The Ugly Truth About New Inventions
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- Опубліковано 7 лип 2024
- Roger gives his thoughts on inventors and the obsessive mindset that can be a blessing or a curse.
Ladder safety video: • Don't Make This Mistak...
🛒 Dan's Roofing Square: www.essential-carpenter-tools...
FURTHER READING
100 Famous Inventors and Their Best Invention Ideas
🔗 www.cadcrowd.com/blog/100-fam...
The 60 Worst Inventions of All Time
🔗 howchoo.com/technology/worst-...
The Darker Side of Invention
🔗 artsandculture.google.com/sto...
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#Inventions #Inventors #Entrepreneurship
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My grandfather patented the stonewold roof tile in 1958. First thing he did was licence it to Redland tiles - they did all the production, marketing etc. And paid him a royalty. By far the easiest option.
I did that in my twenties with one of my hanglider designs. It covered my costs and made enough for further prototypes. That's the way to go, in a lot of cases!
100% right ,roger mentions patent infringements , if uve got a large organisation producing ur product they’ll protect them patent rights vigorously in any court of law and shut the copy cats down ie black and decker with the workmate they shut down a factory that was set up producing one called the work buddy ( they even copied the name for god sake) and as he also says and u allude to a smaller percentage in royalties is a whole lot better than a large percentage of nothing and u never know if the product sells in large volumes that small percentage can still amount to a considerable sum reckon ur relation was a wise man
I recall a roofer by the name of George day, telling me that he used to make low pitched roof tiles (eg stonewald as they weighed 1 stone. He told me that he with others made them at mole wood gravel pit Waterford at weekends. the gravel pit was owned by Redland gravel
Richard Kay, the man who invented the 'flying shuttle', one of the inventions that kicked off the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, had the same problem. His invention worked well but it was pirated by the cloth manufacturers. When he took them to court for patent infringement they formed a syndicate called the 'shuttle club' to pay the costs of any member he targeted with a lawsuit. He was left with huge debts. It's an age old problem.
"I've got about as much chance of being right as flipping a coin in the air" decades of wisdom in the invention business right there.
100% he can flip a coin in the air
Talking about knives. I work in a factory one day it was decided standard utilities knifes where dangerous and we must get a safety version. The manager who came and took my standard knife away cut himself quite badly showing me how the safety version worked.
Haha!!! GOOD! :)
We lost ours also with the spring loaded round tipped blade I've been hurt more with them than my foldable pointy blade.
@@insideout144 on the list of people who need to be stuck in pergatory, the inventor and marketer of the spring loaded round tipped "safety" blade is at the top of my list. Nearing two decades since I last used one, yet I still have the indentions in my thumbs from trying to hold that useless blade out in a job that required we use ONLY that blade. Having any other cutting device was a fire-able offense.
I guess I should appreciate my ignorance about the existance of these safety blades more.
I have an "I almost became a millionaire" story. I had a rustic back porch with exposed 2x4 studs. I wanted to screen in the porch and planned to use fiberglass screen. I thought about how window screens were held in place with a rubber spline pressed into a groove. I went to the hardware store and told the worker I didn't know exactly what I was looking for. I said I wanted a slim piece of metal with a channel or groove that I could attach to a 2x4 to hold window screen, then I could stretch the screen across to another stud with a similar metal strip and hold it all in place with a rubber spline. He said we got that, some guy invented it just a few months ago. It's plastic with two grooves the exact width of a 2x4 and has a snap on cap to cover the splines giving a finished looked. I bought some and they worked great. I had thought my idea was original but someone else had the idea, found a manufacturer and brought to market.
Over the years I invented a couple thousand ways to use the wrong tool.
Brilliant. We've all been there.
I had an apprentice who did this for me !
Sometimes the right tool is any tool that's handy. You're 40ft up a ladder and you need a hammer? Screwdriver butt. Etc. etc...
Thomas Carlyle said man with tools is all. Charles Ham advanced that to being able to use tools is to be all powerful. To be able to use the wrong tool to get the job done, well....
Yes, especially using your good flat file as a hammer to knock in that nail...because....snap, f**k.
The chisel guard, ha ha. I worked in a rubber and plastic shop. We had several jobs requiring chipping out resin in voids. The whole shop got involved, we made a rubber mold and molded a rubber flap on all the chisels we had. That was 20 years ago, still being used. One of our best shop ideas
That thing most useful when you are holding the chisel and another guy swinging the hammer!!!
One of my brother's neighbours used the brickie tool to build her garden wall, over a two week period, doing a couple of course each evening during the summer.
To be honest, it was one of tidiest walls I've seen, with very little in the way of snots to be scraped off the deck.
No good for a real brickie, but for a DIYer, it was great.
Probs all her joints were 10 mm
Unlike a pro brickies can range from 2 mm to 20 mm and look horrendous
@@boyasaka that depends on how good the brickie is.... and how much they care!
@@ajmaloleary3553 I had a front garden wall built by a builder who was primarily a chippie and roofer. Next door had his section done by a brickie. My section looks brilliant and is rock solid, his is a nasty mess and looks flimsy. I did know my chap was diligent from other work he did for me.
