Okay, so these aren’t exactly inventions (more like art projects) but both so cool I couldn’t resist posting them. The first is the Graffomat, a graffiti art supplies vending machine designed to “supply you with all of your favorite state of the art graffiti supplies.” You can even buy gloves and a ski mask. Do I see a design patent in their future (or maybe a trip downtown…)?

Anyway, next up is the Art-O-Mat, retired cigarette vending machines that have been converted to dispense art. There are almost a hundred of these machines around the country, including Omaha come summer 2010.

Maybe someone will put the two side-by-side and we’ll get an Art-O-Mat filled with graffiti. Or covered in it.

Ever wonder who invented the first vending machine?

And if you’re really short on cash? You can always make one or grow one.

1) Beard Head Tailgate Collection in Blue/Grey, $33

2) The Beard Cap by Vik Projonsdottir, $78

3) Beard Head Pirate Edition, $33

4) DIY Crochet Pattern on Instructables.com, free

That said, however, I did get an interesting email today from Quirky (membership is free) announcing the next “Quick and Quirky” event where the team at Quirky will chose one product to develop start-to-finish within a twenty-four hour period. Submissions for weather and garden-related products will be accepted at 11 am EDT on April 14th and the winning product will launch at 11 am the following morning. And the best part is: submissions are free! So if you’ve been wanting to see what Quirky is all about (but you’re cheap like me) this could be the perfect contest for you.

Besides, you don’t want those poor guys to stay up all night for nothing, do you? So start brainstorming and save the date for April 14th!

Find more details here on the Quirky blog.

The new Buff Cuff packaging is almost done! I’ve been working with Oxide Design on branding and product design, and a few weeks ago was lucky enough to get my hands on their latest mock-up. It may still need a few minor tweaks, but overall, it’s exactly what I had hoped for! I stole the mock-up from their office and held it hostage for two weeks at my house so I could show it to friends and family, and the response I got was really positive.

Two of my biggest hopes for the package were that it would add some serious value to the product (think Apple) and that the box would be so fabulous that people would want to re-use it (seriously–is there anyone out there who actually threw away their iPhone box?). So far, I think that’s where we’re headed. The guys at Oxide are amazing communicators, and I feel like they really understand where I want to go with this product.

I was actually only supposed to keep the box for a week, but it was so pretty that I had a hard time parting with it. Turns out my designers missed it while it was gone too, so I guess that’s a promising sign. We’re all in love and it’s only a paste & paper prototype!

If I’m really lucky I’ll still loooooove the box when I have 10,000 of them in my garage.

And for heaven’s sake, if you haven’t heard of Shark Tank, go here. Even my parents watch this show.

Unique opportunities for Inventor’s Spotlight exhibitors include a chance to earn special recognition from the UIA in one of five categories like “most eco-friendly” and “best for simplicity.” Participants will also get to pitch their product live to the bigwigs at Garden Weasel–which apparently could “get your product licenced, promoted and possibly a TV commercial.”

And did I mention it’s in Las Vegas? So even if you don’t make a single sale, at least you can count on a free drink.

Sure sounds a heck of a lot more exciting than the World of Concrete my husband attends every year.

For Inventor’s Spotlight details, contact John Lederer at jlederer@reedexpo.com or 203-840-5381.

Since I don’t have a local inventors group, Edison Nation is one of my favorite places to start when I need information. Outstanding forums, friendly people and a huge amount of free information, mainly based on other inventor’s experiences. You can also watch videos from the PBS show “Everyday Edisons” and enter licensing contests for major retailers. It’s free to join; an upgrade to gold status is $9 a month and gets you a subscription to Inventors Digest, reduced entry fees on contest entries and a fancy “GOLD” title on your avatar.

The inventing business is complicated–it’s like you have to be the design team, the marketing department, the CEO, the accountant, a secretary and legal counsel all rolled into one. You’ve got to get some help. Edison Nation is one of the cheapest (free!) and most accessable resources I’ve found so far, and full of inventing nerds just like you.

As far as my own product goes, after reviewing some of the discussion in the Edison Nation forums I’ve decided that INPEX in June is probably not the right target show for me. I’m now daydreaming about trying to do a gift show instead… though I guess I should probably wait until I have a little more inventory. It’d be an awfully empty booth with just one little ol’ Buff Cuff and me.

Beware though: this is one of those contests where submitting your idea gives the sponsor all rights to the invention. In other words, if you have a real invention that you think might get some traction one day, don’t waste it on this contest.

However, it just might be the perfect place to publicly launch the SNACK GRABBER.

First: come up with a genius multimillion-dollar idea (c’mon… you know you have one!)

Second: start an inventor’s journal with dates, ideas, etc. I would suggest something that is hard-bound with the pages sewn in (I love Moleskine) so that the pages cannot easily be manipulated or lost. Every month or so, have a couple of witnesses sign your journal, testifying that the invention recorded is your original idea. At this stage, I’d also recommend getting a general-interest invention book like Inventing for Dummies and browsing the online forums (Edison Nation is a friendly resource). Another good idea is to check to see if any invention clubs are active in your area.

Next, once you’ve done some brainstorming and have a pretty clear idea of what your invention will look like and how it will function, you can file a provisional patent (PPA) with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In a nutshell, a PPA is like a “mini” patent: it’s only good for a year, but it does allow you to put “patent pending” on your product while it’s still in development or new to the market. If you feel comfortable with the technical writing/illustrations you can file this one yourself. I wrote my own PPA and filed it using Nolo’s online PPA application; total cost was around $250 (including the $100 USPTO filing fee). If you think you are ready for this step check out Nolo’s PPA Guide, a free PDF that outlines the pros and cons of filing a PPA.

The next step beyond a PPA is obviously to get a non-provisional patent (NPA). These are the “real” patents people think of when trying to protect their idea. NPAs are good for 15-20 years (depending on type) and give the inventor sole rights to the product in the United States. Sounds great right? Well, unfortunately, the down side is that filing an NPA can often be quite expensive–between $10k-$20k including legal fees–and are technically much more demanding than PPAs (meaning they are much harder to file correctly on your own). If you are at this stage in the inventing process and trying to decide on your next move, check out Patent It Yourself by David Pressman.

Obviously the process is much more complicated than what I’ve outlined here, but I just thought I’d put out a few steps to get you started. At the very least, get yourself that invention journal and put some ideas down! Just think: a twenty-dollar journal could make you a millionaire one day. Sounds like a bargain to me!

At the very least, you can will it to your grandkids.