Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hello everyone. I am new to the site and was amazed at the great feedback people receive. I was wondering if someone could give me some advice. I am 17 years old and have a new invention. I am at the point now where I am completely stuck in what direction to travel. I have a prototype made.

Of course it is a simple prototype and used to get the point across. I want to bring it out to the public/the consumer but I don't want to lose my idea. So easy thing would be to go through a patent agent. Then I run into the problem that I don't have a final prototype but a simple one that is going to be altered. I don't have the machines/CAD design to make a final design.So I would have to look into a rapid prototyping company?

I guess what i am trying to say is do I go to a patent agent or a prototyping company.
Cortex is the closest in the area which is still a 4 hour drive. If anyone has experiance with them or could give the site a quick look and tell me if this is what I am looking for? Any other referable company that I could use?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Maybe keep in mind I am 17 so funding isn't the best. Thats not to say I am not prepared for the costs, I have done my research into what to expect but the lower the better to some extent I guess. I hope what I am trying to say makes sense, if not I can try to reword it.

Thanks in advance, Clow

I'm not sure how similar the laws are between the US and Canada, but in the states you don't have to be final with things when you file a provision patent (your agent can let you know where you have to be tight on your claims and where it is expected for you to use the year to refine your product) ... this gives you the time to test your product to see if the market will support it and to tweak things to make it better.

I looked at the Cortex site and they show/tell the things I'd expect from a company like that ... meaning they can take you from start to finish with your idea, but they may not fit your budget ... the best thing is to contact them and invest your time to go and see them; understand that they may or may not buy into your idea, but they will not "steal" your product and will explain what they can do for you.

I don't know if this helps with what you've asked; having a prototype that gets your idea across is a major first step ... there are a lot of steps to come, but some are ones you can take at the same time and others you can wait on taking/paying (you do need to make sure at what point you are committed; here in the states if you file a provisional then the clock starts so you are "all in" or your idea basically goes into the public domain ... just saying, make sure you are really ready or chill until you are)

Wow, thanks, that is exactly what I needed to hear and I will definitely look into a provision patent and contact the company.  I really appreciate the help!

Thanks, Parker.