How to Invent a Baby Toy Product

If you are wondering how to invent a new baby toy product, but worry that it will take too much time, be too difficult, or cost too much money, there are ways to reduce these concerns. However, at the same time, new product development is something that is uncertain. It is quite a risk, much like everything in business. No company or invention can guarantee success. So when you are thinking about how to invent a new baby toy product, there are plenty of factors to consider.

For one, companies continue to be more innovative. Therefore, there are people coming up with new invention ideas every day and making prototypes as you think about how to invent your idea. That is why it is important to do research and make sure your invention idea is not already on the market. Even if there is a product like the one you came up with, there is always a demand for new or improved products from corporations or individuals with new product ideas.  These products should either solve a problem or improve something and be able to fit in with a certain company’s product line.

For example, if you are thinking about inventing a new baby toy product, one of the most successful products to recently come out is My Pal Scout from LeapFrog. This interactive plush toy connects to the internet so parents can customize it for their child. Parents can download songs to the toy from LeapFrog’s online library and they can input their child’s name and favorite color for a more personalized play experience. The iPad also has many apps like HappiTaps from Infantino LLC. It includes different games and sing-alongs for interactivity.

Another top baby toy of 2012 was the Alphaberry, which could be considered the baby version of Mom’s Blackberry.  All the baby has to do is press a letter to hear it repeated and see it on the digital screen (which changes to blue, orange and red when you scroll the color wheel). The Alphaberry also plays the ABC song in versions including country, blues and rock 'n' roll.  Babies are huge fans of anything that lights up and makes noise, so it’s no wonder that this invention is a hit.

When figuring out how to invent your baby toy product, you may face some obstacles along the way. This can cause you to lose time, energy and money in trying to get off the ground with a product, especially if you do not know how to invent on your own.  If you face any obstacles or are having a hard time inventing a product alone, keep in mind that there are inventing companies that can help.  One of the biggest obstacles most inventors must overcome when pursuing an idea, is being willing to trust someone with their idea.  Make sure to do your research and choose an inventing company that has experience with developing products and getting them on store shelves.  Also make sure that the company will sign a Confidentiality Agreement to ensure that your idea is safe.

Davison Employees are Regular Attendees at Trade Shows

In a continued effort to get that Davison “D’ on store shelves, employees from the company’s Licensing Team and Business Development Team often attend large trade shows around the country.

“The goal each time we attend shows is to continue to advance exposure for our clients and their ideas,” said the President of Business Development.  Davison does this by using the trade shows as a way to meet with existing companies that they have presented products to, meet with new prospective companies they want to present products to, network with REP groups and take part in buyer meetings and discussions.  In addition to meeting with lots of companies, Davison also uses its time at trade shows to plan follow-up meetings at Inventionland and other facilities.

Most recently Davison’s President and Vice President of Business Development attended the 67^th National Hardware Show in Las Vegas.  According to them, there were two key exhibits at the show, Drillcraft and On the Edge Marketing, that displayed Davison designs.  Those two were certainly not the only ones interested in Davison though.  The company’s President and VP also met and mingled with the following retailers at the show: The Fulham Group, Ontel Products, Zibra, Dynamic Paint Products, Century Drill Tools, Drillcraft Tools, Trillium Worldwide, JGR Copa, Camp Chef, Nothern International, Mac Sports, On the Edge Marketing, Char Broil, Wild Sports, Len Fest Media and Metro Designs.  

“[Our VP] actually followed up with a company tour of On the Edge Marketing’s facility while on a trip to a buyer meeting with Petco,” said our President.

The end result of all of these meetings?

“Davison is committed to improving the method from idea to store shelf, so that Davison clients have the best opportunity for exposure when it comes to getting noticed. Davison is slowly, but surely, strengthening the road from idea to store shelf, refining the stages that are critical in getting noticed,” he said. “These meetings have allowed us to continue to shore-up the hardware and lawn and garden categories, which will benefit our clients tremendously.”

While Davison regularly attends trade shows in a number of industries, it does not promise that any particular client product will be, or is likely to be, presented or discussed at a trade show.

