Browse Tag: products

6 Inventions to Recover from Daylight Saving Time (National Napping Day)

Are you dreading this upcoming daylight saving time? Even if you plan ahead and to go to bed early, you may still feel ridiculously tired the next day. Time and time again, studies show this practice to be dumb and consistently dangerous to people’s health in a variety of ways. This national event is so notoriously terrible, it sparked a second national event, National Napping Day. In 1999 William Anthony, a Ph.D professor from Boston University, created National Napping Day to aid in the loss of sleep on a national scale. Currently, the states of Arizona and Hawaii have succeeded in fighting against this standard, as well as several countries such as China and Japan. Conversely, Florida is fighting to permanently keep daylight saving time, the Senate voting 33-2 in rally of the idea.

We can’t do anything now, but we can help with the drag of it all. We’re pretty passionate about inventions here, and even more passionate about sleeping. Here 6 inventions to help you through the drag of daylight saving time  enjoy National Nap Day to its fullest potential.

1) The Barisieur

Waking up today is going to be a bit harder than normal, so why not wake up like a king or queen? We’re suggesting the best case scenario, waking up to the sweet smell of coffee…..literally. The Barisieur is an alarm clock and coffee brewer. Imagine the soft sounds of bubbling water greeting you in the morning, your stirring intensified by that perfect coffee smell permeating your bedroom. Not only is this the dream we’ve all been waiting for, but it’s design is quite possibly more sleek and sophisticated than the actual idea of waking up to the smell of coffee. MMmmmmmm.

2) Bath Buzz Caffeinated Soap

Now that you’re awake, it’s time get ready for your day. How can you fit in another caffeine boost to your morning routine? The shower of course, where Bath Buzz offers a solution in their caffeinated soap. There’s a whopping 2400mg of caffeine infused in their peppermint scented soap. That equals up to at least 24 cups of coffee! In addition to the energizing benefits of caffeine, you may be surprised to know caffeine is really good for your skin. Caffeine is a prominent ingredient in countless anti-aging skin care products and helps to improve blood circulation. This unassuming bar of soap is guaranteed to help jump start your day.

3) Shelterin Inflatable Car Air Mattress 

You’ve made it past the first half of your work day and it’s lunch time, you’re doing good! Many studies show that short 10-20 minute naps are super effective when dealing with afternoon-slump fatigue. You heard science, now’s your chance to find a cozy spot! I suggest using the Shelterin Inflatable back seat car mattress to aid in your nap-quest. Don’t worry about finding an air-pump, this air mattress comes with a car electric air pump. It shouldn’t take more than a minute to inflate this mattress that’s compatible with 95% of car models. After all, it may be easier to fit in a quick nap from the back of your car if your work doesn’t like your sleeping at your desk (I can’t imagine why).  

4) Ostrich Pillow

Maybe you can’t get to your car, or you’re lucky enough to have If you have a super cool work space. If that’s your case, then I highly suggest using the Ostrich Pillow. Don’t let its looks deceive you, this pillow can conquer any surface for the perfect power nap. If you frequent planes, it’s the perfect travel accessory that you didn’t even know you needed. There’s also an opening in the front for nose and mouth breathing, which is really relevant for those of us that value sleep without that “hot air” feeling.

5) Portable Coffee Cup Holder

Congrats, you’ve made it halfway through the day! You’re doing great. It’s time to stack up on another cup of coffee. After that power nap, it’s going to take everything you have left to motor through the rest of your day. You can’t risk keeping your eye off the ball for even a second. And by ball, I really mean that precious, precious cup of joe. That’s where the Office Table Desk Clip comes in handy. Now you really can keep your eye on the prize. Besides, you can’t risk spilling your drink all over your papers, computer, or keyboard! As an added bonus, this nifty tool double to hold your phone, cosmetics, or even a flower pot.

6) Coffee Joulies

Alright you’ve made it to the final stretch and your work day is almost over! I don’t know about you, but I’m always burning my tongue on a fresh cup of joe. Coffee Joulies conquers against this classic tongue battle by using advanced phase change material technology to store and release energy. To translate this to English, the beans absorbs and conserves the heat from the initial pour, making sure the cup doesn’t exceed burning temperatures. As your cup cools down, the stainless steel stones will then release the previously stored heat to maintain the “perfect” temperature for your coffee. Food Network can be quoted saying “The beans really work” and that’s honestly more than enough for me.

Pat yourself on the back!

