Telescoping Air Blow Gun
Background
Back some time now, I was one of the founders of a tool company called Carica. Carica designed, developed and manufactured a product line of unique telescoping tools for industry; telescoping pick-up tools, inspection mirrors, and inspection magnifiers. The original telescoping tools were dedicated tools, which were then followed up with tool kits with quick-connect features that allowed the user to change from different sized rare earth magnets to different sized mirrors to magnifiers. These telescoping tools were manufactured and branded under our Carica brand, but also private labelled for tool icons like Mac Tools, Snap-on Tools, Danaher Tool Group and UAP/NAPA’s UltraPro line.
The Experience
Whether you believe in the label “Light Bulb” Inspiration or Source Energy or Universal Intelligence or Divine Mind or none of the above, I encourage you to consider the experience below as you ponder your inventions/ideas/creations.
In a practical business sense, the label is unimportant, however, the experience I am about to share was an eye-opener for all of us involved; from myself to the two inventors to our patent attorney. Not only did it open my eyes to the genesis of inventions, but it modified my approach to patent strategies for our companies and the inventors we assist.
When we had our tool company, Carica, it was not unusual to be approached by inventors with tool ideas, thus, when a German engineer from San Jose called me about having an invention utilizing our telescoping technology, I didn’t think much of it. We agreed to sell him 6 of our custom stainless steel telescoping rods to complete his invention and quite frankly I forgot about the call until many months later when he called me back. On the phone call he said he had completed working prototypes and wanted to fly out to Phoenix and meet with me at a Phoenix Airport hotel so he could show his invention to me on the Friday of that week.
Two weeks before the San Jose inventor called me to meet up at a Phoenix Airport hotel, a Montreal inventor/friend called us. He had been working on some new inventions and he too wanted to fly down to see us in Phoenix. Again, this was not unusual because our friend was an inventor and he had come to visit with us before.
The following weekend, our friend from Montreal travelled down to Phoenix and presented two ingenious and unique ideas; a prototype of a telescoping air blow gun and a prototype of a flexible shaft air blow gun.
After reviewing the two prototypes, I expressed to our friend that our tool company would be very interested in manufacturing his two unique tools and agreed to take the prototypes to our patent attorney in Old Town Scottsdale the beginning of the week to commence patent applications. On that Monday or Tuesday, I presented the two prototypes to our patent attorney. Our patent attorney was amazed at the ingenuity, and I left his office with the air blow guns on his desk.
Only 3 or 4 days later, on the Friday, I drove down to the Phoenix Airport Hotel to meet up with the San Jose inventor. After initial introductions at the coffee shop, he told me about his career and background and then described how something happened at his workplace that inspired him to create a solution to a problem he encountered. After some discussion, he confidently brought his invention out of a bag and placed it on the table.
I looked down at his invention on the table and was truly frozen and speechless.
After seeing the stunned looked on my face, the inventor finally said to me, “I guess you don’t like it”. I said, “No, that’s not it. What I am so baffled about is I just saw this product only a few days ago”.
He replied, “That is impossible”. I then told him that “this exact product is actually on my patent attorney’s desk, and as we speak, he is writing up the patent”. The engineer from San Jose, looked at me, unfazed and unconcerned and said, “It doesn’t matter, I applied for a patent a year ago”.
Long story short, within a matter of a few days, the inventor called me from San Jose, California while another inventor called me from Montreal, Quebec. Both inventors travelled to Phoenix to present their inventions only a few days apart.
The Montreal inventor showed me his invention on a Saturday and only 6 days later, on a Friday, the San Jose inventor showed me his invention. The two inventions were basically the same identical product: a telescoping air blow gun!
After I got in my car to drive back to the office, I called our patent attorney. I told him that I just met with an inventor from San Jose and only moments ago he showed me the exact same invention that is sitting on his desk…. a telescoping air blow gun. Our attorney initially thought I was kidding with him, but then he quickly realized I was dead serious. He went on to say, “In all my years as a patent attorney, I have never seen anything like this before”.
Long story, short, we halted the patent process for the Montreal inventor, and we entered into an agreement with the San Jose inventor, manufacturing his product and paying him a royalty. The San Jose inventor’s US patent was granted shortly thereafter. Interestingly,
less than one year later, our tool company was manufacturing the telescoping air blow gun under our brand name (Carica) and selling this unique tool internationally. In addition, Carica struck an agreement with an iconic tool company, Snap-On Tools, and private labelled the telescoping air blow gun under the Snap-On Tools brand.
Throughout my business career, I have witnessed numerous patent situations. Now, for a variety of reasons, including the above mentioned, I do recommend a particular patent strategy for my clients. And, if the inventor is serious and passionate about their invention, we recommend they apply for a patent as soon as possible.
In my next article, I will share another experience that led me to answer the centuries old question, “TO PATENT OR NOT TO PATENT”.
