Links
Listed below are links that might be useful to inventors at all stages of the development and marketing process for their invention. Other useful links may be found in the directors and the speakers pages.
NOTE:These links are provided for convenience only, and the B.C. Inventor's Society does not endorse any linked web site or business affiliated with such site.
RAISING CAPITAL
Angel Forum will introduce emerging companies to private equity investors.
Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) is a financial institution wholly owned by the government of Canada. BDC plays a leadership role in delivering financial and consulting services to Canadian small business, with a particular focus on technology and exporting.
Vancouver Enterprise Forum — The Vancouver Enterprise Forum ("VEF") holds monthly events at Science World on the fourth Tuesday of every month. These are dinner events and provide attendees with an opportunity to network with each other prior to the evenings presentations. Events vary in presentation format but are designed to cover topics of interest to the technology community. As an example, the annual "Venture Financing" forum covers fund-raising for technology firms and is nearly always sold-out due to its popularity.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & LEGAL
Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is the Canadian federal department that administers the intellectual property system in Canada and disseminates intellectual property information.
Searchable Canadian Patents Database is CIPO's Canadian Patent Database. This database lets you access over 75 years of patent descriptions and images. You can search, retrieve and study more than 1,500,000 patent documents.
Nexus Law Group LLP — Lawyers, Patent and Trademark Agents. Offices in Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
patents | oncloud8 is a website offering printable US and international patents for US$0.49/patent. The site uses Paypal for a very simple and inexpensive process. Despite the straight-forward appearance of this site, it actually uses sophisticated software to "stitch" together images and text to produce output exactly like the original patent. The service allows the user to send a list of patent requests that is then processed "in parallel" to produce a zipped PDF files that may be immediately downloaded. Searchable PDFs are in the works.
pat2pdf.org is a website for retrieving free PDF copies of US patents and published applications.
PATEX — Ron Simmer, formerly the founder and manager of PATSCAN at UBC Library, now offers his services for patent and trademark research services as a private company.
US Patent & Trademark Office Disclosure Document Program — A service provided by the USPTO is the acceptance and preservation for two years of "Disclosure Documents" as evidence of the date of conception of an invention. A link to the Disclosure Document Deposit Request form is here.
US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) — For over 200 years, the basic role of the Patent and Trademark Office has remained the same: to promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for limited times to inventors the exclusive right to their respective discoveries.
US Patent Search (Free) — Patent Full-Text and Full-Page Image Databases
IP COMPLETE Susan Ben-Oleil Barrister & Solicitor; Patent & Trade-mark Agent
DESIGN
Ubique Mechanical Design, Inc is a boutique mechanical engineering company providing specialized services to industry. They specialize in SolidWorks CAD software and will implement, train, consult and design using this leading software.
Atomica Creative Group Ltd. is a Vancouver based product marketing company provides a complete range of strategic product marketing, product management & product design services.
BCIT Technology Centre provides BC health related industries with services and facilities to conduct applied research.
King Design — A multi-disciplinary design consultancy covering product design & development, graphic design, retail design, point of sale design, Interior design, exhibition/trade show design.
Pacific Design Engineering (PDE) is a company that offers an integrated suite of product design and development services focused on helping clients get to market quickly with winning products.
PROTOTYPING & MANUFACTURING
Hansen Industries is a leading company in metal parts fabrication founded by Bjorn Hansen.
Rapid Machining Inc. specializes in helping start-ups and inventors by offering engineering and manufacturing services for manufacturing prototypes. The company has a small workshop with basic machines but has connections for volume manufacturing.
REFERENCE
Inventors' Digest, the magazine for idea people. Check out their free "Best of" issue in PDF format.
Time Magazines Coolest Inventions of 2009 — A colorful summary of last years best gadgets, gizmos, and gear.
MARKETING
Weebly.com. allows you to develop your own website online without software. Free, good for testing response to your product, highly recommended.
Techno Monkey Media Inc edits and posts the Society videos. They make media for your business (Video + Audio + Photo). Promotional videos, training videos, audio books, web development, and much more - see the website.
RUNNING A BUSINESS
Harvey Cohen Learning Systems Inc. is providing training services for sales and management personnel.
GOVERNMENT HELP
Western Economic Diversification — Better known as just WD, our mandate is to promote the development and diversification of the economy of Western Canada and to advance the interests of the West in national economic policy. WD fulfills its mandate through, among others, innovation programs and activities.
Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is a not-for-profit membership-based association serving business, industry, government and consumers in Canada and the global marketplace.
National Research Council Canada's National Research Council (NRC) helps turn ideas and knowledge into new products, processes and services. Outstanding people work hand in hand with partners from industry, government and universities to help ignite the spark of innovation in communities across the land. Explore NRC and get a head start on the future.
MISCELLANEOUS
CADMentoring helps designers and inventors learn SolidWorks and Inventor CAD software. For those who already have taken introduction courses, (also available) the mentoring programs result in large, impressive portfolios of demonstrable skills. Good resource for inventors wanting to do their own design work. Also has a blog advising job-seeking design professionals
Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association (VEVA) promotes the development of clean alternative transportation with a focus on Electric Vehicles. VEVA started in 1985 and formed as a non-profit society in 1987. While their membership is drawn largely from the lower mainland they have members from all over BC as well as other provinces and states. Many members have built electric vehicles including passenger cars and bicycles. VEVA has monthly meetings to discuss current events, projects under development, and to plan for various events which they attend each year to promote the concepts of clean alternative transportation.
Vancouver Tool Corporation — Canada's largest manufacturer of kitchen and bathroom restoration tools.
