Hi Leroy,

We thank you for your open, honest feedback. Wanted to provide hopefully a bit more insight as to why we perform a full IP review at Stage 6 versus Stage 4.

The goal of each stage of our evaluation process is to ensure that the “best of the best” ideas rise to the top to be presented to the search sponsor or licensing partner. Work done in each stage is done so to ensure time and effort of the review team is being managed efficiently and effectively.

Whether or not we can close a licensing deal with a company depends on the level of IP protection available. Search sponsors and potential licensing partners want to know that they are getting a new and innovative product, and that they’re the only player in the game. Companies are less likely to pursue a product that has a lot of competition, so we attempt to find that competition ahead of time to ensure we are only delivering to sponsors those submissions that have a real chance at commercialization.

In Stage 4, the Review Team is taking a deeper dive to determine if your idea is better than competing products that already exist in the market. We’re looking to answer the following questions:

• Does this product idea offer an easier, more efficient solution than what already exists?
• Will this product idea be able to compete with products already in the market?

Answers to these questions need to be answered before a thorough, deep dive is done to determine patentability.

In Stage 6, we’re comparing your images, descriptions and other available information to existing patents and applications to assess your idea’s patentability. This work is larger than a basic online search. Our legal team dives in and reviews the language within patents of potential competing products, determine what We use Google Patents, Free Patents Online, and other sites that present published applications and issued patents to the public. We will compare your images, descriptions, and all other available information in your submission to the specifications, claims, drawings, etc. listed in published patents and applications, and we use this information to make a determination as to whether your idea meets patent requirements.

Hope this helps to provide some additional information as to the order of the work done in our evaluation process. As always, our goal is to give each idea submitted to us the best chance at success.

My understanding is that stage 6 IP review costs EN more than stage 3 IP review.

Hi Jacob,

To clarify, the later stages of the evaluation process take more time and manpower than the earlier stages.

Thank you!

Right! sorry… “cost” lost to my vernacular use. I probably should have typed; cost=time, money, etc..

But I suppose that’s one of the reasons you’re here Michele. =]

Frank, I love ya for commenting, but I don’t quite understand what you are trying to communicate. Please clarify.

Stage 6 seems to boil down to how broad the patent can potentially reach

Frank, I think I understand your post now. I like to read your comments because you always inspire me to think.

Jacob – Frank is saying that there is a percentage of people who (through misunderstanding, inexperience, or laziness) submit product ideas to EN without even attempting to do a simple on-line search to see if there might be a conflict with prior art that would eliminate the possibility of ever obtaining a patent. Stage 3 is the point where EN spends a modicum of effort researching existing products and patents to “filter” out those who submitted without even attempting to conduct a search on their own part. Stage 6 is a much more in-depth investigation that requires more attention which ultimately means more time and money invested by EN. Product ideas move through these various stages for a reason… at almost every level EN has to make a conscious decision about whether or not the submission is worth pursuing further. It wouldn’t be efficient or financially responsible to conduct an in-depth patent search (at stage 3) on an idea that may not pass a comparison test against other similar products already on the market (which takes place at stage 4 or 5… I can’t remember). Anyway, a similar analogy would be the recent thread in the forums about the person who was so excited to submit a product idea that he put the “cart before the horse”. In other words, he did a huge amount of work without first doing research on his idea. After doing all the work, he found that it was all pointless since the product already existed. He would have saved all that time had he just been willing to look before he leapt. EN’s stage 3 is there to act a preliminary filter for those who don’t do what most of us do before spending $20 on an idea submission… a preliminary and shallow search at the very least. That is my interpretation of what Frank is trying to express.

Chip Njaa, that’s what I was saying, ’ceffer you did a MUCH better job of wording it than my one-liner at the bottom. Tell this to Leroy Baldock.

I hope I don’t mislead by showing how I reduced the stage descriptions to help myself understand:

Stage 3: ‘find other products’-‘similar to your’s

Stage 6: ‘analysis of competition’ (whether similar or not), and ‘determine if yours meets patent requirements’

Again, just my interpretation and not to be taken legally.

I like to build my idea dispite what my initial search turns up. To have the idea more visualized can lead to new concepts or even better mechanics, which can lead to new ideas… kind of an “Recycle, Reuse” process.

Exactly right, JC

I remember when I started my preliminary work on one of the recent searches. Had I jumped into the research process first, I would have found that my ORIGINAL idea already existed and I may have given up from the start. But I instead began with design work on that original idea which evolved into some other concepts that were, in my opinion, way better than what I started out to do. I wouldn’t have gotten to that point had I known my original idea was already on the market because I would have tossed in the towel at the start. So there is certainly something to be said for jumping in feet first to see where it takes you. Good point Jonathan!

Great job laying that all out Frank!! You’re the MAN!!!

Frank – How many ideas do you scrap during your research phase?

Frank – You should change your avatar to Yoda…. I like your insight and Process. I will try to adapt my thinking to incorporate it.