Tampa Bay The INVENTOR · · 2017-02-01S= SUCCESS INVENTOR The Official ... how much will you...

- Narrow Your Focus

- Determine Target Group

- Become an expert about

your subject

F= fearless

O= outrageous

C= commitment to

U= unwavering

S= SUCCESS

INVENTORThe Official Publication of the Tampa Bay Inventor's Council

MARCH / APRIL 2008

Tampa BayTampa Bay

"Inventors Helping Inventors"The Tampa Bay Inventor's Council is here to helpyou succeed, forge ahead, maintain your purpose,and achieve what you intend to. Everyone in thisgroup is behind you.

The

Presidents Message:Get Your Invention IntoFocus

p. 2By Wayne Rasanen

Get a Recap of Our MostRecent Speakers

pp. 3 - 7

Did You Miss Any of Them?Here’s Your Chance to See WhatYou Missed!

National / InternationalUpcoming Events

p. 10

Licensing:

Facing Reality

by Barbara Pitts

pp. 8-9

Go Hire A Great PatentLawyer

p.11By Howard Schwartz

TBIC Visits The PepinAcademy

p. 13by George Mouzakis

Narrow Your Focus – andIncrease Your Odds ofSuccess

p.12by Paul Niemann

Presidents Message:Get Your Invention IntoFocus

p. 2By Wayne Rasanen

Get a Recap of Our MostRecent Speakers

pp. 3 - 7

Did You Miss Any of Them?Here’s Your Chance to See WhatYou Missed!

National / InternationalUpcoming Events

p. 10

Licensing:

Facing Reality

by Barbara Pitts

pp. 8-9

Go Hire A Great PatentLawyer

p.11By Howard Schwartz

TBIC Visits The PepinAcademy

p. 13by George Mouzakis

SM

Meet with us at:Largo Recreation Complex

400 N. Highland Avenue,Largo FL 33770

JOIN US EACH

2 and 4 WEDNESDAY

EVERY MONTH

nd th

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.tbic.us

GET NEWS UPDATES:www.tbicnews.blogspot.com

Narrow Your Focus – andIncrease Your Odds ofSuccess

p.12by Paul Niemann

A Message from Our PresidentA Message from Our PresidentMarch 2008

Get your Invention into Focus

The expression goes “a jack of all trades, andmaster of none”. This is not a slam againstpeople who are well rounded in many disciplines.In fact, the more you know about broad fields ofinterests, the better your perspective. However,if you aspire to be more than a handyman orsomeone to call when the plumbing backs-up or a

gutter needs cleaning, you will need to focus on something that you can master.

If you are inventing something that you are determined to bring to the market, youshould do all you can to become an expert in its field. If you are making widgets,learn all you can about widgets. What is their history, who else makes them, whatare the problems and best solutions regarding widgets? You must focus onwidgets and block out all thoughts of plumbing or leaky gutters. It takes monthsand years to know a lot about something, but it takes about ten years to become anexpert. You must become the authority on widgets, the guy everyone asks aboutwidgets. If a tv show needs a widget advisor for a reality show on widgets or thecourts need an expert widget witness, you’re the guy they call.

Apply this much attention on your invention and you will be ready for everythinganyone throws at you. If you are thinking about getting someone to fund youridea, you need to be prepared to have everything thrown at you! You’ll need tomake the case that you are better than your competition. If you don’t think youhave any competition, you are either wrong or chasing something that no onevalues. Why is your invention important, how much will it cost, how much will itsell for, how much will you earn per unit, and most important, when will I get myreturn on the investment?

Start today by drafting a two page (no longer) executive summary describing theproblem and your solution. How big is the market and what are your plan to enterit? Who will be helping you and what are their credentials? What is your valueproposition and your commercialization plan? Project milestones that you expectto achieve and detail your financial goals. Get it all on paper and make sure youare being completely realistic with your expectations. This exercise will helpmove your invention forward because it forces you to cut to the chase and focus!

Sincerely, Wayne Rasanen

Past Meetings

General Meeting SummaryJanuary 9, 2008

Guest speaker Wendy Hatton of CEOSpace discussed "Passion to Profit: How toAttract the Resources You Need to TurnYour Idea into a Successful Business." Shebrought her husband and two other menwith her. CEO Space (formerly known asIncome Builders International, or IBI) is alarge networking club with over 30,000members worldwide.

What's a networking club? TBIC is a smalllocal networking club devoted entirely toissues related to profiting from inventionideas. CEO Space is a large internationalnetworking club devoted entirely to issuesrelated to profiting from all types ofbusiness ideas, which includes inventions.A networking club brings together the fourelements necessary for business success:people, money, resources, education.

• People - The pool of talents & skills,contacts & connections from which youcan build your business team, or joinsomeone else's team.

• Money - Investors with capital, accessto grants.

• Resources - Manufacturing, R&D,prototyping & testing, marketing &distribution, etc.

• Education - More than just the basicbusiness principles or how to start a smallbusiness, it's about how to think andc o m m u n i c a t e l i k e a s u c c e s s f u lentrepreneur.

All the above was explained in the 10-minute DVD Wendy showed us.

