Robert G. Merrick - Stand Alone, Inventor!: And Make Money with Your New Product Ideas!

This is the first original e-book edition of Stand Alone, Inventor!

Copyright 2011 Robert G. Merrick

Lee Publishing Co.

10190 Hillcrest Road

Monte Vista, Ca 95014

First published in 1997 by Lee Publishing Co. (USA)

Reprinted in Singapore in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2008.

Revised and updated as an e-book in 2011.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover design by Dan Teo NestComm

Singapore 408754

Digital and Illustrations Editor, Katy Merrick
katyclarem@gmail.com

List of Inventor Clubs (Appendix A)

Courtesy of the United Inventors Association of America.

www.uiausa.com

ISBN 0-9643832-0-9

To Letha and our Three Children, Anne, Katherine and John

Is there, any more feverish dream of glory in the world, outside of Islam, than the dream of being an inventor? Certainly not in the United States; and probably not in Japan or any other industrial country. An invention is one of those super-strokes, like discovering a platinum deposit, or a gas field, or writing a novel, through which an individual, the hungriest loner, can transform his life overnight, and light up the sky. The inventor needs only one thing which is as free as the air: a terrific idea.

Tom Wolfe

Wolfe's renowned works include The Bonfire of the Vanities and The Right Stuff.

Reprinted by permission of the author.

This book is intended to provide certain information within the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the author and the publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If legal or other expert assistance is required, you should seek the services of a competent professional.

It is not the purpose of this book to reprint all the information that is otherwise available, but to complement, interpret, amplify and supplement certain texts from the standpoint of the author, and convey to you some of his first-hand experiences. You are urged to read all the available material, to learn as much as possible about inventing and marketing and to tailor the information to your individual needs.

Stand Alone, Inventor! is not a surefire, get-rich-quick book. Anyone who decides to try to invent for profit must expect to invest not just money, but a lot of time and careful effort. For many people, not necessarily the majority, self-venturing a patented product through one's own company can prove to be more lucrative than selling or licensing it to another. Many have built solid, growing, rewarding businessessome quickly, some very slowly.

Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible. However, there may be mistakes, both in typography and in content. Therefore, this text should be used only as a general guide and not as the supreme source of information on how to profit from an invention. Furthermore, this book contains certain changeable information on the subject matter covered, and is generally up-to-date only as of the printing date. The purpose of this book is to educate, entertain and hopefully inspire. The author and Lee Publishing shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly by the information contained or not contained in this book.

Even a stand-alone inventor can use assistance and encouragement along the way. These are the people (in addition to my immediate family) who helped me in one important way or another to succeed with my inventions, my company, and my start and finish of this book. To them I am truly grateful. Thanks!

Ron Alley Dan Andker Lynn Bachman* Roger Borovoy* Bob Brennan El Brown Buck Buchanan Jerry Burch Susan Burlison Tony Campbell Barbara Carey Randy Carling Remberto Carranza Troy Challenger* Bob Chaney Wanda Chirichigno* Bob Condon Rick Crandall Stuart Crump Bob Darling Mike Davidson Jerome Davis Wally Dean Don Dible Mike Dikas Dikran Ekmekji Dave Estes Bob Farmer* Dick Franklin Dale Frase* Jean Fuller* Rocky Furukawa Gary Gairaud Bill Gilmartin Phil Goodman Michael Guerra Dave Guthery Fritz Haas* Sharon Hall