How to Find a Name for a New Invention
Finding a purposeful name for your new invention is a necessary phase of the product invention process. The selected invention name provides the initial identification and definition of the product for anyone reviewing your specifications or marketing material. Your new invention's name helps distinguish your product from other offerings, and can be foundational to creating interest and affinity with the invention. Furthermore, an invention's name becomes all or part of the invention's title that appears prominently on the patent filing application.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Finding a Name for A New Invention
-
1
Consider your invention in terms of these selection criteria and conventions:
Source - May refer to the invention's ingredient (down jacket, or aluminum foil), to the inventor (John Deere Tractor, and Ferris Wheel), a location (Chesterfield's Cigarettes - Chesterfield, Virginia), or what it utilizes to perform its function (Microsoft, as a company devoted to microcomputer software).
Function/Purpose - What does the new invention do (CD player, and hair dryer), or how the new invention is used (Post-It Notes).
Physical attributes - Obvious characteristics can result in clever invention names (flip flops, and silly string).
Acronyms - Initials shorten long references ("CD" for compact disc) or promote manufacturer identification ("IBM" for International Business Machine); Initials may also shorten a reference while also describing product use ("SCUBA," which stands for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus).
User - Who uses the invention? (baby diapers).
Inventor preference - More subjective, how much does the inventor believe in (love) a particular name, even if the invention name is not a match to the criteria listed above.
-
2
Note the above criteria in your inventor notebook (log book, journal), and brainstorm names for your new invention that are appropriate for the categories. List ideas under the criteria headings, making certain to initial and date the entry.
Avoid naming conventions inappropriate for the audience who will be purchasing, or using the product. Using a rhyming name convention is more appropriate for an invention name that is aimed at youth and the consumer market rather than the scientific or medical community, for example.
-
-
3
Scrutinize the remaining, proposed invention names to find the name for the new invention most favored and relevant, perhaps 'testing' the names on trusted friends, family, or associates, regarding how well each meets the requirements of either:
- Satisfying the intellectual, social, or cultural expectations of the proposed target audience for the invention by:
- Defining the purpose or function of the new invention
- Enabling easy pronunciation by the intended audience
- Transmitting the meaning or message of the invention to prospective readers
- Satisfying the inventor's preference -
4
Contracting with a global linguistics analysis is an additional step in finding an invention name, which may be applicable for new inventions planned for international distribution. Because problematic translation, cultural beliefs, pronunciation, or spelling in various countries can negatively impact sales or even company reputation, a linguistics analysis reviews proposed new invention names for translation or cultural connotations in countries, similar sounding and spelled product names, and other name factors potentially impacting the invention's acceptance or popularity internationally.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Use an inventor's notebook (log, journal) from which pages cannot be removed or added.
Detail all activities and ideas regarding the invention process, including the naming process, in your inventor notebook (log, journal), making certain to date and initial the entries.
Exercise caution in giving access to the invention or its specifications to others, even in the naming process, as the invention is not protected until a patent application is approved. Restrict all access. Require any individual who assists you, or any with potential access to the product or documentation, to sign a confidential nondisclosure agreement.
