Ever had a great idea and someone else invented it?

[Johnny_Ray_Wilson]

Ever had a great idea, then someone else invented it?

Also, what were you doing that gave you the idea?


The dvd kiosk rental machines: An idea I had with VCR tapes.

When Blockbuster boomed with VHS tapes in the late 80s/early 90s, I was returning a VCR tape to a Blockbuster night deposit box. I then walked to a nearby soda machine to get a coke. Then a flash of genius hit me at the moment my soda came out! I thought it would be a great idea if VHS tapes could be rented or purchased from a vending machine!

I toyed with that idea for about a year. Even sketched out a prototype on paper. Finally coming to the conclusion my idea would not realistically see the light of day. Almost 20 years later, I walked into a supermarket and seen one of the first MovieMate dvd kiosk rental machines.

 

[ChinaBandit]

No.

I would had to have had an idea first.

It hasn't happened.

 

[Farrah]

Doh! Don't you hate that?

My boyfriend used to cut guitar picks out of credit cards. He played around with the idea of a pick "hole punch," but never got to the mass production stage and eventually lost the prototype in a move. 15 years later, a similar product is flying off the shelves.

 

[Johnny_Ray_Wilson]

I believe my VHS vending machine idea from 20 yrs ago was even more ironic considering I was in the DFW area at the time. The first Blockbuster opened in Dallas, Tx.

 

[Johnny_Ray_Wilson]

Doh! Don't you hate that?

My boyfriend used to cut guitar picks out of credit cards. He played around with the idea of a pick "hole punch," but never got to the mass production stage and eventually lost the prototype in a move. 15 years later, a similar product is flying off the shelves.

Yep! When I seen the MovieRental dvd machine, I must have stood in front of it for about 10 minutes clenching my fists and foaming at the mouth. A lot of unrecognizable caveman sounds coming out of my mouth.

 

[dirtwrench]

JRW, welcome to the world of &^%$#@(*&^%$ that was my fucking idea!!!!

And yes, the last one was a magnetic ground strap for welding. I had never seen one in any shop catalog although I had looked for a couple years. Gave up, made one for myself, the wife said "You ought to try to patent that and sell them." Two weeks later guess what was in the "new items" section of a tool catalog I get 4 times a year?

 

[thør]

JRW, welcome to the world of &^%$#@(*&^%$ that was my fucking idea!!!!

And yes, the last one was a magnetic ground strap for welding. I had never seen one in any shop catalog although I had looked for a couple years. Gave up, made one for myself, the wife said "You ought to try to patent that and sell them." Two weeks later guess what was in the "new items" section of a tool catalog I get 4 times a year?

I know that these have been on the market for at least 30 years.

 

[warrior queen]

My father thought of something, invented it, patented the idea, and now gets a shitload of money.
Some of which will come to me one day

 

[dirtwrench]

Well I was looking in the wrong places for one then. I don't doubt your word, but I musta been blind. I seem to be one of the people whose every good idea was already thought out and sold before I had it. lol

 

[Liar]

Me in 1996: "Hey, these MP3 files I find on the Internet I just got access to are great. Now, how do I get these buggers in to a Walkman... What if someone were to replace the casette with a laptop hard drive, or maybe some sort of computer memories. They're about the same size..."

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

To my utter astonishment, no one else has invented any of my great ideas...



My idea of a battery powered by rowing Guinea Pigs, however, has been stolen and used in a TV commercial.

 

[FloridaSmoothie]

A few. One, when I was a kid in the 60's I had the idea of car companies etching VIN into the glass to make chopping more difficult.

 

[Angellica1612]

I've never had a great idea like some of you, but my Mom did. She made 'jalapeno poppers' (the real kind, with cream cheese) when I was a kid. My dad used to tell her she should market them. Twenty years later, they're everywhere. Go figure!

 

[Very_Bad_Man]

Post-its was my brainchild

Fuckers

 

[Honey123]

I wonder if some litsters even know what a VCR is!!!

 

[KingOrfeo]

I did conceive the idea of a legal case-management-software package (similar to contact-management software), but it turned out there were several on the market already.

 

[Very_Bad_Man]

I wonder if some litsters even know what a VCR is!!!

That AV is not playing fair.

But I approve.

 

[Honey123]

That AV is not playing fair.

But I approve.

Thank you... It's one of a very few pictures I have taken of myself that I actually like, and that, as I have said, is very rare..

 

[Johnny_Ray_Wilson]

No.

I would had to have had an idea first.

It hasn't happened.

There is a strong possibility, despite the competition, the patent of "No Idea" has not been taken. So there is still hope for you.

My father thought of something, invented it, patented the idea, and now gets a shitload of money.
Some of which will come to me one day

What was it?

Well I was looking in the wrong places for one then. I don't doubt your word, but I musta been blind. I seem to be one of the people whose every good idea was already thought out and sold before I had it. lol

Then share that with us as well.

My dad showed my brother and I how to properly wrap and store long drop cords for ready usage, but it seemed to take forever doing that. One day, we drove past a cable crew, and I noticed the huge spool of cable they were using. I got the bright idea to create a hand-held spool for drop cords.

My dad was LOL! We went to a hardware store the next day, and there were hand-held drop cord spools for sale.

 

[Johnny_Ray_Wilson]

That AV is not playing fair.

But I approve.

I hope she patents it.

 

[Honey123]

I hope she patents it.

didn't a poster once have a bar-code on her butt in an AV? I thought that was cute...

 

[Johnny_Ray_Wilson]

Thank you... It's one of a very few pictures I have taken of myself that I actually like, and that, as I have said, is very rare..

I bet real money the guy who invented the camera never imagined such works of art would be revealed.

 

[Honey123]

I bet real money the guy who invented the camera never imagined such works of art would be revealed.

well.. aside from your compliment, for which I thank you, that is really sweet of you say!!!!.... do you ever look at a picture and your breath just catches?

I had an idea to do a bug catcher with a vacuum ..... and a week later I saw it on TV..

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

I bet real money the guy who invented the camera never imagined such works of art would be revealed.

Porn drives all the great inventions.

We all know what he had in mind.

 

[miles]

Porn drives all the great inventions.

We all know what he had in mind

Thank God for the Internet.