Israel Pacheco & Night Hawk

We would like to introduce Israel Junior Pacheco IV, a client of Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC and inventor of Night Hawk (more details coming soon!).

Pacheco was born in Needville, Texas in 1976. He spent the majority of his youth traveling the nation, seeing and experiencing many things. His first real job was as an electrician with his father’s company. After several years in this field, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and serve his country; in 2000 he enlisted into the U.S. Army. After basic training in Ft. Leonardwood, Pacheco was sent to an army training school in Ft. Eustis, Virginia. Afterwards, he was assigned to a permanent duty station in Hawaii. By 2004, his unit was deployed to Afghanistan to fight in the war on terrorism.

Pacheco has always had a fascination with building and creating new and exciting things to help people in their everyday lives. For many years, he sketched and documented these items he dreamed of inventing. It was not until recently that he re-opened his book of inventions and started turning them into working prototypes. His motivating factor for this further action: his family and friends.

His first product of fruition: Night Hawk. Night Hawk was created while Pacheco was on an American base in Iraq in 2009. This idea was conceived from the poor lighting conditions faced by Pacheco and other individuals on the base. His first design, although cumbersome, proved to be very effective for its initial design. Now, with updated versions, Night Hawk is not only effective, but stylish. The product has been a great addition to Pacheco’s hunting and fishing trips.

Not including the prototypes in Iraq, Pacheco has built two additional prototypes for personal use; each one better than the prior. After realizing such a need for the item, Pacheco decided to take his take his product to the next level. He spent exhausting hours researching the steps necessary to bring his idea to market. With patience, he obtained useful information regarding the necessary processes for multiple routes of development. He quickly learned that protection, a professional patent search, and further research were the first things on a long list of tasks to complete. After this, Pacheco came to the realization that he would not be able to perform this task alone, so he hired the necessary individuals. After performing further research and completing his list of tasks, Pacheco knew he had to be getting close to the finish line. Unfortunately, he quickly realized his process was only a quarter of the way complete. He spent a considerable amount of time in-limbo with the work he’s completed and nowhere to go.

With a second wind, Pacheco began to revamp his strategy. He ended up speaking with the team at RIDD. Before delving into the development process again, he began researching the company. After receiving positive responses, he knew he had to make a decision. He decided to begin the process again, this time with RIDD.

Pacheco’s product is currently being developed at a wonderful pace. His happiness with the company and process has spread to his family and friends and will soon result in the new development of a completely different innovation.

 

Bottle Feeding Woes?

Enter Handy ™ invented by Asaf Amitai! Handy is an innovative new concept that allows mommy to easily free her hand during bottle feeding, without disturbing feeding time! The sleek design provides the ability to feed the baby normally with the option to free the feeding hand to grab a cloth, wipe baby's mouth, or any other task you may face!

 Whether you are a babysitter, nanny, au pair, parent, grandparent, or friend, Handy is an easy way to bottle feed without the woe of disturbing the baby's bottle. How does it work? One end easily clips onto the baby bottle while the other end is specially designed to comfortably be held in the feeders mouth while using the free hand. Handy can easily be converted to any bottle, is dishwasher safe, and is easily removed for the times you are not in need of it! Would you prefer a more personal design? No worries! Handy comes in a variety of designs and colors! 

Unlike products of comparison, that are completely hands free, Handy can provide all adults, handicapped, young, or old, with the intimate feeding experience necessary for baby. For yourself, a spouse, or a loved one, Handy makes a great gift!

Welcome Scott Eason and RTDPFD!

Scott Eason, inventor of Retractable Tether and Dye Personal Flotation Device (RTDPFD), is a client Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC. Eason, previously a Senior Medical Department Representative at the United States Navy, came up with the idea of RTDPFD after learning of a news report concerning a fateful trip of 4 boaters off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico in 2009. Of the 4 men on the boat, only 1 was recovered. 

Mae West style PFD and deck

 RTD is a personal flotation device designed to provide an ejected boater means to be rescued. Upon ejection from a vessel, the tether, connected to a dye deployment system, is broken. The dye is spilled into the water to provide a mark in the area of ejection to aid in recovery efforts. The dye, an international orange, is highly florescent and visible from an aircraft or surface vessel.


The Mae West style flotation device, with a raised collar, provides head lift while in the water and chest straps for added security. The retractable reel, located on the body of the vest, allows the boater to move about the vessel without mobile impairment while attached into the vessel's rail system. 


In addition to the full vest, Eason conceptualized a weight-lifting style belt equipped with a flotation method and RTD. Each device is equipped with embedded CO2 cartridges for inflation purposes.

Belt Style PFD and deck

 Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC will be performing further development of RTDPFD to manufacture and license the product. Market Research, performed by the market research team at RIDD, was completed to determine materials such as the potential consumers, target market, strengths and weaknesses of the product(s), interest levels of potential consumers, and previous sales of similar products. These results aid in obtaining licensing agreements for RTDPFD with the proper companies to provide the highest profit and return on investment possible. 


