I have an idea, what next?

October 12, 2019 12:24 AM

I have an idea for a product. It isn’t groundbreaking, like it won’t change the world, but is something that doesn’t seem to exist but could be used worldwide (I think). The design would technically be adapting design(s) for things that already exist but which haven’t been used for this purpose. I have no experience at all in manufacturing/selling/making prototypes. I am in the UK but not England. Where on earth do I start, if only to hear from a person who knows: “forget it”, or ideally: “great idea! Here’s what you need to do...”
posted by anonymous to Grab Bag (6 answers total)

Can you throw away a few thousand euros on it right now? If so, find some industrial design firms to consult with. You want one that will warn you about how you have a good chance of failure and that the process can be expensive.
Otherwise, maybe you can meet people at a makerspace who may want to help. Or an industrial design student looking to build a portfolio.
posted by Sophont at 1:25 AM on October 12, 2019

Have you prototyped it, even simply and tested with users? Is there a demand for it? I think it's important to assess viability before spending any cash! Check out IDEO's ideas for quick prototyping.
posted by teststrip at 5:35 AM on October 12, 2019 [5 favorites]

You might speak briefly with a patent attorney to get a feel if it's worth the large expense of the patent process.
posted by sammyo at 6:34 AM on October 12, 2019

If you're interested in potentially making some money off this idea, I agree with sammyo - consult with a patent attorney. If you will ultimately need the help of investors to get the product prototyped, marketed, manufactured, etc., the investors will likely want to see patent protection, which can help create a barrier to entry, e.g. to thwart other companies from making a cheaper knock-off. The attorney can also advise you on non-disclosure agreements and the like, to help protect you from someone stealing your idea as you talk to potential manufacturers, partners, etc. The attorney can also advise as to whether someone else has already sought to patent the same or a similar idea (at least on paper, even if the product/new use doesn't exist in the market). This can inform your decision as to whether to invest in moving forward.

If cost is a barrier to meeting with an attorney, I'll note that here in the US, some attorneys will do a free initial consultation, and law schools often run free clinics to assist inventors. Your jurisdiction may have similar resources available.
posted by smokyjoe at 8:04 AM on October 12, 2019

I'm not sure how patents work in the UK, but in the U.S. your first step would be to visit the U.S. Patent office website and see if you can find a pre-existing patent that covers what you want to do.

It's a free and often enlightening exercise.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 11:38 AM on October 12, 2019

I run a company that helps people with prototyping product ideas, but in the USA.

Usually we start by reviewing the idea and seeing what's already available. Most of the time, it's already available but maybe in a slightly different form or using different words.

Then we talk about any open questions- what kind of adaptations are needed, who the intended end user is, and where we can build in new, important things.

At this point we might (or might not) go into a prototyping mode and try out some of these ideas to validate them. If that goes well, we'll file a provisional patent to protect the work and proceed from there. There are a lot of options at this stage including licensing your idea to existing companies.

While I can't speak to the UK specifically, if you'd like to talk about your situation with me, I'm open to that.
posted by fake at 11:43 AM on October 13, 2019