ideaAPP Could Be A Game Changer For Inventors

Myra Per-Lee — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 21:12:22 -0700

If I were to tell you that you can get a complete, worldwide patent search conducted on your invention idea for $9.99, you would think I just swallowed a whole lot of advertising bull. I thought it was too good to be true too, so I went to the source, the company that owns and offers the ideaAPP for Apple and PC products, and asked the founder an irritating amount of questions. He answered.

Two Inventions Get FTC Prize To STOP Robocalls!

Myra Per-Lee — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:15:59 -0700

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) may not receive many robocalls, but it gets more than 200,000 complaints about the buggers every month. It finally decided last fall to issue a challenge to the public to see who could come up with a way to stop the marketing calls before they reach your ringer. The Robocall Challenge winners, announced April 2, 2013, were not the most inventive invectives, but the most likely-to-be-effective technologies invented separately by software developer Aaron Foss and computer engineer Serdar Danis.

Calling All Inventors! Casting Call For Season 3, INVENTION USA!

Myra Per-Lee — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 11:01:46 -0800

Last night was the premiere of Season 2 of The History Channel's inventor show, Invention USA. No sooner did the season begin, that casting calls for Season 3 of the hit series get on the road too. So now inventors have another chance to strut their stuff before the casting directors and the show's hosts, Reichart Von Wolfsheild and Scotty Ziegler.

2010 Ig Nobel Prizes To 10 Strange & Funny Scientific Studies

Myra Per-Lee — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 13:12:00 -0700

Read this, if you want to die laughing...

Celebrating its 20th anniversary of Ig Nobel Awards on September 30 at Harvard University, Improbable Research granted 10 Ig Awards to some of the most hilarious scientific studies you will ever hear about. They are laughable, but then they make you think, which is the main objective of the Ig Nobels. So, laugh and then think as you read about these winning discoveries.

Eat And Flush: New Stomach Pump Means No More Dieting For Some

Myra Per-Lee — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 09:15:00 -0800

Under the heading 'Be careful what you wish for,' the inventor of the take-a-walk-on-wheels motorized Segway, Dean Kamen, has applied for a patent for a pump that removes a portion of the food you've just eaten from your stomach. Partners in this patent are members of a company called Aspire Bariatrics. Here's a brief description of how the stomach sucker works....

8 Really Wacky Inventions From Time Magazine's 50 Worst

Myra Per-Lee — Sun, 30 May 2010 19:15:44 -0700

Time Magazine just published its list of the 50 Worst Inventions. Some of these inventions are really old, like the crinoline and tanning beds. Others aren't even around any more, like the Ford Pinto and the Pontiac Aztek. And many, like Agent Orange, plastic shopping bags, and DDT, historically really called for a more timely worst inventions list. But some of Time's 50 Worst Inventions are worth a look just for being so darned ... wacky!

How to Come Up With A Great Product Idea

Myra Per-Lee — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 19:00:00 -0700

Nukkles

Ever wonder how inventors come up with those great ideas?

Myra Per-Lee developed, manufactured, and marketed about a dozen products in a ten year period, most on her own with very little start-up capital. The most successful of her inventions, massage tools for adults, animals and infants, known as Nukkles®, Nuzzles®, and Snukkles®, is still going strong after eight years on the market. Myra lets us in on the secret of how to come up with our own ideas.

Here's her article:

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One day in 1990, as I was changing clothes after work, I noticed some scuff marks on the right heel of my new shoes. Miffed, as I couldn't recall rubbing them against anything, I got out my shoe polish and tried to cover up the marks on the shoe. While I was at it, I thought I'd check my closet for any other shoes that needed polishing. Funny thing, most every pair of shoes I owned showed the same pattern of wear on the right heel. read more »

Great Product Idea? What to do Next.

Myra Per-Lee — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 07:40:56 -0800

Did you just come up with a great idea? What do you do next?

Here's her article:

* * * * * * * * * * *

When you get a brilliant idea for a new product, don't you wish you could just write it down and drop it into Wal-Mart's suggestion box and, then in a week, receive a big fat check? Boy, I do! read more »

The 11 Best Toys Of 2011: Toy Industry Awards

Myra Per-Lee — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 14:43:16 -0800

If you want to check out 2011's hottest toys, look no further. The 11th annual Toy Of The Year Awards (TOTYs) were presented last night at a shindig marking the 108th American International Toy Fair, which opens today in NYC. The TOTY, for those of you who are superstitious, not only celebrates its 11th year anniversary in 2011, but it awarded 11 prizes in 11 different categories, plus the overall best toy that received the Toy Of The Year award.