 RIDD is in discussion with the US Navy and Coastguard as well as companies such as Grady White and Sea Tow to obtain licensing agreements for RTDPFD. Be on the lookout for this product to reach the marketplace in early 2012!

For more information regarding this product, other products at RIDD, and services RIDD may provide you, contact Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC at info@rhodesdevelopment.co or (706) 850-8318!

Is RIDD right for you?

So you've got an invention in your head... It's the next big thing - you know it!  You decide to post a comment on an inventors group on LinkedIn, and then all of a sudden, you have 100 messages from different development firms across the United States.  Who do you go with?

Millions of inventors face this same dilemma every day...  The invention industry is huge and always growing!  It's hard to make a decision on which development firm to choose when most of them sound very similar.  In addition, the countless horror stories from other inventors that were scammed by large corporations makes you a little skeptical about spending your life savings taking a risk.

When taking the big leap towards getting your product to market, RIDD has made some adjustments to your typical development firm that should ease your mind:

1. RIDD does not collect any royalties from products.  To distinguish ourselves from competitors, we do not collect a percentage of sales from our clients.  Although we do require a payment for out services, taking only $1,200 initially, for example, is much cheaper than several thousand in the long run.  
2. Clients remained informed throughout the entire process.  Twice each month, clients have a meeting with their Project Manager to discuss any progress or developments with their product.  Before any decisions are made, RIDD clients are given their options and always make the final decision.  
3. Clients are given payment plan options.  At RIDD, we understand that coming up with the money to get a product developed can be burdensome.  Therefore, even if it's complete development, clients at RIDD can pay as little as $350 a month for services.  
4. RIDD is involved in their local community.  It's not everyday that you see a development firm starting their own charity.  On October 23, RIDD launched its Helping Hands Charity, feeding 50 families in the Athens area.  

Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC was formed for one purpose: to give inventors and business owners the ability to product products along with providing vital services at a drastically reduced price.  Clients' needs are always a main priority as we work hard to meet all goals and expectations.

Helping Hands kickoff this Sunday!

For those of you who haven't heard, everyone at RIDD is super excited for the kickoff of our Helping Hands Charity this Sunday at the Athens-Clarke County Library.  At the event, we will be passing out enough food to feed 50 families, so please help us spread the word and get rid of all of this great food donated by the Dollar Tree!  We've been receiving several phone calls at the office in response to the article published in the Athens Banner Herald this week, so hopefully this blog post should clear up all uncertainties!

1. Where will the kickoff take place?  The first kickoff will held in the parking lot of the Athens-Clarke County Public Library located at 2025 Baxter Street.
2. What time should we get there?  Joseph Rhodes and the rest of the RIDD staff will be at the library to pass out food between 9 am - noon.  Stop by anytime!      
3. Who is eligible to receive the food?  The bags full of food are for anyone that could use a little help...  Even college students!  You do not have to be homeless to get the food... We realize that it is not just homeless people hurting in these hard economic times.  The bags will be the same for everyone - prepackaged with canned goods from the Dollar Tree.    
4. When will the next Helping Hands event be?  We plan on continuing the food handouts the third Sunday of every month.  Keep an eye out on our Facebook and Twitter for more information closer to the event.
5. How do we apply for the Helping Hands housing and education program?  Since we are not planning to start this aspect of Helping Hands until next year, we have not started accepting applications for the program.  Keep an eye out for more information to come at the beginning of 2012.  

We are excited to finally have the chance to give back to our community at the kickoff this weekend!  Please spread the word to everyone you know in the area that could use a little help, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Babies are us!

No, we're not referring to the largest baby product retailer with the title of this blog post... We're actually referring to ourself!  Currently, Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC is working on more products in the baby industry than any other market.  While some clients, like the Bottle Bender and Bot- Top, are still in the early stages of development, getting CAD and working prototypes, other baby products like Shoezooz and FunSpunge are working on getting placed in stores across the US.  For all of you parents out there looking for great products for your little ones, be sure to keep an eye out for these RIDD inventions:

Our newest addition, Baby No Bumps, is currently being licensed for product placement by RIDD.  This product will protect your toddler's head from bumps and bruises during those tricky months of learning how to walk. 

 

The FunSpunge is another fully developed product going through licensing with RIDD.  It is a headband that fits snug on a kid's head so that soap and water will stay out of their eyes during bath time.  It has been featured on the New York Daily News as well as Fox & Friends.  Keep an eye out for it to hit stores soon!  

