It sounds like you place a high value on your time but consider the time EN spends looking at all these ideas to be worth little or nothing…not very realistic in my opinion.

I’d love feedback why your product isn’t picked. Maybe charge extra $ for a reason. I mean, someone has to go into the system to give you the red X, why not a reason too. It could even be a selected reason from a already typed up list, the click the red X then click, Not Patentable, Would cost too much to make, Etc etc…..

The first step of each and every submission displays a list of requirements that include the fee for the submission. We would love to make the search free but need a way to support the infrastructure. We employ product screeners and have invested thousands of development hours into creating our patent-pending screening process. The per submission fee helps support that. Unfortunately at this time we are unable to offer feedback.

Patrick,

This has been discussed before. It is against the interests of the inventor’s community to make it easy to submit massive amounts of ideas. I believe the system, as is, is quasi-pefect.

In your post it is implied that you care about $20, like all of us do. Then, the full $25 that is paid upon submission, is the endorsement that the inventor has enough confidence in the idea to submit it. The idea has been therefore, pre-screened by the inventor. I am sure that some others may not be worth the $25 expense in the eyes of the inventor.

If it only costs the inventor $5 his/her pre-screening efforts might be well… much less than in-depth. If EN has to work under those conditions, it migh just cease to exist, and none of us want that. At least, I don’t.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

I support the way E.N has set up their screening process. I can’t imagine what it must be like wading through the tons of submissions trying to find items that companies might deem winners.

I consider 20-25 dollars submission fee very – very reasonable. E.N has to pay bills and salaries just like everybody else. I also believe that if submissions were cheaper or free,E.N would be further backlogged.

I’m sure that different screening systems could work also. I think you have to realize that this is their company and their system. In the meanwhile, just keep plugging away on another new idea……

I agree $25 is a great submission fee, but I’d be willing to pay $35 for a color coded X on the ideas that don’t make it, just like Linda said… “from a predetermined list of reasons”. I’d even settle for a big X or a little x if it denoted whether prior art being found was the reason or not!

I’d pay extra for a reason.

This is a very useful concept. II think $ 25.00 is more than reasonable.

I have been on both sides of the fence as an Inventor and a reviewer. I can also add the experience of answering a large number of questions from Inventors on this website and others. So, I can feel for everyone when it comes to getting feedback. The problem comes in when the Inventor does not agree with why they were turned down. Then things get ugly. I saw Inventors go right into deep denial when I told them their idea was already for sale in stores.
This also happens with Inventors that email me. I get requests constantly to review their ideas. One Inventor in particular didn’t take it very well. He started sending me email after email trying to convince me I was wrong. He sent me 17 lenghty emails in one day trying to defend every aspect of his idea. It took 11 emails loaded with links and pictures showing him a variety of products just like his to finally get the point across.
Now multiple that by the number of submissions EN gets and it could take them months of going back and forth with feedback to Inventors jthat won’t take no for an answer just to get one search settled. They don’t have the time or resources for that.
I have visited EN a number of times and seen their operation. I know people want answers faster than they get them from EN, but one reason it is slow sometimes is they are trying to do a thorough job and not rush through just to get done.

Remember what I always tell Inventors they need more of to succeed “Patience, Persistence and Positive Attitude”

http://www.rogerbrown.net

Roger you said it perfectly.

I too have been on both sides. I worked for a company and helped with product development and was able to review independent inventors ideas and here I invent myself.

There are a great number of inventors that won’t take no for an answer and feel obligated to defend their ideas at any cost and as Roger pointed out that can be extremely time consuming to deal with.

I had suggested an icon based “You’ve been rejected” instead of the red X where icons represent the reason. Or as also mentioned color coding could help but at the moment EN is not there. If anything is going to change towards getting feedback I’d say icons or color coding are probably the best we can hope for.

The staff at EN are very smart. I’m sure they see this problem and will eventually tweak the system to allow for some sort of basic feedback but it’s not on the top of their list at the moment.

I’m with Roger with the Patience, Persistence and Positive Attitude line…that is so very true as I’ve learned on this site.

Agreed. Ps. I’m not trying to complain… Rather, just wishing outloud. :)

I think that EN offers great service for a very low price!

I just watched “Men of a Certain Age” on TV. One of the four men wanted to be a Big Brother but got turned down so he went to the office and confronted the ‘secretary’ who explained that at the time he signed up, they told him that if he was rejected, B.B. didn’t have to tell him why. He kept insisting and it reminded me of our relationship with EN. Too funny.