Joan KOTTLER: Inventor of Kneeotech Pants

• Tell us something about yourself, your background

I am a Wife, Mother, Grandmother, artist, musician and problem solver, innovator, overthinker.

• Can you tell us about the product you invented with a brief explanation

I am the inventor of Kneeotech Exercise Pants with built in kneepads.

• How/Why did you start inventing. What set you off?

I innovated my product because I needed it. I searched everywhere for my idea and found after an exhaustive search that it didn’t exist. 

• How did you get from idea to finished product?

My idea came to me one day while exercising. While in a low lounge, suffering with my knee pressing into the ground I thought to myself  ” where are my exercise pants with built in knee pads?”. The bells went off in my head and I thought to myself ” I  wonder does anybody make this? Do exercise pants with padded knees exist? That was the moment I became Inventor Joan. After a lengthy search of fitness apparel stores, magazines, and Google,  I determined my product didn’t exist. I taught myself how to search the USPTO Archives. Many people hire a service to do this but I was committed to doing this all on my own. Every night after our children went to sleep, I would get to work searching the archives analysing and studying patents. It took approximately one and a half months to comb through the archives in its entirety. I read everything I could get my hands on to learn and understand the process of patenting a product to include how to illustrate and write claims. I taught myself how to “speak” patent language. I do not have legal background but it didn’t matter. I was determined to do this all on my own while running another business. and telling no one. Once I determined my product was not commercially available I was off and running. I designed the garment, searched for materials, found a person to sew my concept, swore her to secrecy and asked her to sign my NDA. With a working prototype I felt confident my idea was viable and proceeded to file for a Non Provisional Patent. It’s been a long road.

Kneeotech is designed to comfort and support the knees without compromising style and fit. Kneeotech has huge cross over application.

• Let us know of useful resources that helped you i.e. Books, websites, software etc

For anyone considering patenting their idea, THE NOLO Patent Books are a must!

• Website: Click HERE 
• Video: Click HERE