Planet Eureka!

In the category of solutions looking for problems to solve, Planet Eureka! is a new on-line marketplace for patents and other intellectual property rights by Eureka Ranch Technologies in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Planet Eureka! Offers the USA National Innovation Marketplace as a way to bring together buyers and sellers of intellectual property. The Marketplace offers a place where inventors, patent holders, and intellectual property owners can post ideas in search of partners, buyers, and licensees.

Access is free to sellers and buyers but future plans include charging for consulting and other services. This site is from Doug Hall of American Inventor infamy.

InnoCentive

Another site, InnoCentive, provides a way for companies, nonprofits, and government agencies looking for solutions to problems to find the people and organizations that have answers. Charges $15,000 to post a problem as well as 40% commission on amount paid to the solution provider.

InnoCentive’s Open Innovation community is a way to get large numbers of members to try to solve some of the problems facing the world today. Those who are successful can win cash awards of up to $1,000,000 for solutions to Challenges. The site is a spin-off of Eli Lilly.

WikiPatents Community

Yet another patent marketplace is WikiPatents Community, which claims to contribute to the US patent system by reviewing issued patents and pending patent applications. WikiPatents features a wiki-like interface to review, rate, and discuss patents — plus free patent PDF downloads, file histories, and advanced patent searching.

The site also offers WikiPatents Marketplace, where companies can list patents for sale. IP is listed using various package deals ranging from $89/month to $1999/year.

What’s not clear is how members are able to vote on the value of any particular invention. The numbers for estimated value, royalty rate, market share and market size seem to be pulled from thin air. My favorite is U.S. Patent 7,095,126, entitled “Internal energy generating power source,” which claims:

1. A system for generating energy such that a portion of the generated energy supplies power to the system that generated the energy comprising: an electric motor capable of producing electric energy; a power source for supplying an initial amount of power to said electric motor; an alternator power source connected to said initial power source and said electric motor for continuously supplying power to said electric motor; a first inverter system connected to said electric motor, said inverter having an input through which said inverter system receives energy produced by said electric motor, said first inverter system also having one output through which said first inventor supplies power back to said electric motor to supply said electric motor with power; a load connected to said first inverter system via an inverter system output to alter the electric current traveling from said first inverter system such that the current feeding into the electric motor 30 is not purely inductive.

I think I’ve seen this perpetual motion machine before. Expect many of these to show up on Geekologie.

Posted May 12th, 2008 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Ventures, Cool Tools, Licensing
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If you’re like most people, you come across a lot of documents in your life. Many go into the trash — and deservedly so — but many just can’t seem to find a home. You want to keep them for reference or for sharing but you don’t know where to put them.

Enter docstoc.com. Aptly labeled beta, docstoc is touted as a “community of users sharing their professional documents.” docstoc allows users to upload their documents for anyone to share and is free for both those uploading and those downloading. Apparently, they make it up on volume. One downside is that you have to register to be able to upload or download.

The site is quite diverse in topics and in document types. Currently, it supports .doc, .pdf, .xls, .ppt, .ppt, and .txt file types. More amazingly, users can upload an unlimited amount of documents. I’m not sure how long free, unlimited storage can last.

I had a chance to speak with the CEO, Jason Nazar, about docstoc.com to get a better understanding of the site. Here are some of the highlights about docstoc:

• 55,000+ free legal forms, business documents, excel templates, free real estate forms, sample business plans.
• Backed by the co-founders/investors of MySpace, Baidu, Mp3.com, and Lowermybills.com.
• Launched about three months ago and has 30,000+ registered members.

I had some difficulty navigating the site but that is mainly because it’s a little different from traditional sites with lists of links. The docstoc site allows you to view entire documents through a viewer window, you don’t have to open any applications.

My biggest problem with docstoc is its very scope. Since the site is populated by user-uploaded materials without any selection or moderation process, the range of materials is all over the map. This makes it difficult to find the documents you need.

When I did a quick search, I came up with a list of documents that had an LLC agreement next to a university press release next to a PowerPoint about nanotechnology next to a calendar of women in bathing suits next to a university biology exam study questions list. All using a narrow search query. Using a more generic search term gets you someone’s resume next to a reference manual for a wireless server next to document labeled “Why I Got Fired” next to a set of blonde jokes. You get the idea.

