Industrial design, innovation and new patentable products: what does everyone want?

Many companies that sell and distribute their own products these days have started years ago as importers, bringing products from the Asian open market, building brand simply by placing only their logo on the products. They weren’t manufacturing, but simply buying a product in Asia, taking it across the ocean, and selling it in North America. It worked for a while and for some companies it worked quite well. Unfortunately not anymore. Many brands do not offer the same quality as before. Some competing brands even try to sell the exact same product under different names and different prices. This confusing consumer and consumer disorder moves away from both brands.

The economy is in a difficult situation and many companies involved in the manufacture and distribution of their products are facing a new challenge. The keyword for this challenge is “innovation”. Buyers no longer want the same old product. They demand something new, something better than simple redesigned packaging, something from a sci-fi movie, something that makes the consumer say “Ah-h! I want this! I must have this!” And this is when marketing and product managers start using Google to find the perfect designers and inventors, who can “think outside the box,” who can get it right, fast, and not too expensive. Who can create a breakthrough product that will be patentable and earn good sheltered space on retail shelves or a prime spot on TV and web infomercials?

What does it take to develop a new innovative and patentable consumer product? How to get it to market in the shortest time possible? Many business owners and managers have no idea what it costs and how long it takes to create an innovative new product. It is a learning curve and it can be difficult and frustrating for both parties to the contract. The design and development process for a new car takes an average of two years. This process involves large teams or designers, engineers, technologists, technicians, and business managers. Smaller consumer products are often created by small design agencies with just one designer or one engineer. This process costs considerably less than designing a car. However, it can still take up to two years to complete a project.

Companies seeking professional help from small independent designers and inventors are advised to look for a “turnkey solution”, which means that they not only get the design concept and engineering drawings, but also contacts with potential manufacturers, help in obtaining parts and components for the future product. . If designers can be easily found through Google and other web searches, the best way to find inventors is by searching the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) at http://patft.uspto.gov/ Each patent lists its inventors and owners. Once the most recent patent, name and state of residence of its inventor are found, it is usually easy to contact this inventor.

It seems that the suspension of innovation is a good thing, which drives manufacturers and distributors towards better and less expensive products, accelerating the development of new technologies.