Frequently asked questions
A guide to Inventor Underground, its original community and the material in this collection.
Practical questions for today’s inventors
Contemporary guides for practical invention decisions. The historical site questions remain below.
How to Validate an Invention Before Building a Prototype
Validate the problem before validating your design. Identify one type of person, document recent occasions when the problem happened, and learn what they already do about it. Then test whether a specific improvement is worth changing behavior for. Use a prototype only when physical interaction or technical performance is the uncertainty you need to resolve. Compliments, patent searches and a large theoretical market do not establish demand.
Customer Interview Questions That Test an Invention’s Real Need
Ask people to describe the last time they performed the task your invention addresses. Explore the trigger, steps, workaround, consequences and purchase decisions before showing your concept. Use neutral follow-ups and request examples rather than asking whether they like your idea. Finish by checking your understanding and arranging an appropriate next step. Treat the conversation as evidence about one person's experience, not a vote for your invention.
How to Search Prior Art When You Do Not Know Patent Terminology
Describe the invention by what its parts do, then search several combinations of functions, structures and synonyms. Use relevant patent documents to discover classification codes and technical vocabulary, follow their cited references, and expand into non-patent sources. Keep a dated search log and compare specific features. A search that finds nothing is not proof of novelty, and a novelty search is not freedom-to-operate clearance.
Should You File Before Showing Your Invention Publicly?
If patent protection matters, review filing before a public demonstration, publication, crowdfunding campaign or other potentially relevant disclosure. Do not rely on a universal grace period. U.S. exceptions and foreign rules differ, and the content and circumstances of an event matter. Build a dated disclosure history and planned-release list, then have a patent practitioner assess the specific countries, invention version and deadlines.
What Should an Invention NDA Address Before You Sign?
An invention NDA should be reviewed against the actual exchange: what information is shared, who receives it, what they may use it for, and how it is handled afterward. Pay attention to exclusions, permitted recipients, duration and practical enforcement. Do not assume a generic form also transfers IP ownership or settles development rights. Use a qualified lawyer for the agreement and the relevant jurisdictions.
Who Owns an Invention Developed With a Contractor?
Do not assume that paying a contractor automatically gives you every intellectual-property right in the work. Define the deliverables, pre-existing technology, new contributions, required licenses and ownership arrangements before development begins. Keep a contribution record as the design evolves, and obtain legal review for the relevant rights and jurisdictions. Confidentiality, file possession, inventorship and ownership are separate questions.
What Should Your First Invention Prototype Actually Prove?
Your first prototype should answer the unresolved question most likely to change whether, or how, you continue. Write that question before choosing materials or hiring a builder. A shape model can test reach and size; a mechanism rig can test movement; a production-like sample can test a process. Pick the cheapest credible representation, define what result would change your decision, and record what the prototype cannot establish.
Which CAD Files Should You Send a Manufacturer?
Send the file types your chosen process and supplier require, usually a neutral solid model plus a drawing for dimensions, tolerances, material, finish, and other requirements not reliably conveyed by geometry alone. Retain the editable native CAD and check every export. A mesh such as STL may suit a printing workflow but is not a complete manufacturing specification. Identify units, revision, and which document controls if files disagree.
How to Choose a Prototype Plastic by Its Likely Failure Mode
Choose a plastic by the behavior your prototype must reproduce: stiffness, impact response, repeated flexing, sustained-load deformation, temperature exposure, or chemical contact. Then select an exact grade and manufacturing process whose data and availability suit that question. “Strongest” is not a complete specification. A material that performs well in a short tensile test can still be unsuitable for a flexible latch, a warm enclosure, or a continuously loaded clip.
How to Write a Prototype Test Plan That Produces a Decision
A prototype test plan should identify the decision, requirement, exact prototype configuration, test conditions, method, measurements, and acceptance rule before testing begins. Include stop conditions and how deviations will be recorded. Keep exploratory studies separate from pass/fail verification. The final report should preserve raw observations and explain what the result supports, what it does not support, and which design action follows.
3D Printing, CNC Machining, or Injection Molding for Your Next Build?
Choose the process that answers your current question and can meet the part's geometry, material, tolerance, and quantity needs. Printing can support rapid geometry changes; machining can provide parts from suitable stock materials; molding introduces tooling and process-specific design requirements. Compare total cost and change exposure using actual quotes. There is no universal quantity at which molding becomes the correct choice for every invention.
