Welcome to InventionPath, your comprehensive resource for invention tools, patent strategies, and creative innovation. Created by a professional design engineer with over 100 patents and 30+ years of product development experience working with major companies including DeWalt, Black & Decker, Stanley, ResMed, Nanosonics, and Breville.
With over three decades of real-world invention experience, InventionPath provides practical tools and insights that have been proven through the development of more than 100 patented innovations across multiple industries:
InventionPath offers a comprehensive suite of free professional tools to help inventors, entrepreneurs, and innovators at every stage of product development:
Learn professional creative problem-solving methods including SCAMPER, TRIZ, mind mapping, biomimicry, and other proven ideation techniques used to generate breakthrough innovations. These structured approaches help inventors overcome creative blocks and develop patentable ideas.
Master the patent process with expert guidance on patent planning, prior art searches, claim drafting, provisional patents, utility vs design patents, international protection (PCT), and building valuable patent portfolios. Learn strategies used to secure over 100 patents worldwide.
Stay motivated with inspiring quotes from legendary inventors including Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Leonardo da Vinci, and other innovation pioneers. Daily inspiration to fuel your creative journey from concept to patent.
Professional unit converter featuring 36 categories including length, mass, area, volume, temperature, speed, pressure, energy, power, and specialized conversions. Includes ancient and traditional units, world clock for global teams, and real-time currency conversion for international business.
Explore real-world patent examples from major companies across multiple industries:
Our professional invention tools and resources are designed for:
InventionPath guides inventors through the complete innovation journey:
Unlike theoretical resources, InventionPath provides insights from actual patent development experience. Every tool and technique has been tested through the creation of real products for Fortune 500 companies and successful startups.
Based in Australia with international experience, InventionPath serves inventors worldwide. Our patent strategies cover USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office), EPO (European Patent Office), IP Australia, and international PCT applications.
All InventionPath tools are completely free to use. No subscriptions, no hidden fees - just professional-grade invention resources accessible to anyone pursuing innovation.
Beyond invention resources, explore our journey relocating from the UK to Australia, including cruise videos, road trip adventures, Tesla experiences, and life in Australia content for anyone considering international relocation.
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For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been called inventive.
From schoolyard experiments to working in incredible and very creative teams where innovative sparks turned into real-world breakthroughs at the companies Ive worked for including Black & Decker, ResMed, and Breville.
I’m particularly proud of the combined hammer-drill + adjustable torque-clutch mechanism which I co-invented that redefined cordless drills and is still used in virtually every modern DeWalt® hammer/clutch model—millions sold worldwide.
Overall, I’m cited on 30 patent families (over 130 grants worldwide), with those inventions now living inside tens of millions of DeWalt® cordless drills, ResMed sleep-apnea devices, and hospital ultrasound disinfection systems around the globe.
Through InventionPath, I’m sharing everything I’ve learned along the way—a practical, no-nonsense resource to guide aspiring inventors through ideation, prototyping, patenting, and commercialization, so your own ideas can reach the world too.
There are several Tools to help you and Stay tuned for videos and a whole lot more.
Stuck for Inspiration? Try our FREE Tools to help you
USE OUR FREE INTERACTIVE TOOLS TO HELP YOU INVENT AND IDEATE
🧩 ULTIMATE UNIT CONVERTER
💯FMEA TOOL
🏅KAIZEN TOOL
⚙️GEAR DESIGN TOOL
🆑 MATERIAL TOLERANCE TOOL
🏎 THINK LIKE A FORMULA ONE TEAM
👀 DESIGN THINKING TOOL
👁 SCAMPER IDEATION TECHNIQUE
🧮 SYSTEMATIC INVENTIVE THINKING
🧠 MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
🧢 SIX THINKING HATS
🏹 TRIZ TOOL
⚡️RANDOM IDEATION TECHNIQUES
✊ IP STRATEGY ADVISOR
🔥 INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES
Over 2000 quotes from Lao Tzu, Socrates, Plateo, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs & many more...