Mind you, wrt another comment, he mocked multitools and, tbf, my green Bosch was underpowered. Changed his tune when I got a (corded) DeWalt! Gave him mine in lieu of cash and got another one
In full agreement with you here, it's of no use for a professional bricky but superb for a DIY chap.
@@manjindervirdee1092 : and soon to be used by AI !!!!!!!
Thanks for the mention! I’ll always be grateful for the exposure on Skill Builder 🙏. I’ve had great fun filming, not sure Roger agrees..
Yes, things move on.. evolution!
Actually sold my first roofing square 5 years ago today. 😃
Nice body warmer Roger.
I don't own your square, but it looks useful and looks like a quality product, well done :)
@@mpkleinbreteler Thank you.
Thank you Dan bought your square last year and what a fantastic well built tool.
@@Ronal10dhino thanks 🙏🏼
Happy roofing.
If I wasn't retired Daniel I'd have bought your Square, it looks great. Shame you didn't make it years ago!... good luck and keep up the good work.
I have invented the 'Sandwich Saw Glove" This glove allows you to hold a wood saw while several blunt plastic prongs secure a sliced bread sandwich in a vertical fashion above hand so you can take a bite of said sandwich on the backstroke. The benefits are that this invention allows the user to replenish energy levels while sawing thus saving time on taking traditional breaks to eat said sandwich.
can you do let’s say 100,000 units to start off with
@@mohammadhussain725 Errm, i can make 5 a week, I better get started.
Are there any sandwiches/fillings it works particularly well with?
@@jp6975 Yep, brown fish sandwiches are good, u av 2 watch 'A league Of Gentlemen' for the recipe.
Had a girlfriend who had a tablecloth tattooed on her lower back for a similar reason, and wore a little garter belt with a cup holder. Beautiful, smart, and thoughtful.
When I first saw oscillating mutli tools I thought they were a tacky gimmick. Turns out they can perform unique cuts and change the way many jobs are done. I admit I was too quick to judge them.
Fein was the original patent holder. It has existed for a very long time. We still call the thing a Fein, even other brands these days.
100% agreed, its one of those tools that after using one you can't even remember how you managed all the years before them.
On a side note, I broke my arm as a kid, hospitals use something very similar to remove casts, and remember saying to my dad how handy it would be on site. I'm not trying to say I invented it 1st but if I could go back.....I could be retired before starting work 🤣🤣🤣
I thought silver swords were a tacky gimmick. Turns they can cut many unique monsters and changed the way monster hunting is done. To judge, I admit I was quick.
Next to my drill and impact my most used tool!
Me too, used to think they were pointless till someone bought me a cheap one....ended up using it all the time and then buying a proper expensive one...then a battery one...then a quick change one etc etc
The 2008 movie “Flash of Genius” about the intermittent windshield wiper and Detroit automakers illustrates many many of the points being made here (finances, divorce, etc).
I'm always thinking of and coming up with brilliant ideas and inventions..... then I go to Wickes and it's there on the shelf for £1.99. Saves me the hassle of getting it made I suppose.
Where Wickes located at? We have the Dollar Store and they have cool stuff for my arts and craft
Good old Roger- at least he will give products and inventors a fair go.
I used The Brickie to build an extension. I couldn’t be happier with the result. Looks lovely and I’m happy every time I gaze at my handiwork. Brilliant invention for people like me.
Roger really should have had a TV career. Such a great presenter!!!
He did! 👎👎👎👎 sorry Roger 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I know Roger has done quite a bit of presenting but I totally agree with you, he's great. I think his hands on experience in the construction industry, his passion and enthusiasm for methods, materials and tools new and old makes Skill Builder a top notch channel. How Roger presents the information is what makes Skill Builder top drawer.
talk less
You tube is the TV of this age! You’re looking at the TV presenter right here!
It'd be a step down from youtube!
I'm an electrician, 62 now. When I was 23 I invented a new type of burglar alarm box. I got the patent, spent a fortune on it. It was good, no doubt about it, a big market for that type of thing. I got ripped off to death. In the end I just lapsed the patent and walked away gutted. Great video that. Brings back memories.
What was different about it
i invented the bricky back in the late 80's out of a pallet and the inability to lay bricks. i thought at the time that it was so simple that someone has already thought of it......... but no one will believe me..... so i am now having a sausage and egg sarnie and thinking "red sauce or brown???"
Trevor Baylis unfortunately never made money from his wind-up radio and was struggling with money in 2013. Quite sad as the wind-up was a perfect idea. We had a wind-up emergency torch in the server room at work years ago. Was good for what we needed.
I admired Trevor Bayliss, he was a true English Gent, what you saw was what you got completely genuine.
Is this a wind up? 😆
The problem with his design was that the energy storage medium was a spring. In this day and age. Your wind up torch was almost certainly battery storage. Of course. Trevor was a mechanical engineer trying to solve an electrical problem. With a mechanical solution.
@@Tensquaremetreworkshop When I saw the radio it felt like the mechanism was not up to much and would likely fall apart/stop functioning after a few uses..
