Frequently Asked Questions

Contents

  1. I have a brilliant invention, where do I go from here.. ?
  2. Why should I join an Inventor's Club like the Institute of Inventors.. ?
  3. Can an Inventor not act on their own.. ?
  4. Should I first take out a Patent or see a Patent Agent.. ?
  5. How do I join the Institute of Inventors.. ?
  6. Can the Institute evaluate my invention.. ?
  7. What is a Patent.. ?
  8. How does one obtain a Patent.. ?
  9. Is it easy to draft and file a Patent.. ?
  10. Can the Institute of Inventors prepare a Patent application for its members.. ?
  11. What is the advantage of using the Institute of Inventors' Patenting Service.. ?
  12. Are there any reputable Invention Marketing Brokers or Promoters.. ?
  13. I have revealed details of my invention to an Invention Broker. Is he likely to steal it.. ?
  14. Does the Institute take a percentage commission for helping with my invention.. ?
  15. I have fears of my invention being stolen. What should I do..?
  16. Should I e-mail you with my specific question, problem or proposition.. ?


Q1: I have a brilliant invention, where do I go from here.. ?

A1: Join the "IoI" Inventor's Club For Sound Advice and Guidance on a one to one basis.


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Q2: Why should I join an Inventor's Club like the Institute of Inventors.. ?

A2: Club Members benefit from knowledge and experience of fellow members - $150,000 within two weeks of contacting a prospect, £75,000 within nine days of contact of another prospect- it sounds easy - it is not. It requires strategy, planning and perseverance to reach the honeypot.


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Q3: Can an Inventor not act on their own.. ?

A3: Inventors acting on their own can spend a fortune on unscrupulous Patent Agents, Shady Brokers advance fees, prototypes etc and never earn a penny all their lives.


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Q4a: Should I first take out a Patent..  ?

A4: No! Definitely not!  The first step is to get your invention evaluated by a reputable Inventors' Club like the Institute of Inventors who evaluate members' inventions for merit, before incurring further expense and effort. As a member of the Institute of Inventors your 1st invention is evaluated at no extra charge. The IoI prepares professional engineered patents for its members where applicable - see Q10.

Q4b: Do you recommend a Patent Agent - member of CIPA.. ?

A4b: No! Definitely not! We are yet to come across any reputable Patent Agents -  most  Patent Agents members of CIPA, have no scruples in charging  unsuspecting Inventors £5,000 to £10,000 for  Patents  that are  worthless and non-functional.  Inspite of numerous protests made by the IoI and IoI  members, the CIPA Management Committees refuse to discipline their members for acts of misconduct such as: obtaining money by false pretences, deception, incompetence, and negligence - failing to advise their clients that a specific invention is worthless because it is non-functional and commercially non-viable.  The Chartered Institute of Patent Agents state that: "It is not up to a Patent Agent to advise clients on the workablility, or commercial viability of an invention".
Even in cases where the invention is good and has merit, the IoI has evidence of numerous cases of CIPA members ruining the Patent prospects by badly drafted claims which are vague and totally off the significant advantageous features of the invention - usually the Agent has a qualification in a discipline alien to the invention.


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Q5: How do I join the Institute of Inventors.. ?

A5: Print, complete and mail Enrolment form & Confidential Invention Disclosure Form.
If you require instant membership, just telephone 020 8998 6372, or 020 8998 3540 giving your name, address, date of birth, and credit card details, and you can become a member within 10 minutes. Cost - £120.00.


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Q6: Can the Institute evaluate my invention.. ?

A6: Yes! Your invention will be evaluated to ascertain in the first instance:-
a. Is it new? - (If not, it is worthless)
b. Will it work? - (If not, it is worthless)
c. Is it better than competitive products on the market? - (If not, it is worthless)
d. Is it commercially viable? - (If it won't sell, don't invent it!)
If IoI's answer to a. b. c. & d. is yes, the IoI can help maximise your chances of making money on it.


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PATENTS.. ?
Q7: What is a Patent.. ?

A7: A Patent is an Intellectual Property Right - a Document of ownership of an Invention.


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Q8: How does one obtain a Patent.. ?

A8: By drafting and filing a Patent Application in the Patent Office of the desired Countries.


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Q9: Is it easy to draft and file a Patent.. ?

A9: No! It requires skilled preparation of detailed drawings description, and claims which must conform to complex Patent Office formalities and protocols. Without expert guidance self drafted Patent applications are not worth the paper they are typed on.


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Q10: Can the Institute of Inventors prepare a Patent application for its members.. ?

A10: Yes! The Institute does prepare and file professional engineered Patent Applications for its members at subsidised costs. Visit Patents Prepared by Institute of Inventors.


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Q11: What are the advantages of using the Institute of Inventors' Patenting Service.. ?

A11: Reduced cost. By filing in the Inventor's own name and address there are further savings when dealing with amendments required by Patent Office Examiners - who are usually very friendly and helpful towards Private Inventors. Also the work is undertaken by expert professional design inventor engineers who enhance the quality, coverage and value of the invention at no extra cost. Most so called "Charted Patent Agents" are not design engineers and are unable to enhance an invention. 


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BEWARE OF SHADY INVENTION PROMOTERS!
Q12: Are there any reputable Invention Marketing Brokers or Promoters?

A12: None yet, that we can recommend.
Beware of some shady Invention Promoters! No matter how worthless your invention some will lead you to believe that it is brilliant and that you are going to make a fortune if you pay them large sums of money to promote it. Always ask for references of names and phone numbers of satisfied Inventor clients.


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Q13: I have revealed details of my invention to an Invention Broker. Is he likely to steal it.. ?

A13: Generally we believe Invention Brokers are not in business to steal inventions, nor capable of stealing inventions for personal gain.


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Q14: Does the Institute take a percentage commission for helping with my invention.. ?

A14: No! We are not Invention Promoters* nor Invention Brokers. If an Inventor is successful, the Institute will be pleased to accept a voluntary donation as a token of appreciation of services rendered. *Privately negotiated sponsorship deals between members occasionally occurs and is encouraged.

Q15: I have fears of my invention being stolen. What should I do..?

A15: Historically there hasn't been a single case of an Inventor's invention being stolen before the Inventor became financially successful.
If one had the best invention in the world capable of earning £1million a day and offered a 99.9% share to convicted invention stealers for the sum of £100, it is unlikely that they would entertain talking to you for more than 30 seconds. Invention stealers do not take any risks. After the Inventor is financially successful and the product is in great demand and in short supply, that is when Invention stealers move in to make cheap copies for quick sale - remember the Rubiks Cube - on sale for 5 years - nobody wanted to know.   Then after 2 weeks of free publicity on Noel Edmonds Saturday morning show at peak viewing time, the shops were sold out. That's when the Invention stealers moved in flooding the English market with cheap copies made in Hong Kong. They were caught, prosecuted,  heavily fined, and their stocks impounded. 
It is a myth to believe that inventions are stolen before proof of financial success. It is for this reason that the IoI have a rule that if anyone is paranoid about their invention being stolen, they are automatically debarred from membership. - Reason? It is like stating that "I want help but I cannot tell you what I want help for because I don't trust anyone".


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Q16: Should I e-mail you with my specific question, problem or proposition.. ?

A16: No! These issues cannot be dealt with by e-mail; only by two-way telephone conversation for instant feed-back technical reasons - please phone Michael on:-
00 44 (0)20 8998 3540 or 00 44 (0)20 8998 6372

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