Lessons in Invention Development - Part 2

!: Lessons in Invention Development - Part 2

The thought entered my mind that perhaps price, place, and promotion weren't the only lessons to master. But I did redesign the product, too, in search of the right equation. Still, all of my attempts had failed. I had been blinded by my own dogged perseverance, causing me to fail the most crucial lesson of all. But what could that lesson be? I strained to find the answer, but it seemed time had run out. Then it was confirmed: offers for additional financial backing from my investor, representation, and free trade shows ceased, and with them my excitement and enthusiasm. I'd all but given up and others already had. What consumed me these days was how to explain to my friends, family and readers of my resume that I had lost six figures developing "pie-in-the-sky" inventions. I became seriously discouraged and as stressed as I'd ever been. I got in the habit of bringing a bath towel to bed with me so when I awoke during most nights, drenched in a cold sweat, I would have something to dry off with. Those around me sensed disaster and distanced themselves from me. Early into the invention project I ended a long-term relationship with my girlfriend who cringed at the amount of money I was spending and constantly reminded me of it. I couldn't tolerate her incessantly nagging me. She really thought I wasn't in my right mind. Even my friends lost patience with the never-ending saga. This inventing business was exacting a heavy toll, and I couldn't decide which was worse, flange installing or my invention project-"the disease or the cure."

Haunted by the memory of all the rejections during the last year and a half, I strained to find meaning at the last tradeshow as I demonstrated the last flange tool design. I was asked the same question for the nth timeby the nth tradesman-"why do they make the flanges like that?" We agreed that the flange design was questionable, but I sensed that he didn't think my tool concepts were the solution to the problem. Then I had a flash of insight, more importantly, a renewed perspective. My attention centered on the initial design options David and I had discussed at our first meeting. One design was of a flange with a hexagonal-shaped tightening surface. This was the turning point where I realized that I had veered down the wrong path by developing the flange tool of the same shape. A new flange design would offer the Reps and wholesalers a new utility that I was sure they could sell, as it would solve the installation problem for the tradesmen, and allow them to pass on the cost to their customer. My hope was rejuvenated.

I envisioned becoming successful with the first new circulator flange in as many as fifty years. Only now a shadow loomed over it, threatening it in its infancy. My investor surprised me by saying "No more, John!" She had often exclaimed, "Your inventions are all tinker toys!" To her I had also become the boy who cried wolf. I felt this time was different, just as in the tale of the boy and the wolf. Truthfully, I think she knew it, too. She was just being firm in her opposition to spend more money, merely out of principle.

Mary had considered using her 100-acre farm as collateral against a loan to my business early on. She had been ready to bet the farm-literally-but now was far from that liberal way of thinking. I felt hopeless, knowing she had already spent the money from the sale of her house where I had made the original service call roughly a year earlier. She had stayed with me for a year and 30 failed designs, I couldn't expect anything more. I could have begged her, but I had never asked her for money - she had just always known when to contribute in this way. And what if this idea failed too? Mary was 78 then, and her best friend since college had nicknamed her "CW", short for Crazy Woman, many years earlier. Exactly why I'm not certain, but it seems she took a risk in the past, and lost, with some sort of refrigeration business, and I didn't want to give her friend more fodder. Nevertheless, I persisted in explaining the significance of this latest discovery to her from as many angles as seemed relevant. I realized the simplest solutions often are the best ones. And I had to convince her that this flange was my best one. Thankfully, I found several people in the industry to corroborate my belief that I really had invented a "winner" this time around. It was then that I knew I was right. Finally, she believed the flange was a good idea and invested even more money.

I met with David once again and revisited the sketch of the tool/flange that we had made years earlier. We modified the design to include an octagon shaped nut that could be easily gripped by an ordinary wrench. The only significant difference between the flange tool and the new flange was that the tool had a hexagonal nut. It was so simple, like a Post It NoteÒ. The prior art suggested that nobody had done this with a circulator flange before, so I applied for as many design and utility patents as my lawyer and I could think of. At that time I conjured up nearly 70 ideas for a range of flange designs.

I completed development on four of the designs in a month. It took just a few phone calls, and in an instant I was back on track. Once again the president of the local supply house offered his advice: 'Call the executive vice president of marketing at a Rep firm, Emerson-Swan, Inc., in Massachusetts and ask him what he thinks about the flange.' This firm represented a Rhode Island company, Taco, Inc., a manufacturer of "hydronic" components including circulators and flanges. Taco was the market leader in the region and their products enjoyed high brand loyalty. What I soon learned would delight and amaze me.