@@vistron888 Trevor was an inventor, but not a production engineer. There is a world of difference between a working prototype (proof of concept) and a commercial device. The cost of that step is typically ten times the development cost to that point. But the main issue was the choice of energy storage. Being a mechanical engineer, he chose a mechanical solution (if you have a hammer...)
As an aging Inventor Engineer type I think your idea for a Dragon's Den competitor is absolutely EXCELLENT- Grey Tie Deer!!
I learnt a lot of what you said in this video the hard way!! :) The UK desperately needs to keep coming up with ideas (one thing the UK does well) and to make sure that the good ones are nurtured into world wide companies, (one thing the USA does well).
I love your work and honesty...The UK equivalent, in DIY, as Scotty Kilmer is to cars in the USA! Keep up the good work, keep honest and true. ESSENTIAL with what you're doing and I believe you haven't got too much 'sponsorship corrupting' influence so far AFAICS!! Key Pup the good work!!
Another approach, depending on the scope of the idea is NOT to patent it (making Patent Lawyers rich...& they're happy to give you a patent or Registered design knowing that competitors will get around it...it's like vanity publishing...vanity patenting) but to produce your product in numbers as fast as you can and hard sell them. Once China starts copying then stop! Unless, of course, you've already established your brand and following.
Another commenter reminded me of another point, which as a Design person I know well, and that is that ANYTHING can be improved, and patents got around, VERY much easier than creating the initial idea or product! Interestingly, always when I design something and sketch it out, invariably when I go to my workshop and start to make it, I see a better way of doing it!! :)
It's also VERY important to spend as much time as possible researching whether similar ideas already exist and also to check out patents yourself where possible and where permitted. I don't know what the latest freedoms are in this area.
NoAxe
This is great. I’m a patent attorney and so I love hearing about the business end of the inventions I seek to protect. The good and the bad.
Wow, good to know. You could look at my comment :-)
@@RealButcher hi Peter. I have now merged my business with another. If you want details let me know and I’ll send.
The trouble with some Patent Lawyers, and Lawyers in general, is that they want to make as much money as possible rather than what they need for a decent living. As I said elsewhere, one problem is that some Patent Attorneys wouldn't necessarily tell you that the design was stupid (only their judgement anyway, TBH) So there's the risk of vanity patenting! I imagine that there's been cases of Patent Attorneys nicking ideas too, Has anyone checked how many patents are held by Patent Attorneys?
What needs to happen, sooner than later (for the sake of the country), is for Patent Lawyers to be working with local people skilled in business and marketing and investor angels who can speed up the process of getting the idea to market....IF the Inventor wants to reveal his idea, of course.
There's a lot of Hyper rich in Britain, they need to support Inventors and the like, if there's a decent chance of it succeeding.
NoAxe
I have ideas and was ripped off by 1 800 IDEAS screw those guys. But yeah I would love to get your info...
Many thanks! Good that you are humble enough to admit you got it wrong on occasion. I got a happy buzz of nostalgia watching this. My first job in journalism, after years in the home improvement sector, was on a kitchens trade magazine in the late 80s. Our ed came up with a new products section. It started as trends in cabinetry but morphed into gizmos to cut worktops and tiles, plumbing aids etc. One guy showed up at our office with a 'third hand', basically super tripod/jack to put up plasterboard. I thought it was useful in a time of steadily increasing labour costs, but don't know how sucessful it was. Other people I came across at the trade shows were exactly as you described - dreamers, hopefuls, obsessives. The single best idea I saw was the ultrasonic tile cutter. I have only seen one earning money on a site, though. After a couple of years I moved over to local newspapers, but always had a soft spot for tekkie products.
Really enjoyed this, what an interesting discussion! Great initiative that you’re starting too.
There was a professor of mechanical engineering in New Zealand who got sick of getting letters from people with hair-brained ideas. He would write back saying "Some crazy person is writing to me and is using your name. I just thought you should know."
Another great rant roger. It's interesting to learn more of your background and how you have earned such well deserved respect from the trade and DIY for your opinion & your channel. Keep em coming!!
Roger Bisby wrote tool reviews for a magazine called Professional Builder which was given away 'free to the trade' via the counter-top at builders' merchants. I read this many times and he's right - alongside a review was often an advert which funded the free magazine. The weak point to me was too much focus on workwear: boots, trainers with safety steel toecaps, hoodies, trousers etc. Dickies were and are a top brand with a big budget for advertising but I had a pair of their woork boots that split within months of purchase. I wouldn't buy that brand again - the Chinese knock-off might be better!
Full marks to you Roger for having the right, open and fair-minded attitude to inventions.
I've always had an inventive mind (it runs in the family) and have come up with quite a few ideas over the years, especially in my youth, but was always too easily put off by negative comments and didn't understand why others weren't equally inspired by my ideas. The classic one is: "well, if it was that good, someone would have thought of it already" - which could have been said about every innovation in history, from the invention of the wheel onwards. Of course the other famous phrase, usually attributed to Thomas Edison of lightbulb fame, is that a successful invention is "1% inspiration and 99% perspiration".
It's also true about the cost of protecting your product. I read Dyson's biography many years ago, thinking it might inspire me to go for it with my own ideas. It did the opposite. When I realised how driven and tunnel-visioned you have to be, how risky it is - especially if you have a family home at stake - and, even if and when you get the thing to market, the legal battles begin. Dyson soon had to have a full-time legal department on the case 24/7.