You can drill down through menus at the top to get from all documents to legal to contracts but the effect is still the same. It is one big collection of documents of whatever anyone wants to upload.

Even though I liked the idea of having access to a large portfolio of documents, I couldn’t shake a nagging uncomfortable feeling about downloading documents that were mostly uploaded by someone named Anonymous.

The Terms of Use require the users to agree that “You acknowledge that you are responsible for the information, documents, messages, comments, photos, videos, graphics, sounds and other content or material that you submit … and that you, and not DOCSTOC, have full responsibility for each such Submission you make, including its legality, reliability, appropriateness, and trademark and copyright ownership.” But is Anonymous really trustworthy?

Note: docstoc does include a fake public service video: “Don’t Steal Documents.”

The site has some unique features to make things easier such as the ability to mouse over a link and get a preview window with the whole document. To help wade through documents, each document has listings showing the number of views and downloads and users can rate the documents to alert you to the usefulness. Users can also form groups, such as “LA Investor Group“, so that like-minded users can collaborate.

Jason explained that users can gain lots of exposure by uploading quality documents that potential contacts may want so there is an incentive to upload only worthy materials. One nice feature for bloggers is an embed feature - you can embed documents into your blog after uploading them to docstoc. Another feature allows users to make a request for a document to see if another user has it and would upload it onto the site.

I think docstoc may still be a little too beta on the Web 2.0 curve but it has a lot of potential for users to share documents, spread the word about their talents or services and to gain feedback. In addition, users can store their documents in their own personal online folders for anytime, anywhere access.

Decide for yourself at docstoc.com.

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When you’re done uploading, check out Relatip™, billed as the first and only online social community tailored exclusively to the unique requirements of intellectual property (IP) attorneys.

Posted January 30th, 2008 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Cool Tools
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IdeaTango is a social networking site that is set up to allow inventors a place to post, request and exchange ideas, inventions, intellectual property and patents — the MySpace of inventions. Companies can search the database of ideas for possible products for their company.

The founder, Bryan Daigle, contacted me and asked if I would take a look at the site. The web site describes Bryan as:

Like many of our members, our founder is an inventor. Because he was disappointed with all the invention companies that rarely had the inventor’s best interest in mind, he created this website to help inventors publicize their ideas, connect inventors with others who could help take the ideas to market, and hopefully make some money in the process.

The site is designed for small inventors looking to exploit their ideas. The listed benefits for inventors are:

• Learn about inventing from Successful Inventors & share your experiences
• Market & Develop Your Inventions
• Find Reputable Service Providers
• Enter Invention Contests and Submit Inventions to Companies

In looking around the site, you find that while easy to navigate, there is little content yet. The number of inventions per category range from one (Pets: the Sidewalker) to 19 (Tools & Automotive). Under Health & Beauty, I found this gem: the Multi-Function Personal Grooming Apparatus, a MacGyver-like brush with built-in comb and scissors.

The site offers the ability to search for inventions, meet up with service providers and businesses, and provides education through articles and newsletters. It even offers Lisa Lloyd’s 5-hour “How to Invent” Course.

On the other hand, it does offer a listing of intriguing contests for inventors. I especially like this one:

Sports Evolution Challenge

Description: Put your passion for the game to work! Open your Idea Locker and invent a new sport or conceptualize an innovative piece of sports gear or equipment. You could win $10,000 and a chance to shadow an ESPN broadcaster for a game, courtesy of Newell Rubbermaid! For kids under 19 only.

Prizes: $10,000 + shadow an ESPN reporter
Deadline: 12/31/2007
Company Name / Industry: By Kids for Kids
How & Where to Submit Inventions: You may participate at the web site here.
Judging Criteria: For detailed rules, visit here.
Website: http://www.bkfk.com

Only time will tell if this becomes a hit.

Posted December 7th, 2007 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Cool Tools
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Managing patents is often a time consuming and disjointed effort, especially for small companies (or even larger ones running lean).  Fortunately, a number of companies have been mixing things up on the internet in an attempt to provide order to the chaos.

One new effort is WizPatent, a patent management solution offering to ”Extract the Juice from your Patents” with downloadable WizPatent Manager and WizPatent Express.WizPatent Express is a patent search and management system integrated with Internet Explorer that abstracts search results directly from USPTO, Espacenet, FreePatentsOnline and Google Patent Search. 

