Invention prototypes cannot be ignored because they
sought to prove the concept of the inventor to potential customers,
suppliers, and investors-and most importantly, to the inventor himself.
This has been the opinion of majority of experts. The idea behind
creating a prototype is the accomplishment of a lot from the point of
view of creativity, that too without having to put on so much of money
in the idea of product or going for its commitment early on.
Construction
of an 'invention prototype' at the appropriate time: It's essential to
construct an 'invention prototype' much before buying the tooling for
building the product or seeking contract manufacturers. Many a times,
it so happens that the inventor might, in reality want to build a
prototype much before getting too fancy regarding computer drawings. He
is likely to burn up loads of cash on 'engineering drawings' when
possibly what he needs 1st is the papier-mache clearly showing him what
is being tried by him. If that is the case, he is advised to revert to
computer-aided drawings. Assessing the proper time for prototype is not
all that tough. It just requires a proof of workability of the product
invented by the concerned person.
The proper 'invention
prototype' for proper audience: An 'invention prototype' should be
aimed towards the proper audience for doing its job. It means that the
tailoring should be done in such a way that the requirements of the
customers get fulfilled much to their satisfaction. Not only that, the
prototype should be able to bear the critics of potential partners,
investors, suppliers, and customers. Hence, it should be noted that
just friendly appraisals are not enough. The more slicker looking and
operable the prototype, the 'better'. However, it's advisable to not
get carried away by the praises. It's better to spend less on this
production, as there would be many other places for spending the start
up capital.
Let >1 prototype be made
If the overheads
are not very much, let the 'invention prototype' be made into multiple
versions. The inventor is likely to improve the designs subsequently.
Due to this, the latest product arrived at would fetch more money owing
to its modern and sharp design. Some people also have the habit of
making two prototypes at a time. The first one would be meant for
'show' and the second one for 'go', i.e. the 1st one could be made to
look like the end product and the 2nd one for demonstrating the
functionality.
For instance- Battery Buddy had a 'looks-like' and
'works-like' prototype. The 1st one was created at 'University of
Michigan'. A box was fashioned to proper exterior dimensions as per the
engineering drawings. It was painted with fancy, fine graphics. This
version could fit on around 90% of vehicles in market. The 2nd one
consisted of a plastic box. It was grey-colored and around 4 times
bigger than actual Battery Buddy. Finishing was not the issue then. The
workability had to be checked; and it happened! Hence, the two versions
made the task simpler from the buyer's as well as seller's point of
view.
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