Idea Development

• Just like a corporation does product development before it brings a new product to market, an inventor needs to do idea development before they begin to work on the final stages of their invention. If you are just creating something for yourself then you do not need to worry about appealing to an audience, but if you intend to sell your invention then you need to develop your ideas with some sort of audience in mind. In order to bring a product to market there needs to be a market first, and if a company cannot see the potential target audience with your invention then it will not be willing to invest money to develop it. Do market research on your ideas and determine what would be the widest appeal for your invention, and then start to formulate your ideas around appealing to that broad market.
  
  

Prototypes

• Before you start applying for a patent and pitching your invention to prospective marketers, you need to develop a working prototype so that people can see what your product can do. Remember that the marketing representatives and sales experts you will be talking to are usually not inventors. They cannot read your blueprints and your notes to understand what your product can do. In order to really sell your invention's potential you need to develop a working prototype that looks like it is ready to market. If you have the funds you might want to also go so far as to develop retail packaging to help present a complete idea to the companies you will be marketing to.
  
  

Patents and Non-Disclosure

• Never discuss or present your invention without a patent pending. Contact the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to discuss details on how you can legally patent your invention. It would be beneficial to hire a patent attorney to make sure the process gets done correctly and that you and your invention are protected from potential thieves. When you present your ideas to companies have them sign a non-disclosure agreement first. A non-disclosure agreement prevents companies that see your invention from discussing it with any other entity and protects your attempts to sell your invention.