Welcome to InventionPath, your comprehensive resource for professional invention tools, patent strategies, and innovation techniques. Created by a design engineer with over 100 patents and 30+ years of experience working with industry leaders like DeWalt, Black & Decker, Stanley, and ResMed, InventionPath provides free, practical tools that professional inventors and engineers actually use.
SCAMPER is one of the most practical ideation techniques for product innovation. This interactive tool guides you through the seven SCAMPER prompts:
SCAMPER has been used to generate dozens of my patents, particularly in power tool development where systematic product improvement drives competitive advantage.
TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) is a Russian innovation methodology based on analyzing millions of patents. The system identifies 40 Inventive Principles that consistently solve technical contradictions. Our TRIZ tool helps you:
TRIZ principles like Segmentation, Nested Doll, Taking Out, and Beforehand Cushioning have directly led to multiple patents in my power tool and medical device work.
Morphological Analysis is perfect for complex products with multiple variables. This technique breaks down a product into its essential functions and systematically explores all possible combinations. The tool helps you:
In one power tool project, Morphological Analysis generated over 200 conceptual variations, with 15+ becoming patentable designs.
Design Thinking provides a human-centered framework for innovation. Our interactive guide walks you through the five stages:
Design Thinking is particularly valuable for consumer products where user experience drives purchasing decisions and market success.
Formula One teams are masters of rapid innovation under extreme constraints. Our tool adapts F1 methodologies for product development:
F1 methods are excellent for continuous improvement programs and competitive product development cycles.
Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats technique helps teams evaluate ideas from different perspectives without conflict. Our tool guides you through each "hat":
This method prevents groupthink and ensures thorough evaluation before investing in expensive prototypes or patent applications.
SIT is a streamlined innovation method focused on five thinking tools:
SIT is particularly effective for incremental innovation and product line extensions where breakthrough concepts aren't required but continuous improvement drives profitability.
The Jobs-to-be-Done framework helps inventors understand what users are really trying to accomplish. Our tool guides you through:
This framework prevents the common mistake of inventing solutions looking for problems. Focus on real jobs users need done.
Filing patents strategically is as important as inventing good concepts. Our Patent Strategy Generator provides personalized recommendations based on your invention type, budget, and commercialization plans. Topics covered include:
Understanding your creative personality helps you choose the right innovation techniques and work environments. Our research-based assessment identifies whether you're a:
The test also recommends specific InventionPath tools matched to your creative style, helping you innovate more effectively.
Engineers and inventors constantly need accurate unit conversions. InventionPath provides specialized converters organized by category:
Convert units for length, area, volume, mass, density, and temperature. Includes standard SI units, imperial measurements, and historical units used in patents and technical literature.
Specialized conversions for pressure, force, torque, speed, acceleration, and flow rate. Essential for mechanical engineering calculations and technical specifications.
Convert between joules, watts, BTU, calories, horsepower, and other energy/power units critical for product specifications and patent claims.
Convert bytes, bits, pixels, and digital storage units. Useful for software patents and digital product specifications.
Convert voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, and other electrical units. Essential for electronics patents and electrical engineering work.
Convert illuminance, luminance, color spaces (RGB, HEX, HSL, CMYK), and sound measurements. Valuable for lighting design, displays, and acoustic products.
Convert cooking measurements, temperatures, and volumes. Useful for kitchen appliance design and food-related patents.
Display time across global time zones, convert time durations, and check currency exchange rates. Essential for international patent filing and global product launches.
Comprehensive converter with 40+ categories all in one place. Perfect for engineers who need quick access to all conversion types.
Discover interesting recent patents from the USPTO database. Learn how other inventors solve problems and protect their intellectual property. Great for sparking new ideas and understanding patent claim structure.
Daily inspiration from famous inventors, designers, and innovators. Quotes from Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, and modern innovation leaders provide motivation and wisdom.
Not sure which innovation technique to use? Our comparison guide helps you choose between SCAMPER, TRIZ, Morphological Analysis, Design Thinking, and other methods based on your specific problem type.