There is no doubt that it takes a huge amount of time, money, energy and self-belief to get from an idea to a successful, marketable product - but it also requires the humility to realise when it's time to accept the help and experience of a marketing expert, in exchange for a slice of the pie - and, as you point out, it's better to have half of fifty pies than all of five.
I look forward to your New Inventions series with eager anticipation.
Eddison was a thief. He ripped off loads of ideas
Great initiative Roger. My favourite channel in a very popular genre.👍🏻
My dad and me invented the ladder rack with the screw down clamps. I was cleaning windows and the ladders were tied on with bungee cords. These scratched my car so after a few prototypes we perfected it.
I then did absolutely nothing with it, and after a few years I saw them on every builders van.
What a plum.
Great video Roger, I thought of the raised manhole cover for brick paving back in 1976, many years later someone made it.
Years ago as a keen DIYer I came up a lashup invention to help me plasterboard a ten foot high ceiling single handed.
Using my cheapo scaffolding tower for height, I stuffed lengths of battoning into the tops of the open tubes, drilled holes in them to support six inch nails for adjustment. Joined tops of the battons with other bits of wood.
Slid a plaster board onto the top, climbed up and just raised each corner until it hit the joists.
Not patentable, but it worked and I think they now have devices that lift boards professionally.
Roger loved your narrative - if I may add to it in just a small way it may help others. Nothing to to do with building trade - I am ,for what it's worth, a qualified transport engineer and was an operator of a small fleet of HGVs and for all the years I spent at college and in the profession I was involved with a major problem that was causing deaths from artics overturning when cornering at low speed on roundabouts etc. Since I had a number of these trucks and was very concerned that one day my drivers would come to grief so I set about the problem that was called the "slow roll phenomenon" . I used calculus and all the mathematical skills available but could not figure out what caused it until one day one of my trucks came in with a load that pressed the tractor unit rear wheels down lower than the trailer rear wheels and it sat in the yard with the unit on a left turn and I noticed that the trailer tilted into the turn - wow. I checked another unit that was turned left but the trailer was sloping rearwards and the trailer was tilting away from the turn which meant that when entering a turn the trailer was already in a precarious situation and if it was moving the centripetal acceleration was enough to throw the whole unit over. I learned that through my trade institute they had been working on it for years with Cambridge University and the government bodies, police etc and they had spent millions on a trial tanker combination that they were working on was a donkey engine powering a bunch of hydraulics to tilt the trailer into the turn but could not make it work fast enough and light enough to work so it was abandoned. I wrote to them and pointed out that I had a model to prove my discovery that would ensure the trailer would tilt without any mechanical assistance by a simple alteration to the coupling. I was inundated with people eager to find out how it worked so taking advice I took out a patent pending - cost me £2000 just for a short term of 12 months protection and then the concept was free for all to see. Despite doing the rounds trying to get interest it never made the market but what I discovered completely stopped the rollovers. I did get a thankyou from my institute but not a penny my way. I have seen silly inventions make millionaires for many that did not involve any fatalities.
A true humanitarian . Well done 👏🏼.
@@Oluinneachain Not really - what it taught me was never share anything of value to anyone not least a patent unless one has the pockets deep enough to go through with it all the way and never trust an NDA either. I have many other things I have solved since then that are still posing life threatening events but only apply them to my own selfish use. When I was younger I was told that things are valued as follows - 10 shillings for doing the job and £5 for knowing how to do it.
That is an amazing story. I did an HGV course and test and we were shown a tanker turning over at 15mph. It happens all the time on that tight bend going from the M25 to the M11.
Pity it didn't make you any money
@@SkillBuilder Hi Roger, they cannot use my design and make any money so over time air suspensions came standard and they were able to level the combination but cannot lean into the turn for complete solution with just a 6 degree alteration to the 5th wheel trailer plate ( with this discovery I was then able to develop a formulae to ascertain the speed and various angles to suit) - For the record Tankers are the worst of all because they have a fluid swishing around and they cannot raise the trailer rear to level them enough - if you are behind one and it slopes rearward stay clear.
I gave up on transport and started building homes applying a lot of transferable skills - that I can use in this age of climate nutters - especially boilers and heating systems..
Great video, excellent editing skills & clips 🎥👌🏽
15 years ago I wanted to film me and my son in a car with the camera on the outside. A year later, selfie sticks were on the market. Missed a trick there 😁
I've climbed ladders all kinds of ladders, step ladders, extension ladders, and as I got to the top I never had the thought, if I just had a seat.
Bought Dan's square after watching several of your videos,paid £75 on the official site,very impressed with it,great videos keep it up.
Thanks Andrew.
Really enjoyed watching this. I live my life on the premise that it's better to fail but try, than not try at all...
I agree - as long as you don't end up flogging a dead horse out of misguided belief in your idea. Seeing people mortgage their house, cash in pensions etc can be excuciating. I admire them but at the same time sometimes you've got to cut your losses...
