Enhance Innovations: Ideation, Design and Licensing for Inventors

With walls covered in brainstorm whiteboards and a 3D printer constantly humming as it churns out parts for the next new prototype, you’ll find the “Invention Lab” of Enhance Innovations a flurry of innovative activity. If you are an invention nerd a trip to Enhance Innovations is an opportunity to really geek-out.

“The DNA of our company is all about enabling innovation,” said Trevor Lambert, founder and CEO of Enhance Innovations, a product design firm that has quietly been churning out many hit products that inventors are sure to recognize. “In collaboration with our clients, we enthusiastically tackle new design challenges with vigorous creativity. Whether it’s a startup looking to launch a new product line or an inventor with one invention concept, our mission is to offer smart, impactful solutions to our customers’ needs.”

For me, the real interesting piece of what Enhance does is their work with concepts. Many times inventors will come to me with more than an idea but less than an invention, which can be a real valley of death for inventors to navigate. So many good ideas get trapped in the uncomfortable space between something more than an idea and something less than a full-blown tangible invention. For those inventors facing that dilemma Enhance Innovations can help, particularly if you are an inventor or entrepreneur looking to license your invention. They have tailored a service aptly named Design for LicensingSM, which is Enhance’s service for inventors specifically seeking to earn royalties rather than taking a product to market themselves.

“There’s a common misconception that inventors have when they have a great new product idea,” cautioned Lambert. “Many think they can simply march into a company and get paid for their rough concept on a napkin sketch. In reality, that doesn’t happen. It needs to be developed before it’s given any real consideration… because companies are looking for a product, not a project.”

[[Advertisement]]

However, transforming that great new invention idea into a presentable product can be a daunting task for most independent inventors. It draws from a wide variety of skill sets; from design, engineering and manufacturing to the legal aspects of intellectual property protection, marketing and licensing. This is why it is best for inventors to choose a strong team with diversified talents if you plan on bringing your invention to market through licensing.

One critical component of that team is product design. “A well-designed product provides inventors with the visuals necessary to tell the story and attract initial interest from a licensee that can then lead to deal-making conversations. Consequently, it’s a worthwhile investment that should not be skipped,” said Lambert.

To describe their process at Enhance Innovations in detail, Trevor provided the following infographic which highlights the various steps that seeks to bring product solutions downstream to licensing.

“I’ve seen mediocre ideas executed well that end up hitting the market, and great ideas executed poorly that are doomed to fail,” cautioned Lambert. “That’s why Design for LicensingSM employs an iterative process of stages with a constant feedback loop with our client. This way, we can be sure the product we develop meets the needs of the user and embodies the solution our client envisioned. Further, we constructed the steps so that each component benefits and supports later efforts, thus maximizing efficiency and cost-effectiveness.”

Lately, Enhance Innovations has been rolling out new products in a number of categories, such as housewares, pet, and as seen on TV. From the True Touch pet deshedding glove to the Hover Cover magnetic microwave splatter guard, or the all new Clever Tongs, Enhance’s design process is netting some innovative results that are turning into big hits on the market. In an effort to further explain their design process, Trevor has offered us an exclusive look behind the curtain to see how some of these products were developed in each of the stages.

As can be expected though, before the deep dive into the creative components of design, the first step of their process is “Discover.” This primarily involves research into existing patents and prior art to determine novelty as well as user feedback to get an early reading on customer demand. “Upon inventing something new, every inventor should ask themselves two important questions,” said Lambert. “Is my core invention unique and would customers want to buy it? Only if those two answers are ‘yes’ do I advise an inventor to move on into the next steps of design.”

From that point, inventors move into the “Develop” stage which is broken down into several main sub-components. The first is ideation, where the design team takes the client’s invention and explores various ways it could be executed through numerous rounds of brainstorming and concept sketching. The goal is to identify the best embodiment when considering various elements that lead to successful products, such as functionality, form, ergonomics and manufacturing feasibility. Often times this exploration leads to key improvements on the original idea or even whole new inventions that were unforeseen by the client.

“During ideation we seek to give the client three main things: what they want, what they need and something they didn’t expect,” said Tom Grimm, the lead product designer at Enhance Innovations. Tom has over 30 years of experience in product design including several years as a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. “We don’t approach an invention just as it is, but more so what it could be. Sound design thinking explores the full spectrum of the concept, from mild to wild, and only through that exploration can we unlock its full potential for our clients.”

Below is the result of a typical ideation session with numerous concept sketches exploring an invention that eventually became the Clever Tongs.

After ideation, the next step in the “Develop” stage is the creation of 3D CAD and photorealistic renderings to allow visualization of the product for presentations. Additionally, the CAD files can produce as output line drawings for the various patent figures and also establish the basis for manufacturing surfaces. Enhance Innovations utilizes the industry standard software, Solidworks, and makes it a point to provide the native CAD files to their clients upon completion of a project. “Oftentimes, design firms will withhold the CAD files so if there is further work necessary the client has to continue to go back, thus creating more billable hours for the firm. For us, it’s all about offering our clients intrinsic value, and withholding those native files would be contrary to our core philosophy,” expressed Lambert.

Once the product’s visuals are complete, the final portion of the “Develop” stage is graphics and branding. In this component, Enhance Innovations develops the logo and seeks to highlight the features through a multi-slide presentation used to either attract a licensee or secure investors. The presentation typically highlights the unique selling proposition, features and benefits, as well as any other important points that differentiate the product, make it unique or give it a competitive advantage over existing products.