Background
Back some time now, I was one of the founders of a tool company called Carica. Carica designed, developed and manufactured a product line of unique telescoping tools for industry; telescoping pick-up tools, inspection mirrors, and inspection magnifiers. The original telescoping tools were dedicated tools, which were then followed up with tool kits with quick-connect features that allowed the user to change from different sized rare earth magnets to different sized mirrors to magnifiers. These telescoping tools were manufactured and branded under our Carica brand, but also private labelled for tool icons like Mac Tools, Snap-on Tools, Danaher Tool Group and UAP/NAPA’s UltraPro line.
The Experience
Whether you believe in the label “Light Bulb” Inspiration or Source Energy or Universal Intelligence or Divine Mind or none of the above, I encourage you to consider the experience below as you ponder your inventions/ideas/creations.
In a practical business sense, the label is unimportant, however, the experience I am about to share was an eye-opener for all of us involved; from myself to the two inventors to our patent attorney. Not only did it open my eyes to the genesis of inventions, but it modified my approach to patent strategies for our companies and the inventors we assist.
When we had our tool company, Carica, it was not unusual to be approached by inventors with tool ideas, thus, when a German engineer from San Jose called me about having an invention utilizing our telescoping technology, I didn’t think much of it. We agreed to sell him 6 of our custom stainless steel telescoping rods to complete his invention and quite frankly I forgot about the call until many months later when he called me back. On the phone call he said he had completed working prototypes and wanted to fly out to Phoenix and meet with me at a Phoenix Airport hotel so he could show his invention to me on the Friday of that week.
Two weeks before the San Jose inventor called me to meet up at a Phoenix Airport hotel, a Montreal inventor/friend called us. He had been working on some new inventions and he too wanted to fly down to see us in Phoenix. Again, this was not unusual because our friend was an inventor and he had come to visit with us before.
The following weekend, our friend from Montreal travelled down to Phoenix and presented two ingenious and unique ideas; a prototype of a telescoping air blow gun and a prototype of a flexible shaft air blow gun.
After reviewing the two prototypes, I expressed to our friend that our tool company would be very interested in manufacturing his two unique tools and agreed to take the prototypes to our patent attorney in Old Town Scottsdale the beginning of the week to commence patent applications. On that Monday or Tuesday, I presented the two prototypes to our patent attorney. Our patent attorney was amazed at the ingenuity, and I left his office with the air blow guns on his desk.
Only 3 or 4 days later, on the Friday, I drove down to the Phoenix Airport Hotel to meet up with the San Jose inventor. After initial introductions at the coffee shop, he told me about his career and background and then described how something happened at his workplace that inspired him to create a solution to a problem he encountered. After some discussion, he confidently brought his invention out of a bag and placed it on the table.
I looked down at his invention on the table and was truly frozen and speechless.
After seeing the stunned looked on my face, the inventor finally said to me, “I guess you don’t like it”. I said, “No, that’s not it. What I am so baffled about is I just saw this product only a few days ago”.
He replied, “That is impossible”. I then told him that “this exact product is actually on my patent attorney’s desk, and as we speak, he is writing up the patent”. The engineer from San Jose, looked at me, unfazed and unconcerned and said, “It doesn’t matter, I applied for a patent a year ago”.
Long story short, within a matter of a few days, the inventor called me from San Jose, California while another inventor called me from Montreal, Quebec. Both inventors travelled to Phoenix to present their inventions only a few days apart.
The Montreal inventor showed me his invention on a Saturday and only 6 days later, on a Friday, the San Jose inventor showed me his invention. The two inventions were basically the same identical product: a telescoping air blow gun!
After I got in my car to drive back to the office, I called our patent attorney. I told him that I just met with an inventor from San Jose and only moments ago he showed me the exact same invention that is sitting on his desk…. a telescoping air blow gun. Our attorney initially thought I was kidding with him, but then he quickly realized I was dead serious. He went on to say, “In all my years as a patent attorney, I have never seen anything like this before”.
Long story, short, we halted the patent process for the Montreal inventor, and we entered into an agreement with the San Jose inventor, manufacturing his product and paying him a royalty. The San Jose inventor’s US patent was granted shortly thereafter. Interestingly,
less than one year later, our tool company was manufacturing the telescoping air blow gun under our brand name (Carica) and selling this unique tool internationally. In addition, Carica struck an agreement with an iconic tool company, Snap-On Tools, and private labelled the telescoping air blow gun under the Snap-On Tools brand.
Throughout my business career, I have witnessed numerous patent situations. Now, for a variety of reasons, including the above mentioned, I do recommend a particular patent strategy for my clients. And, if the inventor is serious and passionate about their invention, we recommend they apply for a patent as soon as possible.
In my next article, I will share another experience that led me to answer the centuries old question, “TO PATENT OR NOT TO PATENT”.