Where do I go with a neat idea for conservation/cars....?

[FirstLight]

I had an interesting idea pop in my head for how to change over ALL the cars on the roads and get the suv's phased out, etc... a massive overhaul, if you will.

Trouble is, I have absolutely NO idea where to go with it.
I am in no way a civil engineer, or someone who designs cars, or someone who knows about the details of metallurgy, etc...
So who would I go to to ask about the possibiities? someone at a university? My senator, Barbara Boxer is on the environment committee, maybe she has a connection?


anyone got input here?

since it is just an idea, and I can't make money off it...(or can I?) I don't know if I can patent it or copyright it...would it matter if it would make a difference?

edit-typos oops!

[deadmessengers]

1. Patent it.

Here's the thing: you say that you don't know if you can make money off it. If your idea is truly original, and as revolutionary as you say it is, then you can almost certainly patent it, and make money off the licensure of your patent to someone who can directly use your design/idea to improve their process and make money.

Of course, this is a BIG if: truly original & functional ideas are few and far between these days, but if you really have one, that would be the way I would go with it.

You might want to look at the Nolo Press books on inventing and the patent process for some idea of what's involved: http://www.nolo.com/product.cfm/objectID/759C18EB-2F81-4984-B73D2591246ECC59/310/

[kristopher]

2. It depends on the nature of the idea

Unless your idea involves the invention of a gadget of some sort, the odds are you wont be able to patent it. Copyrights just protect published works from unauthorized reproduction. If the former, then write down the idea in as much detail as you can, put it in an envelope and mail it to yourself. Place the stamp over edge of the flap so that when it is stamped, the envelop has a time and date stamp on it from the post office. Mail it to yourself and keep it sealed in case someone downstream tries to assert they thought of it first.
Patent atty is expensive, but I think you can do a patent search yourself online now for free. I did one once at the patent office, and found it to be a real challenge. Fortunately, it didn't take all that much time to find out my idea had already been patented sixteen ways to Sunday. I invented a point source water heater in 1977. They weren't in use in the US then and it was a time of increased worry about energy prices, so I was sure I'd struck the motherload. Little did I know that they were in use everywhere in Europe and Asia.

If, on the other hand, it is an idea about how we should do something, sort of like a plan of action, there is no "protection" for it, but if it is good then you might want to get intellectual credit for idea. But the real challenge is to get someone to pay attention to the idea and take action on it. Often that can become a career endeavor.

If the latter is the case, and it is just a way to approach a problem, then spit it out and hope someone listens. Telling people about it gets you feedback to help find the flaws and weaknesses you might have overlooked.

Can you explain what the nature of the idea is without getting into too many details. You mention metallurgy; so I guess it is a device of some sort and might be subject to patenting. But can you say, for example, if it deals with a way of processing energy, a way of extracting energy, a way of eliminating the need for energy input or something like that?

Whoever you take it to, be prepared to describe what problem it solves, specifically. And finally, you need to weigh what is most important to you. Sitting on an idea you'll never do anything about because of fear of loss is just as bad as never having the idea in the first place.

Good luck.

[FirstLight]

3. It has mor to do with transitioning the older models off the road

A Program to "recycle" the older cars and get everyone into hybrids/newer cars...if the materials are recyclable, why can't it be done? thats is why I think I may need to go to my senator, or something like that....unless someone in the "industry" can run with it...


sorry it took so long to reply, got caught up with dinner and kids! :)

[kristopher]

4. The cars rotate fairly quickly. Trucks last a little longer.

I think most of them are off the road within about 10 years, but I haven't checked that stat in about 15 years so it could have changed.

I expect that gas prices are going to be causing higher turnover than recent trends.

Last thought, the price of scrap metal, including steel, is extremely high right now due to demand from China and high energy prices.

Don't know if any of those thought are of use, just tossing them out.

[FirstLight]

5. I read an earlier post here that SUV's aren't being accepted for trade in

...so my thought was, why can't we re-use the maerials and make different cars? Why should we continue to look for metal, glass, etc...when we can just recycle the materials instead of reselling the cars that do so much damage to the environment. We can just melt them down ...
If a program was in effect when you could bring in your big gas guzzler and drive off the lot with a hybrid the same day...then the older models could be "rotated" and used to create something else...

Like I said, I am not a mechanic, but it would be cool if we could just make the transition to cleaner cars easier.

[kristopher]

6. That's probably related to price.

I think the actual situation is that they don't want to pay any money for them. If the customer wants 16000 and the dealer thinks it's only worth 8,000 then a lot of people might think the dealer didn't want the car. And he doesn't really, but he'll take it if he can 'steal it', so to speak.

As they say, all you need is money...

And old cars are recycled, for parts and then the scrap metal value.

There are 250,000,000 million of them, though, so it is going to take a while even if we do it quickly.