Ask HN: How to build and distribute *real* products?

[danielepolencic]

Recently, I received a not-so-good programmable coffee maker. I decided to take it apart and fix it: I built what I think it's a better product and now I'm planning to redistribute it, so that other people can benefit from my improvements. However, I'm stuck because I'm afraid of being ripped off by the companies I'm going to talk to.

Does it make sense to patent the invention? I realized the patent process is particularly expensive and time consuming. Alternatively, I thought about speaking to small manufacturers, protect myself with a NDA and forget about the patent thing.

How do "normal people" protect their inventions? How do they build and distribute REAL products?

Thanks

[djloche]

Here is what I suggest: take your prototype and imagine the mass produced version. Make a slick video that shows off the prototype, the imagined mass produced version, and a request for funding. Work the numbers and figure out how much money you need to patent your invention, get it mass produced, and shipped to it's target market. Head over to kickstarter, use your slick video and properly balanced rewards to create incentives for people to fund your project.

Your idea has all the elements that make it sound like it could be successful: coffee, programmable coffee maker, something made better than it was before.