WizPatent Express uses Google Patent Search to search for keywords within the text images and has the ability to batch download and save patents from Google.Some highlights include: 

• Batch PDF download capabilities and drag-and-drop features. 
• Store collections locally on your harddrive. 
• View the INPADOC status of EP patents as well as the PAIR status of US patents. 
• Copy a block of text into your clipboard and WizPatent Express automatically abstracts out the relevant patent numbers immediately. 

Granted, it would be nice if the USPTO would offer these types of functionality on their own but it does help that third parties are eager to fill any niche.

You can download WizPatent Express here.

Note to Apple users, this requires Windows XP or 2000 so I couldn’t try it out on my iMac Intel.

Posted November 20th, 2007 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Cool Tools
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PatentFizz is a site that claims to be a place where members of the community can comment on individual patents and it also has a few tricks up its sleeve.

They recently rolled out some improvements to their FirstPage Reports product, which gives you a single .pdf document containing the first page of every patent document in your project.

See an example of patents by Steve Jobs here.

The site also allows you to copy your USPTO search results and paste them directly into the Report order form. No matter the search, just copy everything from the results listing and paste it into the order form. The script will extract the numbers for every utility, design, and reissue patent - as well published applications - in the listing, and give you a link that lets you immediately download your Report.  There is also a screencast.

We think you’ll like these features.

Posted November 12th, 2007 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Cool Tools
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A new internet launch, SparkIP is an a new online intellectual property exchange for connecting the scientific community with patent information. Described as a “visually rich, categorizing information into a fully-searchable innovation landscape of over 35,000 SparkClusters(TM), self-organizing and self-naming groups of patents and new inventions.” As new innovation is submitted, SparkIP’s arrangement of clusters reorganizes to reflect the growing body of information.

For example, a search of “carbon” shows 1000 patents in 416 clusters.  Selecting one cluster, carbon coated silicon, reveals 119 patents in 42 clusters, e.g., silicon nitride ceramics.  You can eventually get down to the specific patent information for review.

SparkIP is meant to be used by licensors, licensees, universities, government labs, patent attorneys and individual inventors to help identify new opportunities for collaboration and as a way to understand the state of the art.

While cluster searching is not new, this is unique in providing patent searching groups of related patents in such a visual way.  It will take some time to see if it grows to contain all the patent art or just the art submitted.  We recommend you take some time to play around with searching to get a grasp of it’s potential.

Posted October 16th, 2007 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Cool Tools
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CAMBIA, provider of an open-access patent database collating IP data from several national patent offices called CAMBIA Patent Lens, has now added the full text of Australian patents, which can be searched, viewed and printed at no cost, by anyone, thanks to the non-profit international organization.

The full text of over 115,000 Australian granted patents and over 580,000 patent applications have been added to the Patent Lens collection of almost seven million worldwide patent documents. They’ve also seriously upgraded the interface and have many new enhancements coming up, including searching by lapse/expire/revoked and full WIPO PCTs in all classifications.

The patent informatics and analysis component of the BiOS Initiative aims to assist in navigation of the intellectual property landscape, particularly within the life sciences, by making it more transparent.  BIOS is an attempt to establish an open-source technology movement in the biotechnology industry, similar to the computing industry’s open-source software movement.

We recommend you check out this great resource.  See more here.

Posted August 31st, 2007 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Cool Tools
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I received information regarding a new IP consulting firm, Criterion Dynamics, tagline: “IP Centric Market Research”. Criterion Dynamics is a consulting firm offering patent and trademark searching and customized competitive intelligence services. They specialize in secondary research and claim to know the fundamentals of business and to “understand where intellectual property fits into the bigger picture.”

They offer a case law search tool called EZLegalResearch that forwards you to a Google Custom Search Engine.  Just type in what you are looking for, hit enter, and click on ‘case law search’ and the search engine will use Google to search for summary judgments, opinions, and alternate info among slightly more than 100 selected sites - including Patent Baristas.

Criterion claims that “Our company was founded under the vision of a corporate world where patent lawyers and business executives do not merely co-exist, but work hand in hand with one another to accomplish shared goals.”

It made me nervous, though, that a click on the upper logo takes you to a site called Quick Sand Productions. Check it out to see if you can add this to your toolbox of searching implements.

Posted April 5th, 2007 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Cool Tools
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