Expert: George H. Morgan, P.E., Patent Agent - 7/10/2008

Question
I have a design in mind for fuel efficiency in cars. What kind of patent do you suggest. How is something like this submitted to car manufacturers?

Answer
You need a very strong utility patent. You can get more informaton on utility patents from "Patent It Yourself" by David Pressman, published by Nolo Press of Berkely, California. IT is in most free public libraries, or at least they can get it for you.

The way to get somthing submitted to the car manufacturers, from my experience of 36 years or so as a Society of Automotive Enginers member, plus serving on a variety of international committees, such as but not restricted to the Hydraulics Committee, the Accessory Committee, and the Advanced Technologies Committee of the Farm, Construction, and Industrial Machinery activity, as well as the Commercial Vehicle Activity & also in the Professional Development Committee (or whatever they called it if it wasn't a committee), is to present an SAE paper at their annual Congress up at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan. Then, once the paper is presented, and published by the SAE, it is distributed by SAE to solmething like 2,000 engineering libraries around the world. Then, various trade magazines pick up on it, especially if you have a demo or prototype.

I have used this tack for getting a number of products into the off-highway side of the business, including the Ausco Failsafe Brake and permutations of it.  I also cracked the walk behind commercial mower market with hydraulic motors vs. the old belts and chains by presenting at least one technical paper to the American Society of
Agricultrual Engineers plus publicity articles on a dramatic
hydraulic drive wheel chair with the basic circuit.

This is a lot of hard work, but it is done regularly by the people with better mobility ideas. It also separates the lads with what are often referred to as having (please excuse my language but it is appropriate) "brain farts" from the inventors who have inventions (i.e. ideas reduced to practice).

I see a lot of folks with automotive type inventions. Usually, if they have something, and it fits, and they can sell it to the companies that supply the auto manufacturers, and they can introduce it to the racing world or the aftermarket world, they  have a chance.
When it is something for the car manufacturers, the grim reality is that they need to invent something else.

I am involved in hydraulic hybrids for automotive & off highway applicaitons, some of which are out there. Design News, in their 4/28/08 article "No Batteries Required" posits that the electric hybrids are not going to pick up the marbles like hydraulic hybrids. That article may still be on their web site at designnews.com .

On one of my developments, I went back to one of my clients, who was brilliant in the field, and proposed a joint venture. I had a very good, targeted developement he liked. He dug into the matter, and learned that the technology that this assisted, had overcome their problem my invention would address, and we concluded our way was not the way to go. It precluded a lot of work that wouldn't have gone anywhere. This was directed at the hcc (diesel technology applied to gasoline engines) approach that doubles the efficiency of the gasoline engine. Turns out the parent company, GM, which owns Volvo, who was leading in the technology, licenced either BMW or Mercedes Benz who is coming out with it on one of their luxury cars in a year or so. (Another beautiful theory murdered by a gang of brutal facts...Churchill).

However, if we had gone on, that is excactly how I planned to do it.

I have had a number of people come in, in the past 15 years come in with engine improvements. They ranged from the crazy, through the ignorant to the ones with keepers. The keepers tended to have something they could start with the aftermarket or racing industry. Many automotive improvements started out in the racing circuits. (As did Mr. Ford with his first cars.)

So, it can be done.

However, you need to get at least a provisional application for patent filed, before you approach anyone. You also will probably need to be able to demonstrate it. Ultimately, you need a strong utility patent filed in each country where you want protection.

Mr. Ford allegedly said: "I have to pay the labor, but I can steal the engineering." so beware of any short cuts.

Beware of the invention promotors that advertise on TV or who direct mail all the inventors with published applications or awarded patents. They are sharks, absolute frauds. A partial listing can be found on the Inventors Resources page, through the Ron Riley Scam alert page link, on my website at http://www.evansville.net/biz/patagent

I do hope this helps you. If you really have something, the engine manufacturers would be committing vast sums to bring it to fruition, so they will not look at anything unsolicited by them. Going the above route I spelled out commands their attention.

Also, think engine manufacturers & remanufacturers, not necessarily just car manufacturers. Some car and truck manufacturers make their own engines, but not all do, and the engine manufacturers and remanufacturers world is a wider prospect than just car manufacturers.

The scammers keep changing their names as the inventor activists become aware of, an publicise their activities. Some of the latest include I.D.E.A., New Idea, & IP&R. Older, still out scamming, include Invent Tech, Invention Home, Davidson, and Franklin Forge.
Some advertise on my profile page, to my chagrin. AllExperts says it is Google's fault, but I doubt it.

George H. Morgan
Professional Engineer (Since 1958)
Patent Agent (Since 1973)