,
April 15-17, 1999 Las Vegas, Nevada
www.toysngames.com/tgif.htm
Do you have an idea for the next Beanie Baby, Monopoly or Power Ranger? Would you like to network with toy industry leaders and inventors from around the world? Then mark April 15-17 on you calendar for the Toy & Game Inventor s Forum (TGIF 99) to be held in Las Vegas at the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino. The annual event provides a full service and supplier trade show, roundtable discussions, seminars and hands-on workshops as well as our unique one-on-one meetings with investors and toy industry representatives.
Among the more than fifty industry experts expected to participate in TGIF 99 include key representatives from Brio-Alga, Fisher Price, Girl Tech/Radica, Great American Puzzle Factory, Hasbro, Hasbro Games Group (Milton Bradley and Parker Bros.), Mattel, Learning Curve, Pressman, Ohio Art, Really Useful Games, Spin Master Toys, Tiger Electronics, Uncle Milton, University Games, Universal Studios Retail, Warner Brothers Toys and Winning Moves. Inventors who have attended previous TGIF conferences report that the forum is invaluable. Martin Winder of Belt, MT, who has developed a variation on a traditional family game, said the most beneficial part (for me) was meeting the representatives. Two asked me to forward my game and I am currently working with one of them. We re through the test phase and are now doing a cost feasibility study.
A few very special keynote speakers will be present at TGIF 99. Ruth Handler, the Barbie Doll inventor, and her husband Eliott, inventor of Hot Wheels, are cofounders of Mattel and will be on hand to speak to the attendees and sign a few autographs.
TGIF will provide an A-to-Z learning experience for aspiring inventors and seasoned professionals. Three separate, experience oriented presentation tracks are offered this year covering such topics as: designing marketable products, building prototypes, how to overcome inventing hurdles, writing rules, protecting your ideas, negotiating a license, financing, producing & marketing products and industry trends.
For more information and a complete listing of toy companies and sponsors, call: 1-888-683-8443 or visit www.toysngames.com/tgif.htm. April 9 - 10 - 1999 Inventors Conference Radison Hotel, Birmingham, Alabama. Keynote speaker is Alex Langer, inventor of the Flying Fishing Lure. Event includes panel discussions, exhibits, and inventors roundtable. Sponsors include: NASA, UAB Research Foundation, Inventor's Digest, and Invent Alabama. For more information
April 28 - May 1 - Annual Convention of the American
Creativity Association, Akron Hilton, Akron Ohio.
Keynote speakers - Edward deBono, the world's leading authority on creative and conceptual thinking. Richard Barrett, former Values Coordinator for World Bank, founder Richard A Barrett & Associates, LLC. Shirley M. Malcolm, head of the Directorate for education and Human Resources Programs of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences. Host of the conference is the Inventure Place, Home of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Akron Ohio. For more information
| 10/27/98 | 5,827,026 | Tony Patti | A device for attaching one object to another with a clamp mechanism |
| 12/8/98 | 5,845,887 | Tony Patti | Adjustable hole bracket with interlocking hooks and tabs |
| 12/29/98 | 5,853,228 | Tony Patti | Wheel cover retainer utilizing a retainer ring for vehicle wheel covers |
| 1/26/99 | DES 404,571 | Don Evans | Tote box |
| 10/6/98 | DES 399,050 | Don Evans | Pill dispensing cup with lid |
| 2/16/98 | DES 405,662 | Don Evans | Support stake |
| 1/12/99 | DES 403,929 | Don Evans | Tree trunk protector |
Are you starting a business with your invention to make money? Many start up business ventures focus far too long on perfecting their product, seldom do market research, seldom test products for manufacturability, and have no effective, realistic profit analysis.
What are you doing to make sure you don't join these businesses? How do you know what kind of market there is for your invention? How do you know what this market would be willing to pay? How do you know you can manufacture the invention, advertise it, sell it, distribute it, and so on - and still make a profit?
Plan ahead, you have to get your 'better mousetrap' to the customer as they will not 'beat a path to your door' unless you can convince them its worth it. And you can't make a profit unless you can cover all of your costs and then some.
The invention is just step one,
a business is step two!
Page done by Vince Chemist.
Created on March 29, 1999
Updated November 29, 2005