The BikeBoard Featured on Lifetime TV’s “The Balancing Act”

An episode of Lifetime TV’s “The Balancing Act,” which originally aired the day after last Thanksgiving, featured an appearance by George Davison in the segment, “Dare to Invent.” The founder of Davison told the story of the development of the BikeBoard, an idea created by Davison client John Iavarone, and explained the Davison “Better Way to Invent” process. He also provided the opportunity for the company’s followers to win a $100 Toys R Us gift card through Davison’s Facebook page. 

John Iavarone was inspired by his children when he came up with the idea of marrying a bike, a skateboard, and a surfboard into one product. His children loved the Razor scooter, and while John was happy to encourage their activities, he was concerned that the scooter itself wasn’t safe. He wanted to create a scooter that was more stable, and had the maneuverability of surfing. After watching his kids fall and hurt themselves, he gave the idea more thought until he was ready to bring it to Davison.

Davison’s team took the idea and developed it further, thinking to join the front end of a bike with the back end of a skateboard to enhance maneuverability and stability. They attempted to create a scooter product that would be appealing to kids and teens while still being affordable to build and easy for companies to add to their product lines. 

The team at Davison worked on the prototype, perfecting a model that worked beautifully—except for the fact that it was impossible to ship. A separate issue with the handle bars in the prototype drove the team to go back to the drawing board and re-work the idea. They worked out a new model that included a change to the handlebars for greater safety, an alteration of the size of the board, and a sleeker frame, to make the product easier to ship. Inspired by another project they were working on, the team created a range of the BikeBoards, making them accessible to everyone from young children to adults. 

The product came into an incredible surge of luck when Kraft foods wanted to feature its design on their Macaroni & Cheese boxes and Capri Sun pouches, including the image of the product in a national ad. Then the BikeBoard went on to receive an Industrial Design Society of America award, firmly cementing it in American design history. The BikeBoard has sold through Dunham’s Sports, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and F.A.O. Schwarz, among other retailers, and was featured on the CBS Early Show and even appeared on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover—Home Edition.”

The episode of “The Balancing Act” featuring George Davison in the segment, “Dare to Invent,” can be found at http://www.thebalancingact.com/story/?id=4023 . The original Dare to Invent webisode can be found at http://www.davison.com/webisodes/bikeboard.html

 

A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.

Getting a Patent on Your Own

When someone has an idea for a new invention and they want to pursue it, there are two basic routes they can take.  They can turn to an inventing company to help them create, prepare and present their ideas to corporations, manufacturers and retailers in an effort to get it licensed on store shelves, or they can try to do it on their own.  In some cases inventing a product on your own can be cheaper, but in order to do so successfully, you must know what you are doing.

If you are currently in the process of inventing a product on your own, it is important to do as much research as possible.  There are certain areas of the process that may be more confusing than others, and one wrong move could end up costing you a lot of extra time, effort and money.  

Getting a patent on your own is one of those areas.  One of the most important things to consider before even thinking of getting a patent on your own is whether the timing is right.  Many inventors think that getting their idea patented immediately is the right thing to do.  However, corporations with lots of experience will tell you that may not be the correct approach.  

Smart inventors and most reputable inventing companies will tell you that patenting often comes near the end of their inventing process.  Once you have come up with an idea, checked for other patents that are similar to your idea, talked confidentially to manufacturers about what they are looking for, created a working prototype and talked to manufacturers some more, then it may be time to consider a patent.  It is crucial to improve your concept and make sure it’s as good as you can make it before even thinking of trying to get it patented.  

Before you begin the application process, it is a good idea to do a patent search.  You can begin this online, but you may also want to take a trip to a Patent and Trademark Depository Library. This research will help you navigate your way through the application process and help you come to an agreement with the patent examiner.

Next begins the one to two year process, where the patent application will shuffle between the applicant and the patent examiner until an agreement is made as to what aspects of an invention the patent will cover, if any. Following the agreement, the Patent and Trademark Office will publish a description of the patent in the Official Gazette, which gives others a chance to object to the patent. If no one objects, the applicant then has to pay a required insurance fee and the PTO gives the applicant the patent deed. If a patent is issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, upon approval of the application, it will grant the inventor a monopoly on the product for 14 to 20 years.

