Q:At what point do you experience the most joy in the invention process?
A: Boone Lennon (inventor of Aero Bars) once told me that when you have an idea for an invention, the point at which you have a working model of that invention, you're done. You have completed what you set out to do and everything from that point forward can only be frosting on the cake.

This holds true for me today. I like to invent. I love to invent. Getting my inventions to market can make for a nice form of passive income, but if I no longer have to work, what am I going to do with my free time? Invent!

Q: Will companies license a pending patent or do they want to wait until a patent issues? How long would their wait be? What risks do they accept in working with a pending patent?
A: Whether a company will license a pending patent or insist on waiting until the patent issues largely depends upon the field of the invention.

If the invention were a fad item like a toy where substantial profits would only be around for 1-2 years the company would very likely take the invention to market without the patent issuing - they may not even care if the invention is patented at all!

On the other hand, if an invention represents a fundamental shift in a well developed market and this proposed invention will set the standard for the next 10 - 20 years, then a company won't enter into any finalized agreement until the patent issues and they know how much scope of protection the patent office granted the proposed invention. With the patent issued they can more safely and accurately calculate what terms of agreement they are willing to offer in exchange for use of the patent.

Q: Is your degree in environmental/architectural design just a piece of paper now that you've chosen your career as a professional inventor?
A: What a lot of people do not understand is that architecture is not just buildings, floor plans, and blueprints. Architecture is design. Anything that requires design, requires the influence of architecture.

I use my degree every day with my ability to successfully identify a problem, take a stab at a solution, and then continually refine until my idea has developed to its full fruition.

Additionally, look at architects Frank Llyod Wright, Mies van der Rohe, or Frank Gehry; none of these architects were confined only to buildings - they also made furniture. That's a joke, they did far more than just furniture outside of their building designs.

My point is that, yes, I use elements of my architectural training everyday in my career as an inventor and I feel it to be an excellent foundation for my career.

Q: As an inventor do you work alone, or do you collaborate with others?
A: On any given project I carry a team of at least 8 contractors including a patent agent, an attorney, a licensing consultant, an engineer(s), a communications designer(s), a CPA, and an IT specialist, all experts in their respective fields.  In addition to sub-contracting I also have employees, the number varying upon the size and phase of project I am currently operating.

Q: In what ways are inventors misunderstood?
A: Many people respect and admire inventors, while others stereotype inventors as introverts continually tinkering to no worthwhile end.

The truth is that the success of any market depends on innovation and its ability to change. Without inventors the U.S. would never have become the superpower that it is today.

Q: Is it really possible to be a full-time inventor and not go broke before one of your inventions makes it market?
A: Absolutely. Being a full-time inventor is just like any other full-time professional career; you don't work on one project from start to finish and then start another, you work on multiple projects, in multiple phases, concurrently. This way you have a healthy balance of work flow coming into your office, as well as a cash flow coming into your pocket.

Q: Where does your "courage" to be an inventor come from?
A: Perhaps one of the deepest facets of “courage” in both my creative soul and in my total body makeup is that I can’t lose.

Yes, I know there are risks in life and there might always be somebody better, but I can’t lose. There is always a voice in the back of my head that has the boldest confidence you’ve ever seen.

There have been plenty of times where I have fallen, but I get back up. I am not ignorant of risks. I do not disregard the possibility that someone else could beat me. I simply enter into every situation with the mindset that I cannot lose.

If I hit a set back - I don’t lose - because I never stop trying. I continue to grow stronger with every new experience.

Q: What is your perception of how inventing has changed in the last fifty years?
A: The primary change in the field of inventing in the last fifty years has been companies' acceptance of outside inventions. Although not as prevalent today, one of the weakest acronyms I've ever heard that actually caught on in corporate circles is NIH, Not Invented Here.

NIH is one of the greatest enemies of independent inventors like myself. It means that even though you have a great invention, the very fact that your invention was not developed inside the company walls - they don't want it!

Jerome Lemelson (the most financially successful inventor ever) struggled with NIH quite a bit, to say the least, and so he was forced to license many of his inventions overseas. However, with his inventions becoming standards within the U.S. economy (the VCR, Walkman, and UPC scanning to mention a few) and then with Joel Barker successfully educating companies around the world that paradigm shifts are often made by those outside the industry itself, the U.S. economy and patent office started to reconsider.

Q: What recent changes are shaping the context of inventing today?
A: In 1995 the provisional patent was born in the U.S. patent office. Its purpose was to allow independent inventors the opportunity to get a one year "patent pending" status for a filing fee much less than that of regular utility patent. During this one year they could market their invention to potential licensees while having a patent application on file proving they were the original creators of the invention.

Today, there are companies that serve as liaisons between independent inventors and large manufacturers. The number of large companies beginning to appreciate the value of outside ideas is increasing. Staples, for example, annually hosts a public invention competition where the grand prize winner is offered a licensing contract as well as an up front cash prize.

Q: What changes would you like to see in the field of inventing within the next ten years?
A: In the near future, as more companies have success with outside ideas, I expect to see companies creating entire departments to handle outside idea negotiations. Additionally, with the acceptance of reality television I would expect large companies to sponsor a game show where independent inventors compete live, and then the viewing audience can call in and vote for their favorite product.

I would like to see inventing become a respected accredited field of study at universities. It would be a hybrid curriculum integrating  Architecture, Industrial Design, Entrepreneurial Business, Patent Law, etc. Such a degreed course would indicate that our nation understands that continual innovation is our life-line.

Imagine living in a world where society says, "Yeah, we'll always need doctors, lawyers, and teachers; but what we really need, is more inventors!"