Supporting the Kid Inventor in Your House

It's not always easy to live with a curious child – the one who asks so many questions, doubts so many answers, and wants to figure everything out for him or her self. While these are sometimes unnerving personality traits, there is a good way to channel your kid invention lover into productive activities.

Before you throw out that old alarm clock, stereo or appliance, ask your tinkerer if they'd like to take it apart for parts. Who knows what they'll invent with the parts, and they'll appreciate you acknowledging their thirst for invention.

Important Contributions of Kid Inventors

Never underestimate a child. The ability of invention by kid minds is awesome. Curious and passionate about the world around them, kids have invented new products large and small.

Eleven-year-old Frank Epperson invented the popsicle in 1905 when he left a fruit drink out overnight with a stirrer in it. First naming it an epsicle, he later renamed it popsicle. Years later he also invented the twin popsicle, fudgesicle and creamsicle.

Chester Greenwood invented earmuffs when he was 15 when his ears would become too cold when ice skating. Later establishing the Greenwood Ear protector factory, h e supplied ear muffs to the US soldiers during World War I. Over the years, chester accumulated over 100 patents and was named one of Americas 15 Outstanding Inventors by the Smithsonian.

The glo-sheet was invented by Becky Schroeder at the age of ten in 1972 in order to be able to continue writing after it got dark. She became the youngest female to ever receive a patent. Her sheets are used by doctors who need to check patient's charts without waking themas well as by NASA and the US Navy.

Lastly, Louis Braille was only 12 when he invented Braille in 1821.

Doing a Patent Number Search

Because the 1790-1975 patents can only be searched by patent number and/or current U.S. patent classification, you must either know particular patents to search, or identify patent classification numbers to search.

To use the patent number search page at the US Patent and Trademark Office Web site at http://www.uspto.gov:
. Type the patent number or numbers into the box. If you include more than one number, they should be separated by a space. It is not necessary to include commas or to capitalize the prefix.
. Anything you enter into the patent number search box that is not a patent number (other terms, operators like 'OR' or 'AND') will be ignored. The search will be conducted only on entries you make that are recognized as patent numbers.

Click the Search button. The database will be searched for all the numbers you provide, and a list of the documents matching your query will be returned, with the most recent ones first.

How to Apply For a Patent

The patent application has three parts:

1. Specifications: This is a complete written description of your invention. It must be written so that anyone skilled in the subject matter could recreate your idea and use it. Nothing must be left out. You must name all of the operative parts of your invention. You will also submit a signed declaration that you believe yourself to be the first inventor of the product or process.

2. An illustration or drawing of the invention showing every feature described in the first part of the application.

3. Your filing fee. Fees are different for the differing types of patents and they also change periodically. You should check with the US Patent & Trade Office or with your patent attorney.

Protecting Intellectual Property

Intellectual property is protected in one of four ways: patents, trademarks, copyright and trade secret.

Patents: A patent is a right granted by a government to an inventor. It gives the inventor the exclusive right, for a limited period, to stop others from making, using or selling the inventor's product without the permission of the inventor.

Trademark: A trademark is a name, symbol or other device that identifies a product, officially registered and legally restricted to the use of its owner or manufacturer.

Copyright: A copyright is a legal right granted to an author, composer, playwright, publisher, artist or distributor to exclusive publication, production, sale or distribution of a literary, musical, dramatic or artistic work.

Trade Secret: A trade secret is a secret formula, method, or device that gives one an advantage over competitors. While patents, trademarks and copyrights are legally filed for, the responsibility for protecting a trade secret rests solely on the owner or enterprise.

Avoiding Bad Invention Services Companies

Whether skimming through the pages of magazines or searching online for invention services, you'll find lots of companies ready to promise inventors success in obtaining a patent or licensing their ideas.

Proceed with caution. While there are many excellent legitimate companies out there, there are also a growing number of companies and consultants whose main interest is in emptying your wallet. Taking advantage of the fact that many inventors are insecure about the legal ins and outs of obtaining a patent, they charge high fees for less than ethical practices. Here are some rules to follow:
- Check with the USPTO Web site for published complaints
- Don't pay large up front fees. Legitimate companies earn their money as commissions on successful sales.
- Check references carefully.

Prototype Stages

Invention prototype development is a necessary dimension to new product development. Done is stages along the way, your prototype is not just a presentation to the outside world, but a tool that will guide you to design the best possible product. As your product becomes more complete, your prototype will develop in sophistication too.

Crude Prototype – This is a beginning prototype and can be completed by yourself. The purpose of this step is to build something that will give you a better understanding of where you are going with your invention. At this point materials are not important, and this does not have to be a working model.

Working Prototype – Your working prototype should allow people to test out some of the working features of your invention. It does not need to work as well as a finished product, but does need to perform its functions. At this stage, you will need to think about the final materials for this product and develop a more sophisticated model.

Final Prototype – A final prototype is also called a manufacturing prototype, because it closely resembles the one that will be on the market. It should look and function like a finished product. If you are going to license your product rather than manufacture it yourself, you don't need to take your invention to a final prototype.

Using the Term ‘Patent Pending'

When you patent new invention ideas, but want to begin marketing prior to receiving formal notice on your patent application, it is a smart idea to mark your product and marketing materials with the term "patent pending."

Often, companies are looking for a rapid time to market for their new products because of the competitive advantage it brings them. They cannot wait for the time it takes for the US Patent and Trademark Office to deliberate on their patent. By adding the term ‘patent pending' they are warning potential competitors that a patent is in progress. If a patent is granted for the new product and a competitor's product infringes the granted patent, the inventor will have the right to stop the competitor from making, using or selling the product.

Invention By Improvement

There are many inventions are not wholly new, but are improvements to existing products. As a matter of fact, many new inventions are not even attributable to a single moment or inventor, but to a succession of advancements made independently or in teams that lead to a product. Then as further advancements are made, the product is improved. This time line of development is at the root of the television invention, as well as the invention of the motorcycle, phone, and radio, among countless others.

Events that can be attributed towards the television invention actually began in 1831 when Joseph Henry and Michael Faraday work with electromagnetism brought about the beginning of electronic communication. Yet it wasn't until 1927 that Philo Farnsworth filed for a patent on the first complete electronic television system. And new innovations are still taking place today.

So next time you feel you need to think something up from scratch, think again. Build a better mousetrap instead.