One thing that sets CEO Space apart fromother networking clubs of approximate sizeis the pricing. Others charge annualmembership dues, often around $2,000 peryear. CEO Space charges $0.00 per year. Itcosts about $6,500 to join, but that's it;

lifetime membership. In the long-run thisis far less expensive than dues.Remember, we're talking about exclusivenetworking clubs that the managers ofmajor corporations belong to. These big-dollar annual memberships lead to big-time joint development projects amongmembers. The corporate world has donebusiness this way for many years. ButCEO Space opens this world to anyone,through the club's unique pricing plan.

Another difference is CEO Space'straining forum. This educational packageis one week in length and is conducted inL.A. It uses a proprietary space-ageteaching method known as SuperTeaching. In fact, CEO Space is asubsidiary of a larger organization calledThe Super Teaching Trust Fund, which isdevoted to advancing humanity's abilityto learn. The Trust Fund established CEOSpace as a showcase to demonstrate theeffectiveness of Super Teaching to theworld. Entrepreneurism is the subjecttaught at the training forum in L.A., butmost any subject can be taught using thisunique technique. The Super Teachingmethodology is beginning to arrive inprivate school classrooms worldwide andeven in a few public school districts acrossAmerica. www.superteaching.org

Wendy introduced John Hobbs to us. He'sa local inventor who benefitted greatly byjoining CEO Space and completing thetraining. He passed around his invention,the Oasis Athlete's Water Bottle. Thecontacts & connections he made throughthe networking club accelerated hisproject to the next step and beyond. Checkout www.athletesoasis.com.

John introduced Ronnie Szasz, a CEOSpace member who lives in Orlando andis starting his own invention-developmentcompany called All-The-Way Inventions,LLC. His business will differ from all theother invention promoters in that his willbe honest. He will ascertain the p will be

marketability of clients' invention ideas,and will use the talents of CEO Spacemembers to develop those ideas that holdpromise. Every step will be transparent tothe client - the inventor. All-The-Way isstill in the start-up phase, so it doesn't yethave a website. Ronnie will be back in thefuture.

Wendy mentioned Chris Salter and hisinvention project, Piano Wizard. Chris wasnot present - he lives in Colorado. But threeyears ago he lived nearby and was a TBICmember; served on our club's board-of-directors. He joined CEO Space (when itwas still named IBI) and his project blastedoff. Piano Wizard is now being sold in thetoy departments of Wal Mart, Target andelsewhere under the Fisher/Price licensingname of "I Can Play Piano." A variation isalso being sold as "I Can Play Guitar" andboth retail for about $75. Sales are strong.Mattel will market a version of it soon, andSuzuki Musical Instrument Division isinterested. He is already selling a versionthrough Microsoft X-Box's options pack.And a music school franchising businessmodel is being perfected. Chris owes it allto CEO Space. He originally heard of theorganization, under the old name ofIncome Builders International (IBI), in aTBIC meeting five years ago. Go towww.pianowizard.com.

CEO Space helps inventors meet self-employed prototypers and model makers,patent lawyers, manufacturers, marketingand branding experts, licensing agents, aswell as business mentors. Within the CEOSpace inventor packages, inventors workin small, industry-specific focus groupswith maximum individual attention. Getthe full info at www.ceospace.net.

! -- R.Aiken

General Meeting SummaryJanuary 23, 2008

We had no guest speaker tonight, so firstClub President Wayne Rasanen guided usthrough an informal half-hour free-flowof inventor related questions & answers.

Second, member Joyce Cooper describedher experience in Atlanta. That's wherethe Public Broadcasting System (PBS)and EdisonNation hosted another"Everyday Edisons" event, and Joycepresented three of her invention ideasthere. Although none generatedtremendous interest, she's definitely gladshe went because she absorbed lots ofvaluable insight from networking with allthe other contestants. And she has manyother invention ideas to work on in thefuture. Tonight she handed outEdisonNation flyers and raved about theorganization. Through relationships withm a n u f a c t u r e r s a n d r e t a i l e r s ,EdisonNation can develop and sellinventors' products for them. Alsoproviding the fast-track to all PBS"Everyday Edison" casting callsnationwide, EdisonNation offersindependent inventors too manyopportunities to ignore. Look theo r g a n i z a t i o n o v e r c l o s e l y a twww.EdisonNation.com.

Then, President Wayne Rasanen showed aplastic mock-up of the latest version of his"In10Did Keyboard." His invention is acomputer keyboard that is far morecompact and convenient that thetraditional type. It can be manufactured inmany different forms, or incorporatedinto existing devices such as steeringwheels, computer game controllers, cellphones, even clothing or gloves. Thisplastic mock-up was molded using a veryfast and inexpensive modeling techniqueknown as 3D printing. EMS, Inc. is thesmall local company that made it. Waynehas had them make previous versions, and

he strongly recommends EMS. EMS hasspoken to our club in the past. Visitwww.ems-usa.com.

Next, member Barbara Franchinni handedout free samples of her invention called the"E-Z Checkbook Budget." It 's acombination of a checkbook register and abudget. Simple to use, at the beginning ofthe month you set aside the right amount ofmoney for your monthly bills from yoursavings balance. Essentially, this is yourbudget for the month. During the monthyou simply follow your budget by writingthe proper checks on the proper dates. Atthe end of the month it's easy to double-check your figures by comparing your E-Zto your bank statement. Having the family'smonthly budget plan incorporated rightinto the checkbook register simplifies anddemystifies the drudgery of householdfinances. Go to Barbara's website:www.ezcheckbookbudget.com.

