Inventions are only the first step

Omar Amirdash hopes his ingenuity will make him a rich man.

The entrepreneur says he disregarded his early flashes of imagination until financial problems forced him to take notice. Now he sees unlimited potential in the product of his vision: the Backbeeper.

He examined workplace safety and saw back injuries persist despite training and the use of back belts, he said. Many injuries were caused by people lifting with their back muscles instead of their legs, and he created a device to let people know the difference. The Backbeeper is a patented product that clips on a person's upper body to do just that.

The device, which is small enough to fit behind a name badge, beeps if an individual is leaning over too far, endangering the back.

Amirdash said he established his business in Las Vegas to begin marketing the the Backbeeper, and he is excited about its prospects.

"I would be amazed if a CEO could look me in the eye and tell me he didn't need (the device)," he said.

With a patent in hand and a background as an entrepreneur, Amirdash may be in good position to introduce the world to the Backbeeper.

But experts say most others are not prepared for the challenges of establishing themselves as inventors.

Local inventors say that although some Nevadans have made it big, the path from an idea to the first $1 million is dotted with pitfalls.

Don Costar, secretary-treasurer for the Nevada Inventors Association, said the biggest difficulty for most inventors is simply not knowing what to do.

"On Friday they're an ordinary citizen, and on Monday they're an inventor," he said.

Costar, who founded the association more than 10 years ago, said he is prepared to explain the basics via a letter to those who request help in getting started.

He also recommends two books, "The Investors Digest" and "Patent It Yourself," which Costar calls "the first decent investment an inventor should make."

"Those are the two (resource books) I recommend right up front," he said, adding, "a guy will never learn to drive if he hires a chauffeur."

Costar says inventors need not go it alone. They should begin by protecting their inventions with a patent, and he advises first-time inventors hire a patent attorney to help them along the way.

Experts say a patent search may be the most important step in the whole process. A patent attorney can do a search more efficiently than most individuals.

Philip Anderson, a patent attorney with the firm Quirk and Tratos, said it's a real risk not to have a patent search done. Investigators who specialize in the process can find patents a lay person might overlook.

Anderson also said the patent application can take up to two years, making it difficult for novices.

The application involves a series of "claims" that define the scope of an inventor's rights. If these claims are not completed properly, the application may be rejected or the invention may not be fully protected, he explained.

Inventors can begin by applying for a provisional patent, giving them the right to use the term "patent pending." The provisional patent need not contain all of the claims, and it must be replaced by a full patent within one year, Anderson said.

The cost of obtaining a patent includes a $395 filing fee due upon application and a $660 issue fee due when the patent is received.

In addition, legal fees and the cost of producing the required detailed drawings may drive up the price of a patent.

Penny Ballou of Las Vegas is trying to help local inventors help themselves by establishing a local inventors' organization. The Nevada Inventors Association is based in Northern Nevada.

The Southern Nevada organization has not materialized, she explained, because of a lack of commitment. Although many people have contacted her, most have not been willing to put in the time.

Nonetheless, Ballou, who has dabbled in inventing but considers herself more of an administrator, remains committed to helping individual inventors work through the patent process.

The process is technical and esoteric, she says, but argues that most people can learn it if they are given a little guidance.

Ballou advocates the use of patent attorneys for those who can handle the expense, but she is skeptical of submission companies that promise inventors a wide-range of services for a price.

Costar is also critical of these companies, explaining in most cases "they walk on the razor's edge," referring to the questionable legality of their practices.

Some companies will work with inventors to obtain patents, but most focus primarily on marketing new products.

Claims against submission companies include everything from stealing ideas from inventors to charging high prices for virtually no service.

But this is not true in all cases. Las Vegas inventor Dirk Wood is pleased with his representation by Florida-based Invention Technologies Inc.

Wood, a native Las Vegan and a plumber, invented the Rain Brain to help Southern Nevada cope with water shortages. His device, aimed primarily at residential properties, senses soil moisture and responds by turning off the sprinkler system when the appropriate level is met.

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