As you begin the invention process, you’ll most certainly need help along the way. Where specifically will vary based on your skills, connections, and resources. We’ve cataloged a number of resources we’ve received and/or interacted with over the years, that we feel can be of help to you.

If you have useful information for other inventors please contribute by clicking here with a link, a brief description and any other helpful info.

 

The typical invention cycle looks like this, though it can and mostly will vary based on your specific idea, skills, resources, etc.

  • Idea: This is the start where you get your spark, or even engineer an idea to solve problem.
  • Develop: This stage is where you put in a lot of work to develop this idea… research its existence, demand, and viability. All good? Then design it, engineer it, and prototype it. Finally, with actual prototypes and actual cost estimates, test the market for it with market surveys.
  • Protect: Usually around here you’ll want to protect your idea with patents, trademarks, copyrights, or even keep it as a trade secret. But depending on the exposure you’ll need to give it in the development phase (showing the idea to prototype houses, manufacturers, or customers for market surveys, you may need to protect the idea before you get here.
  • Manufacture: Got a winner up to this point? Then expand your manufacturing research to determine if you want to handle it, maybe completely in house, outsource completely, or some hybrid in-between. Also determine how you’ll handle sales logistics: will the manufacture hold product and stage deliveries or will you need warehousing?
  • Sell: Time to start bringing money back in. This includes marketing, advertising, and actual selling. Are you selling direct? Brick-and-mortar, online, both? Are you shipping product, your manufacturer, a third-party warehousing service perhaps?
  • License: Instead of manufacturing and selling your product, licensing can make life much easier on you. Yes you’ll give up a bigger piece of the pie, but you’ll have time to work on new ideas or improvements to the existing product.

Below, we’ve posted several resources that may be helpful to you as you move through these steps:

Business organizations

Empowered Inventing. Has sponsored hundreds of inventor-centric Youtube videos covering as many subjects. Here is a great place to get the required “learning” poured into you.

Invent Tank. Expert advice from Lisa Lloyd, a successful Shark Tank inventor. https://www.youtube.com/user/inventank

National Entrepreneur Center. Need help getting your business off the ground? Here is a treasure trove of free and inexpensive help. https://www.nationalec.org/

National Paralegal College. Learn more about patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. https://www.nationalparalegal.edu/

UCF Venture Lab. Free presentations and business forms you can use to learn about business plans, elevator pitches, financing, IP and more. https://www.venturelab.ucf.edu/

SCORE. All the business information, training, counseling, and mentorship you’ll need to successfully launch your product. And most for free. https://www.score.org/

Inventor organizations

Inventors Groups of America. Brings together inventors groups to learn, motivate, and share ideas. https://inventleader.org/

Inventors Society of South Florida. This is a comprehensive inventors site in Ft. Lauderdale with links to a broad array of resources. https://www.inventors-society.net/

United Inventors Association. The UIA is the national group that oversees other inventor groups, providing education and support. http://www.uiausa.org/

Inventor Mentor: Mentors inventors on all areas of the invention process. http://www.inventor-mentor.com/

Publications

Inventors Digest. https://inventorsdigest.com/

Patent Pending Blog. https://patentpending.blogs.com/

Patent Research & Information

If you’re looking for specific patents, these resources should be very helpful:

United States Patent & Trademark Association. The official place to research and file US patents. https://www.uspto.gov . Includes information on filing patents yourself. https://www.uspto.gov/

UCF Patent Library. One of the few official patent libraries, in Orlando. Free access to the library, but there is a parking fee. https://guides.ucf.edu/patents

FreePatentsOnline. Patent lookup/search site:  https://www.freepatentsonline.com/  This is a great resource for patent searching. With a free registration, you are able to do complex searches of US and international patents by numerous criteria. Summary results are provided in a list with a portion of the text displayed. Once a patent is selected, you can view the patent as a .pdf without downloading it. (Of course, you can download too.) The entire patent is also transcribed and searchable. The prior art patents are also listed and clickable for further investigation. On top of all this, you can create lists of the patents you reviewed and download .xlsx files of the results. This is a great way to collect a lot of data and keep it organized for free. Sadly though, it is ad-supported, and they tend to get in the way sometimes. I have not noticed any increase in spam by using the site, though.

