Need help with um....invention?

[jca1]

I have an idea for a new fitting for the LP/Natural gas fuel piping industry.......residential gas lines etc.

I found a shop that will make one for me but I need someone to draw it so it can be CNC'd. Who do I look for...an engineer?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[mfcmb]

a mechanical engineer.

[SIGP250]

ifreelance.com- Least expensive way to get started.
Freelancer.com-

You will need a mechanical engineer. (drawings consulting and calculations).
almost everything can be done with CAD. Autodesk Inventor, Rino, 3D-Studio and others.
When you interview a freelancer, make sure they can give you rendered 3D drawings and or animations that you can rotate 360 Deg.

You will later need to speak to a patent attorney
You might first look at rapid prototyping rather than machining a prototype.
You will need UL listings (very expensive)

[jca1]

ifreelance.com- Least expensive way to get started.
Freelancer.com-

You will need a mechanical engineer. (drawings consulting and calculations).
almost everything can be done with CAD. Autodesk Inventor, Rino, 3D-Studio and others.
When you interview a freelancer, make sure they can give you rendered 3D drawings and or animations that you can rotate 360 Deg.

You will later need to speak to a patent attorney
You might first look at rapid prototyping rather than machining a prototype.
You will need UL listings (very expensive)

I found someone on ifreelance, thanks.

[OldVet]

ifreelance.com- Least expensive way to get started.
Freelancer.com-

You will need a mechanical engineer. (drawings consulting and calculations).
almost everything can be done with CAD. Autodesk Inventor, Rino, 3D-Studio and others.
When you interview a freelancer, make sure they can give you rendered 3D drawings and or animations that you can rotate 360 Deg.

You will later need to speak to a patent attorney
You might first look at rapid prototyping rather than machining a prototype.
You will need UL listings (very expensive)

Oh yeah! Must make sure to protect yourself against "thief" including the person doing the CAD work.

But before you invest time and money, what is your "invention" going to do that current connections do not? Is there a problem with current connections (in the business/home owners' minds--not yours)? Is this going to be something the world is going to jump on, or is it "just another fitting"?

[ctsketch]

I work on Mechanical systems, for the low low price of a Sig p220 Carry, Glock 30SF and Kimber Ultra TLE i'll help you out.

[boscobeans]

CYA...

Start here:

Patents


If your idea has potential your first step is to do a patent search to see if it has been thought of before.. Remember there are ideas out there that have been patented but never produced and are hiding, buried in the files at the patent office. You can do a preliminary search on your own at the Patent Office website.

A production model is nice but if you are sure this idea has merit get a patent first before sending it out to any manufacturing site. Find a trusted and capable person to draw your idea according to the specs that the patent office requires. Working models are not needed to apply for a utlity patent, to the best of my knowledge. (IANAL).

Up until 2007 the patent office accepted a less complicated and more informal application for protection called a Disclosure Document which gave your idea some protection for a 2 year period. The program has been discontinued.

OMO

bosco

[jca1]

Oh yeah! Must make sure to protect yourself against "thief" including the person doing the CAD work.

But before you invest time and money, what is your "invention" going to do that current connections do not? Is there a problem with current connections (in the business/home owners' minds--not yours)? Is this going to be something the world is going to jump on, or is it "just another fitting"?

well, I understand the whole "thief" idea and have not disclosed any info to anyone up to this point and will not without proper protection. I done no more than contact people who will do stuff fairly locally.

The new fitting would probably never move beyond industry specific distributors, dealers, and installers I imagine. It's not the next wheel or anything. I myself am a fuel piper in the LP gas field and this is a fitting that I have many times wished was available for easier installation and increased safety. For the most part "just another fitting".

I don't see it being a cash cow or anything by a long shot. Until I finish my research possibly not even worth pursuing.

[boscobeans]

Charles F. Brannock made the first model of his idea with an erector set. Not a great start but his invention "The Brannock Device" is still manufactured in the same plant and it can be found everywhere a salesman measures your feet for a pair of shoes.


bosco

[nutz4utwo]

You can file for patent pending and get protection for one year (I think?) and it is very cheap and easy. Actually completing the patent is tough, but that year is enough for you to market and hopefully sell your design to someone.

[GunGeezer]

If you already have all the design measurements(sketches etc) and only need scale drawings, you don't need a mechanical engineer. A draftsman who works with CAD will suffice. I would recommend a patent search after you have the drawings to make sure it is a patentable device. If you are not familiar with what I am referring to, talk to a patent attorney. A search is not very costly. I had an idea for a device many years ago with an automotive application. It turned out, in its basic form, it was a type of filter and therefore not different enough in concept to be patentable, even though its use was different from anything else. And just because it can't be patented, doesn't mean you can't manufacture and market the device. It just means, if it is salable, someone with deeper pockets and better marketing experience will probably steal it.