I called the VP, and we met two days later in the waiting room of a Mercedes dealership while his car was being serviced. He seemed very impressed with the flanges I showed him, though I had the feeling there was something he wasn't telling me-he seemed too interested. These were such simple low-tech sand castings. I sort of accepted his energy, rationalizing that it was typical to see a person's enthusiasm when they saw my inventions for the first time. But I decided to do a little digging and I am glad I did. I learned that Taco was losing money on their flanges, and were factoring that loss into the sell-price of their circulators. The negative contribution to profit stemmed from increased competition, resulting in the loss of 30% of their market share for flanges. This explained the VP's immediate enthusiasm for a new flange design.

A week had passed, and he stayed true to his word that he would arrange a meeting with Taco. I met with Taco's VP of marketing and a handful of managers at their plant. As expected, their interest level was high, and negotiations began. I was now in for an education in the art of negotiating. The pursuit of success had created immense strife in my personal life, but the pursuit of "a deal" dwarfed my earlier trials.

Negotiations weren't going the way I had naively hoped, so I decided to shop the flange around, realizing that if Taco was interested in the flanges then their competitors might be, too. They were. I discovered that they all had problems with their flanges. This seemed incredulous. It wasn't long before I was on a plane to California to meet with executives from the largest pump manufacturer in the world, Grundfos-all expenses paid. But Taco sold the greatest number of this style of threaded circulator flange in the world, over a million a year. Knowing this helped me determine the total market size, and I seriously considered supplying the market with flanges myself. I made contacts with an array of other manufacturers, Reps and potential investors. I lined up production agreements in case negotiations with the two primary companies fell through. Nonetheless, I pursued them vigorously.

The last thing Taco needed was yet another company competing against them. Therefore, they had the most to lose without my design, and the most to gain with it. They were aware that if they could regain their lost market share with a patent pending flange, a "better mousetrap", then a deal with me made a lot of sense. The fact that they produced so many flanges ensured the possibility of significant royalties for my investor and me, and I was determined to pay her back. So six months later I signed a license agreement with Taco on two flange designs, but not before asking for help one last time from the supply house president, this time with negotiations; I needed a mediator. Taco and I had reached an impasse in negotiations, but once the president agreed to mediate it took just 3 weeks to settle the deal, and the first check, ,000, was signed to my company.

Since closing the deal, Taco has replaced their old standard with my designs. The "freedom Flanges," as they've named them, are on the market, and the positive response has been nothing short of a consensus. It appears that a new standard has been created. The most often asked question is "Why didn't they do this years ago?" I wish I could collect royalties on my answer to that question. Whenever I hear that question I am reminded of an inspirational statement on a poster in my insurance agent's office: "What we can easily see is only a small percentage of what is possible. Imagination is having the vision to see what is just below the surface; to picture that which is essential, but invisible to the eye." This flange solution was a glaring example of a concept so simple that no one before me considered looking for it. The torturous route that I had taken may have been less grueling and more direct if I had given equal attention to the flange option right from the beginning. Hindsight is so clear. Is it not?

Eight months following completion of the first deal, Taco and I signed a second agreement on three valve inventions. Recently we began discussions on my latest invention ideas.

Seeking to create tools based on a flange design reminds me of the 3M Company's search for a new adhesive. When their engineer pasted a sticky substance on squares of paper, to keep his place in his church hymnal, he had created what would become the Post-It NoteÒ; as simple an idea as my flange. Another notable inventor, Norm Larson, created 39 chemical formulas to inhibit rust before his 40th proved successful: "Water displacement, 40th attempt" in other words, WD-40®. I became successful with my 30th attempt, though no comparison can be made to the 100 million dollar a year success that WD-40® has become. It seems solutions to certain problems are often discovered before they are recognized as solutions, and it can require carrying an idea through a process of elimination before the successful discovery is made. My plan wasn't to start a one-product company-one-product companies are rarely successful. Although, failing with the tools and succeeding with the flange made it apparent that the simplest designs can often be the most successful. Moreover, I knew little about the market for flanges in the beginning of my journey and didn't think I could compete with Taco's established North American distribution, even with a new flange design. Thankfully, I had come full circle with my journey and was a lot wiser for having taken the trip. With attainment of inventing wisdom my hair has begun to gray, but I no longer need that bath towel.

