It starts with an idea. But taking that thought from the design stage to production and then to market is never easy.
After developing over fifteen prototypes, Pumper Car ride-on vehicle inventor Mike Jones was ready. What started out as a product designed for the toy market, however, has evolved into a fun therapy device for children with various diagnoses and special needs.
Recently, Edith Tolchin from Inventors Digest sat down with Mike to find out how he turned his idea for a scooter into an invaluable medical device for children.
Much of her article focuses on how Mike followed a key piece of advice that many inventors forget: Recognize that the market may take you in a different direction than what you had originally planned.
Mike discusses how listening to one of the company’s primary customers, children’s hospitals, helped him switch gears on his market approach. As he describes, “We found that most of the major hospitals were using our product in therapy and had some pretty incredible stories about how the Pumper Car device helps children.”
Mike also details the company’s commitment to meeting or exceeding all safety standards, how they addressed manufacturing issues, and what it takes to overcome the myriad challenges when applying for patents. He believes the entire process is a real education, and through it all, he’s been fortunate to attain nineteen out of the twenty-one utility patents for which he applied.
For more on the Pumper Car vehicle’s evolution, please check out the August 2020 issue of Inventors Digest.