FPO Logo

Google Patents. Patent lookup/search site: https://patents.google.com/

Patent Storm. Patent lookup/search site, including international patents. https://www.patentstorm.us/

Patent Education. Educational information on patents from a Wyoming attorney. https://wyomingllcattorney.com/…Patents-and-Trademarks

IP Watchdog. One of the leading sources for news, information, analysis and commentary in the patent and innovation industries, including information on patent processing, NDAs, Washington news, and strageic IP planning. https://ipwatchdog.com/

Patent Services

Need help with a patent search or with filing your patent? Here are some useful organizations who could help:

SearchQuest patent search. Provides inventors and attorneys with independent, comprehensive patent and product search services. https://searchquestpatents.com/

Steinberger IP law. http://www.steinbergerip.com/

Power Patent. Online AI tools to assist in drafting patents. https://powerpatent.com/

Rapacke Law. Innovative, affordable patent services. https://arapackelaw.com/

United States Patent Office Pro Bono. Free legal services for filing a patent if your household income is less than 3x the Federal Poverty Guidelines. https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/…/intellectual-property-legal-assistance

Product design, development and manufacturing services

Have an idea in your head or on a napkin and need help to get it properly designed/engineered/prototyped? Or ready to go to manufacturing and need DFM or logistics help? Check out these resources for assistance:

2-Pi Labs: An Orlando-based product development and prototyping firm specializing in technology products.

EGT Global Trading. Offshore manufacturing partner specializing in textile products.

EMW Laser: Largo-based provider of laser cutting and engraving services. https://emwlaser.com/

JMS 3D Printing: Retired mechanical engineer providing 3D printed design and manufacturing. https://jms3dprinting.com/

Lime Design: South Florida based product design company. https://limecreativedesign.com/

Outlaw Solutions & Concepts: A St. Petersberg area provider of manufacturing technology for plastic product development. http://www.outlawsolutionsandconcepts.com/

P3D Creations: 3d printing, Laser Cutting, and CNC milling/routing service.

Preferred Metal Products: Orlando-based metal fabrication services provider. https://preferredmetal.com/

Rapid Prototyping Services: Satellite Beach-based 3D printing service. https://rapidps.com/

Software and Tools

Autodesk Fusion: Powerful 3D CAD & CAM software for anyone. https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview

eMachineShop: Metal fabrication and machining service with their own proprietary 3D CAD. https://www.emachineshop.com/

FreeCAD: Free 3D parametric modeling software. https://www.freecad.org/

Kiri Engine: Free 3D scanning tool using your smartphone. https://www.kiriengine.app/

Sketchup: Simple 3D CAD tool. https://sketchup.trimble.com/en

Solidworks: Professional full-featured 3D CAD software. https://www.solidworks.com/

Assistance and Information

Familab: a local makerspace offering workspace, tools, and community for creative technical learning and projects. Meet like-minded people, learn, collaborate on projects, and have access to great tools, FamiLAB is family friendly and welcomes makers, artists, thinkers, hackers, crafters, and everyone else.

MACF (Manufacturers Association of Central Florida): Assists in connecting inventors with local-area manufacturers. https://macf.biz/

Protolabs Network: An online network of part manufacturers. https://www.hubs.com/

Manufacturefy: Connects anyone looking to have products manufactured with manufacturers. https://manufacturefy.com/

Materials

Acme Industrial Surplus: Surplus outlet for sheet plastic, aluminum, I-beams, metal equipment, fasteners, motors, etc. https://www.acmeindustrialsurplus.com/

Alro Metals Outlet. Surplus metal supplier. http://www.alro.com/locations/location.aspx?loc=OZ

Aluminum Supply: Supplier of aluminum extrusions, including low volume. http://www.myaluminumsupply.com/

Reynolds Advanced Materials: Orlando-based supplier of plastic and rubber casting supplies. http://www.reynoldsam.com/

Skycraft Surplus: Electronics parts, motors, wire, wheels, gears, fastners, plastics, metals and more. https://skycraftsurplus.com/

General Assistance

InsideHeads Marketing Research: Designs + conducts custom marketing research studies online. https://insideheads.com/

Women in Toys: Helps women succeed professionally and personally by providing opportunities to network, learn, collaborate and advance their career. https://www.womenintoys.com/

Product Submission

Challenge.gov: Challenge competitions that can win you money. https://www.challenge.gov/

Financing sources

F6S: Connect with Accelerators, Grants and Contracts, and get help with free stuff, talent search & exposure, to grow your startup. https://www.f6s.com/

Kickstarter: Crowdfunding for new ideas/products. https://www.kickstarter.com/

Prosper: Loans and smart, simple tools for borrowing, saving & earning. https://www.prosper.com/

Trade shows

Design 2 Part: Annual contract manufacturer trade show held in several US cities.. https://www.d2p.com/

Design 2 Part: Annual contract manufacturer trade show held in several US cities.. https://www.d2p.com/

Design and Manufacturing South: Annual trade show focusing on manufacturing, automation and packaging. https://www.mdmsouth.com/

