Invent Anything™

Get ready for an enlightening episode of Invent Anything! In Part 2 of our series on selling patents, we'll be providing a detailed guide to the art and strategy of patent sales. Whether you're a veteran inventor looking to make the most of your portfolio or a newbie just starting in the patent world, this episode has insights for everyone. Topic 1: We'll be kicking things off with the top ten pitfalls to avoid when selling a patent. Navigating the patent market can be a tricky affair, and these tips will help you steer clear of the most common obstacles. Topic 2: Next, we'll explore the best practices to enhance your patent sale's success rate. We'll cover everything from valuation methods, pitch crafting, potential buyer identification, negotiation strategies, and more. Topic 3: The episode will also feature a comprehensive discussion on the effective use of Evidence of Use (EOU) of Patent Infringement. Learn how to use this tool to prove your patent's value and improve your chances of securing a sale. Topic 4: We'll also delve into the issue of Prior Art, which can challenge the validity of your patents and consequently affect your sales. Learn the strategies to overcome these invalidity arguments and confidently present your patent's worth to potential buyers. Topic 5: Interestingly, we also shed light on a less explored market of selling to small companies, along with compelling reasons why this could be a viable route for your patent sales. Topic 6: Finally, we will cap the episode by diving into the power of automation in the patent sales process. From creating efficient systems to using AI-powered platforms, discover how automation can streamline your sales efforts and enhance your patent portfolio's profitability. In a special focus, we chose topic 6 to highlight how varying business sizes affect intellectual property strategies. Stay tuned to navigate the complex world of patent sales and successfully monetize your inventions. Tune in and get ready to Invent Anything!

In this episode of Invent Anything  discover the intersection of entrepreneurship and intellectual property, exploring how patents and startups drive innovation and economic growth while uncovering missed opportunities and funding challenges. We’ll learn how patents offer a robust platform for inventors to monetize their creations and shape market dynamics, just like startups. Explore parallels between startups and patent startups, revealing shared principles of innovation, investment, market differentiation, and value creation. Witness the symbiotic relationship between patents and startups as we navigate obtaining a patent, laying the groundwork for successful startup development through market research, product development, legal compliance, and brand building. In the end, you might walk away recognizing that a patent is a startup or at least a startup getting born.

In this episode of Invent Anything, John delves into the nuanced topic of paper patents, revealing expert strategies and writing tips that promise to elevate your patent applications to new heights. Discover the secrets of utilizing established patent formats, the 'Russian doll enablement' technique, and the art of incorporating multiple embodiments to infuse novelty into your filings. Learn why starting with narrow claims can lead to early success, the strategic advantage of detailed drawings, and how to create impactful prior art through enabled publications. Our discussion will also cover the crucial aspects of writing from both a timing and value chain perspective, and how AI is revolutionizing the creation of data tables in patent applications. Looking forward, we'll navigate the evolving landscape of paper patents, predicting a surge in their numbers, the integration of AI and prototyping companies in their development, and the intriguing possibility of virtual and augmented reality becoming the new standard for patent operation. Join us as we forecast the transformative trajectory of paper patents and equip you with the knowledge to master this craft. Whether you're a seasoned inventor, a budding entrepreneur, or simply fascinated by the world of intellectual property, this episode is your blueprint for success in the ever-changing patent landscape.

In this episode, host John Cronin delves into the strategic use of intellectual property (IP) for early-stage companies. He explores how patents, trade secrets, and enabled publications can significantly boost market position and company valuation. The discussion includes leveraging IP for investment attraction, risk management, and enhancing brand image. Gain insights on creating an integrated IP strategy to navigate competitive advantages, monetization, and mergers and acquisitions. Join us to unlock the potential of intellectual property in transforming your business strategy.

In this episode, John delves deep into the concept of 'patent poison pills' and their impact on early-stage companies. This is a must-listen for CEOs, investors, management teams, and anyone involved in the startup ecosystem.

John explains the 'poison pill' phenomenon, offering real-world case studies that showcase how mismanaged patents can lead to dire consequences for startups. He also provides a comprehensive guide on managing patent disputes, addressing various roles and responsibilities within a company, and strategies for both preventing and resolving patent-related issues.