! -- R.Aiken

Make your inventing processmore effective and more fun !

A few benefits you will enjoy:

• Informative Speakers atRegular Meetings

• Updates on Legislationaffecting the industry

• Focus Groups

• Inventor’s Library

Bring a Friend !

• Bi-Monthly Newsletters

• Free Workshops

• Current Industry News

• Inventor-Related Computer Programs

• Formal Presentations toMarketing Media Representatives

MEMBERSHIP

Have you Expired ???

[email protected]

Just joking, but it may be a more appropriatequestion than you think! There might be a goodchance that your TBIC membership has expiredwithout you realizing it.

Never fear! We have made things rather simplefor you to know, however. If you received yournewsletter by mail, look at your mailing label onthe back of this newsletter and you will see anexpiration date printed clearly above your name.This date reflects the end of your six-month orannual enrollment, whichever the case may be.This makes it pretty simple to keep up with yournext renewal date.

Pay close attention and if, for some reason, theexpiration date shown is incorrect, please notifyus at and we will look back in thetreasurer’s records to verify it.

Thank you.

Expires: 01/15/2006

John Q. Public123 Main StreetApt. 100Anytown FL 12345

B

General Meeting Summary13 Feb. 2008

Guest speakers Jeff Belyea and David Ellistook the floor, representing AffinityMarketing & Communications, Inc. AMCis a local marketing consultation firm,headquartered in Dunedin.

Jeff said an inventor should strive tobecome his/her invention's . Withinyour invention's field, try to become anexpert about the problem that yourinvention solves. Be able to clearly explainthe problem in layman terms, and explainyour solution similarly.Appear as an expertabout the problem and the solution. Youdon't have to come across as an engineer orscientist; just a person skilled in the art.Then start to promote your idea with thatappearance being the central part of thepromotion. In your demonstrations tomanufacturers and investors, presentyourself as the expert and your invention as

persona

the very best solution. You must have astrong passion for the solution - yourinvention - and it must show. Creating apassionate promotion demo and an entiremarketing strategy which revolve aroundthe problem/solution persona is whereAMC comes in.

The three absolute necessities for successin the inventing field:• Idea, with passion;• Marketing savvy;• Strategy, including a business plan.

If you don't have a business strategy, hire abusiness consultant.If you don't have marketing savvy, hire amarketing consultant (thinkAMC).If you don't have a passion for yourinvention, you've got a big problem.

Others will never have the same passionabout your invention as you do, no matterwhat you try. When building a businessteam, it is impossible to motivate everyoneto feel as strong emotionally about yourdream as you do. But you can motivatethem to share your vision; to see how theworld would be better with your inventionin it, and to see the steps needed to make thevision real. For you to motivate them toshare your vision, this requires a realisticunderstanding of your invention'slimitations and strengths, and a realisticunderstanding of your target market'swants and desires. And it requires goodcommunication skills on your part.

= earless= utrageous= ommitment to= nwavering= uccess

FOCUS

FOCUS

"Success" is subjective; it's what thinkw o u l d m a k e h a p p y a n dsatisfied.

What must I focus on? On the vision ofhow the world will function with your

youy o u

invention being a commonly-used part ofit.

Jeff strongly suggests "TRUST YOURGUT!" ... an instinctive reaction to a fastchanging situation. Situation aftersituation after situation. You already knowthe basics of whatever field your inventionis in. You must instinctively apply thebasics to the various challenges that willpop up as you innovate your invention.Trust yourself to react intuitively to makethe right decisions. This trusting of yourgut is a big part of being fearless in yourfocus. Don't allow your lack of businesspractices to paralyze you into not takingthe first step. Fearlessly trust your gut andproceed with eyes wide open. Replace fearwith passion.

Jeff and David's discussion revolvedaround a PowerPoint presentation.However, due to a mix-up, there was noprojector. Oops! Although this put theguys at a disadvantage, their speech wasinsightful nevertheless.

Marketing is all about persuadingsomeone else to accept an idea. Everyserious inventor eventually reaches thispoint. Marketing is tricky because iti n v o l v e s s o m a n yconsiderations related to psychology andemotions; areas that are foreign to mostinventors. These intangible fieldscombine with business principles to makemarketing even more mysterious toinventors. Yet specialists exist who aretrained to unravel the mystery andapproach these intangible areas with thesame passion that a successful inventorpossesses, and offer their talent for hire.These specialists are called "marketingconsultants." Affinity Marketing &Communications is a local marketingconsulting company that should beconsidered by all local inventors who lacka marketing background. Consider them at

.

i n t a n g i b l e

www.amcEnergy.com

Also of note: Jeff Belyea teachesmeditation, goal setting and self-improvement. He has a PhD., has writtenseveral books and is a licensed hypnotist.His own website is www.mindgoal.com.