Comment on the caulk in a can - I actually got silicon in a can.. I absolutely loved it for the tight space I needed it in and to get a very even load coming out... Plus the last 3 times I used the classic gun 80% came out of the back of the thing instead of the nozzle! I really like it a lot more than the classic gun myself - but I do understand the drawbacks (and lack of need in most situations).
Brilliant video Guvna! 👍
I worked for a multinational company and they had a whole legal department setup to deal with Chinese copyright infringements, including staff in China. It was very difficult for them to stop it, for reasons mentioned, so I would imagine almost impossible for smaller companies or individuals. Very frustrating.
Better to form a hitman company in china etc, and go and contract them to kill the heads of these companys. Cheaper than patent lawyers
I have one of the laser saws. Got it new old stock clearing out a garage. Only trouble is the battery was corroded so have never tried it. Always thought it could be handy where you are trimming something at an odd angle and have to look down the blade to line up the cut. Will have to clean it and try a new battery now. Must say though the blade is the best saw I have ever had lasting twice as long as any other and way better than the newer red predators I have had which are a tooth too coarse for medium.
Hmm, I like that ladder seat
A lot of the time going for a patent requires confidence in yourself, your abilities and your invention. This video has given me the confidence to go ahead and apply for a worldwide patent on my newly created Laser Guided String Line.
😂
I am going to give you an idea here. Years ago, I did lots of drawings for a Laser Guided Catapult. Did it work? Yes. Everyone in the Ukraine should have one of these, with truckloads of ball bearings.
@@peterduxbury927 Nice. If you could expand the nozzle to fire a wide arc of armour piercing rounds to take out a 17 mile column of, say for arguments sake, armoured vehicles then it would attract crowd funding!!
@@peterduxbury927 Hi Peter. Would they be depleted uranium BB's?🤔
@@mikeneill6813 Haha! I never reached that stage. A laser-guided catapult works OK in the 'X' plane, but the problems arise when you try to establish trajectory - over distance in the 'Y' plane. It's all about practice I suppose, but it does give you improved accuracy. I can imagine many DIY people making these, in sheds everywhere, having read this comment. Some catapults are very powerful, but I'm sure that you know this.
I have been an Inventor, over the years, a couple of patents too. BUT - you can become a persecuted victim of your own mind! You have (what you believe) is a great idea, and the whole world needs it. Weeks (or months) of your time is spent, planning, drawing, costing your item. You feel 'euphoric'. You take a trip to a Patent Agent, and consult with them. You agree to sign-up with the Patent Agent, and costs then begin. A Patent Agent needs to complete "searches" - which then reveal if an idea (like yours) has ever been developed before. You may reach the stage of a Provisional Patent (Prov. Pat.), but the patent costs keep coming...... Here is what can bring you 'back to earth' and shatter your dreams. Please think of a Provisional Patent - as a well-built solid Castle, with a Moat and Drawbridge. You are inside this Castle - and fully protected. The Patent Agent contacts you with various items that draw your attention to certain aspects of your patent, that has been deemed as a "prior Art". You try to change your design, in order to exclude those (cited) 'prior arts'. Without realising this, your Castle Drawbridge has now gone. Other patents then are discovered, and you find that your Castle Walls have been knocked-down. Your seemingly-exclusive Provisional Patent has been severely weakened!! You then make decisions like "Do I continue to pour more money into this?". Roger has hit the nail on the head, and it can become an obsession, to see your ideas (in your mind) on the world stage. Please always keep a grip on reality and, that is the key to patenting anything. Finally, even in an ideal world, you reach the completed Patent Stage, where a Patent is granted, and you are then the proud owner of a Patent Number. Your name does go down in history as an Inventor. But this is where your really expensive problems begin..... The Manufacture, Marketing, Distribution, Sales. You need to Insure your Patent, (not cheap at all), and you need to insure your patent year-in, year-out. The costs to insure any patent rise astronomically with each patent insurance renewal. I have had past experiences of companies that copied my patent, then litigation begins... The big fish always eat the little fish. Roger's words do bring back lots of bad memories. To all Inventors who are (usually) normal everyday people, please learn from others' mistakes. Greetings from Australia.
I’ve still got a blade runner.. It’s actually a pretty decent little gadget, but yeah, would never be caught dead bringing it on site. Absolutely ideal for a DIYer who hasn’t mastered the slide cut or figured out how to use a straight edge though.
That's a great idea Roger, with so many people ready to purchase a good quality item, the numbers will speak for themselves
Nicely balanced piece... we've all seen some daft ideas designed to increase price, pushed by marketing men. And you are right, patents aren't worth the hastle unless you are a megacorp.
I was in electronics, one problem is that what the customer needs and what he thinks he wants are often two very differnt things. They need simple and reliable, they think they want bells and whistles and a wirless interface. That's why the lazer saw failed... it didn't have a wireless interface and smart phone app ;-)
Nicely presented.
I used to host 'Invention USA' on the History channel, and it allowed me to see a massive quantity of inventions (sometimes dozens in a single day). My fav aspect was seeing an invention that at first seemed poor, but coming to appreciate it once the issues the user would really face demonstrated it.
Given the failure rate though, it makes a success all that much sweeter.