THE 11 Best Toys of 2008: Toy Industry Awards

Myra Per-Lee — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:13:04 -0800

The toy industry held its 105^th annual Toy Fair this week in New York City. At the opening ceremonies, The Toy Industry Association (TIA) announced the winners of 2008's, T.O.T.Y's, Toy Of The Year awards. Like the Oscars, the T.O.T.Y's are awarded to toys debuting in the prior year. Twelve T.O.T.Y.'s were awarded in eleven categories, like Best Outdoor Toy, Best Educational Toy, Game of the Year, Most Innovative Toy, Best Boy Toy, and of course, the Best Toy Of The Year!

Edison 2009 Best New Product Awards: Finalists Selected!

Myra Per-Lee — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:47:05 -0800

On this day, 162 years to the date that Thomas Edison was born, the finalists of the Edison Best New Product Awards™ were announced. The Edison Awards are among the most elite acknowledgments of excellence in new product development and in services that are technologically innovative, successful in the marketplace, and have societal impact.

11 Brilliant Inventions From Popular Science's Best of What's New 2008

Myra Per-Lee — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:56:57 -0800

Popular Science has announced its Best of What's New awards for 2008; they are all brilliant inventions, but some are phenomenal! There were 11 categories of best invention awards ranging across a wide spectrum of technology, from automobile to security technologies. One of the 11 winners was named the Grand Award Winner... see if you can guess which one!

Reactive Lighting Brings Safety, Efficiency, And The WOW Factor To Your Stairs

Myra Per-Lee — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:45:59 -0800

Traditional staircase lighting fails to impress functionally. Even when lit with a fancy chandelier from an arched ceiling, which basement and attic stairs seldom deserve, the light cast may not be the safest. But the Web's famous gadget hacker from Manitoba, Canada, Alan Parekh, has developed a complete kit for safe, energy-efficient, and versatile LED stair lighting that can express your individual style as well.

Branding Vegetables So Kids Will Eat Them

Myra Per-Lee — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 03:00:59 -0700

Would George H. W. Bush have liked broccoli if his mother referred to it as "Power Bunch Broccoli" instead of just plain (hold your nose) broccoli? Research from Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab says he would.

Is Beer Power The Next Alternative Energy Solution?

Myra Per-Lee — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:14:00 -0700

Can you imagine filling your car up at a local brewery, pouring beer into your gas tank, and driving around town? No doubt the air would be less toxic in your town, and how nice everything would smell. Every time you filled up you could bring a nice cold glass for yourself, of course....

The First Teen Idol That's An Inventor, Not A Rock Star

Myra Per-Lee — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 15:49:35 -0700

He's not a TV or rock star; he's an inventor, a teenage inventor, and that is why Cambio, the website that connects fans to celebrities, thinks he's hot. He's the very first Real Teen Idol chosen by Cambio in its new focus on teens that are regular kids who do spectacular things that inspire other teens to do spectacular things.

Correct Your Own Posture & Reduce Pain With PostureNOW Invention

Myra Per-Lee — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:00:59 -0700

... Computer users know more than anyone that bad posture causes pain. If it works to improve our posture 'permanently,' as it claims, PostureNOW seems to be just what we need.

Entrepreneur Creates "Kinko's For Inventors!"

Myra Per-Lee — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 08:20:01 -0700

Most inventors dream of licensing their inventions to big companies and then sitting back and collecting their royalties. But for entrepreneurial inventors, the invention or idea is but a part of a large business plan. Maybe Jim Newton, founder of Tech Shop, didn't have a grand business plan when he started his own dream shop just a year ago, but he sure does now!

Read about what Jim Newton has created and about how he approaches his inventions... read more »

New Forensics Tool May Re-Open Many Cold Cases: CERA

Myra Per-Lee — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 07:30:59 -0800

Prior to now, it has been almost impossible to track latent prints from discharged cartridge cases. But a new invention in the field of forensics technology was unveiled last week that will send uncaptured criminals scrambling, for it has the technology to reveal fingerprints on spent bullet cartridges.

