Patent, Trademark & Copyright : Law Office of Kloss, Stenger & LoTempio

Inventor Joe Iannello came up with an idea of how to easily clean the underside of a lawnmower and he developed a new product called the Spray–n-Mow.

He designed it, he received United States Patent 7,628,003(PDF)  for it, he got it manufactured and now he is marketing his own product and selling it.

It wasn't an easy road and he learned a lot of lessons along the way, and he would like to share those lessons with other inventors. 

He provided me with an "Inventor's Checklist" (which I included below) and he graciously agreed to answer a few questions about what inventors need to know...

What does an inventor need to do to get a product to market?

You just have to be patient and believe in your product. If you don't believe in your product it is not going to get anywhere. You cannot be afraid to put up the money and to put in a lot of effort… otherwise you will go nowhere.

How are you attempting to market your product?

I have reached out to a professional marketer that has certain corporate contacts. In order to get your product into a big company you have to have those corporate buyers and corporate contacts to sell the product. An independent inventor can't just call any company and say hey I have a product I want to sell to you. You need to have that corporate contact, because most buyers of these big companies won't even talk to independent inventor on the phone.

You can try to get those contacts by filling out vendor applications at corporate web pages. There are people in the marketing business that do it all the time but that doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to get your foot in the door.

These vendor applications ask in depth questions with regard to your background and your ability to bring a product to market. Once those applications are filled out you have to wait for the vendors to contact you. 

There are many elements which go into the reasoning of whether they contact you. Is the timing right?

• I believe that the market itself is always an issue because if the economy is bad it may be difficult for a company to take on new products in a slow economy.
• Secondly, most products are seasonal and the marketing begins months before the season.

What type of company do you use to market your product?

I use a company called Patents to Market. I did a profile and compared them with six other companies. I was looking at what his background was what is experience was. The guy who runs this thing is actually an attorney he's got a track record of all these different companies he's worked with in the past.

So what makes a good marketing company?

You're going to find once you get a patent you are going to be flooded by mail from many different marketing companies. I try to avoid those that are just blowing smoke that really don't have the experience and really don't have the contacts and they are telling you something that they really can't do.

Just because they market some other product doesn't mean you're going be able to market my product. I was looking for companies that have established corporate contacts, that have established a relationship with buyers.

What are some of the lessons that you learned that you would like to pass on the other inventors?

Take control of your own destiny. Believe in yourself! Have faith that you will succeed. But you have to teach yourself every part of the business from marketing, to distribution, to manufacturing.

Don't ever give up. Keep going! Keep plugging! Meet as many people as you can. Keep networking to find people that can help you do things that you can’t do or are able to teach you how it should be done.

Every person that I met with along the way that helped me bring my idea to reality I would recommend to a new inventor. I have a personal rapport with every single one of these people. I physically went to 10 different manufactures to find someone to manufacture my product.

I found Val Tech Holdings, Inc. who put their heart and soul into manufacturing my product. Everyone in the company from the president down communicated with me and they made the best mold to make the best product. They also informed me of all the pitfalls that every inventor has when trying to get their product to market, even after it's manufactured. They were very honest with me.

You have to find someone that can manufacture your product that you can trust, you can work with and that won't look down on you. It is not easy to get in front of the president or the vice present of a company, most manufacturing companies won't help you the way this company actually did.

How did you educate yourself as far how to make a mold and what you should expect from your mold?

I purchased an injection mold. I wanted a mold that would make a better product and last longer and produce a greater number of products before it wears out. And Val Tech Holdings, Inc. created a high quality mold. It might've cost me a little bit more money but in the long run it will save money.

Joe's "Inventor's Checklist" of what he did to take his idea to market:

1) Idea for an invention

2) Drawing and description

3) Design – CAD Drawing – 3Dem. – 6Dem.

4) Blue print – with measurements – 8” X 11”

5) CAD on DVD

6) Name of product for the U.S. Patent Office

7) Registered Domain Name – for product marketing

8) Registered Bar Code for pricing

9) Patent – Patent Pending

10) Working Prototype

Paragon Model Makers, Inc.

1705 Main Road

Corfu, New York 14036

Frederick Landers – President/Owner

(585)-762-9367

11) Company Name – DBA/Corporation

12) Company Logo – Product Logo

13) Product Packaging

Mod-Pac Corp.

1801 Elmwood Avenue

Buffalo, New York 14207

(716)-873-0640 – Ext. #232

Donald Coppola – Sales/Rep.

14) Manufacturing of product

A) Engineering Design enhancement

B) Develop a structured business relationship

15) Manufacturer

Val Tech Holdings, Inc.

1667 Emerson Street

Rochester, New York 14606

(585)-647-2300 – Ext. #248

Joe Czop – Business Development/CEO

16) Strategy for Pricing & Marketing

17) Marketing of product

18) Website Design

19) Product Brochures

20) Product Infomercials – Audio/Visual Production

Derrick Chamberlain - Photography

21) Liability Insurance

22) U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission laws & Regulations

23) DBA – “Doing Business As”

24) Incorporation of Business

25) Federal Tax Number

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Recently I met with Ron Roberts, President of Rolite Manufacturing. Rolite is a roll forming manufacturer that produces metal products of all shapes and sizes for large and small companies.