More so, ignoring money and fame, anyone that can advance our society is perhaps the noblest of people all said. So really, there are no failures, just brave people.
Wise words, thanks for the comment
Interesting, Thank You. I'm glad that you aren't afraid of new ideas . Good luck to you
I am not a builder but I "invented" good software (for a niche market). People liked it. Great. And then? Marketing, distribution, creating manuals, support, all that cost a lot of money and time - even if you have a great product. And for most products there is additionally a lot of production cost. Be prepared to spend a lot of money and time even on a good product.
Support's the f-er.
If you've got a customer that likes it and can use it - then you can skip the manual, training, distribution etc etc.
Then they say "What if it stops working when you're on holiday?"
@@goldcd And for some products, which are professionally used 24/7, you need to have support.
VERY decent and realistic program. You just earned a new follower.
GREAT MAN RODGER ! That is just precisely what I needed to know . THANKS Roger.
Great video which brought a few laughs with the added clips. Well done.
Great vid. Powerful insights. Should be a business school presentation 👌🏿
Excellent video, subscribed.
Great video Roger!
Hi it's Richard Fitzgerald from FitzBrick Clamps I am a Bricklayer. Very interesting video I would be glad to share how I got the FitzBrick Clamps patented and on the market and selling world wide. It has been really difficult to keep my manufacturing in the uk but the only way I would do it.
Hi Richard, I’ve seen a lot of people using your 3 way clamps etc and the fitzbrick and they look absolute game changers, I’m a carpenter myself but can see so many uses for some of them and not just for bricklayers - congratulations on the fantastic products 👏🏻
I'd be interested in seeing a video of the process of getting something to the market and patented etc. Not a bricklayer myself but have seen your product being used and is brilliant idea.
@@Palo-jm7xc Thanks very much
@G Thanks very much it's much appreciated. I do get a lot of sales from carpenters and fencers and also ground workers. It's good to see my clamps being used across other trades.
Bricklayers put a furrow in the middle of the bed to aid with adhesion of the brick. Without this the wall isn't going to bond properly.
Reminds me of my good friend Stuart Walsh who was a bricklayer, who designed a golfing glove. Sadly passed now.
Excellent video Roger. One of the good guys.
I knocked myself out with a lump hammer, as the bolster head mushroomed and then gave way with a particularly heavy strike which had me essentially stike my wrist. Knocked the breath out of me.
Ouch!
Brilliant as always, thanks Roger,
I am a Contractor in California.
I will be buying the imperial version from Dan’s site, and will show it to the tool rep. at my local lumber supplier. Hopefully it helps get some popularity over here in the States!
Thanks Chris, it is a great tool and anything you can do to get it accepted is appreciated
Don't get me started on dry wall electrical back boxes !
Nicely done. I generate up to 100 new product ideas per year. I've never pursued any of them because of these issues.
Most big companies now do not even patent there stuff, as they know if they patent it, and its good, people will steal it.
Consumerism is worldwide, and many countries simply do not care about copyrights, or patent law.
But one thing i would say, is like you say you should not put people off, its there life there choice, and good inventions are only done, when someone takes the risk, while most fail, as you know.
I agree that if a person does not have much skill beyond just normal inventions, the corporate world is probably beyond them.
People are thieves, and they will do anything to steal a good idea.
It must be very very hard, but i agree, that even if they are rubbish you should not try to put them down. There is nothing wrong with trying to do something in a different way.
I bought the Daniel Cox roofing square and I wrote to him about the hip rafter scale but he was sceptical about it. Before this, I bought the Roofus tool (original, from Australia) is also very good but Daniel's is the winner! Fantastic tool. I bought these things, because I think they're great. I made 1 flat roof in my life but maybe someday I will need it...
Thanks for buying a original one. Yes I was a bit sceptical, Roger made me see the light.
@@Ultimate-roofing-square. Dan just love the square and it's great quality. Is there anyway I/we can have our MK1 squares upgraded /engraved with the hip scale.
@@multirole240 thanks, and Im glad you like it. Unfortunately the updated version is a different profile now, so the old one cannot get the hip numbers on it.
@@Ultimate-roofing-square. Are they cast or machined? If they are machined, the enginere you used will still have the jigs. So maybe you could offer engraving for a reasonably fee. Mind you on off jobs are expensive, it would need to be a batch. Ignore me, lol
@@UberAlphaSirus they are machined, and yes one off jobs are very expensive as from what I understand once the cnc is set up it’s run for a while so stopping it isn’t cost effective. The original square doesn’t have much material to etch the numbers on.
Awesome vid.. Thanks.
I think that was a great announcement I always watch the building knowledge but that was great thanks.
Had several pairs of snickers but managed to easily melt the material while cutting rebar with stillsaw!!
What a really interesting video ,really enjoyed that ,thanks pal
Spot on about inventors. I'm a patent attorney and I'll recommend this video to clients.
Ver interesting and honest. That brickie thing looked good. I built my own extensions 30 odd years go. I learnt bricklaying on the foundations and improved slowly. Well, it is still standing and the building inspector was happy. If you only ever build one wall perhaps the brickie thing was fine but you soon get bricklaying to a reasonable standard if you have the inclination. I am a Chartered Accountant by profession.