The invention development process doesn't have to be as difficult as it was for me. I should have done a lot more market research before spending so much money on patent applications, costly patterns and prototypes, production runs, and, generally, spinning my wheels on whimsical ideas. In a perfect world a ,000 market analysis in the beginning may have helped me choose the path of profit much sooner. I would have discovered there was far greater market potential for flanges than for flange tools. I estimate I might have saved 5,000 if I had bypassed the tool approach and gone directly with the flanges and valves, my last five inventions.

Looking back at my experiences from my present perspective as president emeritus (2000) of New Hampshire Inventors Association, I've concluded that many other inventors are going through the same kind of educational process; I see mostly failure and small successes, as most inventors will have to learn by doing and aren't prepared for what it takes to succeed. Inventors need to have an awareness of the invention development process and its pitfalls. Also, they will need to possess passion and determination and, more importantly, a marketable idea. Moreover, I know the following declaration by Thomas Edison echoes in the minds of other inventors, as it has in mine: "Had I known in advance what I was in for I would not have started!" But I did start, and I finished successfully. I pushed forth with drive and creativity I didn't know I was capable of and beat the odds. 98% of inventors fail, many of them making the same predictable mistakes that I made.

It should be noted that my invention "boot camp," and my ultimate success, would not have been possible without the ongoing faith of my investor. In exchange for her risk-taking Mary will receive a ten percent return on her total investment, plus 40% of royalties from the second license agreement. Most inventors run out of money before they succeed; I would have too if not for Mary. She was not only my Angel, but my savior during my darkest hours of seemingly imminent failure. I'm very thankful that she will be repaid.

An intangible benefit to me is that I've learned more about my capabilities and limitations through this process than through any other personal challenge. In overcoming this challenge I have found the new career path I hoped to discover. I am presently in school completing a degree in business that I started in the 80s and will continue on in engineering-I'm reinvesting my royalties. Ironically, and with any luck, I've invented products for the trade that I may never need to return to and use.

Lessons in Invention Development - Part 2

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SR503EXP TACO 3 ZONE HOT WATER HEATING SYSTEM CIRCULATOR PUMP RELAY with PRIORITY ZONE

!: Price SR503EXP TACO 3 ZONE HOT WATER HEATING SYSTEM CIRCULATOR PUMP RELAY with PRIORITY ZONE save you money!

Brand : Taco | Rate : | Price :
Post Date : Nov 01, 2011 15:27:04 | Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Taco Switching Relays combine clearly-labeled PC board layouts with advanced features that allow you to completely customize your system. And whether youre using basic priority switching, Taco Plug-In PowerPort Cards or add-on power controls, tailoring the system has never been easier. External indicator lights give you instant diagnostic feedback, making service calls or new installation start-ups a snap. All switching relays are UL listed, use standard "ice cube" replaceable relays and are compatible with conventional and programmable thermostats. For larger jobs, switching relays can be expanded up to 20 zones with priority. With the exclusive Taco PowerPort Plug-In Cards, you can easily add such features as post purge, priority protection and pump exercise. Any expandable switching relay can also interface with the Boiler Reset Control and Injection Mixing Add-On Power Controls. Mix-and-match as needed to customize the system.

• External Indicator Lights, Universal replaceability, Snap-in PC Board
• Simplified Wiring, Fully Enclosed Snap-Out Relays, 100%Factory Tested
• Contractor Friendly PC Board Layout, Universal Thermostat Compatibility, UL and CSA Approved
• Extended 3 Year Warranty, Made in the USA
• External Indicator Lights

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!: Buying Taco 007-F5 Cast Iron Circulator Pump, 1/25 HP Best Quality

Brand : Taco | Rate : | Price : $76.00
Post Date : Oct 28, 2011 16:30:33 | Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Taco 007-F5 Cast Iron Circulator Pump, 1/25 HP

• Cartridge style, single stage circulator pump
• Ideal for outdoor wood furnaces
• Quiet operation and maintenance free
• Self lubricating, no mechanical seal needed
• Compact design with a high capacity output

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Taco 007-F5 Cast Iron Circulator Pump, 1/25 HP

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Water Shortage? Hot Water Circulating Systems Save Lots of Water!

!: Water Shortage? Hot Water Circulating Systems Save Lots of Water!

If you live in an area affected by severe water shortages you should look into obtaining a hot water circulating system. Circulating systems can save tremendous amounts of water, and at the same time provide the user with it faster. Fast hot water is a convenience that once experienced, is difficult to do without. Not only that, but when you do have to run it down the drain for long periods of time to obtain it you feel exceedingly guilty about doing so...or at least I do.

