Invention help services

from abettermousetrap.co.uk

 

We’ve been giving inventors advice and help since 1983

We’re a small network of people with invention evaluation and development experience – a team that includes inventors, business owners, technology and marketing specialists. Since 1983 we have processed well over 5000 invention ideas for inventors, SMEs and innovation support organisations. Read our history here.

We provide inventors with the kind of impartial invention advice and help that is rarely available elsewhere. Our strength lies in ‘being there’ at the very early stages of invention, when inventors need someone who is sympathetic, knowledgeable and realistic in equal measure.

 

If you’ve invented something, we can help with:

•….Concept research and evaluation.
•….Advice on key decisions and actions.
•….Intellectual property strategy.
•….Signposting to local development resources.
•….Sourcing expertise, for example in design or prototyping.
•….Business or project planning.
•….Advice on funding or business support.

For more information see Services.

Invention help services you can trust

Our mission is to help inventions succeed, while recognising that not all of them can succeed. And many invention projects fail for reasons that were there, unrecognised or ignored, right from the start.

So we don’t pull punches. We’ll be as constructive as possible but if we think an invention idea has little realistic chance of success or is too marginal to be worth significant risk, we’ll say so. If we think it might succeed if done differently, we’ll explain.

That frankness makes us different from some invention promotion or ‘product development’ companies that encourage inventors to spend heavily on design, prototyping or marketing regardless of prospects. It’s a difference we’re proud of.

And all invention ideas are safe with us. We’re bound by confidentiality and the abettermousetrap.co.uk invention service terms and conditions.

 

Read our invention guide A Better Mousetrap

If you’re new to invention, a sensible first move is to get a crash course in its essentials – particularly what not to do. For that you can’t beat our highly readable and comprehensive invention guide A Better Mousetrap, available in either book or ebook format.

Patenting an idea – hold your horses!

Here’s one piece of quality advice for free: don’t rush to patent your idea. You may eventually need a patent but first find out what you’ll be letting yourself in for, because a patent can in some circumstances do more harm than good. Discover the pros and cons of patenting in A Better Mousetrap, on our Patenting An Idea page, and in our free download Patenting Your Invention: the Ugly Truth. In a nutshell, what you need is an intellectual property strategy tailored to your idea, and that may or may not usefully include a patent.

 

Invention services for innovation support organisations

We’re happy to help inventors indirectly, by working within existing innovation support structures: for example, by evaluating funding proposals based on inventions. For more detail see Consultancy.

So that’s us. We help inventors and invention projects, we provide invention services to anyone who needs them, and we want more business doors opening to inventors. Now, what about you and your invention..?