Congratulations! Looks like you’ve made it through your work day. Now that you’ve enjoyed National Napping Day to its fullest potential, it’s time to stop and think about everything we’ve learned today, and no I don’t mean confirming daylight saving time is absolutely dreadful. I mean, look at all these helpful products that may have helped you through your day! It’s never too late to start looking at good inventions and assessing their usability. What may come off as a laughable product may really come in handy on days when you need them most, like National Napping Day. If you’re feeling inspired and wanting to create your own invention, feel free to contact us at 888-373-3876. If this article inspired you to take the next step in your own inventing journey, make sure to comment and let us know. As a reward, I might even get an official nap time at my desk (OH BOY)!

Krissy Pizzo is the social media expert and writer for Source Direct, an Invention Company based in Palm Harbor, Fl. If you have any additional invention tips or comments, feel free to email her at kpizzo@thesourcedirect.net. If you absolutely dread using email, you can comment below! 

Success Stories: The Weave Scratcher

STOP THE PAT! From hairpiece to sew-ins, The Weave Scratcher offers a simple solution to the most common predicament: itching. Source Direct helped create this product in 2011 and we are excited to announce it is taking off. ESSENCE magazine featured The Weave Scratcher as their top tool for “soothing an itchy sew-in weave”. We have been picked as “Amazon’s Choice” for weave scratching products online. Sometimes a good product requires time, attention, and patience while carefully building a following.

The Weave Scratcher was created to help ease discomfort without disrupting your style. To better understand The Weave Scratcher, it helps to understand why people experience itching in the first place.  

During the braiding and weaving process the hair is pulled very tightly. When hair is pulled too tightly, the scalp becomes irritated and can develop an inflammation of the hair follicles. This inflammation reaction can account for that furious itching sensation. Even when done properly,  an excess or lack of moisture to the scalp can turn quickly turn the scale. Seborrheic Dermatitis, commonly known as dandruff, is the other common perpetrator for this problem. An overgrowth of yeast on the scalp triggers an inflammation of the roots. This causes an array effects including a buildup of dry layers, flaking, and itching.

Anything from getting the hair wet to sweating without carefully drying the scalp can cause these itching sensations, and what a list! There’s too much to worry about with maintaining and caring for weave, so Source Direct spent a lot of time developing the right tool to properly assist.

Its firm but flexible design is meant to fit in between any hair weft or braided base with ease. The soothing bobby pin ends massage your head comfortably and carefully. It’s light and compact size allows clients to use the Weave Scratcher when at home or out and about. This tool can fit perfectly in your wallet, purse, clutch, or pocket. Our design is embodied to best suit the needs of our clients and their scalp. This handy tool is perfect for anyone who wears wigs, braids, or extensions.

We look forward to announcing the exciting collaborations we are currently working on, as well as more news to come. For anyone interested in joining the Source Direct Inventors Club, call 888-373-3876. 

Krissy Pizzo is the social media expert and writer for Source Direct, an Invention Company based in Palm Harbor, Fl. If you have any additional invention tips or comments, feel free to email her at kpizzo@thesourcedirect.net. If you absolutely dread using email, you can comment below! 

4 Most Anticipated Inventions of 2018

Who doesn’t savor that feeling of anticipation, counting down the clock for your favorite movie, music, or video game to be released? For us, our eyes are on the prize: product development. Waiting for our favorite new inventions to hit the market can feel unbearable, but 2018 is here, and we’re ready! Here are some inventions wrapped with interesting or promising discussion since announcement. Let me know if I missed anything, so I add any new product developments to future lists. In the meantime, here are some highly anticipated inventions I can’t wait to put my hands on:

4. Sleep.Ai

This product settles the classic couple’s dispute: snoring. Does your spouse say you snore, or maybe you’re not getting the sleep you need? Sleep.Ai helps diagnose the problem. Literally.

It’s alright, I’m not a morning person, either….

This wearable product comes in the form of a soft arm strap that connects to an app on your phone. Simply record your sleeping through the app, and its’ expert-built-algorithms analyze both the factors and remedies to reduce snoring. If you snore too loudly or uncomfortably, the wearable arm strap will gently vibrate, like a “soft poke”. It will not disrupt your sleep, eventually training your snoring habits over time. Do your teeth grind? They have an app for that, too!

This product is on my list because it uses invention assistance to help diagnose snoring, teeth grinding, and possible sleep apnea. National Sleep Foundation states snoring affects approximately 90 million American adults – 37 million on a regular basis. This is not only a very common struggle, but poor sleep and sleep apnea can accumulate into bigger problems in the long run.