What is included in a patent application? The US Patent and Trademark Office can provide you with the specifics, but typically the application includes a Patent Application Declaration, which is simply a statement that the information provided is true, an Information Disclosure Statement, explaining why the invention is different from all similar developments and a patent specification, which is a detailed description of the invention, as well as how you would build and use the invention. This should be accompanied by drawings to help fully explain the details and specifications. There should also be a description of all aspects of the invention you would like to have covered by the patent. And finally, you must submit your application with a filing fee.  In some cases, you can ask for a reduction in rate.

The patenting process can be expensive, time-consuming and stressful.  Before jumping into it, it is important to understand when and how to do it so that when the time comes, it will go as smoothly as possible.    

Do you have an invention idea?  Click here to confidentially submit your idea.

Davison-Designed Products Sold by Walgreens

As time goes on, Davison continues to add to its list of retailers at a rapid rate.  In August of 2011, Ross and Shop NBC were added to the list, bringing the total count of different stores that have carried Davison-designed products and packaging solutions to 1,000.  

“It started with an idea to get an invention to the stores one day,” said founder and CEO George Davison.  “The light at the end of the tunnel was so far away, I didn’t know if we’d ever reach it.   We climbed that hill, and we’re smashing through 1,000 stores today!”

One of the retail outlets that have sold multiple Davison-designed products is Walgreens. The Walgreen Co. was founded in 1901, in Chicago, Illinois. As of January 31^st, 2012 there are over 8,300 Walgreens locations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Guam.  With over 176,000 employees as of 2012 and annual revenue of over $71.63 billion, Walgreens is a huge provider for medicines, beauty supplies, and a variety of products.

Walgreens claims credit for its introduction of the malted milkshake in 1922, which coincided with the invention of the first electric blender that same year. Originally connected to local groceries, Walgreens began to introduce its business model of a freestanding pharmacy and basic goods store in 2009, modeling them after the “corner drugstores” of the past and including conveniences such as drive-through prescription filling.

One of Davison’s products, the Hot/Cold Therapy Braces for Wrists has been sold at Walgreens.  The product answers the needs of many who suffer from carpel tunnel syndrome and wrist injuries, and who had no convenient way to apply heat and cold to their aching wrists. The Hot/Cold Therapy Brace for Wrists offers a full 360 degrees of therapy and joint support; the brace wraps around the entire wrist, making it much easier to wear during regular activities. Where other hot/cold packs were one-size solutions to the need for therapy, the brace offers the user the ability to wear the therapy item on the wrist instead of dealing with tape or ties.

The innovative gel system built into the brace can be frozen for cold therapy or heated in the microwave. Because the brace is reversible, it can be used on either the right or left wrist and the special hook and loop fasteners make it easy to attach. 

Another Davison-designed product which has been sold at Walgreens is the TRU-ICE, a reusable ice pack system developed as an alternative to existing messy and inefficient methods of applying cold therapy to injuries. While there were existing products such as freezeable gel packs and ice packs available on the market, the TRU-ICE differs from these in that it provides complete ice massage therapy in five to seven minutes. The product is durable and leak-proof and designed to provide targeted cold therapy to reduce pain and swelling.

The unit’s design makes it easy to hold, and easy to maintain the ice on the injury in question, whether it’s a strain, sprain, arthritis, or tendonitis, even after the ice starts to melt. Because it can be used over and over again, it is more cost-effective than ice packs, and its easy positioning makes it an improvement over gel packs, which can be unwieldy. The exterior of the product, made of stout plastic, makes it so that the user’s hand doesn’t suffer from the cold being applied to the body. It is compact, which allows the user to apply as much pressure as is needed with easy control, to get the cold massage impact they desire.

“I find it extremely rewarding to be able to help the everyday ‘idea person’ bring their idea for a new product to life, and then hear their reaction after they actually see it in packaging and on the store shelf,” said Mr. Davison. “There’s nothing more exciting.”

A typical project is not licensed, sold in stores or profitable.