General Meeting SummaryFebruary 27, 2008

Guest speaker #1: Michael J. Colitz, Jr.,registered patent attorney in Dunedin.Mike isn't like most patent lawyers... he'sfunny. He cracks jokes, tells brief storiesand pokes fun at himself. He showed us a30-second TV commercial about his lawfirm. The ad is currently being airedlocally. Then we looked at projections ofwacky patents. He posts a wacky-patent-o f - t h e - m o n t h o n h i s w e b s i t e ,

. Mike also has a seriousside, and knows his profession thoroughly.He answered our numerous questionsquickly and to-the-point. Mike'sbackground is a bachelor's degree inmechanical engineering along with his lawdegree. He worked as a patent examiner atthe U.S. Patent and Trademark Office forfour years, then worked in the legaldepartments of Xerox and later Goodrich,before ultimately setting up privatepractice locally in 1984. He says 95% of hispatent applications are accepted by theUSPTO on the first try.

Mike introduced guest speaker #2, who isone of Mike's clients: Jim Aid. Jim owns asmall start-up business named Tattle-TrailLLC. Jim gave a personal hello to a few ofour longtime members who have workedwith him on previous projects. Tattle-Trailis manufacturing and selling an inventionproduct that monitors the pressure in thetires of a trailer, and signals the driver if oneof them should get too low or go flat.Without the product, a trailer can get ablowout and the driver might not evenknow it, continue to drive along until therim is completely bare of rubber and causesan accident. The company's website,

www.colitz.com

www.tattle-trail .com

www.young-raineystarcenter.org

, says "Thecompany is now producing Tattle-Trailsystems and currently is expanding bothits dealer and direct sales networks. Aswith most entrepreneurial organizations,new product ideas are always welcome!"Hmmm, that last sentence should be ofextreme interest to anyone with anautomotive invention idea.

Tattle-Trail LLC is a small start-uplocated within the STAR TEC Center.STAR TEC is the local businessincubation center owned and operated byPinellas County. Space is leased to over30 start-ups at an incredibly discountedcost, compared to renting regularwarehouses. Some manufacturingequipment is available, along with LOTSof business mentoring and assistance.STAR TEC's purpose of existence is togenerate jobs for Pinellas Countyresidents. The organization is wellknown to, and well respected by TBIC,and its director - Tayna Clark - hasspoken to us in the past. Getting in toSTAR TEC is competitive, requiringinterviews and scrutinization of thebusiness plan. But getting in definitelymoves the venture from "makin' em &sellin' em out of my garage" to the nextlevel and beyond. Learn more at

.Located in Largo at Belcher Rd. andBrian Dairy Rd. Also, Michael Colitzwill be one of the speakers at theu p c o m m i n g 2 0 0 8 S TA R T E CEntrepreneurship Conference, March 26& 27, in St. Pete.

! -- R.Aiken

LICENSING: Facing Reality

By Barbara Pitts, Second Sight Enterprises, Inc.

While inventing is exciting, fun and carries the promise of future financialenrichment, new product developers all seem to suffer from the same delusion:that it can be done quickly. Having been in the business for several years now, weunderstand that delusion all too well. We were under the impression that if we hada wonderful idea and could translate it into a new product, we would see thatproduct on store shelves within a matter of months and could begin counting ourmoney.

The learning process happens very quickly when new inventors plunge into anew area about which they know very little.As the illusions of how easy it will befade into the maze of details involved in each step of product development, a newconfidence begins to appear as new inventors realize that they have made someprogress toward that goal. They are starting to feel that they might actually knowwhat to do next! Their plan begins to develop momentum.

Fortunately for today's new inventors, there are wonderful organizations likeUIA and local inventor organizations to give the support and advice that is soneeded. Since inventing, by its very nature, is trailblazing, each experience isunique in some ways. But, there are some things that have been learned throughtrial and error that can save missteps for new inventors.

If licensing is the goal of your new invention, the first thing you need to do is toshift your thinking about who client is. While new products are created forthe end user and it is the consumer we are thinking of when we first conceive thenew product, for the inventor who wishes to license the invention it is imperativethat the focus be on the If you are unable to convince themanufacturer that he should add your new product to his line, your invention willnever grace store shelves as a licensed product.

With this in mind, once you are ready to present the product for licensing, all ofyour focus should be on making your product look irresistible to a manufacturer.How do you do that? Learn to think like a manufacturer. What are his needs?

While some companies do all of their new product development 'in house' and donot work with outside developers, many companies still welcome new productsubmissions from independent inventors, so long as those submissions arehandled in a professional manner and their (the company's) own submissionguidelines are followed.

So, you have developed a new product, gone through all of the preliminary steps

your

manufacturer.

of protection and are now ready to present to a manufacturer. Assuming that themanufacturer loves your new product and it fits right into his product line, it willappear on store shelves with the next six months or so . . . right? Wrong!

This is the part of licensing that seems the most difficult for new productdevelopers to understand; the amount of time it takes for a product to be on themarket when it has already been presented and the manufacturer seems genuinelyinterested. Here again, one needs to think like a manufacturer. Even in the verybest of circumstances (the product/manufacturer fit is perfect), a manufacturerhas a lot of time-consuming details that must be tackled before beginningproduction. A few of these details are costing, fitting the new product into theexisting planogram of their retail stores, tooling-up for production, focus grouptesting for product acceptance and interesting the retailers in the new product.

