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If I waive the NDA does that mean any company can "steal" my idea and use it as their own and/or wait for the PPA to expire to take it?
The reason we give you the option of waiving the extra layer of confidentially (NDA, or "non-disclosure agreement) is because we have 2 types of members we market to: Select and Basic.
The Select members have signed our NDA pledging that they will treat the inventions as "confidential". We are able to submit all ideas to them regardless of whether or not the inventor has waived their NDA . Furthermore, Select members are also eligible for full access to the iShowOnline.
We also have Basic members who have NOT signed an NDA, usually because they do not want to pay lawyer fees to review every document they receive, or they cannot keep it confidential if it needs to go to different departments throughout the company. With Basic members, we can only share inventions which have Issued patents, or where the inventor has waived the NDA.
The main concern associated with waiving the non-disclosure is that you are relying solely on your patent application for protection and you will not have the added layer of confidentiality protection of the NDA. Waiving the non-disclosure does not affect your provisional application- you still hold an early filing date for when/if you decide to take the next step to file for a Utility patent once your 12 months is up under the provisional patent. Signing the form is more of a confidentiality issue than anything else- it takes away that extra layer of protection BUT it allows the opportunity for many more companies to be able to view your idea that had not been able to prior to signing.
We see a lot of inventors who decide to not use the waiver for the first few months to give them time to feel out the response (if any) to their invention. Having this time to test the waters as well as check out any possible competition is something that most inventors do take advantage of- especially because they can go back and readdress the waiver at a later date.
Please note that all the companies that we work with have gone through a detailed screening process before becoming member manufacturers. We would never take your portfolio and show it to a random company. These are companies that we deal with on a continuous basis and have an established point of contact for each company. We have never had an issue to date with any company we choose to work with. Also, to further protect our inventor-clients, we DO NOT release the Provisional Patent Applications - ever - to companies.
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My Provisional Patent Application is expiring. What happens to my invention after 12 months?
Your Provisional Patent Application is valid for exactly 12 months from the filing date. Once you near the end of this 12-month period, you will need to decide your next step.
Our policy is that we can only market inventions that have some sort of intellectual property protection, like a 'patent pending'. Once your provisional application expires, you will no longer be patent-pending, therefore there is nothing licensable to market, and we will have to deactivate your site and cease all marketing efforts.
Many inventors move on to file a non-provisional (Utility) patent application before expiration of their provisional. Others decide to abandon the invention due to lack of interest during the provisional period. This is personal choice that each inventor must face.
IMPORTANT: Please note that Invention Home does not prepare or file utility patent applications; therefore, if you have any questions about filing a regular Utility Patent Application, or any other questions concerning the above, please contact a patent attorney or agent. (You may contact us if you need a referral.)
Most patent attorneys will review your information and give you a quote on the price they expect it to cost to prepare and file the full patent based upon the complexity of your design and their rate.
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Is it possible to re-file a provisional patent application?
We do not re-file for provisional patents. Generally, inventors either continue on to file for Utility or they must make the tough decision to let their idea go.
We don't advise re-filing a provisional application for a variety of reasons. Technically, the only appropriate time to re-file a provisional application is if there is something that has changed dramatically on your invention. Keep in mind that a re-filed provisional application would cover only modifications to your previously submitted application. (You cannot re-file on only the original invention.) Also, by re-filing you lose the early filing date of the original provisional application, and when it comes to patents the earlier date means the greater likelihood that your invention came before other potential applications for similar inventions.
If you would like further information about re-filing a provisional application, we suggest that you contact a patent attorney/firm for additional information.
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I don't see my invention listed on iShowOnline™ - why not and does that mean it's not being marketed?
What you are viewing is not the iShowOnline™ - it is the public "Express Search" option.
Inventions that have Provisional Patent Applications are not eligible for the "Express Search".
Please keep in mind that ALL inventions are listed on the regular iShowOnline™, however, access to the iShowOnline™ is granted only to legitimate companies who are actively seeking new product ideas/opportunities, and who have signed our NDA (non-disclosure agreement) . Company access to the website is password-protected. It is against our policy to grant access to independent inventors, due to the confidential nature of many of the inventions . You do, however, have the opportunity to view YOUR invention portfolio website anytime you like by logging on with either your ADMIN or GUEST password.
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I checked the MAP but it always looks the same - is there any additional interest/feedback?
