Inventors are always looking for ways to make their invention a success. A big factor is figuring out who the intended market is going to be, what they will use it for, and what the demand will be.
When the first practical typewriter was invented, it was marketed to ministers and authors. Nobody thought that it would have much use in the business office. Surprise, surprise, it was business offices that were buying them. Oops.
When IBM came out with the first practical personal computer, the IBM PC, their marketing plan projected that they could sell 1000 units, in the entire country! They figured that there would be a few large companies in every town that would have a use for a computer.
When Alexander Graham Bell made a working telephone, he got a patent on it, and offered to sell the patent outright to AT&T, the telegraph company. They didn't see much future in it, and didn't buy it. Since Bell is thought to have given away $100,000,000 over his lifetime, his entire fortune, I guess there was some future to it after all.
I have seen several of my clients who made a product for group A, only to find out that the ones that were buying their product were members of group B, who the inventor had not even thought of. So when a product is on the market, you have to see who is buying it, and start adapting it to them, and forget your notions about who you thought was going to buy it.
I believe Bell offered the patent to Western Union (not AT&T, which was the company Bell created).
Posted by: Enon Harris | December 06, 2005 at 02:58 PM