These are the kinds of things that independent inventors normally have no reasonto think about, but if they expect to succeed with new products, they thinkabout them now. And, the way to think about them is, "How can I assist themanufacturer with these details in order to make my product more desirable tohim?"

The answer is to do your homework before developing your presentation,keeping in mind the things the manufacturer will want to know about this newproduct. Obviously, since this is a product (or an improvement on an existingone), your presentation should first give a brief explanation of what need this newproduct fills. Then, if you have done your homework well, you can detailapproximate manufacturing costs, approximate retail pricing, who the targetconsumer will be, why this manufacturer this product in his line andperhaps you will even have some documentation from your own market testing toshow that consumers readily accept the new product.

These are the things you can do to help ensure your successful presenting of theproduct. Then, move on with your other projects and allow the manufacturersome time to determine how to fit your product into his line. Expect delays and trynot to worry about what is happening with the manufacturer. Remember thatwhile your new product may be the biggest thing on your mind, it is only ofthe many details on the manufacturer's mind. Patience is the order of the day.

must

new

needs

one

____________________________

Reprinted with permission from the Newsletter of the United Inventors Association,Website: www.uiausa.orgUnited Inventors AssociationPO Box 23447Rochester, NY 14692

National / International Upcoming Events( Submitted by Robert Aiken )

March 26 - 27, 2008 ••• STAR TEC Entrepreneurship Conference, St. Petersburg, FL

March 26 - 27, 2008 ••• Design-2-Part Show, Atlanta, GA

April 1 - 3, 2008 ••• American Contract Manufacturing Expo, Orlando, FL

April 22, 2008 ••• ENTREPRENEUR'S WORLD EXPO, Fort Myers, FL

May 6, 2008 ••• National Hardware Show, Inventor's Spotlight, Las Vegas, NV.

May 31, 2008 ••• Ingenuity Exposition, Cambridge, MA

June 11 - 14, 2008 ••• INPEX - Invention/New Product Exposition, Pittsburgh, PA

www.startecflorida.com/conference/about.asp

www.d2p.com

www.AmConShows.com

[email protected]

www.uiausa.org/uploads/inventor2008NationalHardwareShow.pdfor

www.ingenuityexpo.com

www.inventionshow.com

www.nationalhardwareshow.com

[email protected]

®

Hilton Saint Petersburg Carillon Park - 950 Lake Carillon Drive, St. Petersburg, FLPractical Advice. Real Opportunities. No one ever said being an entrepreneur was easy, but they also never said you have todo it all on your own. Learn from some of the best at the 2008 Entrepreneurship Conference presented by STARTechnology Enterprise Center, Florida's technology / manufacturing accelerator located in Largo. Whether you're anentrepreneur, service provider or funder, you'll benefit from the practical advice, success stories and opportunities to meetothers to discuss your shared interest in entrepreneurial achievement.

(727)540-0050

Cobb Galleria Center, Atlanta, GAThe Design-2-Part Show is a total design, engineering and manufacturing experience. Face-to-face discussions provideinstant answers for design ideas, prototypes, short runs, long runs, new processes or re-engineering of a component. Findnew suppliers for current projects or see what's new in the industry for your future needs.

Orlando Convention Center, Orlando, FLAmCon exhibitors are all job shops and contract manufacturers that provide custom metal, plastic, rubber, or electronicparts and related manufacturing services to OEMs (i.e. finishing, packaging, manufacturing software). Attendees are toplevel purchasing, engineering, and production managers who are directly involved in buying custom contract manufacturingservices. Attendees come - often with blueprints in hand - from companies of all sizes from a wide variety of industries.

(800) 829-7467

Harborside Event Center, Ft. Myers, FLThe expo will bring together entrepreneurs from around Florida and the US, who are searching for business opportunities,whether it's Network Marketing, Direct Sales, Party Plans, Franchises,or an established business to buy. The conference andexpo will provide workshops, where entrepreneurs will learn how to write business plans, apply for business loans, meetface to face with angel investors, bankers, representatives from SCORE, SBA and the SBDC, learn about business grants,taxes, advertising, E-Commerce and much more.Contact Bob Encarnacion at 3 Kings Productions at (239) 283-4074 or (239) 243-6253

.

MIT Campus, Cambridge, MAThe Ingenuity Expo will bring together a hand-picked selection of students, inventors, and businesses to showcase theirinnovations, inventions, and ideas to a variety of entrepreneurs, investors, support services and respected journalists.Exhibitors and visitors will be able to network and experience the latest products, ideas, and information in development.Inventors in particular can meet with prospective partners and services, talk with investors, and share ambitious stories oftrial and error.

Pittsburgh ExpoMart , Monroeville, PAINPEX®, America's largest invention trade show and inventors conference, is a unique exposition showcasing all types ofinventions, new products and innovations available to business and industry. INPEX® provides a forum for inventors,entrepreneurs and intellectual property owners to exhibit their inventions, share their ideas and make contacts withcompanies interested in new products. INPEX® exhibits cover a broad spectrum from new consumer products, tocommercial products, to new services and technologies.

