If You Build It . . .

Suppose you're 10 years old and invent a spill-proof bowl. Can you get a patent? No problem, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which places no limitation on how old a patent holder must be.

While there are no official limitations, 17-year-old Alexia Abernathy found there can be practical barriers. When she was a fifth grader, Abernathy created the Oops! Proof No-Spill Feeding Bowl for an Invent Iowa contest for young inventors. As the Cedar Rapids teen swept local, district and regional competitions, she was encouraged to market her bowl.

"My dad talked to a friend who was a patent attorney because we both thought the next step would be to get a patent," says Abernathy.

The friend advised otherwise, saying it would cost several thousand dollars to complete the patent process. Instead, he suggested writing to companies to see if there was any interest in marketing the product. Abernathy wrote to 12 companies and eventually scored with Little Kids Inc., an East Providence, Rhode Island, children's products manufacturer that wanted to market the bowl.

"We worked with them for close to a year, then applied for a joint patent," says Abernathy. "They paid for it and put my name on it. After about a year, we got a licensing agreement."

This is just one way young inventors can get a patent. You can also get a joint patent with a parent or get one in your own name.

Programs and contests that encourage young inventors include:

• National Gallery for America's Young Inventors. Annually inducts six students from kindergarten through 12th grade. (330) 376-8300.

• BFGoodrich Collegiate Inventors Program. National competition administered by Inventure Place and the National Inventors Hall of Fame. (330) 849-6887.

• Invent America. Program operated by the United States Patent Model Foundation. (703) 684-1836.

• National Engineering Design Challenge. Annual event for high school students interested in math, science and technology. (703) 548-5387.

• National Science Teachers Association. Coordinates the Duracell Scholarship Competition and the Space Science Student Involvement Competitions. (703) 243-7100.

• The Intellectual Property Owners Inventor of the Year Award. (202) 466-2396.

This article was originally published in the December 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: If You Build It . . ..