Resources Ideas for Inventors

The life of an inventor can sometimes feel like a lonely struggle. Thankfully, there are a number of resources that exist to help them! Ranging from tutorials to tips to strategies to even money and grants, these resources help make the inventor's road a little easier to travel. And when it comes to information, there is enough out there to save any inventor from lots of unnecessary headaches and frustration. So let's dive in and explore some of the resources for inventors.

It is usually best to start at the beginning. For that, there is no better place to turn than the Inventors section of the website About dot com. Here, new or inexperienced inventors will find their most pressing questions answered in an in-depth tutorial called "Lessons on Turning a New Idea Into Money."

The tutorial assumes that you know nothing on the subject and proceeds to answer your questions in a logical and straightforward way. Helpfully, all topics are covered in the proper hierarchical order that they naturally arise:

Introduction
Lesson 1: Understanding Intellectual Property
Lesson 2: Patents & Inventions
Lesson 3: How Do I Know if My Idea is Patentable
Lesson 4: Conducting a Search for Prior Art
Lesson 5: Is a Patent Worth Spending Money On?
Lesson 6: How to Apply for a Patent
Lesson 7: Proving You Were First
Lesson 8: Making Money
Lesson 9: Licensing
Lesson 10: Business Plans
Lesson 11: Raising Capitol

If you are new to inventing, you should consider this a must-read. In addition to showing you the ropes, it will also dispel any harmful myths you may have picked up about inventions and being an inventor. By the time you are done you will be considerably wiser on the journey you are about to embark upon.

Once you are familiar with the ins and outs of inventing, you may have more detailed questions about patents and how to get one. If and when these questions arise, the IP Watch dog website is an excellent resource. From their website: "IPWatchdog is dedicated to providing a free, reliable and easily understandable resource on intellectual property law and related topics. We promise to demystify intellectual property and explain to you what it is, why you would want to consider obtaining intellectual property rights and how to go about obtaining worthwhile intellectual property protection. We also explain various pitfalls to avoid, as well as what you can do to help yourself."

IP Watchdog is run by Eugene Quinn, a patent attorney, author, and law professor. This site is where he provides helpful articles, tips, and even full applications for patents, trademarks, and copyrights. If you have ever tried to dig these things up on the US Patent and Trademark Office's website, you will appreciate what a service IPWatchdog provides! Furthermore, all of the advice, checklists, and forms are completely free of charge.

If it's money you're after, there is plenty of it available. One great place to look is the Community of Science. If your invention is at all scientific or technological, there may be grant money available to you! http://www.about.com describes the funding available from this group:

"Funding and grant opportunities for research and development, this database is huge. They also have access to job postings, career resources, recruiting centers and more. You can also locate bioresearch, drug discovery, and laboratory equipment and supplies online. They currently deliver more than 1.2 million targeted funding matches over the Internet to scientists and scholars each week."

Another worthwhile place to check out is the Small Business Administration's Procurements and Grants Hot List. This will give you access to all the grant money being offered by each agency in a relatively easy-to-read format. If you are thinking about forming a small business around your invention, this could turn out to be a goldmine.

The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance is another funding source.

"The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) is seeking proposals that support innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship programs in U.S. colleges and universities. Through June of each grant year, NCIIA will award approximately 50 grants of $1-50,000 each to faculty and students of member institutions."

Of course, one of the most helpful resources is the experiences of inventors who have succeeded and failed. You can learn priceless lessons from these warriors of industry using standard web resources like Google and Wikipedia. Often times, the real-life mistakes and triumphs of these people will be more helpful than any theoretical article. Therefore, you would be well-served to brush up on some of them.
Above all, keep your eyes and ears open. In most cases there are plenty of resources out there to fill whatever inventing needs you may have!

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