National Plastics Expo: Triennial expansive plastics manufacturing trade show. https://npe.org/

Events

One Million Cups: Nationwide events that connect inventors and entrepreneurs to share success stories. https://www.1millioncups.com/s/account/0014W00002AqQf6QAF/orlando-fl

Selling and Licensing

America’s Inventor Lady: Rita Crompton provides patent search services, licensing, and group trade-show/marketing opportunities. https://americasinventorlady.com/

Brian Fried: Inventor coach and licensing broker. https://brianfried.com/

Inventive Ideas: Will assist with licensing or license your product ideas. http://inventiveideas.com/

Invent Right: Product licensing agent. https://inventright.com/

Market Blast: Invention submission connection site. https://marketblast.com/

Tuttle Innovation: A successful inventor helping others get their products to market. https://tuttleinnovation.com/

Information

Business organizations

Empowered Inventing. Has sponsored hundreds of inventor-centric Youtube videos covering as many subjects. Here is a great place to get the required “learning” poured into you.

Invent Tank. Expert advice from Lisa Lloyd, a successful Shark Tank inventor. https://www.youtube.com/user/inventank

National Entrepreneur Center. Need help getting your business off the ground? Here is a treasure trove of free and inexpensive help. https://www.nationalec.org/

National Paralegal College. Learn more about patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. https://www.nationalparalegal.edu/

UCF Venture Lab. Free presentations and business forms you can use to learn about business plans, elevator pitches, financing, IP and more. https://www.venturelab.ucf.edu/

SCORE. All the business information, training, counseling, and mentorship you’ll need to successfully launch your product. And most for free. https://www.score.org/

Inventor organizations

Inventors Groups of America. Brings together inventors groups to learn, motivate, and share ideas. https://inventleader.org/

Inventors Society of South Florida. This is a comprehensive inventors site in Ft. Lauderdale with links to a broad array of resources. https://www.inventors-society.net/

United Inventors Association. The UIA is the national group that oversees other inventor groups, providing education and support. http://www.uiausa.org/

Inventor Mentor: Mentors inventors on all areas of the invention process. http://www.inventor-mentor.com/

Publications

Inventors Digest. https://inventorsdigest.com/

Patent Pending Blog. https://patentpending.blogs.com/

Patents

Patent Research & Information

If you’re looking for specific patents, these resources should be very helpful:

United States Patent & Trademark Association. The official place to research and file US patents. https://www.uspto.gov . Includes information on filing patents yourself. https://www.uspto.gov/

UCF Patent Library. One of the few official patent libraries, in Orlando. Free access to the library, but there is a parking fee. https://guides.ucf.edu/patents

FreePatentsOnline. Patent lookup/search site:  https://www.freepatentsonline.com/  This is a great resource for patent searching. With a free registration, you are able to do complex searches of US and international patents by numerous criteria. Summary results are provided in a list with a portion of the text displayed. Once a patent is selected, you can view the patent as a .pdf without downloading it. (Of course, you can download too.) The entire patent is also transcribed and searchable. The prior art patents are also listed and clickable for further investigation. On top of all this, you can create lists of the patents you reviewed and download .xlsx files of the results. This is a great way to collect a lot of data and keep it organized for free. Sadly though, it is ad-supported, and they tend to get in the way sometimes. I have not noticed any increase in spam by using the site, though.

FPO Logo

Google Patents. Patent lookup/search site: https://patents.google.com/

Patent Storm. Patent lookup/search site, including international patents. https://www.patentstorm.us/

Patent Education. Educational information on patents from a Wyoming attorney. https://wyomingllcattorney.com/…Patents-and-Trademarks

IP Watchdog. One of the leading sources for news, information, analysis and commentary in the patent and innovation industries, including information on patent processing, NDAs, Washington news, and strageic IP planning. https://ipwatchdog.com/

Patent Services

Need help with a patent search or with filing your patent? Here are some useful organizations who could help:

SearchQuest patent search. Provides inventors and attorneys with independent, comprehensive patent and product search services. https://searchquestpatents.com/

Steinberger IP law. http://www.steinbergerip.com/

Power Patent. Online AI tools to assist in drafting patents. https://powerpatent.com/

Rapacke Law. Innovative, affordable patent services. https://arapackelaw.com/

United States Patent Office Pro Bono. Free legal services for filing a patent if your household income is less than 3x the Federal Poverty Guidelines. https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/…/intellectual-property-legal-assistance

Prototyping & Manufacturing

Product design, development and manufacturing services

Have an idea in your head or on a napkin and need help to get it properly designed/engineered/prototyped? Or ready to go to manufacturing and need DFM or logistics help? Check out these resources for assistance:

2-Pi Labs: An Orlando-based product development and prototyping firm specializing in technology products.

