A Day in the Life of a Inventor
Inventors are some of the icons of American history; they industriously work to create
new products for the American public. The image of Alexander Graham Bell inventing the
telephone in a relatively primitive lab is firmily printed on our mind’s eye. Engineering and
development costs have dramatically increased, and invention today more often occurs in
corporate labs and research and development departments; still, 20 percent of U.S. patents
are issued each year to private inventors. A skilled inventor can still transform good ideas into
significant sums of money. There are great rewards in designing a product that is better than
any that have come before it.
In addition to being creative, successful inventors must
also be effective businesspeople. Developing a useful product
is only the first step in the process. The inventor must also be able to negotiate a favorable
licensing contract with an established manufacturer or have the wherewithal to become
an entrepreneur and go into the business of manufacturing his or her ideas. Designs must
be developed that avoid infringing on existing patents, and investors must protect themselves
from others who would copy their existing design. Knowing the fields or backgrounds of
inventions makes inventors’ lives much easier, both when they develop new products and
assess the value of inventions as they are developing them.
As a full-time career, inventing provides an uncertain living for all but the most talented.
Developing new products is time-consuming and often expensive, and income doesn’t start
to flow until a marketable prototype is ready. Many inventors work part-time as inventors and
spend the rest of their time in jobs as engineers, corporate research scientists, or in academia.
Still, a good idea can be worth pursuing.
Paying Your Dues
With rare exceptions, a background in science or engineering is a must. Many private
inventors spend years working as designers for private corporations before they develop the
ideas that let them set out on their own. Experience in product design and development is
crucial, as is knowledge of the new product’s potential market. Years working in industry or
in academic research are the best methods to acquire the skills of a successful inventor.
Present and Future
Archimedes is the first legendary engineer. The notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci contain
visionary sketches and plans for literally hundreds of devices—although many, such as his
designs for submarines and flying machines, ventured beyond his ability to “invent” them,
given the limited resources available at the time. In more modern times, invention became
central to the American self-image with the onset of the industrial revolution, when
improved mass manufacturing techniques made it possible to rapidly make fortunes from a
design for a useful new product. In turn, large manufacturing corporations built on the profits
of the inventions of private inventors arose. Those corporations built up the large research
and development staffs, which have largely displaced the role of the individual inventor.
Private inventors and entrepreneurs are likely to continue playing a role in the development
of the American economy.
Quality of Life
PRESENT AND FUTURE
Two-thirds of all inventors never see any profits from their creations. By the twoyear
mark, the inventor is either making money (either through a licensing agreement
or private manufacturer) or should be considering another line of work. These
first two years are the most difficult; developing an idea is perhaps the easiest part of invention,
and many inventors find that developing business and distribution contacts is the most
challenging aspect of the process.
FIVE YEARS OUT
The inventor who is still working as an inventor at this point has probably succeeded
in establishing manufacturing and distribution relationships. This makes it
much easier to generate profits from additional inventions, and it allows the professional
to spend more time focusing on inventing and less on pounding the streets looking
for business contacts. Quality of life has likely improved significantly by this point.
TEN YEARS OUT
By now, the inventor’s operation probably resembles a small business. If inventions
have been profitable, additional researchers and business assistants may be employed,
and the inventor has probably developed a stable market for his or her products. Very
few inventors make it to this point, with the exception of those who do reap the rewards of owning
and operating a business that allows them to make a living on their creations.