adult product investment Archives - Page 2 of 2

Making your sex toy idea happen

Some of us at one time or another, may have had a new sex toy idea and we thought it could be the next big thing. There’s been a lot of talk in the industry recently that SexTech start ups are shifting away from the phallic shapes towards new and innovative products.

The journey between the initial idea and seeing it on the shelves can be a very rewarding experience. However the road to success is littered with hidden pitfalls. Many companies and inventors struggle, or even fail, to develop a new product without appropriate assistance.

First and foremost, our role at Sated Design is to assist businesses in developing a new or improving an existing product so it is ready for its intended market.

A typical project would include one or more of the following stages:

Review – the idea may be good, but does it tick all the boxes to be a successful and commercially viable product? This is the first step along the road and allows you to decide whether it is worth continuing or not.
Funding – Developing, protecting, manufacturing and distributing a product will require a substantial financial investment. How are the necessary funds going to be raised?
Protecting – There is no point having a great product if a copycat competitor steals your market advantage. What type of intellectual property protection is most suitable?
Developing the product – To take an idea from a rough sketch on the back of a paper napkin to a physical product rolling off the production line involves several stages. From the initial concept sketches, prototyping and testing, to producing data files ready for manufacturing, there are many elements to consider in development of a product.
Selling the product – All the hard work getting the product developed and manufactured will be for nothing if distribution and marketing fails. How are you going to get a good return on your investment?

Even the most accomplished will require assistance with new sex toy ideas which is where Sated Design’s expertise is invaluable. We work closely with all our clients to ensure they have all the support they need throughout the product development process.

Who we are
Sated Design was founded in 2003. We are a focused company who want our clients to achieve business success with innovative products that address the key factors of performance, reliability, cost and aesthetics.

We have designed many products within the Adult industry and to date our products have won Best Male Product for ETO, Winner of XBIZ Best Male Pleasure Product, Winner of Erotixx Highest Potential Product as well as several nominations for other Erotica Awards.

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Pulling the Plug

A patent protecting the broad concept of “teledildonics” has recently expired, potentially paving the way for a wave of sex toys that can be controlled over the internet.

Teledildonics, also known as cyberdildonics, is a term to describe sex toys that can be plugged into a device, such as a computer, tablet or smartphone, and link to other sex toys and interactive applications over the internet, giving users the possibility to interact with sexual partners over long distances.

The patent, originally filed in 1998, includes descriptions of systems where stimulation devices are linked via transmitters to computers equipped with video cameras, capable of then connecting to and interacting with other such systems and pre-recorded video across the internet.

Many view this particular patent as having stifled development of this technology for several years, with the company that had owned the rights filing 10 lawsuits alleging infringement between 2015 and 2017, leading them to be labelled a “patent troll” and gaining notoriety in the industry. The expiration of the patent now potentially removes a large barrier to new development in this area.

However, despite cheers and applause from sex toy innovators, expiration of this single patent doesn’t necessarily mean a green light to a free-for-all for new teledildonics products. While on the surface it may look like a golden opportunity, other inventors will no doubt hold patents and intellectual property covering different areas of this technology, so even with one significant obstacle removed the wider legal minefield remains present. You are just a bit less likely to get sued.

As always, it’s important to continue to do your due diligence to ensure that your product doesn’t infringe anyone else’s intellectual property and land you and your business in hot water. Make use of the services of a patent attorney to help you discover the potential pitfalls and barriers to your product development early on in the process to avoid costly legal action and redesigns later on. It is important that you have a good understanding of the intellectual property landscape of your industry.

We as your product designers can then help you to come up with solutions that circumvent the rights held by your competitors and put valuable IP into your own hands.

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Sexpo UK 2015 visit

Having left early to head off to London for the inaugural Sexpo UK 2015 visit to Olympia, it was encouraging to see a queue had already formed as the doors opened.

Sexpo was aimed at the public and billed as the ‘world’s biggest sexual health and lifestyle expo’. With the external factors occurring in France, it was no wonder the visitor numbers were down but an impressive 10,000 attended over the weekend, according to organisers Carnal Creative.

We certainly enjoyed our experience with many exhibitors and product stands, stage acts, bars and informative seminars covering all aspects of the industry. The Metro published an interesting article on “14 things you won’t believe I saw this weekend” which explained a lot from a visitors point of view.

We met many of our old and existing clients and were introduced to a number of very interesting parties. There were many thought provoking conversations had which we all hope will flourish into either new or evolving product developments.

Of particular note, William from Doxy Massager was busy being well received alongside the exquisite and well produced Lovearc. An interesting conversation was had with Neil from Luvsense who explained his product with great passion and belief. Amongst others, Jason from adultxfunding will certainly have been kept busy by visitors with potential new sex toy ideas. The enthusiastic Adam from Godemiche, with his hand-poured silicone products, shows great potential to thrive.

Adam from Hot Octopuss was showing the excellent and award winning Pulse Solo and Pulse Duo sex toys on his slick and well-presented stand.

Sexpo would not be complete without a mention of Pricasso who was being commissioned and completing portraits using everything but his hands. He was stood proud, donned with only his big pink hat, painting away. And last but not least, the pups from Puppy Pride UK were busy being fed and playing in their petting zoo.

Unfortunately, we had to head off early for another client meeting elsewhere in London, so missed out catching up with yet more people. Sated Design are confident the event will be even bigger and better next year.

Sexpo UK 2015 visit selected photos:

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