EGT Global Trading. Offshore manufacturing partner specializing in textile products.

EMW Laser: Largo-based provider of laser cutting and engraving services. https://emwlaser.com/

JMS 3D Printing: Retired mechanical engineer providing 3D printed design and manufacturing. https://jms3dprinting.com/

Lime Design: South Florida based product design company. https://limecreativedesign.com/

Outlaw Solutions & Concepts: A St. Petersberg area provider of manufacturing technology for plastic product development. http://www.outlawsolutionsandconcepts.com/

P3D Creations: 3d printing, Laser Cutting, and CNC milling/routing service.

Preferred Metal Products: Orlando-based metal fabrication services provider. https://preferredmetal.com/

Rapid Prototyping Services: Satellite Beach-based 3D printing service. https://rapidps.com/

Software and Tools

Autodesk Fusion: Powerful 3D CAD & CAM software for anyone. https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview

eMachineShop: Metal fabrication and machining service with their own proprietary 3D CAD. https://www.emachineshop.com/

FreeCAD: Free 3D parametric modeling software. https://www.freecad.org/

Kiri Engine: Free 3D scanning tool using your smartphone. https://www.kiriengine.app/

Sketchup: Simple 3D CAD tool. https://sketchup.trimble.com/en

Solidworks: Professional full-featured 3D CAD software. https://www.solidworks.com/

Assistance and Information

Familab: a local makerspace offering workspace, tools, and community for creative technical learning and projects. Meet like-minded people, learn, collaborate on projects, and have access to great tools, FamiLAB is family friendly and welcomes makers, artists, thinkers, hackers, crafters, and everyone else.

MACF (Manufacturers Association of Central Florida): Assists in connecting inventors with local-area manufacturers. https://macf.biz/

Protolabs Network: An online network of part manufacturers. https://www.hubs.com/

Manufacturefy: Connects anyone looking to have products manufactured with manufacturers. https://manufacturefy.com/

Materials

Acme Industrial Surplus: Surplus outlet for sheet plastic, aluminum, I-beams, metal equipment, fasteners, motors, etc. https://www.acmeindustrialsurplus.com/

Alro Metals Outlet. Surplus metal supplier. http://www.alro.com/locations/location.aspx?loc=OZ

Aluminum Supply: Supplier of aluminum extrusions, including low volume. http://www.myaluminumsupply.com/

Reynolds Advanced Materials: Orlando-based supplier of plastic and rubber casting supplies. http://www.reynoldsam.com/

Skycraft Surplus: Electronics parts, motors, wire, wheels, gears, fastners, plastics, metals and more. https://skycraftsurplus.com/

Marketing

General Assistance

InsideHeads Marketing Research: Designs + conducts custom marketing research studies online. https://insideheads.com/

Women in Toys: Helps women succeed professionally and personally by providing opportunities to network, learn, collaborate and advance their career. https://www.womenintoys.com/

Product Submission

Challenge.gov: Challenge competitions that can win you money. https://www.challenge.gov/

Financing

Financing sources

F6S: Connect with Accelerators, Grants and Contracts, and get help with free stuff, talent search & exposure, to grow your startup. https://www.f6s.com/

Kickstarter: Crowdfunding for new ideas/products. https://www.kickstarter.com/

Prosper: Loans and smart, simple tools for borrowing, saving & earning. https://www.prosper.com/

Trade Shows & Events

Trade shows

Design 2 Part: Annual contract manufacturer trade show held in several US cities.. https://www.d2p.com/

Design 2 Part: Annual contract manufacturer trade show held in several US cities.. https://www.d2p.com/

Design and Manufacturing South: Annual trade show focusing on manufacturing, automation and packaging. https://www.mdmsouth.com/

National Plastics Expo: Triennial expansive plastics manufacturing trade show. https://npe.org/

Events

One Million Cups: Nationwide events that connect inventors and entrepreneurs to share success stories. https://www.1millioncups.com/s/account/0014W00002AqQf6QAF/orlando-fl

Selling & Licensing

Selling and Licensing

America’s Inventor Lady: Rita Crompton provides patent search services, licensing, and group trade-show/marketing opportunities. https://americasinventorlady.com/

Brian Fried: Inventor coach and licensing broker. https://brianfried.com/

Inventive Ideas: Will assist with licensing or license your product ideas. http://inventiveideas.com/

Invent Right: Product licensing agent. https://inventright.com/

Market Blast: Invention submission connection site. https://marketblast.com/

Tuttle Innovation: A successful inventor helping others get their products to market. https://tuttleinnovation.com/