Browse Category: Source Direct

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! 

Video of Metro Detroitrer’s ‘Michigan Beer/Pop Chair’ Invention Goes Viral

Image may contain: 1 person, sitting, tree, shoes and outdoorMatt Thompson, 48, of Garden City spent more than 100 hours creating what he calls the “Michigan beer/pop chair.”

He was inspired by a similar Labatt Blue chair, but he says he came up with his own dispensing mechanism that slides pre-chilled cans to a seated drinker’s elbow, reports Elisha Anderson of the Detroit Free Press.

The skilled woodworker build it from Cedar.

“It was a lot of fun,” he tells the reporter. “And I thought people would be entertained.”

His Facebook video below has nearly 10 million views in four months.

 

Does your invention solve a problem? Does it make life easier?

Tips and Strategies for your Invention 

  1. When genius strikes and you come up with a great idea, create a record of your idea before going any further with it. The record of invention should be written in ink and should include:
    • a clear description of your idea,
    • the date,
    • your signature, and the signatures of two people you trust who have “witnessed and understood” your invention and the dates they sign.

 

 

 

 

 

  1. You must have a prototype built as soon as you can to transform the idea into a physical object.Once you have a complete drawing we can help you build your prototype.
  2. Be discreet. Do not talk about your invention with people who are not bound by a confidentiality agreement.

                     Always protect yourself from potential scams with a non-disclosure agreement.

 

  1. Keep good, complete, and accurate written records, including:
    • A written lab book or log, kept up to date as you work on your invention, that documents each day you did something, describes the efforts you have made in taking your invention from idea to reality (including testing results, experiments, modifications).Note: Have two witnesses sign and date your record book stating that they have “witnessed and understood” the work you have done to build and test your invention.

Copies of all correspondence (including e-mails!) and any receipts relating to your invention.

 

  1. Don’t do too much work on your invention until you get a good idea of whether it will sell well.
    • A suggested rule of thumb to determine whether your invention will sell well is that the total sales will be at least twenty times the cost of inventing and patenting it.
    • Include in your cost calculation the cost of filing fees, hiring a lawyer to help with your patent filing and the person who prepares the drawings of your creation.

Do market research, go to the public and see if they would be interested in buying a product like yours. This is a good way to discover value and set price point for your product.

 

  1. Assess whether you will be able to get a patent on your invention. Answer the following questions:
    • Is your invention novel?
    • What is the prior art?
    • If you are improving on something that has already been patented, is your invention a new physical feature, a combination of prior separate features, or a new use of a prior feature?
    • If you are improving something that has already been patented, is your invention not obvious?
    • Does your invention produce a new and unexpected result?
    • Does your invention fall into one of the five classes of items that may be patent-able? That is, is it a process, machine, an “article of manufacture,” “compositions of matter,” or a new use of any of those items?  At Source Direct, we have a network of preferred attorneys licensed by the Patent and Trademark Office. Our patent attorney locator on our website is growing every day! Look for an attorney near you on our locator and let them know you found them on our website!    

 

  1. Have your attorney conduct a patent search.

 

 

  1. Keep a file for your invention that contains items and information you and your lawyer will need while you prepare your patent application.
  2. Market your invention.

At Source Direct we can handle website development and maintenance, social media management, and online sales. We help you develop your brand while you do what you do best! Don’t stress about contacting big-box retailers or posting daily on your social media we can handle it all!                                                                                                                                         

As an inventor, you would likely rather spend your time perfecting your new invention or idea. Give the experts a call today and see how we can help you take your invention to the next level!

 

Marketing your product

When it comes to bringing a new product to market it’s your responsibility to get your product out there and seen.
You have a great invention that solves a huge problem for people but no one will buy it if they do not know it exists! Marketing is key in product success it can make or break you!

When marketing your product it’s important that your product is seen by your target demographic. Knowing how to reach them and what content potential customers are looking to is imperative! Building a community of potential customers that are engaging and resharing your content is key!

Create value for your followers, a user is likely to unfollow a page that does not push out different content and only is pushing ads for sales! If you have a fitness product keep potential customers engaged by continuously posting fitness related content, recipes of nutritional value, quick workouts, and other fitness products that interest you. Sharing the content of other pages and businesses also helps your reach by tapping into a network of potential customers that you may not have been able to reach otherwise!


At Source Direct we can schedule posts for you across multiple social media platforms, edit and bulk upload your images when you use our services. We target your preferred demographic when posting ads. We want to show how great your product is to people who may be looking for a product just like yours! Using state of the art technology and our expert designers, you will receive the highest quietly representation of your product. We make it affordable and convenient for us to manage your social accounts. get in touch with us today for more information!

 

888-373-3876 X 214

Protect your invention idea!

The lightbulb above your head is illuminating so bright that it’s threatening to blind everyone around you. But what should you do with your great invention ideas? Before you start blabbing about your invention to the wrong person or run to the first company that offers to buy it, you need to do one thing: Protect it!

•Step 1: Document It. Simply having an “idea” is worthless, you need to have proof of when you came up with your invention ideas.

When you come up with an innovative idea, create a record of Invention before going any further. Write down everything concerning your idea. Keep an “Inventor’s Notebook” or journal that records the conception and development of your idea. Use bound notebooks, make frequent entries and date each one. This log may help you in litigation if your invention’s origins ever come into question. Don’t talk with any company or agency about your invention unless they sign a confidentiality agreement. (NDA)

  • Step 2: Research It. You will need to research your idea from a legal and business standpoint.

