Guides for inventors

1. How to license an invention
   A company that already sells to your customer makes and sells your product and pays you a share of every sale. You need something that works, one page that explains it, and a list of companies that will look.
2. What a sell sheet looks like
   A sell sheet is one page: one image, the benefit in one sentence, three bullets, the product’s status, and how to reach you. Its only job is to earn a call.
3. How much a provisional patent costs
   The USPTO charges $65, $130 or $325 to file a provisional application, depending on who you are. A lawyer or agent costs extra and is optional. It gives you a filing date and twelve months of “patent pending”. It never becomes a patent by itself.
4. How to find a manufacturer
   Write a spec sheet, send it to three factories, ask each the same seven questions, and pay for a sample before you pay for a run.
5. Invention royalty rates
   Few companies publish a rate. Mattel’s idea portal offers up to 1.5% of its sales and Lego Ideas pays 1% of net sales, both for ideas from anyone. A negotiated license with a working product is a separate deal, and the rate is only one of its terms.
6. How to spot an invention promotion scam
   Be wary of a firm that earns its money from you, up front, before any company has seen your invention. Federal law gives you the right to see its record in writing before you sign.