NEW IDEAS AND PATENTS:

 http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/

This is the web site for the U.S. Copyright Office.  It explains copyright law and contains links to related sites such as the American Society of Composers and Software Publishers Association.

http://www.dtintl.com/

Delta Tech International helps firms enter new markets profitably by assessing the business potential of a technology in the U.S. and other world markets. It states that it creates cost-effective and opportunistic strategies for successfully producing, marketing and delivering new technologies in new markets.  Among its services are: introducing products to new markets; establishing productive joint ventures and strategic business alliances; managing an international patent portfolio.

 http://worldentre.com/bizdir.htm

The Entrepreneur Business Directory is a web site for people who would like to start a business, but are looking for ideas.  The site provides some ideas as to what kind of business to start in categories such as:  multi-level marketing, entrepreneurial businesses, home-based businesses, and internet-based businesses.

 http://www.delphion.com

This web site was originally developed by IBM to help its researchers and developers perform quick and simple patent searches.  (IBM is the world leader in patents issued.)  IBM made this site available to the public in 1997.  It is now one of the most popular sites used for searching technology patents.  The site provides bibliographic data, text and drawings of all patents issued since 1974.  The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) site (see below), in contrast, does not provide drawings.  The site also supports simple searching by key word, phrase, or patent number.  Both the IBM and PTO sites have an online order form where copies of U.S. patents can be ordered for a fee with delivery by mail, fax, or CD-ROM.

http://www.invention-machine.com:80/

The Invention Machine Corporation Web site contains information regarding its software products, training seminars and other services. With Invention Machine Lab, the company helps engineers apply scientific principles more effectively to build products or make radical improvements to new products. By disciplining thinking and sparking ideas among engineers, the product serves as a design inertia-breaker.

http://www.inventnet.com/page1.html

The Inventors Network is a non-profit organization.  Its main goal is to provide independent inventors with the newest information and help them develop and market their inventions. InventNET is the central point of the inventors community in cyberspace, and also the starting point for the independent inventors to the information superhighway (Internet).  InventNET keeps inventors informed of all the new developments or sources of interest, related to the inventing process.  The Inventors Network has a monthly electronic newsletter.  The web site has an active "Chat Cafe" where ideas can be discussed.

 http://www.gibbsgroup.com

The Inventors Resource web site deals with invention commercialization.  It includes free yellow pages, entrepreneur links, venture capital and funding sources, invention publication links with annotations, patents for sale, and license listings.

 http://www.nciia.org

The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance supports faculty and students who believe that the teaching of invention and innovation is critical to American higher education. Its mission is to nurture a new generation of innovators by promoting curricula designed
to teach creativity, invention, and entrepreneurship.

 http://www.invent.org

The National Inventor's Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio manages this web site.  It provides information on all past Hall of Fame winners.  It also provides information on various inventor competition contests and has many links to related web sites.  Note:  Need Flash Player (version 5 or greater) to view web site.

http://www.uspto.gov

This is the web site for the U.S. Department of Commerce Patent and Trademark Office.  For over 200 years, the basic role of the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has been to promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries (Articles 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution). The PTO site has an online order form where copies of U.S. patents can be ordered for a fee with delivery by mail, fax, or CD-ROM.

http://www.4PatLaw.com/

The mission of the Patent Law and Venture Group & Tradeis  to provide the highest quality, lowest cost legal and entrepreneural services to small business and individual new product creators.

 http://www.slwk.com

This is a Minneapolis law firm specializing in intellectual property, such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks.  Their slogan is "Patent Protection for High Technology."  Contact them (phone: 612-373-6900) to obtain the booklets "What Is a Copyright?" and "An Inventor's Guide to Patents and Patenting."

 http://www.thomasregister.com

The well-known Thomas Register of Manufacturers is now online with its own web site.  The site is useful for an inventor looking for someone to manufacture his/her invention.  The site requires the user to register before searching through the extensive database (more than 155,000 U.S. and Canadian manufacturers).  Many of the sites are linked directly to the manufacturer's home page.

 http://www.tscentral.com

This web site provides information on more than 30,000 trade shows in the U.S.  This is a useful way to locate a tradeshow for a particular product category where new products are being shown.  Trade shows are known as being good places to develop and discuss ideas for new inventions as well as to learn if there may be any market for them.

