Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Million Dollar Idea or Joke?
I was listening to the radio recently and heard a discussion on the commercial application of genome mapping. I had an idea that I thought was creative and that I had not heard of anyone else done.
I did not know the feasibility of the idea, and so I called the only geneticist I know. Knowing one geneticist, I suppose, puts me ahead of the general populace by one.
Uncle Joe did not react as if the idea was silly, although it is unusual. He also did not see it as impossible or cost prohibitive. We determined the best thing today, should we decide not to treat the idea as a joke and rather treat it like a million dollar idea, would be to see if there was currently a patent on it. I searched the patent office records today and did not find one, but that doesn't mean there is no patent on the idea, only if there is one I cannot find it. There are professional trained to search the patent records (which go back to 1790), and should they not discover any patent currently reserving the idea, I may just go ahead and get one myself.
It would not be a hard business to start like the last one. It is much more clear, with fewer (if any) shifting parts. I almost like the idea based just on its understandability (which was a great obstacle in my last undertaking).
I bet, if anyone has read this entire post, you are wondering what the idea is. If you are, trust me, I am getting a real kick out of that.
I did not know the feasibility of the idea, and so I called the only geneticist I know. Knowing one geneticist, I suppose, puts me ahead of the general populace by one.
Uncle Joe did not react as if the idea was silly, although it is unusual. He also did not see it as impossible or cost prohibitive. We determined the best thing today, should we decide not to treat the idea as a joke and rather treat it like a million dollar idea, would be to see if there was currently a patent on it. I searched the patent office records today and did not find one, but that doesn't mean there is no patent on the idea, only if there is one I cannot find it. There are professional trained to search the patent records (which go back to 1790), and should they not discover any patent currently reserving the idea, I may just go ahead and get one myself.
It would not be a hard business to start like the last one. It is much more clear, with fewer (if any) shifting parts. I almost like the idea based just on its understandability (which was a great obstacle in my last undertaking).
I bet, if anyone has read this entire post, you are wondering what the idea is. If you are, trust me, I am getting a real kick out of that.