We understand that it can be confusing to read through the MAP report because of the repetitive nature of many comments that appear in the report. Our MAP is driven by a sophisticated database that enables our staff to record their activities with a click on the appropriate button. This saves immeasurable time for our staff, allowing them more time to focus on identifying and contacting additional companies to benefit our inventors. What you may interpret as repetitive comments is actually a reflection of our advanced system to benefit our clients.
If you’re looking for specific feedback related to your invention on the MAP, unfortunately, it is unlikely that you will receive it. The fact is, most companies do not take the time to provide feedback on inventions. We try to capture as much information as possible but it is rare that we are able to give specific comments on inventions. Therefore, the activity that you are seeing on the MAP is related more to our efforts with sharing your invention with existing and new companies.
Sometimes, companies can take 12+ weeks to complete their review process, and it is common for us not to hear back from them in the interim. Many companies tell us up-front that they will be in contact only if there is interest and ask that you allow the review procedure to take its course. In other cases, we have followed up as much as possible. We are not always going to get a response. That is very common in this industry.
If there is interest, we will always contact you immediately by phone. Any feedback (good, bad, neutral) will be emailed when received then posted to the MAP.
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Some of the MAP comments are confusing; what do they mean?
If you see: "Recruitment Activity: Contacted company on behalf of our inventions in this category. (date) Company replied; sent IShowOnline information".
The first portion ("Recruitment Activity: Contacted company on behalf of our inventions in this category") indicates a new recruitment effort. This is a company we have NOT worked with previously. We are constantly trying to sign up new members in your industry to benefit you as well as all of our inventor clients. The more companies we get to become members, the more companies are looking at your product.
The second portion (Company replied; sent iShowOnline™ information) indicates the company inquired about our services, and then we sent them additional information to review the benefits of becoming a member company on the iShowOnline. These companies will then choose a member status (Select or Basic) and then we can submit your idea accordingly.
This does not mean that this company is interested in your particular idea (as they have not yet even viewed it)- they are interested in becoming a member in order to view all of our inventions that would be a good fit for the company (including yours).
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The MAP does not list company names; how do I know you're actually contacting companies?
It is our policy that we do not release company names or contact information unless a company is interested in your idea and we reach a point of license negotiation.
We believe that we owe any company that we contact the privacy considerations. One of our main messages when we contact every new company is how we give them an easy and risk-free means for them to access hundreds of new product ideas. They appreciate the fact that we provide a "degree of separation" between themselves and the many inventors whose ideas we share with them. This allows them to comment more candidly on inventions.
If we were to release company names, there would be some inventors who would use that list of companies as their own personal "call list" and create confusion and perhaps ill-will towards the company (and the company towards us).
Consider example 1...ABC company reviews an idea and comments back that they're not interested because it doesn't fit their current needs. We provide the inventor with the feedback and company name. Inventor calls ABC company directly to say "what do you mean you're not interested...my invention would fit your product line...etc." This leads to a lot of wasted time (and potential ill-will) for the company. In this example, you can see how disclosing company names to inventors can potentially lead to additional work for the companies.
Consider example 2...XYZ company has been working for 10 years on developing a new "widget". One of our inventors has a similar idea and we send the idea to company XYZ. XYZ notifies us that they are not interested because they are already developing their own widget, and the idea far pre-dates the submission of our inventor's idea. We release company name and feedback to the inventor. Let's say 1 year later XYZ takes their widget to market. Inventor claims that XYZ "stole my idea". (This is clearly not true, as company developed the concept 10 years earlier.) In this example, you can clearly see the company’s risk involved.
If and when a company's interest elevates to a very high level and we start discussing terms of a license agreement, we will always release the company name so that the inventor can research and make sure that they do in fact want to enter into a license with that company.
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Can I get a list of the companies contacted?
It is our policy that we do not release company names or contact information unless they are interested in your idea and it becomes necessary to do so.
We DO owe any company that we contact the privacy considerations. One of our main messages when we contact EVERY new company is how we provide an EASY and RISK-FREE means for them to access hundreds of new product ideas. They appreciate the fact that we provide a "degree of separation" between themselves and the many inventors whose ideas we share with them.
Consider example 1...ABC company reviews an idea and comments back that they're not interested because it doesn't fit their current needs. We provide the inventor with the feedback and company name. Inventor calls ABC company directly to say "what do you mean you're not interested...my invention would fit your product line...etc." This leads to a lot of wasted time (and potential ill-will) for the company. In this example, you can see how disclosing company names to inventors can potentially lead to additional work for the companies.