Featured previously in USA Today, this soft and cuddly puppy is another one of our fully developed products going through the licensing phase at RIDD.  When you squeeze his hand, "Affirmation Buddy" tells your child one of ten different inspirational messages that will help shape their mind in a positive way. These messages inspire and motivate your child while using Affirmation Buddy and condition the mind to maintain positive attitudes and beliefs.

Baby Butz Cream, a 100% natural and 100% safe, diaper rash cream was recently featured in People Magazine's Celebrity Baby Blog.  The story behind its invention is very inspirational and can be found on the product's website.  If your little one has a hard time staying comfortable in diapers, this product is guaranteed to stop the pain and start the healing process immediately.  If you apply this product at every diaper change, Baby Butz guarantees that your baby will NEVER develop diaper rash.    


Other RIDD baby products in the early stages of product development include the Bot-Top and Bottle Bender, both invented to make feeding babies easier for parents.  You will be able to find more information on these products as they develop on our new website - www.rhodesdevelopment.co.  Until then, keep an eye out for our already developed products in stores near you, or feel free to order them on their websites.  


    

Why inventors should not first file for a utility or design patent

Ah ha!  You've got it... The next million dollar invention.  What should you do first?  You search in Google, 'What to do with an invention.'  Nine times out of ten, you'll find the industry standard that tells you to protect your ideas with a utility or design patent.  What they fail to mention is that by doing this, you could possibly waste several thousand dollars.

Everyday, inventors all over the world approach intellectual attorneys with their inventions.  They sit down, write out a utility or design patent, pay anywhere from 12 to 15+ thousand dollars, and wait two to four years for their product to be approved by the USPTO.  However, after they have waited for what seems like forever, they receive a letter from the USPTO only to inform them that their patent has corrections that need to be made before a patent can be granted.  

What happened?  The attorney you used had great recommendations and you filled out all of the paperwork properly.  Oftentimes, utility and design patents are written without first consulting with an engineer or manufacturer to see if your design is even possible.  So once you have already paid the fee for your original patent, you approach a manufacturer who makes a few tweaks to your design, and then you are forced to pay more money for revisions to the original patent.  Now you're back to square one - waiting to hear back from the USPTO with your new and improved patent.  

According to Joseph Rhodes, President and CEO of RIDD, there a few simple guidelines inventors should follow after having their 'Ah hah' moment.

1. Before filing for a patent, be sure to have a proof of concept, meaning that your designs have been   approved by a manufacturer.  Your design should make for a practical, working and manufacturable product.  
2. Go a step further and have a working prototype made before filing for a utility or design patent.  
3. Instead of filing for a utility or design patent, file for a provisional instead. Once your product starts to generate funds, then go out and spend the extra dollar for a design or utility patent.  
4. After filing for the provisional, be sure that there is a maintained interest level for your product. Make sure that you will be able to recoup the money you spend on a patent before filing for it.  

For more information on the patent services offered at RIDD, visit our website - www.rhodesdevelopment.co, or call us Monday through Friday between the hours of 9-5 EST.  We would love to answer any questions you have about the patent filing process!    

Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC to launch Helping Hands Charity on October 28

Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC, an in house development firm out of Athens, will launch their Helping Hands charity from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. on October 23 at the Athens-Clark County Library.  The company has partnered with Dollar Tree to provide food to 50 Athens families.  In addition, local nursing students will be on site to give free health screenings to everyone in attendance.   

“The whole purpose of Helping Hands is to show people that their community cares about them,” Joseph Rhodes, President of RIDD, said.  “Once you are able to give someone hope, you would be surprised at how much it changes their entire outlook on their given situation.”

 

Despite these hard economic times, according to a recent New York Times article, Dollar Tree stores have seen an increase in sales for the past three quarters.  With more than 4,000 stores across the United States, the corporation will donate food to the charity for a mere 30 cents per item.

“It’s amazing that such a large corporation took interest in a new organization in Athens, Georgia,” Rhodes said.  “They are one of the fastest growing corporations in North America right now, which says a lot about their belief system as a corporation and their business ethics.” 

In addition to providing food for families in Athens, Helping Hands is also hoping to give a home and education to six Athens citizens next year.  RIDD plans to purchase and renovate a large housing facility in Downtown Athens where these community members will live with their families while receiving a free education from a local technical school.  Although those given this opportunity will have to pass drug screenings during their stay, the charity hopes to change lives so that they can get off the street and enter the workforce with proper training.

“Getting people a job that pays minimum wage with no education is useless,” Jacklyn Kerch, Chief Operating Officer at RIDD, said.  “If we are able to put someone in a positive situation with people helping them along the way, they will not want to put that opportunity at risk with drug use and crime.”

Helping Hands and RIDD will continue to give back to the community on the next to last Sunday of every month and eventually hopes to spread its influence across the country.  For more information on Helping Hands, contact RIDD at (706) 534-0230, or feel free to send an e-mail to info@rhodesdevelopment.co.    

Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC brings jobs to Georgia

Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC, an in house development firm that recently opened in Athens, is expected to bring 325 jobs to the Georgia economy by the end of 2012.  The company has brought several successful inventions to market since its opening nearly two years ago.  Rather than saving the extra dollar and outsourcing to China, Rhodes takes all of their prototyping, tooling and manufacturing jobs to companies in the US.

“The manufacturing business has been hurting in the US, because other countries offer very similar services at a cheaper price,” Joseph Rhodes, owner of RIDD, said.  “Our goal is to bring back the hundreds of thousands of dollars overseas and make more jobs for the Georgia economy.”

In addition to bringing money back to manufacturers in Georgia, Rhodes also believes it is important to make the lives of his employees and clients simple.  RIDD employees are given profit share, stock options, three weeks of paid vacation, full 401k, and free health insurance.  Clients not only get drastically reduced prices on services, but they are also given payment plan options to make the process of getting a product to market less burdensome.

“We really just want to take business back to the way that it used to be ran - when people were promoted from within and companies actually cared about their employees, listened to their wants and needs, and did something about it,” Rhodes stated.  “There’s no glass ceiling in our business.  You’re going to go just as far as you want to by the work and drive you put in the company.”

None of RIDD’s good deeds have gone unnoticed, as the company has been recognized both on the state and national level.  Most recently, the company was named by Biltmore as the Top 125 Innovative Businesses in the United States.  In addition, Southern Distinction Magazine is currently following RIDD for six months with a new editorial each month regarding products and new developments.  The company was also chosen as the Top 10 Innovative Businesses in the State of Georgia.

Services at RIDD, available for inventors and small businesses, include: attorneys that are accessible for patents, copyright and trademark; a research and development team to gather critical information from the marketplace; a marketing team to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy of your product in order to help develop licensing agreements; a public relations team to build the product name and develop a target market; and an accounting team that will be accessible if you obtain a licensing agreement or generate a profit from your product.

RIDD is a member of the Athens, Georgia Chamber of Commerce.  If you are interested in learning more about the company, feel free to visit their website at www.rhodesinventiondesignanddevelopment.com or call them during regular business hours Monday through Friday.  

Rhodes Named Top 125 Innovative Businesses in US

This week, Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC has been named as one of the Top 125 Innovative Businesses in the United States by Biltmore Who's Who - "one of the fastest growing publishers of biographies in the world."  


The organization's goal is to "encourage, and bring together accomplished members, to allow them to easily network, research, share information and do business with each other."  Joseph Rhodes, President of Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC, will have his short biography published in a hardcover book alongside other members with outstanding achievements. 

According to Rhodes, his company was formed for one purpose: to give inventors and business owners the ability to produce products along with providing vital services at a drastically reduced price.  Keeping to that mission, the company has maintained a 100% client satisfaction rating, has been nationally recognized by magazines and news articles, and has been ranked one of the Top 10 Innovative Businesses in the State of Georgia for the past two years.  In addition, Southern Distinction Magazine is currently following the company for six months with a new editorial each month regarding products and new developments.  The company is also a member of the Athens, Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

Introduce yourself to Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC

Hello Inventors!

Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC is an in-house development firm, handling every aspect of product development and managing existing products. We provide our clients with attorneys that are accessible for patents, copyright and trademark, a research and development team to gather critical information from the marketplace - including focus groups, a marketing team to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy of your product in order to help develop licensing agreements, a public relations team to build the product name and develop  a target market, and an accounting team that will be accessible if a licensing agreement is obtained or a profit from your product is generated. All of these and more are available to a client through the entire process of your new creation. 

Getting started with our company is a simple process. Contact Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC to discuss your individual needs.  If you are interested in our individual services, please contact our office by phone or e-mail for pricing. If you are interested in our company fully developing your product, the process is simple as well. If both Rhodes Invention Design & Development and its independent investment board deems a product sell-able, we will contact you with a contract offer to become a client with Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC along with the exact amount the independent investment board is willing to invest. Your client fee covers day to day activities that occur within the company surrounding your product. Rhodes Invention Design & Development, LLC does not receive any royalties that may be made from a product.  Instead, the royalties that are made from a product that is placed through our company will be payable to the company's independent investment board.  Therefore, the client fee is non-negotiable.

All of our services are offered in a bundle or individually.  To make things even easier, clients receive drastically reduced prices for our services with payment plan options.  

Our services are, but not limited to: patents, trademark, copyright, contractual law, licensing, prototyping, tooling, manufacturing, engineering services, CAD, 3 dimensional imaging, marketing, CPA and public relations.  In addition to offering these to inventors, all of our services are also offered to businesses!  

We look forward to providing you with more information and updates about our company and the progress of current clients and products. Please feel free to visit our website, or e-mail us at rhodesinventiondesign@gmail.com if you have any questions.