(888) 544-6739

Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NVThe 63rd National Hardware Show®, featuring Lawn & Garden World™, Homewares™, New Product World™, and theInventor's Spotlight, returns as a combined event. Offering retailers of all sizes hand and power tools; paint and décor;plumbing; automotive; electrical/lighting; security/locks; outdoor living; power equipment; pet and wildlife products; cleaningproducts; home storage and organization; home, health & safety; decorative lighting; furniture; personal care and gifts;cookware/bakeware; kitchen accessories; and small appliances.

• Of particular importance to inventors is The Inventor's Spotlight. From current and former contractors, inventors and plain oldevery-day people, the Inventor's Spotlight will provide a focus area on the show floor for small entrepreneurs looking to bringtheir products to market for manufacturing opportunities and retail distribution. The United Inventors Association (UIA) is thesponsor of the Inventors' Spotlight areas for the 2008 show. The Inventors' Spotlight enables each company to display up to twoproducts on a table-top display and be listed in the Official National Hardware Show Directory. Participating companies must befirst-time exhibitors to the show.

Go Hire a Great Patent Lawyerby Howard Schwartz

Inventors should review hiring a top tier patent attorney, versus filing on their own or evenworse doing nothing to protect their most important asset.

Apatent is the property right given by the U.S Patent and Trademark Office to an inventor.It gives the inventor an exclusive right over the invention preventing others from making,using or selling the invention stated in the patent deed. The main purpose behind issuingof patents is to enable the inventor in recovering developmental costs and help in facingthe competition.

The patent is a way to extend legal protection to the inventions ranging fromcommunications to technology. However, the process to get patents is long and tiresomeand it is where the need of a Patent Lawyer is felt. The process to get patent is not simple.You need to argue your case as to why your invention is worth any patent and how theinvention is different from other products already in the market. Patent applicationsseldom get accepted in the first instance. The role of the patent lawyer is to redo theapplication and submit it again with new information so that it is accepted.

The patent lawyer makes an inquiry about the invention or idea and then conducts a searchwhether a patent has already been issued for a product or service similar in characteristics.It is only after a complete and thorough inquiry that the patent lawyer advocates the casefor the issuing of a patent. However, the inventor can himself search for the validity of apatent by going through the Patent and Trademark Office's Web site at www.uspto.gov. Itgenerally takes three years for the patent application to clear because of huge stack ofapplications in the Patents Office.

How do I register for a patent?

Filing for a patent application electronically, by using EFS, the USPTO's electronic filingsystem for patent applications saves a lot of time.The various types of patent applications are:- Utility PatentApplication- Design PatentApplication- Plant PatentApplication

The patent lawyer makes the complicated and tiresome process of getting a patent simpleand trouble-free.

For additional information and tips for inventors, please review:

Previously published in " ", the newsletter of PatentCafe®.

PatentCafe® is the leading provider of intellectual property asset management (IPAM) software andinformational resources.

Reprinted with permission.

IPFrontline

www.hjventures.com/patent/patent-inventions.html

www.ipfrontline.comwww.patentcafe.com

______________________

Narrow Your Focus – and Increase Your Odds of Successby Paul Niemann of MarketLaunchers.com

When inventors call me and ask for advice in marketing their new inventions, one of thefirst questions I ask them is, "Who is your product intended for?"

Ninety percent of the time, their answer is, "EVERYBODY." Well, unless you have amonopoly on the rights to food, shelter, clothing or air, then your product is not forEVERYBODY.

Now that we've identified the problem, it's time to come up with a solution, and this isright out of the advertising class that I teach at Quincy (Illinois) University.

No product is for everybody, so you should pick out 1 or 2 main groups (called targetmarkets) to approach. These can be the groups of people who need your product the most,or they can be the largest groups or the groups in which you would face the least amount ofcompetition, etc. That's for you to determine.

For example, if your invention is a towel that cleans up spills, common knowledge saysthat EVERYBODY could buy this product. But who really needs it the most – and is mostlikely to buy it?

That group is probably parents with young children. More specifically, it would be momswith young children. This becomes your main target market. What about a secondarytarget market? That could be caregivers who take care of senior citizens. It makes youlook more professional when you can tell a potential licensee who your product isintended for.

Are you targeting consumers or businesses? If you're targeting businesses, then it isrelatively easy to identify potential licensee because nearly every industry has 3 things:

• Atrade association• Atrade publication• An annual trade show

You can find out about your industry by either doing a Google search for "tradeassociation + ," or you can go to the reference section of your local publiclibrary and look it up in the "Encyclopedia of Associations," which is a thick book that islocated in the library's reference section.

There is far much to cover on this subject to do it justice in this newsletter, but now youknow a few of the basics. Once you know how to define your markets into 1 or 2 specific,well-defined target markets, you increase your chances of selling or licensing your newproduct.

your industry

_________________________________________

Reprinted with permission from the newsletter of MarketLaunchers.com. Market Launchers lists newinventions for sale or licensing and also helps manufacturers find new products for their product lines.Their Invention Database is seen by: Manufacturers, product scouts, investors, direct response TVcompanies, catalog companies and other potential licensees. Visit www.MarketLaunchers.com.

TBIC VISITS THE PEPIN ACADEMY

!-- George Mouzakis

DENISE RODRIGUES of The Pepin Academy for excellence inquired of our TBICPresident, Wayne Rasanen, whether it would be possible to have some TBIC membersvisit their institution in Tampa and speak to their students for an hour or so.