There is a variety of circulating systems on the market, so we shall examine several systems to get a feel for what the differences are. There are pros and cons to every system, and by knowing what they are you can make an intelligent decision as to whether or not you would benefit from such a system, and which kind of system to purchase.

We can begin with the traditional circulating system. The traditional system, the hot pipe connects from the outlet of the water heater to the first fixture, and then loops from fixture to fixture, and finally it connects back to the inlet of the heater. There is circulating pump in the line that keeps water circulating in the piping. The pump can be placed on a time to reduce the heat loss from the system and the pumping energy during periods of little or no use.

The traditional system is very wasteful of energy, since it keeps all the hot piping hot which continuously looses heat to the environment. The heater must work a lot harder than with a non circulating system, and could end up needing replacement much sooner than normal. The system is so wasteful of energy that it can't be used in California for new residential construction. Grundfos and Taco are manufactures of traditional pumps.

A better approach is to use what is being called a "hot water demand system". It's similar to a traditional system, but it uses the cold line as the return line. A small pump is placed under the sink furthest from the heater. When the pump is turned on, it pumps water out of the heater and into the cold line. In effect, it's pumping the water in a big loop out of the heater and back into the heater. No water goes in or out of the main and nothing gets run down the drain.

When heated water reaches the pump it shuts off. Now you have instant hot water without running anything down the drain. According to Grundfos, a large international manufacturer of circulating pumps, a typical family can save up to 16,000 gallons per year with a circulating system. Demand systems do not use any more energy than a non circulating system, since they don't really circulate the water; they just pump it to the sink where it was going to go anyway. The pumps run for such a brief time that the energy usage is very small...typically less than .00 per year. With a demand system you save time, water, energy, and money.

Another type of system is kind of halfway between a traditional system and a demand system. This system uses a pump that connects between the hot and cold lines like the demand systems, but run continuously or on a timer like the traditional system. The pumps turn on at one temperature and off at a second higher temperature, keeping the piping at warm temperature range. Since the pump runs often, the cold line ends up with a lot of luke-warm water, and when you turn on the hot faucet you get warm not hot. Like the traditional system it uses a lot of energy since it keeps the piping warmer than normal for long periods of time. Laing's AutoCirc and RedyTemp are two such systems.

True demand systems are by far the most energy efficient and save the same amount of water as the traditional types of systems. Traditional systems are not usually installed in existing homes due to the extensive plumbing usually required along with the expense of operation due to the heat loss. Demand systems range in price from under 0.00 to over 0.00. In many cases the systems are eligible for rebates from the local water company. In some cases the rebate can cover the entire cost of the system.

Saving water and energy also reduces the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as a result of the pumping, treating, and distribution of drinking water. So be green and install a circulating system in your home now.

Water Shortage? Hot Water Circulating Systems Save Lots of Water!

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PEX Manifold With Spin Closed Valve for Selective Movement of Water

!: PEX Manifold With Spin Closed Valve for Selective Movement of Water

PEX manifold is a copper tube like structure with many outlets and a single inlet. Manifolds are used to divert water, gas or any fluid to different parts of the house or a building. The main line of flow is distributed to many parts as per the requirement. PEX manifold with spin closed valve is a plumbing device used for home floor heating system mostly. Its outlet size is half an inch and is compatible with the PEX pipes which are most suitable with floor heating system. It has a 3 /4 "crimp style PEX inlet.

There are different kinds of PEX manifold systems used for different purposes. The copper pipe is of one inch and is closed at one end. It can not be used in the middle of a line as the other end is closed. The water in this kind of manifold can open only in one direction. The outlets are evenly spaced out. The distance between two outlets is about two inches.

The valve of the plumbing manifold with valve spin closed is like a ball in the pipe which has a hole in the center. When the hole is aligned with the sides of the pipes the water flows and when it is turned the water flow is stopped. The valves have a handle which has to be turned physically to control the flow in the pipe. There are PEX manifold with valves with four, five and six outlets. Manifolds are also used to collect water from different areas and sent to one collection container. In case of the floor heating systems the water from different rooms get back to the boiler through a manifold.

The pipes attached to a copper spin closed manifold can be demarcated so that it becomes easier to locate any trouble or to shut down a part of the house with out troubling the rest of the area. Flow of water through individual pipes can be shut down by turning off the valve. This feature is helpful in keeping the electricity bills low and to repair any damages. The PEX pipes used for the purpose of floor heating is also a good retainer of heat which adds to the reduction of the bill. The valve system is convenient to keep the water in the adjacent pipe flowing while the one damaged can be replaced without any hassle. The adjustable claps or brackets are also available to keep the manifold in place.