The next stage inventors move into is called “Defend”, which can be done with the inventor’s own patent attorney/agent or one referred to by Enhance Innovations. “In this age of ‘first-inventor-to-file,’ plus with companies understandably not wanting to sign nondisclosure agreements, we won’t represent inventors for licensing unless they at least have a provisional patent application filed,” acknowledged Lambert. “The provisional is a powerful tool since it allows inventors and entrepreneurs the ability to assess the market and perfect their invention before filing the more expensive utility patent. Plus since it effectively extends patent coverage an extra year, it’s almost always the right strategy for our clients.”

[[Advertisement]]

Lastly, Enhance’s Design for LicensingSM process moves into the marketing and business development stage, commonly referred to as “Deliver.” The sole focus of this stage is to connect the client to a company that would manufacture, distribute and sell the product in exchange for royalties for the inventor. This typically involves market research to identify strong potential companies, networking with existing contacts, forging new relationships, and trade show attendance. “What we are looking for are companies with a strong brand and broad distribution, so that they are well-positioned to sell our clients’ products in large volume,” stated Lambert. “Conversely, we are looking for companies wherein our clients’ product is truly complementary to their brand and current assortment. That synergy is what makes for a powerful licensing deal that can be mutually-beneficial for many years.”

Enhance Innovations has been a long-time sponsor of IPWatchdog.com. As a sponsor it might be easy for readers to think I’m obligated to say nice things, but that simply isn’t the case. Many years ago I was frustrated when we attempted to serve Google Ads. Too many sketchy companies without any real track record would appear. I reached out to Trevor Lambert, who I knew through his affiliation with the United Inventors Association and work with independent inventors. It is hard to believe, but that was over 10 years ago. We gained a partner I knew I could refer readers to without reservation, and I’ve been recommending Enhance to readers and clients ever since.

Trevor is one of the good guys. While the decision about who you work with is a personal one, if you have an invention that could use some design assistance consider contacting Enhance Innovations for a 100% Confidential, no obligation consultation.

 

Share

Warning & Disclaimer: The pages, articles and comments on IPWatchdog.com do not constitute legal advice, nor do they create any attorney-client relationship. The articles published express the personal opinion and views of the author as of the time of publication and should not be attributed to the author’s employer, clients or the sponsors of IPWatchdog.com.

Join the Discussion

4 comments so far.

  • [Avatar for W. Austin R.]
    W. Austin R.
    December 23, 2017 01:45 pm

    Ok, many have ideas that can consume an inventor. As an experienced independent inventor, the first action I take when thinking of an idea is to search the market for products that solves the same problem my idea will solve. The products in the market place I have discovered hasn’t fully solve the problem. The working prototype I made far exceeds every product that resembles anything close. One big problem. No one wants anything to do with me once they do a background check on me. I paid the price ten times over but it makes no difference. Introduction meetings with patent attorneys get cancelled or charge fees they know are so out of line they know I won’t retain them. Is there anyway to get this winning prototype to market?

  • [Avatar for Larry NIEMAN]
    Larry NIEMAN
    November 2, 2017 12:13 pm

    I invented the SUNN BRELLA UV Protection Equipment, we have been comunicating since Oct 29 th

  • [Avatar for Paul F. Morgan]
    Paul F. Morgan
    September 10, 2017 10:18 am

    Re: “many good ideas get trapped in the uncomfortable space between something more than an idea and something less than a full-blown tangible invention.”
    Good point. Many times patent attorneys [most have engineering degrees] and patent illustrators can come up with a sufficient 112 enablement of a mechanical concept for a patent application [but probably not sufficient for marketing the invention]. But note that lately the PTO has been issuing far more 112 rejections of applications than it used to. [Partially in view of complaints about patent applications claiming software-enabled inventions where the spec lacked any enablement.]

  • [Avatar for Dave Savage - inventor mentor]
    Dave Savage – inventor mentor
    September 10, 2017 09:28 am

    Trevor and Gene,
    One of my many experiences with inventors is they don’t do nearly enough market research before spending money on their big ideas.
    You referenced “Upon inventing something new, every inventor should ask themselves two important questions,” said Lambert. “Is my core invention unique and would customers want to buy it? Only if those two answers are ‘yes’ do I advise an inventor to move on into the next steps of design.”

    You have left off a vital set of questions on how much enough people would pay to solve a problem or offer new benefits over an existing product category.
    The price, as you know, changed the type of materials that can be used, the manufacturing methods, locations and quatities that need to be produced to reseach sufficient profits that reward all of those entities involved. Some products require much more marketing and educational and training expenses for both consumers and distributoin channels.
    I suggest having inventors to ask prospective buyers ” if I had the product in my car that would solve the problems we talked about would you buy it now if the price was between $x and $x? if it was the higher price would you still want it or at least ask to take a look at it? If the answer it still possitive you then ask for their contact information to show family and prospective manufacturing and distributing partners that you have dozens or even hundreds of people who would pay a particular range of prices.

    And attending trade shows, or at least subscribing to all related target market publications should come very early in the discovery process, not at the end.

    And did you consider the sizes of standard packing options before deciding on the size of your product.

    AND…