“The partner of someone afflicted with sleep apnea loses approximately one hour of sleep per evening and may wake up as many as 21 times per hour, a side-effect of apnea known as “Spousal Arousal Syndrome”

Even the partners of struggling snorers are suffering. It’s about time they received some outsider assistance. I look forward to watching Sleep.Ai’s effectiveness in helping not only the user, but relationships as well.

 

3. HoverBike

I know, it’s disappointing, we were all looking forward to jet-packs in the future. We may be lacking in that regard, but hopefully the Malloy Aeronautics revolutionary HoverBike can remedy this dilemma. This diverse tool can lift it all. It’s most current build allows transporting up to 300 lbs of food, aid, equipment, or most importantly, people! Welcome to the future.

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The design is backed by research conducted at the US Army research labs.  This vehicle can lift 130kg (300lb) just like a helicopter, can fly to the same speed and height as a typical light helicopter, but unlike a helicopter it can operate safely close to the ground and around people, and can be done so, with little or no training.

This English based team has already signed a contract with the US Army granting them full collaboration with their research laboratory. With the help from SURVICE Engineering and only 2 mysterious Angel investors, they’ve basically created a user-friendly helicopter bike. 2018 doesn’t get any cooler than that.

 

HoverBike’s easy to learn, easy to use features make this invention market friendly. That combined with it’s sheer strength and power based off a helicopter makes the HoverBike stand out from any similar prototype of the past. Its’ patent is currently pending, but they anticipate this product to enter the market by the end of the year. We may not have jet-packs, but we’ll have the HoverBike.

 

2. Canute Braile e-reader

Bristol Braille took due diligence working closely with the blind community and for the blind community when creating this special e-reader. Nooks and kindles are integrated into our society at an affordable price, and Bristle Braille took the initiative to accomplished this feat for the blind community.

This pristine new braille e-reader holds thousands of e-book files easily accessible by its interactive user interface. Canute introduces the first “multi-line” technology, in comparison to the single-lined machine standard. Multi lines are incredibly important because they give greater interpretation of context to subjects such as science, mathematics, music notation, and even poetry.

“The foundation of Center for Braille Innovation was to be the broker around the world and find what new technologies we can leverage to really support braille, e-braille as well’

says Brian MacDonald, president of the National Braille Press, a contributing organization to the Braillists community. He continues,

“I have to give credit to two guys…two doctoral students at MIT from India. They went to a school for the blind there and saw that these kids were struggling to just measure inch marks…just struggling”

The Bristol Braille community works with the Braillists, in addition to other organizations, in the research and creation of the Canute. If it sounds like a lot of organizations and groups came together to work on this, it’s because they did.

Bristol Braille Canute is expected for release by Spring of 2018 and is available for pre-order now.

 

 

1. Pilot Translating Earpiece

After closely watching every step of this product’s development, this invention makes top of the list, no question about it. I believe Pilot to be the most exciting, and potentially, the most influential of all. What’s greater than breaking barriers, in real time? Everything from their design, product development, online marketing, and user-friendly interface makes this the most anticipated product of the year for me.

 

Pilot’s earpiece provides universal audio translation from one earbud to another, in real time. Essentially, you can speak to your friend in your native language, and they will hear theirs. CEO of Waverly Labs, Andrew Ochoa, initially came up with this world changing idea when he simply met a French girl. He felt frustrated by his inability to communicate with her, all efforts to use translating apps to no avail. He recalls the experience to be horrible, and I can understand why. Having phones up, in our face, takes away the human connection of speaking with someone. The goal of the Pilot Translating Earpiece was to take us back into the real world, phones down, connecting with another human being.

 

It’s easy to see how the function of the invention is invaluable, but what separates Pilot from other tech doesn’t stop there. With electric product development, every minute detail makes a difference. I find all of Pilot’s aesthetics to be visually satisfying in every category to hit. Their logo is smooth and original, the headphones come in three polished colors, and even their websites graphics are super. The headphone’s sleek design is almost reminiscent to Apple’s AirPods with it’s clean and slender design. Even the small holding case screams of the stylistic modern tech design, and it works.

Pilot translating earpiece is scheduled for Spring of 2018.

 

If you’re now looking forward to the release of any of these exciting products please like, share, and subscribe with your friends. I have so much more I look forward sharing with you on future releases, tips, and general inquires about the inventing community.