Pete Lefferson was an early volunteer but felt he should pass as his prototype was lettinghim down. Thanks for again offering to step up to the plate Pete!

Wayne Rasanen, Dr. Hamdi Syla and George Mouzakis did attend the presentation.

Wayne was an instant hit with his IN10DID video game controller/keyboard. Thestudents immediately grasped its gaming value and were all over it. The questions rangedfrom possible applications to that one we all want to hear "Where can I buy one?" .

Dr. Syla then displayed a miniature sample of his KOS Blocks. He reviewed theiradvantages over current materials used in providing rapid emergency housing solutionsincluding the fact that his invention can also serve as permanent housing. The studentswere fascinated by the simple method of joining the sheets and resultant blocks. They alsodemonstrated what great citizens of the world they will be by asking questions aboutdisasters affecting humans in general as well as specific ones that Dr. Syla had a first handknowledge of from his life in Kosovo.

Yours truly wrapped up the show by discussinginventing in general and the point that any one ofthem could be an inventor. The only requirementbeing curiosity and a desire to solve a problem. Wealso passed out illustrations of a batch of wackyinventions that would appeal to their age groups.There was a lot of audience participation and theypractically had to use hooks to get us off the stage.

Probably the most flattering part of the affair was thestudents' milling around us after our presentation. Thenumbers and enthusiasm were such that the currentpresidential candidates would turn green with envy ifthey had witnessed it.....and the icing on the cake wasthe numerous requests for autographs! They also keptasking us when we would be back.

We got as much or more out of it than the students. If it is announced that there is anotheropportunity for volunteers to strut their stuff, you will be amply rewarded for your time.

WEBSITES (Links)

U.S. Government

State Government

For Inventors

Product Design, Prototyping, Manufacturing

Trade Show Hosts

Business Data & Information

Marketing Services

Parts, Supplies, Materials

Brief descriptions in parentheses

U.S. Gov’t. General Information Site www.FirstGov.govU.S. Patent & Trademark Office (800) 786-9199 www.uspto.govSATOP-Space Alliance Tech (NASA helps inventors; free) www.spacetechsoluttons.comSBIR/STTR (Gov’t. wants inventions) www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbirSmall Business Administration (800) 827-5722 www.sba.gov

Florida Department of Revenue www.state.fl.us/dorNew Business Start Up www.sunbiz.orgUSF Technology Incubator (Free help to inventors; Tampa) www.incubator.usf.edu

Edison Inventors Ass’n. (Inventor’s club, Ft. Myers) www.edisoninventors.orgWorld Intellectual Property Organization www.wipo.orgNational Inventor Fraud Center www.inventorfraud.comUnited Inventors Ass’n. (Large national org.) www.uiausa.comInventors Digest (Magazine) www.inventorsdigest.comPatent Café (inventor’s issues) www.patentcate.com

The Basics of Patenting & Innovating www.inventors.about.com/od/firststeps/Ask The Inventors www.asktheinventors.comThat's An Idea (Inventor’s directory) www.ThatsAnldea.comInventions.com (Inventor’s directory) www.inventions.comInvention University www.inventionuniversity.comInventNet - Inventor’s Network www.inventnet.comMIT-Lemelson Inventors Site www.mit.edu/inventInvention Development www.inventorehelper.comInnovation TRIZ (Problem solving method) www.innovation-triz.comASIT (Inventor's problem solving method) www.start2think.comKeyWord Patent Search (workbook) www.keypatent.netIntergraph (“SmartSketch Invent” CAD software) www.intergraph.com/smartsketch/inventCAD Std (Very cheap CAD software) www.cadstd.comEd Dutkiewicz (Reg. patent attorney, Dunedin) www.edduke.comDavid Ellis (Patent attorney, Largo) http://publish.pdesigner.com/davidrellis/index.jspDave Kiewit (reg. patent agent; St. Pete) www.patent-faq.comSmith & Hopen (reg. patent attorney, Clearwater) www.baypatents.com

Manufacturers Information Network www.mfginfo.comEMS Inc.(PeMachineShop (Product design, prototyping, free CAD) www.emachineshop.comMydea Technologies (Product design, prototyping; Orlando) www.mydeatechnologies.comAccess International, Inc. (Asian Mfg. Agent, Tampa) www.asiasourcenow.com

Invention Connection www.inventionconnection.comTrade Show Nat’l. Network www.tsnn.comInvent Now America (USPTO contests; nonprofit org.) www.inventnowamerica.comERA Invention Showcase (Electronic Retailers Ass’n.) www.americaninventiveness.org

SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives) www.score.orgSmall Business Development Center (USA) www.asbdc-us.orgEntrepreneurial Education www.entre-ed.orgWorld's Market Research www.worldopinion.comThomas Registry www.thomasregister.comHoover’s On-Line www.hoovers.com/freeIndustry Analysis http://research.thomsonib.com/

Innovative Product Technologies (Pam Riddle-Bird; Gainesville) www.inventone.comHill, Coniglio & Polins (Research, planning, ads; Tampa) www.hcpassociates.comGuided Star Consulting (Business advice, Bradenton) www.GuidedStar.com

