Just to run this one past the combined talents of the Tea Shop.
Have come up with an idea which might be patentable. Am au fait with the legal process, which means investing large amounts of money. After that, am unsure about marketing the patented idea .
Does anyone have experience of marketing a patent for cycle parts please? How easy/ difficult was it?
Many thanks, Punk_shore
What is the colour(s) of your cycle? Which of its benefits would you recommend? Please lookup the Bicycle Renewal Programme, linked to the website button beneath "Santa's Little Helper" cartoon.
I'm sure that CJ would have had some valuable experience in this area (he having worked int he cycle trade and invented such objects as the CJ Map Trap), but he's admitted in the past that he doesn't always browse all the boards of the forum so you might be better off PMing him direct (or I could move this thread to the bits and bikes bit of the forum if you want?).
I know this isn't really answering the question but over the years there have been all sorts of bright ideas which briefly materialised - perhaps in the form of a review or in ads - but which soon sank without trace. Many failures seem to have been solutions for a non-existant problem.
Bearing in mind the fact that the pedal cycle is a really mature machine, especially if we think of the diamond frame, most developments are not so much invention as evolution. I'm not trying to be controversial about recumbents etc. They do, after all, mainly use similar parts and accessories to DF bikes, but on a variety of frame designs, none of which has really emerged as a universally recognised standard.
One significant pattern amongst what I see as landmark inventions is a facility to remove / fit stuff without a lot of faff:- quick release hub; splined sprockets; recent versions of the cotterless crank; front loading stems; split link for chains (recently reinvented as SRAM Powerlink and similar.) The attraction of the so-called 'clincher' tyre once it had been improved to a point where it approached the better tubs in terms of high pressure and low rolling resistance was largely based on its ease of replacement - no faff with all the glue.
DONT PUBLISH ANYTHING UNTIL IT'S PATENTED - otherwise you can't get a patent. Talk to a patent attorney before you do anything. You might be able to get 30 mins free consultation as a start.
FIrst thing to do is to write down a full description of your idea, its application, manufacture and every detail you have. Then draw or create pictures of your idea. The clearer and more detailed the better.
Make two copies of everything & place them in two separate envelopes. Address one to yourself and one to your solicitor. Post both recorded delivery.
DO NOT OPEN THE ENVELOPE.
This is dated proof that you had your idea. If anyone else tries to use your idea they will have to prove they thought of it before the date stamp from the post office.
The next step I would suggest is to Google Trevor Bayliss as he has set up an organisation to help people through the intellectual property process.
I have a reasonable grasp of patent issues and also hold an MSc in Strategic Marketing (with a dissertation on patent exploitation). The golden rule, as stated, is to divulge nothing to the public domain until you have a filed patent. The patent, however, is only half the battle although a large part of the cost! As you say, marketing advice is needed to establish the value proposition (what makes it good), the selling proposition (why people buy it), the route to market (how it is exploited) and the commercial agreements (how you make money out of it). You should only talk to people under a formal Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and certainly get an appointment with a patent attorney (who will not need an NDA). PM me if you need any specific advice. Neil
Using a car to take an adult on a three mile journey is the same as using an atomic bomb to kill a canary.
Shimano will not be interested, They won't pay fees for anyone else's patent, which is why there are still no Shimano A-headsets after 20 years. Jobst Brandt claims he also tried to interest them in a pedal-crank interface with a conical taper (to prevent loosening and eliminate fretting) and they weren't in the leats bit interested, since it wasn't their idea.
about marketing the patented idea 
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