For CEOs who have faced or are wary of patent management challenges, this episode is a treasure trove of insights. John, with his extensive experience, discusses the importance of effective patent management, highlighting the critical role patents play in protecting proprietary technology, driving market value, and safeguarding against legal disputes.

Furthermore, John offers invaluable advice on proactive steps to avoid the 'patent poison pill', emphasizing the necessity of expert patent counsel, the importance of due diligence, and the dangers of neglecting patent assignments.

Stay tuned as we navigate through the complexities of patent management in startups, learn to identify potential pitfalls, and discover strategies to fortify your company against the patent poison pill.

Subscribe to our channel for more episodes of "Invent Anything" and join us on our journey to empower innovators and entrepreneurs.

Join us in this episode of Invent podcast where we discuss into the crucial role of Patent Valuations in transforming businesses. We start by exploring the fundamentals of Patent Valuation, understanding its comprehensive process and the rationale behind using licensing models for valuation. We discuss how these valuations utilize solid third-party data and market-specific comparables to yield tangible figures, helping IP owners determine the real-world value of their patents.

Next, we tackle the Proforma Patent Valuation and its unique challenges, revealing how it can provoke critical decisions in businesses with existing revenues. From the potential outcomes of licensing or selling patents to the paradigms created by valuation figures, we cover the spectrum of implications these valuations have on businesses.

We then highlight the Ten Areas where a Patent Valuation can significantly alter your business, ranging from defining asset quantification to discovering new markets and partners. This section emphasizes how valuations not only reveal patent strengths and weaknesses but also guide strategic business decisions and foster innovative growth.

The episode also addresses a common oversight in patent development – the afterthought of valuation. We uncover the deficiencies in typical patent development approaches and how they limit patent utility, market reach, and portfolio strength.

In the final segments, we discuss strategies for enhancing your patent valuation, emphasizing the importance of aligning patenting efforts with business goals and market dynamics. Plus, we explore how leveraging patent valuations can bring about a paradigm shift in your business strategy, aligning management and investors, and transforming your company into an IP-focused enterprise.

Tune in to learn how you can leverage Patent Valuation not just as an assessment tool, but as a strategic asset to reshape your business's trajectory. Whether you're an IP professional, business owner, or entrepreneur, this episode will equip you with the knowledge to optimize your patent assets and drive innovation.

Join us in this eye-opening episode of Invent Anything as we delve into the world of ChatGPT, OpenAI's groundbreaking language model that is transforming the way we invent and innovate. Our host, Seth Cronin, inventor and Managing Consultant at ipCapital Group, guides you through the ins and outs of ChatGPT, its astounding capabilities, and its potential applications across various industries. Discover real-world use cases, learn how to get started with ChatGPT, and explore the challenges and limitations associated with this cutting-edge AI technology. Finally, take a glimpse into the future of AI and the role ChatGPT will continue to play in shaping invention and innovation. Don't miss this opportunity to expand your understanding of AI and unlock your creative potential with ChatGPT!

In this episode of Invent Anything, we dive deep into the world of provisional patents and explore how they can drive innovation, protect intellectual property, and catalyze success for board members, investors, CEOs, CTOs, CFOs, and inventors alike. Don't miss our in-depth analysis of each perspective, with a special focus on the inventor's viewpoint, as we reveal valuable insights, tips, and strategies to help you navigate the ever-changing landscape of intellectual property and stay ahead of the competition. Tune in now to harness the power of provisional patents and supercharge your path to success!

Continue your journey to transform your business with Intellectual Property in Part 2. Learn how IP can reduce risk, minimize liability, save money, attract valuable partners, and secure funding. Don't miss these expert insights and success stories.

Topic 1  Reduce Business Risk 

Topic 2  Reduce Liability

Topic 3  Save Money

Topic 4  Attract new business partners and business relationships

Topic 5  Raise Money Successfully

Discover how Intellectual Property can revitalize your business by improving employee morale, boosting sales, strengthening your brand, fostering innovation, and enhancing business relationships. Tune in for 10 actionable tips to harness the power of IP.