5 New Year's Resolutions Every Inventor & Product Developer Should Make

Myra Per-Lee — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 01:00:59 -0800

Nearly everyone has at least a dozen earth-shattering inventions up their sleeve. At least that's what they believe. But most who want to run with their ideas and make them profitable end up wasting a lot of time, especially as novices, on ideas that are already on the market or that few others want. It's important to work smart and fast as product developers so your focus is on the new, the needed, and the profitable. Here are five New Year's Resolutions that will boost your efforts and your results.

10 Ig Nobel Prizes For 2012: Recognition Of Funny, Obscure Research

Myra Per-Lee — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 01:00:59 -0700

You gotta love the Russian company SKN for converting old Russian ammunitions into diamonds, and didn't you always want to know how many steps you'd have to take to create the inevitable splash of coffee on your carpet? But the SpeechJammer in 2012? A machine that delays speech and makes one stutter is decades old, and it actually has the practical application of helping stutterers speak without stuttering.

Mobilegs: Superior Crutches For The 21st Century

Myra Per-Lee — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:00:59 -0800

What? Cool, ergonomic, sustainable, and comfortable? Could they be crutches?

Best New Products of 2010: The 17 Edison 2010 Gold Awards

Myra Per-Lee — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:59:44 -0700

There were more gold, silver, and bronze honors awarded at the Edison Best New Product Awards than ever before. It must have been tough for the judges, who included Thomas A's own grand niece, Sarah Miller Caldicot, to decide on which new products would receive the Gold Awards, but they did - in 15 product categories. In addition, the committee awarded two Golds in a 16th category: The Green Awards.

3 Steps To Maximize Your Press Release Placement

Myra Per-Lee — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:02:13 -0700

Like the poor soul who’s all dressed up with nowhere to go, a good press release doesn't want to sit on your desk.

Though your press release must blare "This is a great story!" its true success is determined by who pays attention to it, who prints it, and who decides to follow up and write a story about your new product or business. read more »

What You Need And Don't Need In A Patent Attorney

Myra Per-Lee — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Don't Worry, There's A Big Net Down ThereWould you jump blindfolded from a building because an ad-man tells you there will be a safety net below to catch your fall?

Perhaps this is too dramatic a scenario to demonstrate the importance of doing your own research before making any decisions. But so many of us make business decisions based on an advertisement or on the advice of a friend who’s had some personal dealings in the area. That information may be useful to you, but it should only be part of the big picture that is your own thorough research on the subject! read more »

Be Like Sherlock in Your Patent Search

Myra Per-Lee — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 03:45:59 -0800

SherlockIf you dread the idea of doing a patent search, playing the detective extraordinaire might prove a resourceful and fun persona for the task. Always looking for new ways to approach life’s drudge, Myra Per-Lee offers some advice on attacking the preliminary patent search. read more »

To Market, To Market: How Do Inventors Go? (Part 1)

Myra Per-Lee — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Sometimes inventors are so excited when another person or a company is interested in their invention that they jump at the first opportunity that is offered to them. This can lead to later regrets, and I write from experience.

Who has your best interests at heart? Who wants your product to sell millions? Who knows your product best? If the answer is you, then you need to plan your best path to success with your invention. read more »

Don't Let Saggy Pants Drag You Down: Get Subs™ Control

Myra Per-Lee — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:15:59 -0800

One inventor, Andrew Lewis of Harlem, has come up with a way to keep the eyesore saggies above the butt. It was a trend many of us hoped would go away, but it has actually caught 'on fire' in urban neighborhoods. Saggy pants. The fat workman's 'crack,' so often hyperbolized as the height of grossness, is now considered fashion among school kids and even those in their twenties!

A Gel That Cushions Falls Can Also Stop Bullets: d3o™

Myra Per-Lee — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:39:31 -0800

A gooey gel that hardens on impact enough to protect the knees and elbows of motorcycle racers, the thighs and butts of horseback riders, and the toes of ballerinas, has been chosen by the British Ministry of Defence to protect its combat troops from bullets.

Calling All Inventors! Popular Science Wants Your World-Changing Inventions For 2013 Awards

Myra Per-Lee — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 11:30:59 -0800

You'd best hurry. You don't have much time to get your world-changing invention to Popular Science reviewers for the 2013 'Garage' Invention Awards....