PEX Manifold With Spin Closed Valve for Selective Movement of Water

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Sunterra 104506 Table Top Fountain Pump 30 GPH, Black

!: Last Minute Sunterra 104506 Table Top Fountain Pump 30 GPH, Black look to

Brand : Sunterra
Rate :
Price : $8.07
Post Date : Apr 15, 2011 17:45:18
Usually ships in 6-10 business days

Sunterra's clean water fountain pumps provide the appropriate water flow for varying fountain sizes and have a one year limited warranty. They operate efficiently for extended periods of time with no regular maintenance. These pumps should be used in clean water to avoid any interference with pump operation. The lift of the pump is important to consider when the pump is required to power a fountain, feature, stream or waterfall. The lift is the number of gallons a pump will push per hour to a specific height. This particular Fountain pump is 30 Gallons per hour and has a 1.8 foot maximum lift. It has a six foot power cord, is 120 Volts and is UL listed.

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Tankless Water Heaters Waste Water - It's a Fact!

!: Tankless Water Heaters Waste Water - It's a Fact!

Australia is suffering a terrible drought, and as a corollary they are very involved about conserving water. This is no doubt why The Australian group of the Environment, Water, heritage and the Arts conducted a series of tests to settle how much water was wasted by tankless water heaters.

A wide variety of tankless heaters were tested

They tested 8 models of gas tankless heaters ranging in capacity from 4.2 gallons per small to 8.45 gallons per minute. The heaters were various brands and some were indoor models and some were outdoor models.

The testing accomplished that tankless heaters waste water

The study accomplished that tankless water heaters waste "substantial" quantities of water. It was found that it ordinarily takes about a gallon of water passing straight through the heater for the temperature to reach within a incorporate of degrees of the set point. The time required various widely with flow rate and heater size, ranging from about 10 seconds to over a minute. That is waiting time over and above the waiting time for a tank type heater in the same piping layout.

A copy of the study can be found at the website of the Alliance for Water Efficiency in their reserved supply library.

Hot water circulating systems

Traditional circulating systems will not work with a tankless heater, but hot water quiz, pumping does work and should be used if water wastage is to be minimized.

Hot water quiz, systems are similar to the older full-time circulating systems, but they only pump adequate water to fill the pipe to the fixture with hot water, then they shut off. These systems can use whether a dedicated return line, or use the cold water line as the return. Since the pump shuts off when hot water reaches it, small if any warm water ends up in the cold water line.

With a quiz, system, the user presses a button to start the pump, and an internal temperature sensor shuts the pump off when hot water reaches it. The user can then turn on the hot water fixture and procure nearly instant hot water without having run any water down the drain.

Typically these quiz, pumps use less than about .00 in electricity per year to operate, and no more vigor is used by the water heater than if the pump wasn't installed. Some models can be purchased for less than 0. Industry of these systems comprise Chilipepper Sales, Act Metlund Systems, and Taco pump Inc.

Water wastage is behaviorally driven

The number of water you waste is a behavior driven figure, depending heavily on how the hot water is being used. For instance, if you seldom use hot water, then if you have a tank type water heater, your vigor consumption will be mainly from standby losses, and you are a best candidate for a tankless heater.

If you use hot water frequently and in large quantities your standby losses will be much smaller in relation to the total vigor consumption. But those Cases might also be the ones where you would need a tankless unit to avoid running out of hot water.

Machines don't waste hot water...Humans do

Machines don't waste water since they just take what's available at the inlet to the appliance. However, in those Cases you might prefer to have a quiz, hot water theory since the most common presume for poor dishwasher operation is too low of a water temperature. This is due to the dishwasher's small water draw, often most of which is cooled-off hot water.

When the water isn't hot adequate the soap doesn't fully dissolve, leading to complaints. Many dishwashers heat the water with a heating element if it isn't hot enough, and this is a very high-priced way to heat water if your water heater is gas.

Hot water quiz, systems are green products

If you have long pipe runs and a tank type heater, then you are already probably wasting a lot of hot water. A tankless heater makes it that much worse. In whether Case adding a hot water quiz, theory reduces your water wastage, and that is good for you and for the environment.

Tankless Water Heaters Waste Water - It's a Fact!

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