Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 4, 1993 TAG: 9403090018
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDY WICKSTROM KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The fact is, as Thomas Edison put it in his comment about perspiration outweighing inspiration, a great deal of hard work precedes that kind of success. For a dose of reality, take a look at a new tape for the invention-minded called ``I've Got a Great Idea: How to Make Your Brainstorm Bankable'' (120 minutes, $29.95) from JRD Development Corp.
Putting aside the question of actually making your wonderful thingamajig, it's the many intricate steps in coming to market that this tape describes so well. The script, presented by a professional actress, Janice Hamilton, was co-written by Susan Maillard, who happens to be one of the tape's producers and an inventor herself.
Because she has been through the process several times (one of her products is a baby's bib that doubles as a bottle holder, which she shows on the tape), Maillard has an informed perspective, yet the information is presented in a pleasingly nontechnical fashion. A lengthy segment on the patent process - detailing a do-it-yourself preliminary search for previous patents, the application, the followup correspondence - is particularly well done, and even includes a glimpse inside the hallowed halls of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
By using various locales and a variety of commentators - including a patent attorney, a patent researcher, a veteran industrial inventor and an advertising executive - the production avoids a stuffy, studio-bound look. Graphics spelling out key points also alleviate the problem of visual boredom inherent in a two-hour tape on an abstract subject.
Actually, ``Great Idea'' probably attempts to cover too much ground for a single sitting. It even gets into details about types of packaging - should your product be in a box or a ``header card with poly bag?'' - and the most effective forms of advertising. By the time these sorts of issues arise, the inventor will probably have gotten access to the kinds of experts heard on the tape.
The tape's thoroughness is reflected in its own handsome package, a large envelope-style enclosure with a pocket that contains a booklet with sample documents, such as a nondisclosure agreement, a licensing agreement, and a list of references and resources. There's also an example of an actual patent, issued in 1877 - for earmuffs. This humble product is an inspiring reminder that people can indeed come up with simple ideas that have significant consequences.
\ To Get the Tape: ``I've Got a Great Idea'' is available primarily from JRD Development for $29.95 plus $3.50 postage and handling. The toll-free order line is 800-336-4332. It's also in the fall mail-order catalogue from Hammacher Schlemmer.
by CNB