Topic 1  Enhance Employee Morale

Topic 2  Increase sales

Topic 3  Improve your Brand

Topic 4  Create innovative products enhancements

Topic 5  Enhance and Control Business relationships

Introducing Seth Cronin as host of Invent Anything. In this episode, Seth discusses emerging innovation in the music industry and the technology that is shaping the ways in which music is created, recorded, distributed, discovered, and performed.  The topics covered in this episode include:  

1. Creating music: examples of patentable inventions that change the way musicians create and perform music 

2. recording music: new technologies that change the recording process, including hardware, software, and analysis 

3. Performing music: the modern technology for musical performance has evolved greatly in recent years, with new modes of experience like holographs, immersive devices and reactive lighting 

4. Listening to and streaming music: in the last few decades the way we consume music has changed dramatically, streaming services, connected speakers, voice control 

5. Music discovery: largely due to streaming services, the way individuals discover new music has shifted in the 21st century. Algorithms now large try not only to predict new music the listeners will enjoy, but also present them in a context the users are mostly likely to have a positive reaction to. E.g., placing a new track the user has never listened to before after several similar tracks the user has already “liked” or listen to repeatedly. 

6. The technical world of digital music: audio compression, digital watermarking, encoding and distribution 

7. The future of music technology

What if there was a way to create more inventions in less time with lower costs, that empowered your team to be more creative and gave your business leverage over competitors and partners? Revolutionize Your Business with the Power of Invention On Demand - Say Goodbye to Limits and Hello to Limitless Possibilities! In this episode, the topics covered include:

1. History and experiences with Invention on Demand
2. Fundamentals of Facilitating Invention on Demand
3. Invention on Demand Experiences
4. Benefits of Invention on Demand
5. Some Advanced Strategies of Invention on Demand
6. Future of Invention of Demand

Do you work with an innovative team, but can’t seem to figure out how why they never produce any IP, like patents and trade secrets? Many inventors have lots of great ideas but seem to have trouble getting them out of their head, on to paper, and filed with the patent office. The ipScan is here to help. The ipScan has been used for over 25 years extract the unlock the hidden value in inventive teams. This episode covers six topics:

1 – The history of invention extraction

2 – Formal invention extraction techniques

3 – Strategies for using the ipScan, what you get from a formal IP extraction process

4 – Difference between ipScan and brainstorming

5 – How an ipScan is set up, executed, what the results look like, and benefits

6 – Future of ipScan, using artificial intelligence

To truly know your business, you need to understand your IP Landscape. How does your business, market, product, and technology fit into the world’s intellectual property system? Find out in today’s episode. The topic areas for this episode include:

1. The History of Patent Mapping
2. How the IP Landscape Method Evolved
3. The IP Landscape Framework
4. Analyzing Patent Data with the IP Landscape
5. The Many Uses of the IP Landscape
6. The Future of the IP Landscape

Is there a patent stopping your business from moving forward or increasing market share? Do you have a new technology or patent that you think will be valuable, but you’re worried your competitors might be able to figure out how to get the same benefits without you? The magic of inventing around patents is for you. Any patent can be invented around, either to avoid needing a license to a patent or infringing on a patent, or to strengthen your own portfolio so that its harder for competitors to get around you. In this episode we will cover six topics

1 – What is inventing around and why you should do it

2 – The Ad Hoc method of inventing around and its limitations

3 – The Invent Around Checklist

4 – Examples of invent around

5 – Strategies for using an invent around process

6 – The future of invent around

In today’s episode, John will teach you how to deal with copycat companies and win the war against IP infringement. If you’ve invested time and money into your technology, the last thing you want is another company profiting off your hard-earned developments. Whether you need to prepare for this possibility, or arm yourself to deal with copycat issues immediately, this episode will give you the tools to succeed. The topics in this episode are:

1 – Definition of a Copycat

2 – Analyze Your Market Approach

3 – Inventive Thinking to Stop Copycats

4 – Creative Vigilance to Watch for Copycats

5 – Preparing for Copycats

6 – Actions Against Copycats

Description:

In this episode, John explores the types of businesses that may or may not need intellectual property (IP), like patents and trade secrets. Learn whether your business needs IP to protect its business model, or if filing patents will just increase expenses. The topics in this episode include:

1 – Business Brand and Personal Brand

2 – Business Risk Reduction

3 – Business-enhanced Patent Monetization

4 – Business Valuation using Intellectual Property

5 – Business Cost Reduction using Intellectual Property

6 – How IP Enhances Business Strategy

In today’s episode, John discusses the process to create a power intellectual property tool: provisional patent applications. Provisional applications can be leveraged in many and offer strategic advantages to businesses and inventors. The topics in today’s episode include:

1 – What is a Provisional Application?

2 – Types of Provisional Applications

3 – Strategic Uses of Provisional Applications

4 – How Provisional Applications Can Provide Unique Leverage

5 – Provisional Applications for Medium and Large-sized Companies

6 – Provisional Applications for Small Companies

Developing intellectual property can be difficult and costly, so how do you communicate the value that IP offers to a business and market? While data and analysis can be important technical tools, it is much easier for most busy investors and executives to believe a compelling story. In this episode, John will teach you how to tell your IP Story to get the most value out of your intellectual property, like patents and trade secrets.

Topics in this Episode include:

1 – What is an IP Story?

2 – What types of IP are used in the story?

3 – Tying your IP to Business, Market, Technology, and Inventions

4 – Creating the IP Story for different audiences

5 – How to Use the IP Story for Business Value

6 – Other Benefits of the IP Story

Description:

What do you do when you find out your patent is being infringed? Many companies with sizeable or even small but important patent portfolios have asked themselves this very question. In this episode of Invent Anything, John answers many of the common questions that patent owners have when they think some one is using their invention illegally.

The six topics of this episode include:

1 – Evidence that your patent is being infringed

2 – Patent Valuation and Risk Assessment, Licensing Damages

3 – Size the problem

4 – Control all communications

5 – various response and approaches to combatting infringement

6 – Other points of interest

In this episode, John discusses important issues surrounding prior art from many perspectives: not just how the patent office views prior art, but how to understand how prior art impacts inventors and businesses. With a strategic understanding of the prior art in a technology space, businesses can leverage their knowledge of prior art for a competitive advantage, instead of fearing it will prevent them from getting a patent, or worse, reducing their freedom to operate.

The topic areas of this episode include:

1.  Definition of Prior Art and why should we talk about it?

2.  Methods of finding Prior Art and why you need expertise

3.  Prior Art and the Patent Office

4.  Strategies for using Prior Art for leverage

5.  Prior Art and Inventing

6.  The Future or Prior Art - some predictions

In this episode, John discusses the many ways of monetizing – or making money with – a patent portfolio. To be successful with a patent monetization strategy you’ll need a systematic approach. John speaks from decades of experience in intellectual property deals and licensing with ipCapital Group and while at IBM. The topic areas for this episode include: 1 – How to find out who to sell or license your patents 2 – How to prepare for a patent sale – getting your house in order 3 – The Market Pull method 4 – The Market Push method 5 – Starting and Supporting a patent monetization campaign 6 – Patent negotiations and closing a deal

The Art and Science of Patent Valuation   Today, we will discuss how to figure out how much a patent is worth. This episode will cover six topics relating to patent valuation. Topic 1 - What is a patent valuation? Topic 2 - how are valuations used in transactions like patent licensing? Topic 3 - How patent owners without a business can leverage patent valuation Topic 4 - How a patent owner in an early-stage business can leverage a patent valuation Topic 5 - How do you increase the valuation of your patents? Topic 6 - Use a patent valuation to determine your future IP strategy Join John to learn about what a patent valuation is and the basic principles of how it's used and, most important, how you can use it for licensing to make money.