So you managed brick arches, baywindows and sills, plinths ect ect. Worked under pressure of a tight schedule and strict quality control.
Just like me going into a large multi levelled company and organising their accounts hahaha I have no problem breaking down construction jobs, knowing my projected costs and profits, what taxes I'm liable for ect ect. But I'm no accountant. Any monkey can do basics, skilled people can do the important details.
I can't wait to see whats next !
Very educational Roger and also confirmed some of my earliest questions and reservations. Very inspiring and I will keep thinking. If ya can't a knowledge a problem, in other words hold ya hands up. You won't fix it. 👌
Cool video!
Thanks
I bought Daniels roofing square and it makes roofing so simple.
I saw it and new it would help me.
This is so impressively built, it definetly has a place in my joinery shop.
Nice to see quality coming out of England.
I also bought a multitool many years ago and it did not work very well at all, perhaps I bought a cheap one, however many years later I used a friend's multi tool and was very impressed and then went and bought myself the cordless milwakee multitool the 18v version and it is superb.
Thanks Ian, glad it’s serving you well.
@@Ultimate-roofing-square. absolutely Danial, a great product 👌, I have many traditionally made greenhouse builds to do this year and your invention will be used on them all. So thx for the time and effort put in to making peoples lives and trades easier.
I shall be doing videos of the builds and featuring your roofing square in them
@@ironian24 thanks Ian. I see one of your Victorian greenhouse videos, very nice.
If you get a chance, get a few stills and I’ll post them on our Facebook page and give you a mention. I’m sure you will get great photos. 😉
🙏
@@Ultimate-roofing-square. Where would you like me to post them Daniel?
@@ironian24 either email, details on the website or via Facebook?
Usually photos are more popular than video on FB. I’ll put a link to you.
Thanks.
G'day mate. A patent dosn't automatically protect anything. All it does is allow you to take infringers to court. Even then if another company rips you off and they've done it for a while, the Judge may allow the copy-cat to continue if they can show that employees would be disrupted!
I was ripped off by the banks. That plastic or metal box that takes the transaction slips from automatic tellers, that was me! They liked the idea so much that they did it and pushed me out of the picture! He actually said he dosn't know me! I didn't expect these suits to act like criminals but they do! Good luck!
The work trousers are brilliant, I love them, business partner hates them and just buys £10 Tesco cargo pants. My father should wear them because he wears cargo pants and like his van (he's 70+ now) carries everything all the time, van has it, trouser pocket has it, kit bag has it - endless amounts of stuff, some of which isn't even relevant to the job at hand.
I really fancy the roofing square though, it's not even my trade but I know at some point I'll do some framing work again & I kind of just want a quality well thought out tool for the job.
The work trousers are brilliant, but they only make them in boy scout sizes! 🤣🤣🤣
I hate them, tio many pockets always getting caught on stuff, uncomfortable, heavy, thick material 😁
Great vid Roger.
Hi, I have several of those cold chisel hand protectors and as far as I am concerned, they are a great invention, I am not a trade person, just a hobbyist but they have saved my hands loads of times. I also have one of the brick laying tools; I will never be a bricklayer but with this I can build a wall and it looks good
In the late 1980s I was in telecommunications. I was asked to comment on the next generation of mobile phones. Someone suggested putting a camera on phones. “Whoever would want a camera on a phone?” was my reply.
Geat video, thank you.
Didn't think a caulk gun could be improved much but recently saw one that pulls the tube back thru the gun rather than holding the tube stationary and pushing the plunger into it. It doesn't discharge itself that extra but to relieve the pressure like the regular guns do and is more compact and can get into tighter spaces. People will always buy the cheap piece of junk throw away models I think tho.
Have one of those Erbauer diamond tile drill guides, suction mounted to the tile, stops the drill sliding all over the place.
So does a bit of masking tape.
@@darrellturner560 how much masking tape have you used over time?
that plasterboard cutting tool I use all the time but I also use a knife. Where it's very useful to me is if a plasterboard is standing up I can just run it across Flex the plasterboard one way and the other and it is cut. It does have some hangups the wheels need to be cleaned out to stop them jamming which might not seem obvious but it is critical to the operation of that tool probably it needs more of a gap in the plastic moulding that holds the rotating blade. but it is a tool I like and when I'm doing boarding it is always there. If anything I would say it is the blade blocking up that might have made this product fail but easy to get around. They also supplied spare blades which I have never needed as cleaning out the originals get it working again. I always thought that all was a success but interesting to know it had failed.
I bought a "bricky", an excellent tool for the DIY enthusiast.
One risk when developing a new product is that many patent offices in the face of genetic and computer innovations that nobody can figure out are just handing out patents, and they really don't mean anything. The real patent depends on winning a court case down the road. It is common to be in a less rarefied field, like guitar making, and see people get patents on "inventions" that have been around for ever. And these can be real new things that have not existed before, but they were on a violin, or a lute. You can't get a patent on something that is only specific to one kind of instrument. So say the steel string guitar had never been invented, and you come out with one. It is a guitar, and steel strings exist on pianos. Generally, even though that is a breakthrough of immense proportions, most guitars today have steel strings, but all the novel parts already exist.