I toured their manufacturing facility and was amazed at how a compact roll of sheet metal can be stretched, cut, pounded, bent, stamped, shaped and sized into a variety of configurations.

Take a look at the video I uploaded to Youtube of all the different ways they can manufacture metal products.

Ron told me that every product they make must be made to have the right  "Form, Fit and Function."

• Form: the look of the product projects the presentation the inventor intends;
• Fit: the product meets all the requirements necessary; and
• Function: the product must work the way it was intended.

Here are few questions and answers from my interview with him:

Can you help inventors make prototypes to use as a sales prop?

Many times we’re able to work with the inventor and help figure out the manufacturing details. We can gear their idea to existing equipment and help them lower startup costs. We help inventors in the process of manufacturing, we call it "engineering time" it's kind of like a research and development of the product without actually stepping on the toes of the inventor.

Our goal is to have cheaper startup costs for the inventor. Truthfully, independent, individual inventors are a small percentage of our business. Typically they don't have the financial wherewithal and know how to take it to the next level and we try to help them bridge the gap.

What are some of the biggest problems that inventors have that you are able to resolve?

We think outside the box, we have tooling and the presses that are capable of shaping and bending any piece of sheet metal into almost any position. We try to do it as simple as possible and we often design ways to make products inexpensively as possible. We also work with other companies to make a product, for example we've recently made a metal product which needed an attachment combination of a piece of cloth material and small brass fittings which were produced by outside sources and attached by our company.

What can you do to make a salable product better than a company located overseas?

Others need to find a manufacturer overseas in places like China because of cheap labor. We can do it better than an overseas company because we can:

• Produce a high quality product (Assembly and manufacturing is done locally).
• Avoid Secondary and third operators.
• Provide a short response time to customers problems and queries.
• Take care of quality issues as soon as they happen. If you're using somebody in China and there's a problem they would say “maybe we'll implement it on the next run” with us we fix it now.
• We deliver on time because there is not an ocean we have to ship across.
• If there's a legal problem outside the USA what legal recourse do you really have?

What considerations do you take into account before making a product?

"What are the fixed costs? How much is it to make? Can it be sold for a profit at every level? If not we can’t make it."

There are a five tiers of cost on any product:

1. Manufacturer
2. Distribution representative
3. Wholesaler
4. Retailer
5. Final Customer cost

What steps do you take to preserve the rights of your clients?

"With us it is mum's the word, we do our best to keep everything confidential. We have an in-house Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA) which is fair and protects both the inventor and our company. If the inventor has their own NDA we will sign it if it is fair and reasonable."

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What inventors need to know...

How does an inventor take a good idea and then develop it into a new product? Recently I asked this and other questions relating to invention development to the affable forward thinking Justin Aiello. His company Aiello Designs takes ideas and turns them into reality. Here are a few questions and answers from the interview:

What do you do?

In general, I help independent inventors, start-ups and small companies take new ideas from concept to production. This includes Design, Engineering, Prototypes and Production Sourcing. I do not offer services with regards to funding, sales, marketing or licensing.

What makes an idea good or bad?

"I have seen great ideas fail and bad ideas succeed in the marketplace. What makes a successful product is good marketing, sales, design and manufacturing. What is right in one case is not necessarily right in another. You know you are right if it makes money and wrong if it doesn't."

How much information do you need to create a working prototype of product?

People come to me from all walks of life with different levels of expertise. Good ideas are not limited to the experts. Here are a few examples:

• The inventor comes in with just the idea. The inventor recognizes a problem and does not have an answer. Our company figures out a solution and designs a product to solve the problem.
• The inventor has a detailed drawing of a patented or patent pending product and we make a prototype.
• The inventor has a prototype and we make additional refinements. The process of developing a prototype is an ongoing series of tests and refinements.
• The inventor has a prototype completed without any need for refinements and we work out the mass manufacturing details.

How can the independent inventor with a new idea without "deep pockets" capitalize on a good idea?

I have found an independent inventor's path is somewhat limited:

1. Manufacture and sell it through a buyer to a mass retailer. Here the inventor will likely need investors.
2. Obtain a royalty agreement and license the rights to sell the product. Here, the inventor is in a better bargaining position if they possess a patented or patent pending product and a prototype.

"If you invented a new "Pet Nail Clipper" then go to the aisle in the pet store where they are selling these devices and investigate each one. Learn the names of 10-20 companies that will be able to produce, distribute and manufacture your product. Find out who in the company you need to talk to in order to sell your idea. Get yourself in the door with a patented or patent pending product and a prototype and then maybe you will make a deal."

How would you describe the ideal client/inventor candidate for product development?

• 50+ years old, having the "entrepreneurial spirit."
• Has high disposable income.
• Not risk adverse.
• A person that can enjoy the process. Even if the product doesn't sell, they had fun with it.
• Good business contacts. The inventor needs to understand one person cannot do everything. You need help with manufacturing, distribution and marketing. "An inventor who has an in at QVC or brother-in-law who is a buyer at WalMart has a better chance to succeed."
• Good business sense:  a. Inventor knows where they want to go with a product;
                                               b. There is a business plan to get there (road map); and
                                               c. Knows when to call it quits. "Don't throw good money after bad."

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