In this episode, John recalls building a “patent factory” during his tenure with IBM as an semiconductor engineer in the technology development department. This allowed him to become to top inventor at IBM and helped IP licensing at IBM grow to over a billion dollars a year in revenue. Next, John and Mark discuss the question, “Do corporations need to continue to invent?” It may seem obvious that the definitive answer is “Yes.” John discusses various businesses needs and environments that drive the need for invention, and the types of creative strategies you might use to fill those needs. Also discussed in this Episode: - The difference between invention and innovation - Incremental invention versus breakthrough inventions - First movers and fast followers - Ad hoc invention processes and why they don’t work - Inventor recognition - Building a culture for creativity and invention - How AI is changing intellectual property  www.inventanything.net

In this special episode, Mark Alyn joins host John Cronin in an interview format. They discuss John’s background that lead to a career as an inventor, starting from childhood to becoming the top inventor at IBM, to founding ipCapital Group. Further, John and Mark discuss the process of invention, that starts with a problem that needs to be solved by a creative idea. Eventually, with the right tools that creative idea can become an invention, and that invention can become a patent. This episode is great for anyone who wants an overview of the creative process that can lead to innovations in technology and business.

In this episode, John discusses when patent owners should consider getting an ‘Evidence of Use’ (EoU) opinion. Evidence of use is a process of collecting material evidence that an outside party may be practicing the technology claimed in a patent. We will cover: 

1. What is Evidence of Use (EoU)
2. How Can EoU leverage your company 
3. EoU secrets only the experts know 
4. How to Monetize Patents with EoU 
5. Avoid pitfalls with EoU 
6. Know more about your competitor and their products with EoU

In this episode, we'll cover freedom to operate (FTO), what it is and the many strategies that you can use to gain leverage for your company. Learn secrets very few companies know, and more importantly, learn how to protect your company from patent lawsuits. FTO will also let you know more about your competitor to build better products and services at very low costs. Topics covered in this episode include:

1. What is freedom to operate?
2. What are the next steps if there is an FTO risk?
3. Things that you can do if there is FTO risk. What are the tactics you can use?
4. How can you leverage FTO in your company?
5. How to build what you learn from FTO into your product development or IP strategy
6. The future of FTO

Invention is the key tool driving innovation. In this episode, John provides a clear differentiation of invention and innovation that, once understood, could transform your business. Very few people understand this critical distinction. Why do innovation programs fail, even when they are well funded? What is the missing link between invention and innovation that can drive major breakthroughs in technology? This episode is perfect for managers who drive invention and innovation in their companies. 

Topics covered in this episode also include: 

1. Why is this discussion even needed? 
2. How companies struggle with innovation 
3. Tools & Processes of Innovation 
4. Invention Definition 
5. Why companies struggle with invention 
6. Invention Tools & Processes 
7. Invention is the Key Tool Set of Innovation

In this episode you will learn everything you need to know about enabled publications. Often erroneously called "defensive publications," Enabled Publications offer a secret and powerful weapon in your IP arsenal. Learn about enabled publications, what they can do, how to document them, and how to use them to create the cheapest and most powerful "weapon" in the IP strategy. Learn this and your likely to improve the value of your current and future IP portfolio enormously and again, as crazy as it may sound, at extremely low cost. Topics discussed include:

1. History of Enabled Publications
2. Definition of Enabled Publications
3. How Enabled Publications are different from other publications
4. Documenting Enabled Publications
5. IP Strategies using Enabled Publications
6. The Future of Enabled Publications

In this episode, John unveils the power of trade secrets for your business. This episode answers questions like: what are trade secrets? How do you protect trade secrets? How to leverage trade secrets in business? And even, how to create new trade secrets for your business. 

The topic areas include: 

1. Defining Trade Secrets 
2. How to protect trade secrets Inventing 
3. Trade secrets for value 
4. Patent part and trade secret part 
5. Trade Secret Audit 
6. Trade Secrets and the Courts 
7. Trade Secrets, Blockchain, and cyber security

In today’s episode, we will learn the six ways to make money with patents. Patents are expensive to obtain, and many inventors and executives want to maximize their ROI from intellectual property. Depending on your situation, one or more specific approaches to earning income from your patents may be appropriate. We will reveal novel strategies to help you get the most out of your patent portfolio with several paths to monetization. These paths include:

1. Litigation
2. Licensing
3. How to get more money out of gross margins
4. Enhancing brand value and marketing using patents
5. Contractual Value and Transaction Leverage
6. How to price in the value of IP into the stock of your company

