Inventor Resources

Some of these sites are for commercial products or services and this list is not intended as an endorsement from the Bucknell SBDC.

General Inventor Resources:

• http://web.mit.edu/invent/index.html
  • Site includes information from the Lemelson-MIT Program for inventors, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Also includes an “Inventor’s Handbook” (http://web.mit.edu/invent/h-main.html) that has information on major questions that every inventor should be asking.  
• http://www1.eere.energy.gov/inventions/resources_pub.html
  • Inventor resources from the Department of Energy’s Inventions and Innovations program. Contains well-developed publications on the process of developing an invention, deciding whether or not to license, and other inventor information.  
• http://web.mit.edu/deshpandecenter/resources.html
  • Resources for Innovators from the Deshpande Center at MIT, information to assist you in shepherding your innovation to the marketplace and see it successfully commercialized.  
• http://www.inventorsdigest.com/
  • A magazine committed to educating and inspiring independent and professional innovators.  
• http://www.innovation-institute.com/about.htm
  • The WIN-I2 Innovation Evaluation Service is an inventor/innovator assistance service that provides a third-party analysis of the risks and potential of ideas, inventions, and new products. Affiliates including the United Inventors Association and the College of Business Administration at Missouri State University.  
• http://www.ideationtriz.com/
  • Found a problem, not sure how to solve it? Try out the Ideation/TRIZ Methodology of problem solving.  
• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/3764
  • Advanced product development discussions and papers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Innovation in Product Development.  

Patent, Trademark, Copyright and Intellectual Property Information:

• • http://www.uspto.gov
    • The US Patent and Trademark Office: the place for an inventor to start
  • • http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/iip/documents/scamprevent.pdf
      • A warning about invention promotion firms. 
    • http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/iip/index.htm
      • Great place within the USPTO website to get started. Information on patents, trademarks, copyrights and other frequently asked questions, with a place to file a complaint regarding invention promoters/promoting firms. 
      • http://www.copyright.gov/
        • The government site to search or apply for copyrights. 

Manufacturing/Product Development Assistance:

• http://ptdc01.bd.psu.edu/ki/
  • Keystone Ideas in Erie, PA, a low-cost plastics engineering service for product developers. A program of the Plastics Technology Center, affiliated with Northwest Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center and Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.  
• http://www.pct.edu/pmc/
  • Penn College’s Plastics Manufacturing Center in Williamsport, PA. Associated with Penn State.  
• http://blue.nist.gov/centers/PA
  • Manufacturing Extension Partnership resource centers in PA.  
• http://www.penntap.psu.edu/
  • PENNTAP: technical assistance from Penn State University.  
• http://home.att.net/~castleisland/
  • The “WorldWide Guide to Rapid Prototyping.” Lots of prototyping information here, including a “how” and “why” section to decide if it’s right for you.  
• http://www.amba.org/media/Revised_true_cost_complete_reduced.pdf
  • From the American Mold Builders Association, a comparison of the “true cost” of U.S. versus offshore molds.  

Small Business Resources:

• http://www.sba.gov/tools/index.html
  • Resource for small businesses with lots of free online information and tutorials.  
• http://home3.americanexpress.com/smallbusiness/tool/biz_plan/index.asp
  • American Express site for small businesses.
• http://www.efgp.org/
  • This is the American The Entrepreneurs’ Forum of Greater Philadelphia supports the creation and development of high growth firms by delivering essential resources, education and networking opportunities.  
• http://inventors.about.com/cs/marketassessment/
  • Here’s some information about why you might want an independent evaluation of your idea. You can always spend some time asking people, too.  
• http://www.entre-ed.org/
  • Site for the Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education, proving that information is your most powerful tool.  
• http://www.statelocalgov.net/index.cfm
  • Here you’ll find links to state and local government agencies in all 50 states.