1. Will you accept referrals from outside firms?
Absolutely! We frequently receive referrals from other companies. Our objective is to stimulate innovation. We do so with the conviction that everyone benefits when new products become successful and jobs are created. If you think the people who contact your firm with unsolicited new product proposals could benefit from our services, please feel free to refer them to us. Should you be interested in a formal working relationship, we would be glad to hear from you.
2. What benefits are there for those who refer people and small firms to you?
There are several. Association with us can significantly reduce your cost of processing and evaluating outside new product ideas, and can improve your public relations in this area. Evaluation by an outside independent group can also reduce your exposure to legal risk. Our experience indicates that pre-screening actually increases the number of viable products getting through the system, perhaps by a factor of ten. The explanation here is simple—less time is devoted to going through the motions, and the overall commercial potential of projects reviewed is higher.
3. We are looking for some good new products. How can we work with you?
Send us a letter or E-mail outlining your product needs and expectations. If we find a new product idea or invention that we recommend for further development and that fits your needs, we will pass your name on to the client. We do not charge our clients for this service as we feel there is a potential conflict of interest when an evaluation service provides other fee-based services. If you wish more involvement with us, we would be pleased to discuss the possibility with you.
4. Will you evaluate our new product ideas for us?
While the bulk of our clients are independent inventors or smaller enterprises, our services are available to everyone, including corporations and other organizations.
5. Is your system available for internal use by others?
Licenses are available to companies and organizations for internal use. A leading U.S. research university has used a previous version of the PIES format to evaluate inventions and ideas submitted to them by faculty and staff; this institution reports a high level of satisfaction among the researchers. Apparently even very sophisticated researchers appreciate getting feedback on the commercial potential of their efforts. In this respect, there is no difference between independent inventors and corporate or institutional inventors. By the way, licenses are also available to those wanting to establish a formal invention or product evaluation service for the general public.
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