So there are lots of inventions that though they are immensely valuable, do not contain a novel technology.
Completely agree. Example from a different industry There is an American craft designer who has a US patent for a stamping platform for holding a rubber stamp in place. The principle is based on design of letterpress machine but smaller - it is not 'innovative' and it is 'obvious' yet she got the patent and her lawyers aggressively pursue designers of any similar tool. Several UK inventors have been sent 'cease and desist' letters when trying to sell their own different product in the USA. I know one of these designers who is selling a functionally different product successfully in UK and Europe who is redesigning her tool, essentially removing a hinge, so as to be able to export to US.
The Workmate is the single most shitty portable work table solution I have ever used. Its for people who lack the muscle and productivity to be employed commercially. We broke 2 and my dad bought a 3rd one and we welded steel plating and u-bolts onto it and that one finally lasted. We generally used carpet wrapped high quality concreteblocks and scaffolding walks bolted together with nautilus chocks in holes.
I've met a LOT of brick-layers who could use a bricky kit to improve their work and a few who have their own version of the tool. One I know has a bunch of large carefully bent pipes and frames to hold them for S-bend compound ornamental walls and such: things a good bricklayer _could_ do but are easier to do fast if you've got tables and feelers and pipes and boards as guides. Oddest thing about bricklaying is it is the most poorly done skill on a jobsite of all time.
The funniest thing is that hard-rubber hammer skirt on the chisel. It is COMPLETELY unnecessary if you use a much larger diameter hammer. That's why the old woodworkers just stuck a handle in a block of wood and wonked away at the chisel with it.
Earned a Sub right here... great content!
So true - an inventive mind is more of a curse than a blessing.
I got two inventions. One was rejected by bacho but they liked it none the less. The second one is still under wraps but i did build several prototypes. Which worked amazingly
Impressed enough to subscribe... take care.
I have made a few inventions and so far I'm a quarter of the way through the video and this guy is absolutely spot on so far.
Excellent 👍
Brilliant commentary on invention.
Now a Lazer saw that's a great idea ,use the force Luke 😅☘️🇮🇪👍
i had to google ron hickman there, but i learned something new, thanks Roger
I always wondered, if Apple doesn't really bother to fight the Chinese clones for basically everything they make, why would Joe Smith have success in such an endeavor?
In the case of apple I think they dont bother because the clones are more cosmetic. In software/hardware hybrid ventures, they cannot clone the compatibility with operating systems, cloud tech, status etc and on balance it's not worth it. Much more difficult to maintain value when your invention is solely a hardware tech. Not sure though just my impression
If you're an inventor and simply enjoy the process of inventing, you don't want to get bogged down in manufacturing and marketing. People can get paranoid and greedy and try to keep everything to themselves with high risk stakes. You have to decide if you want to be an inventor or a businessman. If the former, the best option is to work in partnership with an existing manufacturer as a mutually beneficial arrangement. Get your invention prototyped and patented and either sell the patent outright to a manufacturer so that they then take the responsibilty of any copyright infringements, or keep the patent and sell them the rights to manufacture. At least you'll get something for your efforts, it'll put you out there as an inventor and it'll free you up to work on the next exciting innovation.
There was a famous story of the guy that invented a new heatproofing technology by accident. It was featured on the 80's(?) TV show "Tomorrows World". The substance was painted on a raw egg, a blowtorch applied and after several minutes of intense heat, the egg remained uncooked. Technology and aerospace manufacturers clamoured to get hold of this amazing substance. The inventor was offered millions. Paranoid about getting ripped off and thinking that he could monetise it himself, he turned them all down and ended up with nothing. I believe later on in life he had regretted the decision he took.
I've looked into patent options myself as a result of innovations I had made at my previous place of work. One patent option most people don't know about is one that lasts for a single year. It's very cheap and immediate, you don't have to involve any expensive third parties and you don't have to wait years to get a full patent and spend thousand of pounds. You also don't have to produce professional drawings, you only need to produce reasonable drawings and descriptions, stick them in an envelope and post to the patent office for around £200. Once your papers have hit the patent office's desk and they have acknowledged receipt, even before patent approval, you can confidently state to any interested party that you have full patent pending status, just like the big boys. You then have one full year to explore the opportunities that your invention could bring. This is enough time time to approach manufacturers and negotiate a partnership. After a year, the patent lapses and is available to all. But you haven't necessarily lost your invention. There's a neat trick you can employ to keep the ball rolling in your favour. All you have to do is make some minor modifications/improvements to your invention and you can re-patent the whole thing as a brand new invention. If the improvements are worth having, no one wants an old patent, they'll want the new one... This is the best valued option for the lone inventor, cheap and quick protection with a view to offloading your idea asap. If nothing comes of it after a year or two, move onto the next idea. If a manufacturer decides to pick up your old patent then this is great marketing for your current endeavours.
I once had an idea for Flymo the mower company. I asked to come to see them. They wrote back saying they didn’t listen to outside ideas without even finding out what it was. Fast forward a few years and Flymo ended up being sold to a competitor
It is arrogance, listen to anyone with an idea, it can't hurt.
The laser saw was fun, everyone laughing at me!