A Helping Hand for the Inventors

Necessity is the mother of all inventions, it's said. Strangely, and interestingly enough, it's also a need which led to the invention of the country's first club for inventors, scientists and technologists.

To bring together the Indian Edisons, Ramans and Bells of the present and the future, a 28-year-old post graduate in science and an young inventor, has taken upon the task of forming the Inventor's Club in association with the Andhra Pradesh government.

A nonprofit voluntary organisation, the Indian Inventor's Club will offer guidance on all aspects of inventing from idea conception to innovation and development, says founder T Sony Roy, also an executive with Bharat Dynamics.

"In the West, inventors' talents are recognized and utilized for the progress of their nations. Unfortunately, in India, though we have recognized scientists and engineers to some extent, we haven't done the same for inventors," says Roy.

Every year thousands of prospective inventors file their patent applications at the Patent Office, but only a few granted. Thus the need for an association that'll help them through networking. "Without guidance, inventors spend their life savings on building prototypes, on unscrupulous patent agent's fees, and never get to commercialise their inventions," says Roy, who won the Best Invention Award at the recent Industrial Exhibition in Hyderabad.

The award was for his creation called Cool Imager, an instant vending machine that captures the photo of the customer on the cap of the beverage bottle. Other inventions to his credit include Email Informer (a device that alerts a person to new email even without logging to an ISP) and a Cheque Authentication System.

"The association will identify and encourage new inventors, help them network with well-known scientists and inventors, and also help them patent their ideas," says Roy, who is also a special correspondent with US-based Inventor's Digest and is authoring the "Handbook for Indian Inventors."

Students, individuals, corporates, and even persons willing to motivate inventor friends, are increasingly becoming members of the association, which has recently become functional. The members, who will include patent agents, marketers and experts on issues relating to invention and innovation, will provide guidance on originality searching, manufacturing and pricing practices, presentation techniques, funding and other issues relating to inventions, Roy says.

The Club will provide services such as invention evaluation, patent search, computer aided design for patent and prototype designing, development and construction, financial and marketing advice.

Debates, lectures, monthly get-togethers, and even auction sessions for inventions, where business magnates will be called to bid on latest inventions, are on the cards, says Roy. Besides, the club will help members participate in international exhibitions and trade shows, he adds.