Design Projects FAQ's

How can I protect my idea when talking to you?

Please click here to download a copy of our confidentiality agreement

How can I protect my idea in the future?

Please ask us for more information in this area when filling in your product design enquiry form. In general you are protected by copyright, but you can also register your design. If your idea has an innovative step to a real-world problem you may be able to register for a patent.

How do you file a patent?

Please click here to download a presentation

What is a patent?

A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a government to a person for a fixed period of time in exchange for the regulated, public disclosure of certain details of an invention. The person applying for a patent does not need to be the inventor who created or authored the invention.

Is there already a patent on my idea?

Checking to see if a patent exists on your product can be time consuming, but it will allow you to become more familiar with your invention area. If there are similar inventions don't be discouraged as patents can often appear identical at first but actually have quite different claims. It is also difficult to cover all areas, the best that you can hope to achieve is to cover off most of the avenues. You can check existing patents to see if your idea is already registered by searching on the following websites:

• Patent.gov.uk - The UK patent Office
• espacenet.com - This is part of the service offered by the UK patent office and covers patents worldwide

Regarding espacenet, we recommend conducting the research in two stages:

1. Use the top left search wizard by typing in relevant keywords to find patents. It will display a list of results of individual patents. You can then click on each of these and read the abstract. The summary should tell you if the patent is of interest. If it is, then click on the unlined patent number. It will take you to a complete copy of the patent. You can read it in as much detail as you want. If it is in your area then the key thing is to spot the line in the top right on the first page that begins "(51) International Patent Classification". It will then provide a number. This is what you need. It tells you how the patent office has classified the patent. You can use this number to find other patent sin your area.
2. Go back to the espacenet front page. Click on the link, which says "Worldwide 30 million documents". Then enter the International Patent Classification number in the box market IPC. This should generate a search result of a more focused set of patents.

Keep repeating stages 1 and 2 until you run out of good keywords that describe your product.

What development process does MotionTouch follow for mechanical design projects?

Please click this link to view our full design and development process

I am trying to choose the right design partner, what should I do?

It is important to make sure that your design partner has the relevant technical expertise, experience of designing similar products and that he is aware of how to design for manufacture, so as to deliver cost effective and quality designs. Also, the most important thing is to identify a design partner that you get on with as its vital that you can work together well and share the same vision.

I would like to talk to MotionTouch about helping me develop my product what do I do now?

WPlease click on your chosen method of communication below so that we can supply you with a quotation:

• Telephone
• Online enquiry form

When I make an enquiry what happens?

• Step 1: Once we receive your enquiry, one of our Account Managers will deal with your enquiry. They will gather together all of the relevant information they need in order to fully consider the project.
• Step 2: The Account Manager will then assign the enquiry to an engineer, who will review the project and ask any further necessary questions. The engineer will make suggestions for the best method of manufacture, ways to improve the product and ways to save costs.
• Step 3: From this point onwards the project is handed to the factory liaison, a Chinese person working in the UK who will liaise with the factory so as to prepare the quote.
• Step 4: The quote is then sent to your Account Manager who will then forward the quote to you and be available to answer any questions you may have.

Once my product is designed do I have to manufacture with MotionTouch?

Unless we have part funded your development, you are not tied in to manufacturing the product with us. We always request the chance to quote for your manufacture project, as we are a highly experienced production company who manufacture in China at very competitive rates.

What design package do you use in house?

We use Solidworks. This is a sophisticated package that allows us to design individual components, assemble them into integrated products and carry out a variety of functions including Finite Element Analysis.

How long will my design project take?

The time it takes to develop a product varies depending on its complexity. Please fill in the following form and we will provide you with a quotation and time estimate.

How much will it cost to develop my product?

As the cost can vary greatly between projects, please fill in the following form and we will provide you with a quotation and an estimation of the time scales involved.