Over 30 years working with DeWalt, Black & Decker, and Stanley resulted in numerous patents for:
Working with ResMed and other medical device companies led to patents in:
Patents across various consumer products including:
Take the Creative Personality Test to discover whether you're a Visionary, Builder, Explorer, or Harmonizer. This helps you select techniques that match your natural strengths.
Use the Jobs-to-be-Done framework to clearly articulate what users need accomplished. A well-defined problem is halfway to a solution.
Apply systematic ideation techniques based on your problem type:
Use Six Thinking Hats to assess concepts from multiple perspectives. This prevents costly mistakes and identifies the strongest patent candidates.
Build quick prototypes to validate concepts. Use the unit converters for accurate engineering calculations and specifications.
Use the Patent Strategy Generator to determine the best approach for protecting your intellectual property. File provisional patents early to establish priority dates.
Iterate based on testing, refine your design, and work with a patent attorney to file comprehensive patent applications.
These tools come from 30+ years of actual product development work, not university research papers. Every technique has been used to generate real patents that resulted in manufactured products.
All innovation tools are free to use. No subscriptions, no paywalls, no email required. Just practical tools available when you need them.
While many ideation techniques generate "creative ideas," InventionPath tools specifically target patentable inventions that can be protected and commercialized.
These techniques have directly resulted in 100+ patents across multiple industries, many of which became successful commercial products generating millions in revenue.
From initial ideation through patent filing, InventionPath covers the entire invention process. You don't need multiple resources—everything is here.
InventionPath tools have been successfully applied across:
Provisional patents: $130-$280 USPTO filing fees. Full utility patents with attorney: $8,000-$15,000. Design patents: $2,000-$4,000. International filing significantly increases costs. Use the Patent Strategy Generator for personalized budget recommendations.
No, you don't need a working prototype to file a patent. However, prototypes often reveal improvements that lead to additional patentable features. File a provisional patent first, then refine through prototyping before filing the full utility patent.
SCAMPER is easiest for beginners and excellent for product improvements. TRIZ is powerful for technical contradictions. Morphological Analysis works best for complex multi-variable systems. Design Thinking excels when user experience is critical. Use the Ideation Technique Comparison tool for specific recommendations.
Search USPTO and Google Patents to verify novelty. Your invention must be: (1) Novel—truly new, (2) Non-obvious—not a predictable combination, (3) Useful—serves a practical purpose. Consult a patent attorney for definitive patentability analysis.
Yes! Many successful patents are improvements to existing products. The improvement must be novel and non-obvious. Even small innovations can be patentable if they provide clear benefits and aren't obvious to someone skilled in the field.
Provisional patents are granted immediately upon filing. Full utility patents typically take 18-36 months from filing to approval, depending on the technology area and USPTO backlog. Design patents are faster, usually 12-18 months.
For provisional patents, some inventors successfully file themselves. For utility patents, an experienced patent attorney is strongly recommended. They understand claim structure, office actions, and strategies that maximize protection. The cost is usually worthwhile for valuable inventions.
Patents protect inventions and functional innovations (utility patents) or unique product appearances (design patents). Trademarks protect brand names, logos, and trade dress. Both are important for comprehensive intellectual property protection.
Yes! Patents can be sold outright or licensed for royalties. Licensing is most common for individual inventors, typically yielding 3-7% royalties on product sales. Use the Patent Strategy Generator to explore commercialization options.
Document the infringement carefully. Consult a patent attorney who specializes in patent litigation. Options include cease-and-desist letters, licensing negotiations, or patent infringement lawsuits. Patents give you the right to exclude others but require enforcement.
Innovation is a skill that improves with practice. The more you use systematic techniques like SCAMPER, TRIZ, and Design Thinking, the faster you'll generate patentable concepts. InventionPath provides the tools—your creativity and persistence provide the breakthroughs.
Whether you're developing your first invention or your hundredth patent, InventionPath offers professional-grade tools and strategies that actually work in the real world. These aren't academic exercises—they're battle-tested methods that have resulted in successful products across multiple industries.
Start with one tool, master it, then expand to others. Build your innovation toolkit systematically. Every great inventor has a process—InventionPath helps you develop yours.
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