Products created and commercialized by Invention City and its partners have generated over $500,000,000 in retail sales and tens of millions in royalty income. We are actively looking to license new inventions in all categories and all stages of development. When we say "yes" we offer to do it all and pay for everything so that you risk nothing more - we take responsibility for patents, prototypes, engineering, design and marketing, to turn your new invention idea into a manufactured product with a real opportunity for market success. The first step to working with us is our Brutally Honest Review. Click to see the video and read our fine print in bold.
Starting as garage inventors we've had over 25 years of experience creating, developing, licensing and selling inventions to Fortune 100 corporations and start-up companies. This gives us deep first hand knowledge of prior art research, market evaluation, building prototypes, engineering for manufacturing, industrial design, writing and filing US and international patents and trademarks, defending patents and trademarks in the US and internationally, negotiating licensing agreements, managing licensing relationships, sourcing and managing manufacturing and fulfillment, marketing via traditional distribution to mass merchants, chains, individual retailers, direct marketing via DRTV, internet and crowd funding, forming strategic partnerships and launching and selling start-up companies. We don't know of anyone in our industry who's had our breadth and depth of experience. We've enjoyed a lot of success and have learned from failures too. Learn more about us here.
Over the years we've heard from inventors who've wasted thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars pursuing their dreams and failing. Invention City's mission is to help inventors keep money in their pockets, increase their chances of success and commercialize great new product ideas through licensing and partnership deals. The Invention City team is comprised of successful inventors and entrepreneurs who've made their money by bringing new patented products to market. We want to make money with you, not from you. Read about us here .
Lies don't fly.
Choosing Invention City
The difference between Invention City and other invention companies is the success, depth and unique experiences of the Invention City team along with a business model that's structured to profit with inventors rather than from them. Invention City grew out of WorkTools, Inc., (read about WorkTools here.) We come at this business having been bona fide garage inventors and that's where our hearts remain. These links explain:
We believe that inventors should do as much as they can on their own and then, when informed and ready, seek help and advice from providers who genuinely care. Our Brutally Honest Review is a great way to get professional feedback and a real chance for success. A visit to the info booth is a good way to get started. Be careful about disclosing proprietary and confidential information to anyone. We hope that your visit is productive. Please visit us often and let us know how we can make things better.
Invention City provides inventors and new product idea developers with information, resources and help for each stage of the inventing process. Use the links above to learn how to:
Inspired Home Show, Chicago, March 2023Since the beginning of the year I've walked three trade shows: Las Vegas World Market, National Hardware Show and the Inspired Home Show (formerly the Housewares Show). In December I planned on going to none of them. My plans changed and I'm glad they did. The shows were all great, at least for me. Trade shows offer a chance to make new connections, reconnect with old friends and learn what's happening in an industry.I walked away from the three shows with more significant pending deals than I've ever had from shows before. We'll see if ...
Waterfront property. You research high tide, stake out the property lines and build your house. There's a chance a big wave might hit it. If the house is well built and the foundation is rock, it'll get wet but withstand the wave. If it's weak and built on sand, it'll be washed away.- Mike ...
You can do a fine initial search on your own by going to google.com/patents and worldwide.espacenet.com. Type in key words starting with the most obvious ones that describe your invention idea. When you find something close, look at the citations and references and keep on drilling down. If you don't find something close, you're looking in the wrong places. Patents are about details and there's always prior art. Also check Alibaba and Amazon for products.Keep in mind the three rules:RULE #1: THERE IS ALWAYS PRIOR ART. The first rule of searching for prior art is that you should always find ...
For years I've heard that "drug companies extend patents" to keep on charging exorbitant prices for drugs after a patent runs out. It makes no sense. The life of a patent is 20 years from filing date. It can't be extended. Yesterday, the NY Times ran a piece on how AbbieVie, makers of the rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira®, "Made $114 Billion by Gaming the U.S. Patent System."The article didn't answer the how directly. It was more concerned about the costs to US taxpayers and to the people who need the drugs. But it did provide enough information to finally figure ...
Yesterday I was contacted by an inventor who had paid $2000 for an utterly inadequate provisional patent application. Now, $2000 and even more for a PPA can be reasonable, provided that it's close to being ready for filing as a non-provisional patent, with the invention described in appropriate detail and decent drawings referenced in the specification. In this case, the filing was a legalistic sounding word salad that barely described the invention and unreferenced drawings the inventor had done himself. With regard to establishing priority, the inventor could have filed his own drawings and a one line description with the ...