Consider example 2...XYZ company has been working for 10 years on developing a new "widget". One of our inventors has a similar idea and we send the idea to company XYZ. XYZ notifies us that they are not interested because they are already developing their own widget, and the idea far pre-dates the submission of our inventor's idea. We release company name and feedback to the inventor. Let's say 1 year later XYZ takes their widget to market. Inventor claims that XYZ "stole my idea". (This is clearly not true, as company developed the concept 10 years earlier.) In this example, you can clearly see the company’s risk involved.
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What are the risks involved with waiving the non-disclosure requirement?
Signing the waiver form is completely your decision, and the reason that we give you this option is because we have found that there are some companies that simply will not sign our non-disclosure form due to company policy or in some cases they have their own submission forms. Rather than us making the decision to just bypass a particular company we want to allow you to make your own decision about the waiver. Also, this is a decision that you can make at any time and if you decide to waive at a later date we will go back and contact any company that we were not able to previously.
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How are companies typically contacted?
Your portfolio site is the primary marketing tool that we use and we utilize a variety of methods (email, mail, and phone calls) to send your information, and follow up.
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Is anything happening with my invention? Why is there no feedback listed in the MAP?
Although we would love to provide specific comments from companies, requiring comments (or badgering companies until they provide something) would be detrimental to the "quick and easy" idea review process that we've built (and that companies have come to expect).
Sometimes, companies can take 12+ weeks to complete their review process, and it is common for us not to hear back from them in the interim. Many companies tell us up-front that they will be in contact if there is interest and ask that you allow the review procedure to take its course. In other cases, we have followed up as much as possible. We are NOT always going to get a response. That is VERY common in this industry.
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I haven’t heard from Invention Home since my website launched. What’s happening?
Unfortunately, we do not have the time to personally call each of our inventors with a monthly update on their product idea. That is why we implemented the MAP program. Please refer to the MAP before you call our Marketing Staff. That will enable them to spend more time on MARKETING your product.
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I see many comments in the feedback pertaining to the marketing of “Invention Home”; what are you doing to market MY idea?
We are constantly signing up new members in your industry to benefit YOU as well as ALL of our inventor clients. The more companies we get to become members, the more companies are looking at your product. Each time we add a new member, we share ALL relevant product ideas with that member. Therefore, our overall marketing efforts do benefit your specific invention.
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I don’t understand the feedback in the MAP, it sounds very generic.
Each entry in your marketing activity represents a different company that has been contacted on your behalf. We are always seeking out additional companies to approach, and part of that process is to find out the correct contact person within each company to send information to.
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What happens when my provisional patent expires and how does that affect the marketing of my invention?
Your provisional patent is good for one year from the date of filing. It is your decision if you would like to move to the next step and file for utility patent protection. We do not provide a non-provisional patent service at Invention Home. If you need a referral to a patent attorney, we can provide one or you can contact a patent attorney in your area.
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Can more than one company license my invention?
It is possible that more than one company could license a product but it is unlikely. If a company is going to take a chance on developing a new product idea they typically want exclusivity in the marketplace, and would not want other companies competing against them.
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I want to contact some companies on my own; is that ok?
If you would like to contact a particular company on your own we do ask that you inform us first so that we can avoid duplication of efforts and confusion to the company.
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Do you submit to companies overseas?
Most inventors have either a provisional patent or a US utility patent on their invention, which means their idea is only protected within the USA. As a result, we do not contact overseas companies.
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I don’t understand; I have stores who want to carry my invention, and all my friends want to buy one – I know it’s a good idea. Why haven’t you licensed it?
There is a distinct difference in getting a new product idea licensed and manufactured and having an end user interested in purchasing it. A company who licenses a product is absorbing all the costs that go along with setting up manufacturing as well as distributing it. There is a great deal more risk involved in this than simply ordering or buying an existing product.
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How long does it take to license a product idea?
There is no way of knowing how long this could take.
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How often is the online "MAP" marketing activity updated?
We update the marketing activity information one time each month. We update new activity during the first week of every month, and we will email you each month to notify you when the update is complete. If you log on to your website multiple times each month, the MAP page will not reflect the current month's activity until we update at the beginning of the next month.
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Can I access the iShowOnline?
Access to the iShowOnline is restricted to legitimate companies who are actively seeking new product ideas/opportunities. It is against our policy to grant access to independent inventors. All companies viewing our iShowOnline have signed our non-disclosure agreement - this is for the protection of all our inventors (some of whom have not waived the confidentiality requirement). Company access to the website is password-protected. You do, however, have the opportunity to view YOUR invention portfolio website anytime you like by logging on with either your ADMIN or GUEST password.
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