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[bigf1]

Hello all,

I hope someone can guide me in the right direction or maybe the correct site, I am the managing director of a technical company based in the UK I have developed an idea which I think would be useful to F1 teams, basically it is based around Aerodynamics and it would give better resolution to an F1 team wanting to develop their aero package.
My system will provide better detail in the following ways.

1 Better accuracy and measurement of airflow for 360 degree surface area.
2.Increased LIVE data based on wind speeds of any part of any track worldwide.
3. Better accuracy for changes in heat and humidity.

The list is much longer but I think you get the idea, my question is can someone point me in the right direct for the following areas.

1. Pattern Pending advice
2. How should this be presented to an F1 Team
3. Has anyone had experience of presenting new ideas and what was the experience?

I thnk you in advance of any advice you can provide.

[LRW]

I'm sorry, you are the MD of a technical company and you don't know how to patent your products, or present them to potential clients......?

[Jabberwocky]

I would wait until you get the patent.

I would then find the names of the aero boss for all the teams and address the enveloped accordingly. Maybe just somethjng like you have just put above but also, as engineers they will like to know some nunbers. So saying it would be accurate to 0.1hg/mm os something like that just to wet the appetite.

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[Hammer278]

Your favourite driver is Button?

[CookinFlat6]

Hello all,

I hope someone can guide me in the right direction or maybe the correct site, I am the managing director of a technical company based in the UK I have developed an idea which I think would be useful to F1 teams, basically it is based around Aerodynamics and it would give better resolution to an F1 team wanting to develop their aero package.
My system will provide better detail in the following ways.

1 Better accuracy and measurement of airflow for 360 degree surface area.
2.Increased LIVE data based on wind speeds of any part of any track worldwide.
3. Better accuracy for changes in heat and humidity.

The list is much longer but I think you get the idea, my question is can someone point me in the right direct for the following areas.

1. Pattern Pending advice
2. How should this be presented to an F1 Team
3. Has anyone had experience of presenting new ideas and what was the experience?

I thnk you in advance of any advice you can provide.

I would think that finding out about Patents would be the starting point and the easiest thing to do for any technology company. Perhaps checking with the patent office (free) to see if one of the technology companies with massive research resources has not already secured a patent pending. i.e they have the idea and havent developed it yet but are waiting for a smaller firm to have the same idea and forget to check the patent, so they can make money by sueing

And sometimes if the idea is 'a better form of vis-flow' one might find that the vis-flow patent already covers the idea

[Jabberwocky]

It is like Lego holds the patents for the best ways to stick 2 blocks of plastic together.

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[bigf1]

Thanks

Guys for your comments I will Patent it first and go from there.

[spankyham]

You seem very inexperienced in both business and F1 at a corporate level. I suggest you find a "mentor" somewhere to assist you on the business side. In the F1 area, especially given my first point, I'd suggest you find a small racing team in a lower (more approachable level) and get them to sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) then try and convince them to implement. That will give you empirical data and industry credibility. You should then be able to gain access to an F1 team with that data.

Now a few points on patenting.

Patents are double edged swords. When you patent anything you have to tell all your competitors exactly how your system works. So you are in essence giving away the blueprint to how to copy what you have invented.

Patents are designed to stop someone copying, BUT, they encourage competitors to find another way to do the same thing.

A competitor can read your patent, understand exactly what and how you do things and how your system works, then simply change the key elements. They then have a competitive product, which doesn't breach your patent and can go to market completely legally.

Anything you disclose in any public way, prior to applying for a patent, is not patentable - this is mostly true in the US. In Europe you have a 12 month window after disclosure. That means the 3 points you listed in your opening post could not form any part of any patent you might want to apply for in the US.

You don't need to wait to get your patent. Once you make your patent application you can go ahead and talk about it and present it to teams. It is best to say you have "patent(s) pending" but you certainly don't have to wait for the patent approval. The approval can take a long time, but you are protected and, when a patent is finally approved, its protection dates back to the original application.

If you don't patent your idea then you don't have to give away any secrets. If someone else does copy your idea and, even if they decide to patent it, because you didn't, then their patent cannot stop you from doing what you already do - that is called "prior art".

The following is a good way to patent. Get disparate entities (individuals rather than companies) to patent select key elements of your ideas - the bits that are at the core of your ideas but are too small to give away to the total system. If possible, don't even mention aeros or F1, just patent it under its technical name.

[What's Burning?]

Very thorough and extremely sound feedback Spanky.

[Jabberwocky]

Wow spanky the patent god. Who knew

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[CookinFlat6]

Great info Spanky, interesting thought

Patent+Leather = Spanky

[What's Burning?]

Patent+Leather = Spanky

[sagi58]

...Patent+Leather = Spanky

Introducing Spanky's new look:

[What's Burning?]

Muscling in on the "queen's" territory.... even I wouldn't dare tread there.

[bigf1]

Firstly thank you for your detailed response, I would like to clarify that I experience in Business I have one of the longest running businesses in my area in the country, but my business is completely different to F1 however my business is sometimes vehicle related.
I was unsure if the F1 teams had a program where anyone whom has an idea could put it forward to a team, (if I may exaggerate my point to make it), I suppose a little like a dragons den for inventors in the F1 sport.
After all they have programs for ameture drivers dont they?


Spankyham Again may I express my gratitude for your response.