Big Idea Group www.BigldeaGroup.netMarket Launchers www.marketlaunchers.comIdea Village www.ideavillage.comSmartInventions.com www.smart-inventions.comIdeas Happen (Contests; age 18 - 29) www.ideashappen.msn.com/Pitch/

Don’s Salvage Yard (Used stuff; Clearwater) www.donssalvage.comSkycraft Electronic Parts (New parts, Orlando) www.skycraftsurplus.comAmerican Science & Surplus (Mech. & Elec.) www.sciplus.comW. M. Berg, Inc. (Small parts supplier) www.wmberg.comAmerican Plastics Supply (Supplier & Mfr.; Clearwater) www.americanplasticsupply.com

From Patent to Profit (Bob DeMatteis; books, lessons, advice) www.frompatenttoprofit.com

Stephen Powers (Patent agent, Tampa) www.gulfcoastip.comFL Inventors Network - John Blue (Tampa) www.finjb.com

Society of Manufacturing Engineers (Tampa) http://chapters.sme.org/159/homepage.htm

Brent Britton (patent attorney, Tampa) www.akerman.com

roduct design, prototyping; Tampa) www.ems-usa.com

Package Management Group, Inc. (Pkg. & Mktg; Tampa) www.pmg-packaging.com

Verona Design (Product design, prototyping; Bradenton) www.verona-design.com

DUES DESCRIPTIONS

A at the $25.00 rate must bean active student. They may attend meetingsand receive the Newsletter.

of $250.00 will allowyour corporation to elect up to 3 Corporatemembers to sit in on meetings as well as all ofthe above.Also this membership will allow saidcorporation to have access to new productsbefore they are introduced to the open market.

Student Member

Corporate Membership

A ($50.00/6 mos.$90.00/yr.) enjoys the benefit of attendingmeetings, seminars, socializing and networkingwith the other members, receiving theNewsletter and participating as a reviewer inour Focus Groups. They are allowed to presenttheir protected product to all of the variouscompanies that come to TBIC to find newproducts for the market such as infomercial andcatalog companies. Members usually findother members with the prototyping knowledgethat they need, and pay that member for theirtime and for prototyping materials used.Sustaining members also may ask to have a freeFocus Group done on their product, be allowedto display their product in our designateddisplay areas and Annual members receive afree Science Notebook, (valued at $15.00) tolog progress on their invention.

Sustaining Member

2007-2008OFFICERS AND

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Wayne Rasanen (President)

Mario Lombardo (Vice-Pres.)

Joyce Cooper

Martha BearVoytek Beldycki

Sandra SlaughterAndy Yauch

Founder: Ron E. Smith

[email protected]

[email protected]

(Secretary)

Bruce Elliott

Members are invited to write letters forinclusion in the newsletter.

Email to , fax to727-547-5490 or mail to TBIC at our officeaddress.

Letters should be brief, to the point, and beaccompanied by member name, email address .and phone number. Letters can be edited forclarity, taste and length. Letters will be printedas room permits.

[email protected]

Please Respect the Other Members

At a recent Board meeting, several members saidthey have received complaints about talking in theback of the meeting room while the meeting isgoing on. Some are hard of hearing, some aredistracted. While we acknowledge that networkingis vital for all of us, we ask in the future that you tryand do before or after the meetings. Similarcourtesy would be appreciated by turning off yourcell phone or putting it on silent answer during themeeting.

!-- gm

VISITORS WELCOMEThe Board of Directors of TBIC wants towelcome all visitors. Admission forvisitors is $5.00 per meeting, unlessaccompanied by an active member. Wehope that you can see the benefits ofbecoming a member. Our bylaws allowvisitors to attend two meetings withoutobligation to join.

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Newsletter Staff

Executive Editor . . . .Contributing Editor. . . . . .Publisher . . . . . . . .

To submit articles, send emails to:[email protected]

[email protected]

Articles and other items must bereceived by the first Tuesday of the

odd months.

George MouzakisRobert Aiken

Gary M. Simmons

or

Need to Reach TBIC ?

Office: 727-565-2085

or

Call 727-251-4056George Mouzakis

[email protected]

Web Site Info:

www.tbic.usVisit our web site for informationabout current and past happenings.You can also download current andpast newsletters in *.pdf format.You will need to have AdobeAcrobat Reader on your computer. Ifyou don't already have it, go to

to download this free documentviewer.

www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

ACTIVITIES CALENDAR

Monthly MeetingsMar. 12, 2008 ....Mar. 26, 2008 ....

Apr. 9, 2008 ....Apr. 23, 2008 ....

Next Monthly Meetings

7:00 pm7:00 pm

7:00 pm7:00 pm

Just A NoteWe would like to remind ourmembers that our Board meetingsare open to you if you would like tosit in on them. We usually meetafter the first meeting date eachmonth .

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The Tampa Bay Inventors' Council(TBIC) is a corporation as defined inChapter 617, Florida Statutes, as not-for-profit. The corporation isorganized exclusively for charitable,educational and scientific purposes.The TBIC is a 501(C)(3) charitablecorporation, which allows there c e i v i n g o f t a x d e d u c t i b l econtributions of goods and services.There are over 150 active memberswilling to share their expertise andexperiences with fellow inventors.

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