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I Invented a Product…do I have to spend money?

Okay, so picture this: you just came up with the greatest idea ever. It solves a problem, is economical, and you’ve done testing to see if consumers will purchase this product on the market. That’s fantastic! Now, the next question that usually comes up is: will this cost me any money to make?

The answer is simple: yes, it will. Most inventors will go right into the development process with the mindset of “someone will just buy my idea and I’ll just get a percentage of the profits”. That is very rare and incredibly unlikely. There are many things to keep in mind:

  1. As an inventor (and the creator of this idea), it’s your responsibility to get this product to market, if you so choose.
  2. Work with reputable companies who can put your idea on paper, into the factories, and onto the store shelves.
  3. Have realistic goals set in place for the development of your product, and in the correct chronological order.

Licensing is something we hear about every day. “Just take my idea and send me money later.” Unfortunately, that’s not how this works! If that was the case, every inventor who ever lived would want to go this direction – it appears to be the easiest way. It may be easy, but it’s not probable.

To get high quality CADS, prototypes, samples, sourcing, manufacturing, and more – you’ll need to pay for it. It’s not uncommon. Just be careful when you do pay! Make sure the company you’re working with is not going to scam you.

Are you looking to move forward with an invention? Give us a call at 888-373-3876 extension 213 – speak to Nathan and mention this blog for a free product evaluation! 

Selling Your Product Online – Best Practices!

The second that your invention has been produced, the first thing you want to do is start selling! The internet has proven to be a great place to sell products, and to many people, with very little overhead.

Here’s a few things you can try:

  • Sell on Ebay! It’s not just a place where you can sell your old junk – you can sell brand new items there!
  • Open an Amazon Seller Account. Amazon is the largest internet retailer in the United States, so obviously it’s a great place to sell!
  • Create a website for your product. You can have you own online store to just sell your product exclusively. You can use this to promote your product and avoid fees (you’ll have to handle your own shipping and logistics, however).

The key to eventually get the attention of big box stores is to show that your product sells online. You should absolutely start with selling products online – get a following and some sales and you’ll do very well in the retail marketplace. Make a SPLASH!

Licensing: What exactly is it? Is it for me?

When developing a new product it is important to understand the dynamics of the inventing process. We see many inventors who may not understand the proper steps or path to follow to give their product the best chance for success. It is important to keep realistic goal! It is important to know exactly where you are at in development and what can be achieved in each step,  and know how much traction you can gain towards your end goal of production.

It is important not to get ahead of yourself or the stage of development you are in, this can lead to mistakes and wasted resources. One common error new inventors make often is the expectation of a license deal early in development; this is extremely rare! I know there are companies that will contact you after you file for a patent; they sell you on the idea that they will secure a deal for your concept, that there are tons of companies they can market your product to that will take your idea do all the work, pay for everything, and all you have to do is collect a check.

This simply is not true; it is one in a million. It has been our experience that a product has to be brought through many stages of development before a company will even take a look at giving a licensing deal. Usually proven product sales are needed in order for this to happen; meaning you have spent money on the proper steps to get there, by then it may or may not be beneficial for you to take a licensing deal. You only get a small percentage of the sales.

Definition of LICENSING: Licensing means renting or leasing of an intangible asset. It is a process of creating and managing contracts between the owner of a brand and a company or individual who wants to use the brand in association with a product, for an agreed period of time, within an agreed territory.

Your best option may be manufacturing it yourself – do you really want someone else profiting on your idea?  Don’t be a victim of low-cost licensing deals. It may be the biggest mistake of your inventing career.

What Does your Product DO?

As an inventor, the very first thing you should do in the process is make sure your product purpose is concise. Especially when you are working with patents, your mind must be made up when it comes to the specific function of your idea.

Here are a couple of things to do:

  • Write down the function of the product. For example, “My product will pick up animal waste with built in plastic bags, so the owner doesn’t get any of it on their hands.” This is a clear and concise purpose, of which can be expanded upon in the product development phase.
  • Get a professional drawing of your product. Make sure the engineer working on the idea has clarification on the product’s purpose.
  • Don’t change your mind often! The more you change things, the more likely you are to completely distract from the original idea. Stay firm – unless your product needs engineering changes to improve functionality.

Sometimes, in the production development process, friends and family may get involved to suggest changes and fixes to make your idea “better”. Be very cautious. Unless your family member is an engineer, you should consult your production company before implementing changes!

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