This may be obvious to many people, however, you would be surprised at how many inventors get excited about an amazing idea and assume that because they thought of it, the idea does not exist anywhere else. Many times a simple Google search or a trip to your local Wal-mart may prove otherwise. Don’t be discouraged if you do find your idea already on the market, you may have a modification or an approach that is not covered by patents held by the manufacturer. If your search does reveal that the invention is out there, at least you did not lose any money on the idea. Also remember if you had one great idea that is in stores, you might have another tomorrow!

  • Step 3: Make a Prototype. 

It’s imperative to work with experienced illustrators for patent drawings, the United States Patent Office (USPTO) requirements are very specific. At Source Direct – Inventing Experts our experienced patent team can create professional patent illustrations of your invention, increasing the chances of your patent application being approved. When it comes to developing a prototype, you may be able to do it yourself if it’s something basic. But if you need help with the execution, you have options. We offer all your needs for creating a prototype.

 

  • Step 4: File a Patent.

Invention experts agree: don’t file your own patent! To properly secure a patent claim, the wording needs to be precise and accurate. It needs to use the nomenclature of a patent authority. Should you attempt to file your own patent, do not expect it to be as specific and powerful as one that is prepared by an experienced patent agent or attorney. Without expert guidance, you may not be granted a patent.

  • Step 5: Market Your Invention.

When it comes to bringing a new product to market it’s your responsibility to get your product out there and seen. You have a great invention that solves a huge problem for people but no one will buy it if they do not know it exists! Marketing is key in product success it can make or break you! When marketing your product it’s important that your product is seen by your target demographic. Knowing how to reach them and what content potential customers are looking to is imperative.

 

Your Aha Moment May Be Coming

BUT IT’S HARD TO KNOW WHEN THE LIGHT BULB WILL TURN ON

Have you ever had that “light-bulb moment” when suddenly, you see the solution to a problem? Whether you’re an inventor or not, this is also called an “aha moment,” which the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines as “a moment of sudden realization, inspiration, insight, recognition, or comprehension.”

Henry Ford described this phenomenon: “The air is full of ideas. They are knocking you in the head all the time. You only have to know what you want, then forget it, and go about your business. Suddenly, the idea will come through. It was there all the time.”

A study conducted several years ago at Northwestern University showed that solving a problem that requires creative insight prompts distinct changes in brain activity that don’t occur under normal problem-solving conditions.

Timing can be Random

In terms of timing, “aha moments” are on their own schedule. You may wake up in the middle of the night to tell your sleeping partner that you just got a brilliant idea—only to be told to go back to sleep and talk about it in the morning. Albert Einstein said: “Why is it I always get my best ideas while shaving?” J.K. Rowling, British novelist best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series, conceived the concept while on a delayed train from Manchester to London in 1990.

Probably the earliest documented example of an aha moment occurred around 250 B.C. when Archimedes, the most famous mathematician and inventor in ancient Greece, was in the bathtub.

As the story goes, he was asked by the king to determine whether a crown was pure gold. During a subsequent trip to a public bath, Archimedes noted that water was displaced when his body sank into the bath, and particularly that the volume of water displaced equaled the volume of his body immersed in the water. Having discovered how to measure the volume of an irregular object, and conceiving of a method to solve the king’s problem, Archimedes allegedly leaped out of the tub and ran home naked, shouting “Eureka!” (I have found it). Hence the origin of the term “eureka moment” or the aha moment.

One night in 1902, young American engineer Willis Carrier was waiting for a train, watching fog roll in across the platform, when he had a sudden flash of insight. Specifically, he could exploit the principle of fog to cool buildings. As is well documented, he patented the idea and made a fortune.

Aha Moments in Time

One wonders how many aha or eureka moments might have occurred relative to “The best 25 inventions of 2016,” reported in the Nov. 28/Dec. 5 issue of Time magazine. Among those:

• A new design for home roof solar panels called the Solar Roof. It involves a series of tiles designed to blend together and not stick out.

• Tires that spin in every direction based on Goodyear’s new spherical concept tire that would allow cars to move in many new directions, including sideways into a parallel parking space and at specific angles and speeds to counteract slippery surfaces.

• The ultimate alarm clock that, in conjunction with its companion pillow sensor, could monitor your sleep cycles and wake you when you’re least likely to feel groggy.

• A new line of cannabis vaporizer pens that could replace pills. When inhaled, the pens dispose a dose of cannabis oil that has been chemically engineered to make people feel calm, sleepy, or relieved of pain without getting high.

• A newly designed state-of-the-art drone called Mavic Pro that includes obstacle-avoidance technology, a 4K camera, the ability to track subjects while flying. It can also fold down to the size of a loaf of bread.

• A prosthetic arm called IKO that is designed to enable children who have lost a limb to play by using toy-like attachments.

• A new Nike product, Nike HyperAdapt 1.0, for shoes that tie themselves. When wearers press a button near the tongue, the shoe automatically ties or loosens around the foot.

• A new James Dyson product called the Supersonic hair dryer, which uses a tiny, jet-engine-like motor that makes it ultrasonic and therefore inaudible to the human ear.

• A levitating lightbulb called Flyte that relies on electromagnetism to levitate and spin, using resonant inductive coupling (a technical term for wireless power transmission) to shine. Now there’s your light bulb moment.

Time also recently referenced a potential aha moment opportunity, reporting that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is offering a $30,000 reward to whoever devises a replacement for diapers so astronauts can eliminate body waste hands-free during space missions. Any light-bulb ideas for that one?

It’s what you do with these aha or light-bulb moments that count. Nolan Bushnell, often called the father of the video game industry, said: “Everyone who’s ever taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference.”

 

 

VIA (Inventors Digest) https://www.inventorsdigest.com/articles/aha-moment-may-coming/