In this episode, we will discuss raising more money at a higher valuation using intellectual property. CEOs, founders, CTOs, etc., who are considering raising money may consider using a unique strategy of leveraging IP to tell a better story to investors. We will discuss the meaning of intellectual property followed by the six ways to monetize intellectual property. We will answer the following questions related to IP and fundraising:

• How to determine the value of your IP?
• Why do investors consider IP valuable?
• Why should I invest in patents as the CEO?
• How to assess your current IP position?
• How can you expand your IP positions beyond that so investors can take notice?
• How many patents do you need?
• How to tell investors an IP story to help me raise money?

In this episode, John discusses how to get a patent on your invention. This episode covers everything you need to know to get your first patent. You’ll learn how to choose a patent attorney or a patent agent, how to prepare you invention for patent documentation, how to ensure your application will be granted, and how to get the most out of your investment in intellectual property. Additional topics in this episode include: 

• Patent trapdoors – what can go wrong when you file for a patent?
• Office actions – Working with your patent attorney to answer rejections from the examiner
• Continuations and divisional patent applications – decisions to make when you receive a notice of allowance
• Patent filing fees – how to get the most out of your IP budget

If you've ever wondered what a patent really is, the rights that it gives you, and what they mean for your business, you're in the right place. John discusses why patents are a 'negative right', dispels some common patent myths, and explains the true value of patents to individuals and businesses.

In this episode, John discusses the technical details behind the process of 'enablement' - taking the invention from the conceptual stage to describing how it will work in practice. Topics covered include the many perspectives - from manager buy-in, to patent attorneys and patent examiners. In the conclusion, John discusses enablement in terms of an actual patent for a practical example.  

Link to Patent Discussed in the video: https://patents.google.com/patent/US9429350B2/en 

For more information see: http://ipcg.com/blog

How can you take an invention from the early idea stage to something that will work and have value? In this episode, John discusses many tools that can be used for continuous improvement thinking. By using a methodological approach to identify areas where an invention needs improvement, teams and individuals can use several tools to continuously improve ideas. 

• Tool 1 - Action, Owner, Date
• Tool 2 - Input / Output
• Tool 3 - Brain Writing
• Tool 4 - S.C.A.M.P.E.R.
• Tool 5 - Opposites

By mastering these tools, you can take any idea to the next level with many improvements.

Associative thinking is one of the most power creative tools for inventors. By combining different objects, ideas, and methods, new inventions can be made by making novel connections with your mind. In this episode, John provides detailed examples and several tools you can use to unleash the power of associative thinking. Some of these tools can be used like games, fun for kids and adults. Other tools might help you determine what type of stimulus makes you more creative.

John takes on the difficult topic of what you should do when you learn you are violating a competitors patent. Patent infringement is a major threat to a business. Delving into 5 Areas of concern with 20 actions you can take to be prepared for a patent infringement lawsuit. Learn what you can do to sleep better at night, avoid willful infringement, challenge the patent, protect the future of your business, and get ready for war in the courtroom.

In the third installment, John discusses two major types of creativity: divergent and convergent. Divergent creativity is the process of creating a variety of many new ideas. Convergent creativity is the process of narrowing down the list to a few valuable ideas.

Additional topics discussed in this episode:

• Alex Osborn and brainstorming
• Tony Buzan and mind maps
• Guidelines for Divergent and Convert creativity
• Management styles that may kill creativity
• Creativity tools for individuals
• Creativity tools for groups
• Creativity tools for 'secret facilitators'
• Creativity for introverts and extroverts
• and much more...

Some of this material, including the divergent/convergent guidelines, was inspired by the work of others, see links below:

http://www.learnexia.com/?http://www.learnexia.com/?p=58

https://www.creativeeducationfoundation.org/what-is-cps/

In this episode, John explains the fundamental ideas that underpin any creative process. Topics discussed include:

• Types of creative motivation (extrinsic and intrinsic),
• The effect of limitations and freedom,
• Self-assessment of creativity,
• How to become more creative,
• How to motivate others to be more creative,
• And much more...