Novel Solutions Web Site Has Been Updated - Got Tired Of Waiting
idbruce
Posts: 6,197
Hello Everyone
As many of you already know, I have been waiting a very long time for a major corporation to make a decision concerning a patent of mine. I have finally reached the point where I am tired of waiting for them to make a decision and have decided to try a direct marketing approach via the internet. With this in mind and while waiting for a decison, I have updated the Novel Solutions web site. Please take a good look around and let me know what you think of it. Please note that the "Video" and "Software" sections of the web site do not have any content at this point, but hopefully that will change in the near future.
Additionally, if you guys have any electrician buddies, please let them know about the QuickFish product line and the Novel Solutions web site. Any effort on you part will be greatly appreciated.
http://www.novelsolutionsonline.com
Bruce
P.S. I sincerely hope that Parallax won't mind the plug, because I have a couple of hyperlinks within the site, for directing web traffic to parallax.com
As many of you already know, I have been waiting a very long time for a major corporation to make a decision concerning a patent of mine. I have finally reached the point where I am tired of waiting for them to make a decision and have decided to try a direct marketing approach via the internet. With this in mind and while waiting for a decison, I have updated the Novel Solutions web site. Please take a good look around and let me know what you think of it. Please note that the "Video" and "Software" sections of the web site do not have any content at this point, but hopefully that will change in the near future.
Additionally, if you guys have any electrician buddies, please let them know about the QuickFish product line and the Novel Solutions web site. Any effort on you part will be greatly appreciated.
http://www.novelsolutionsonline.com
Bruce
P.S. I sincerely hope that Parallax won't mind the plug, because I have a couple of hyperlinks within the site, for directing web traffic to parallax.com
Comments
The explaination for this is technical and bizare, but you should charge the same $ for each pack of hardware,
and just adjust the quantity for each package.
Also, I think you should sell a variety pack, like five of each size, kind of like a teaser pack..
I will be sure and tell my wire nut friends about the QuickFish. they just might like it.
-Tommy
Any help getting this product off the ground is most definitely appreciated. I am also thinking of implementing some type of referral promotion code for future discounts on the product. Perhaps percentage based on the total purchase amount of the referred customer.
Additionally, if I could find some high quantity buyers, I would be willing to establish some distributor pricing.
Bruce
Cool little device.
I thought the wording in this portion seemed strange:
Do I get the full purchase price refunded when I buy in quantity? If so, sign me up for a bunch of quantities.
I think something like "Quantity pricing discounts will be applied at check out" or something like that.
Good luck with your endeavor.
How about a "Sample" pack of say 5 of each size to throw in the tool box.
Duane J
I agree that was definitely a little unclear and it has now been changed to:
Paypal is a wonderful tool for web sites, but for handling transactions which include minimum orders and quantity discounts from the total purchase amount, it can be a bit cumbersome and require scripting. I have not written a serious web script in years, and I really don't want to write one today. By waiting until a transaction is initiated, I can cancel orders that don't meet the minimum requirement, and for those large orders that qualify for a discount, I can take the time to figue the discount and issue a refund. It is just simpler for now to handle it this way, but eventually I will change it to have a script with validation.
Duane, thanks for your input and for pointing that out to me.
Bruce
Sample packs are a wonderful idea, but not a new one
The problem with sample packs are that some of the springs look very similar when just taking them out of the package, and it could be confusing. Such as:
or
or
When you compare a 1/2" to a 1-1/4", the size difference is obvious, but when just pulling them out of a packet, the actual conduit size is not so obvious. There is only 1/4" increments between the sizes, but if you don't use the correct spring size for a specific conduit size, then the spring will not properly engage the fish tape and problems will occur.
Bruce
Duane J
That is actually an outstanding idea, but way above my pay grade at the moment. I will keep that in mind for future reference though. Perhaps in the future, they will be color coded for size.
Thanks for the idea Duane
Bruce
I have done it using some "RIT Dye", the stuff to color cloth.
Just make up a bucket with the dye. Dump the things in, take them out, and bake in an oven. You could do thousands at a time.
Just a thought!
Duane J
I did not realize that coloring metal was that simple.
However, it is not as simple as it sounds pertaining to this device. The words "dump" and "thousands" are VERY scary with this device. When grouping these devices together, they become entangled, and this is the main reason they are packaged in quantities of 20. I could easily throw 1000 of these devices into a box and offer a quantity discount, but the end user would soon become very frustrated. For instance, in a box of a 1000, if you attempt to pull 1 out, another 200 come out with it.
Additionally, when these springs come off the machine, they are accumulated until the count 20 is reached for packaging purposes. The springs could be color coded in batches of 20, but that would be a lot of little batches.
I was thinking more along the lines of removing them individually from the machine and blasting the nose portion with paint, and then allow it to dry. When this takes off, it is going to be mass production, and the production line must keep moving.
Bruce
C.W.
If it is not already available, I am sure a company would be willing to process the wire, however I would imagine the wire would be very expensive.
-Tommy
In order to be useful, the wire would have to have a standard of ASTM A228, or have similar type characteristics. The patent claims protection for injection molded plastic of the device. I think a plastic version would out perform the metal version, and plastic can be easily colored. However, injection molding is cost prohibitive for me at this time.
How about putting a small bend at the end of the "leg" opposite the leg with the loop on the 1/2" and 1" sizes.
Just a 1/4" or so at the end with say a 45 deg. angle.
That would make it easy to tell 1/2" from 3/4" and 1" from both 3/4" and 1-1/4".
C.W.
That would not currently work because of the design of the machine. After producing the spring, the spring is removed from the table by it's nose, with the assistance of a solenoid and a linear actuator. The position of this nose on the table is determined by a couple factors, the size of the spring and any curvature of the wire. The machine was designed to essentially remove the spring with the last leg of the wire being in line with the spool, feeder, and cutter. Any bends on the end opposite the looped end, would improperly position the nose portion and make removal of the spring difficult. In other words, I would have to build and alter machinery to make it work effeciently.
Bruce
That's not anodizing, but I'm curious as to whether it actually works. It seems like it wouldn't be very durable and possibly uneven in appearance over a large surface area.
I never got into the true Electrolytic Anodizing.
Duane J
Use the sticker to "tape" 5 of each together,
Referring to the issue of the sample packs with several sizes..... From my current perspective, it is not really beneficial to me at this point, considering that I want orders that are a minimum of $100. For the minumum order, the customer could have ample supply of all sizes and could arrange and distribute whatever he or she wanted. Storing a package of each size within a toolbox would take up approximately 30 sq. in. of space, which is not much (4.5 X 4.5 X 1.5). If I was at a trade show, sample packs would be quite a different issue, because I would be trying to attract new customers and I would be giving them, and not requiring a minimum order.
Irregardless of the sample packs, I still like the color coding idea, because the springs can be reused. When removed from the conduit and thrown into a box for storage, the color coding would provide an easy way of identifying the spring size for future reuse.
Leave the 1/2" inch the way it is, and make the 3/4" pull string loop into say, a longer oval shape...
-Tommy