FRANCHISING:

http://www.entremkt.com/

EntreMKT and the International Franchise Association have joined forces to provide Internet users with a comprehensive listing of franchise opportunities at this web site.

http://www.betheboss.com

Web site offering a world-wide franchise directory.  Visitors to the site may search for current franchise opportunities, learn more about today's top franchise companies, and apply on-line to obtain a franchise. (See also Best Franchise Opportunities and Franchise Opportunities below.)

http://www.bestfranchiseopportunities.com

Web site offering franchise opportunities.  Visitors to the site may search for current franchise opportunities and learn more about franchising. (See also Franchise Opportunities below.)

http://www.franchisedirectory.ca

Directory of franchises available in Canada.  Franchises can be viewed by category, by alphabet, and by investment required.

http://www.centercourt.com/

Centercourt is an on-line resource guide specializing in the franchise and business opportunity industry. It has assembled and categorized a wide variety of information that's beneficial to people who are looking into buying a business and companies interested in developing a particular business opportunity program.  Warning:  sticky site.

 http://www.franchise-chat.com

Franchise-chat features news on franchising from around the world and is updated daily.  It also has a live-chat and discussion forum and numerous links to on-line franchise resources.

http://www.franchisechoices.com

FranChoice provides consumers with free guidance and advice to help them select a franchise opportunity that matches their individual interests and financial qualifications

http://www.franchise1.com

The Franchise Handbook Online is a publication of companies offering franchises internationally.  The Franchise Handbook is sold at franchise shows, through subscriptions and via the internet.

http://www.franchiseopportunities.com/

Claims to be the "world's largest franchise database."  The site groups franchises into platinum, gold, silver, and bronze categories.  Each category contains franchise prospects in a variety of industries.  Each franchise listing shows a brief summary of that franchise plus the opportunity to read more in-depth information, such as testimonials, press releases, industry statistics, and financing programs. The web site also has buttons for a list of franchises by industry, international, "high-end," and "hot" franchises.  The site also contains links to a franchise bookstore, finance center, a net worth calculator, and a self-survey plus links to other related franchising sites. (See also Be the Bosss and Best Franchise Opportunities above.)

http://www.franchise.com/

The Franchise Opportunity SuperStore is a one stop shopping place for future and existing owners of franchises and licenses. It is a dealmaking hub open 24 hours and 365 days a year.  The site offers a broad selection of United States and worldwide franchise, licensing, distributorships and carefully selected network marketing distribution businesses. In addition, for franchisers, licensers and product suppliers, the firm offers a marketplace to meet buyers and display the company.  For landlords, the firm markets real estate sites and/or stores suitable for new franchise outlets. The purpose of the Franchise Opportunity SuperStore is to save buyers and sellers time and expense and to act as an expediter.

http://www.freefranchisehelp.com/

http://www.vaxxine.com/franchise/

INFO Franchise News, Inc. is a division of INFO Press, Inc.  Since 1969, INFO has been compiling the Franchise Annual Directory, known as the "Bible of the Franchise World."  The company also publishes the INFO Franchise Newsletter. The firm's "claim to fame" in both publications is objectivity.  It states that its concern is not whether people buy a franchise or not.  It simply provides information about franchisors in the directory and tell people how to investigate a franchise opportunity.

http://ro.com/small_business/homebased.html

This web site offers information on small & home based franchises, business opportunities, small business reference material, info to help run & market your small or home based business, small & home based newsgroups, searching tools, and services for small business.

http://tbzweb.com/franop.htm

TBZWeb is a directory of franchise opportunities.  It states that it is a comprehensive listing of literally thousands of franchise opportunites available to those who are willing made the jump to owning thier own business.

http://www.franchisedirectory.us

Directory of franchises available in the United States.  Franchises can be viewed by category, by alphabet, and by investment required.  Includes links to a franchise guide, franchise regulations, industry links, and affiliates.

http://www.franchiseexpo.com

Directory of franchisers in the United States and Canada categorized by category, alphabetically, and by investment required.  Includes links to a franchise guide, franchise regulations, industry links, and affiliates.

Page created by Dave Beatty for J. David Hunger. Send Questions and Comments to jdhunger@iastate.edu.