How to Write an RFQ That Produces Comparable Manufacturing Quotes
A manufacturing request for quotation should identify the released part revision, quantity, material, finish, critical requirements, inspection evidence, delivery needs, and supplied files. Ask suppliers to state exclusions, substitutions, setup charges, and unresolved questions. Compare quotes line by line against that scope. A lower total is not a better offer when it omits required finishing, documentation, assembly, or a meaningful acceptance process.
How to Compare Manufacturing Quotes Using Landed Cost
Normalize manufacturing quotes to the same specification, quantity, quality requirements, and delivery point. Add charges outside the quoted unit price and divide by expected sellable units, not simply ordered units. Keep one-time tooling separate from recurring charges. The lowest factory quote may cease to be the lowest practical cost once freight, inspection, rejects, packaging, and payment terms are included.
How to Fund an Invention Before Committing to Full Development
Fund the next important uncertainty first, rather than raising enough money to build an entire business around an untested assumption. Define a small technical or customer milestone, estimate its cost, and select funding whose obligations fit that stage. Keep essential personal finances outside the experiment. A patent application, prototype, or encouraging conversation does not by itself establish commercial demand.
How to Find Companies That Might License Your Invention
Build a shortlist from companies already serving the relevant customer, using compatible manufacturing and distribution, and accepting an appropriate submission route. Research fit before sending materials. A company that sells related products is a candidate, not evidence of interest. Prioritize a small number of well-matched prospects and ask for a defined evaluation step instead of broadcasting sensitive details indiscriminately.
How to Write a One-Page Invention Sell Sheet
A useful sell sheet explains one customer problem, the product's practical benefit, the evidence available, and the next evaluation step. Keep it readable without a spoken explanation. Use an accurate image or diagram and clearly label prototype status. It should help a relevant recipient decide whether to continue, not attempt to contain every technical detail, market forecast, and legal claim.
How to Plan a Small-Batch Product Launch
Use a small launch to test the complete selling and delivery system, not just whether a product page attracts orders. Limit the audience and quantity to what you can support, define success before release, and track product performance, fulfillment, refunds, and support together. Expand only after the operational and customer evidence supports a larger commitment.
How to Find the First Customers for a New Invention
Start with a narrow group experiencing the problem your product solves, then choose a practical way to reach and observe that group. Seek evidence from real use and purchasing behavior rather than broad attention. Keep the initial offer and learning goal specific. The first customers should help test product fit, delivery, and economics, not merely provide flattering comments for promotion.
What safety requirements apply before I sell my invention?
Identify the intended users, product functions and countries of sale before ordering tests. Build a requirements list with a qualified product-safety specialist, then connect each requirement to evidence for the actual production design. A supplier certificate, successful prototype demonstration or small sales quantity does not establish compliance for the finished product. Start with the relevant regulator’s guidance and resolve classification questions early.
How can I check an invention promotion company before paying?
Ask for a precise scope, total costs, required performance disclosures and independently verifiable references before paying an invention promoter. Separate the promise of commercial success from the actual work being sold. Verify patent practitioners through the appropriate official register. Refusal to provide evidence, pressure to pay immediately or guaranteed profits should stop the transaction while you investigate.
What is Inventor Underground?
Inventor Underground began in 2006 as an independent website for inventors, including people who auditioned for invention television programmes. Its purpose was to make room for more ideas than a television series could feature.
Is it part of American Inventor?
No. The original site was independent of ABC’s American Inventor. The collection includes messages from judges and community discussion about the show, but it is not a casting service.
Where can I find an invention?
Browse the gallery of 53 inventor profiles or use the invention list. Profile descriptions and patent statements reflect the contributors’ original submissions.
Can I add a new listing?
The directory currently presents the historical collection. You can read about its original format on the directory information page.
What was the podcast about?
The original podcast followed the inventors beyond the television spotlight. The written programme guide includes references to judge interviews, inventor phone calls and video features.
Where should I start if I am developing an idea?
The invention stories describe how contributors moved from an observation to a prototype. The advice section adds personal accounts and essays, while resources for inventors links to official patent information.
Contributors’ accounts and product descriptions reflect their original time.