Archive for the ‘http://www.pftown.com/2006/12/14/manufacturing-an-invention-pt-2/’ tag
Manufacturing an Invention Pt. 2
Before you begin contacting manufacturers to investigate their capabilities or their interest in your product, you must first determine your own capabilities.
Do you have all of the engineering work done? Some books on inventing suggest manufacturing firms will be pleased to place their engineers at your disposal. That’s a bit naïve. Manufacturers may roll out the red carpet for a regular customer, but odds are if you cold call a manufacturer, you’ll need to specifically explain your product’s requirements—and that means providing quality drawings with exact specifications.
Do you have a prototype, or do you want the manufacturer to come up with this as well? This point must be made clear from the start. While the manufacturer may be more than willing to produce a substantial volume of your invention, it may not be overjoyed about seeing up the equipment to custom-create just one.
If your patent is pending, you must use care in disclosing information about your invention. One firm Reese approached decided to produce Murling Corp’s invention; however, it had no intention of negotiating with Murling for the right to manufacture the product. This is every inventor’s nightmare. Murling Corp’s lawyers quickly informed the company that it would face a lawsuit if it proceeded with its plans to manufacture the product independently. Read the rest of this entry »