Recently, Hartman Global IP Law helped secure patents for one region company that is truly on the cutting edge of their industry. The Fischer Group (TFG) is celebrating 20 years in 2017 and their expertise and innovation has led to them to create and lead their industry in energy efficient control solutions.
“We’ve always offered energy saving solutions to our customers which were control-based and mechanical in nature,” said Julie Fischer, President of The Fischer Group, of their work well-before and after starting the company in 1997.
“The Fischer Group is more of an engineering firm in which we offer all types of compressed air services,” Fischer said. “In offering compressed air solutions, we developed our dryer which is what prompted us to look for a patent attorney.”
TFG’s control products did require copyrights but protection was needed to a far lesser degree than what the company now needs for the expanded products and services that they provide.
“We had never previously found a reason to go and get our products patented in the past,” said Fischer. “Maybe we should have though! We had been putting the systems in and the software was copyrighted, but it wasn’t until we developed this newer piece of equipment that we needed to get patented.”
Many TFG clients have the need for dry air in their operations and TFG products can be integrated into older, existing systems. TFG produces the most energy efficient dryers on the market which is being taken advantage of by many companies. Here in the region, one such company taking advantage of this technology is Arcelor Mittal. Check out the video below to find out more!
The dryer that TFG produces is significantly different than anything on the market currently or in the industry so it was vital for the company to protect their designs and products.
“When we developed the dryer and came to the conclusion that this would be a much different design, we decided that we should look into a patent attorney,” Fischer explained. “Obviously, in the beginning it was to consult with them as we had no experience with patents at the time.”
“We did some research and we actually had some friends in different industries suggest a couple of other patent attorneys to us. We then did a little more research on our own and believed that if we went to Hartman they had a lot of experience in our industry, and obviously, they had just a lot of experience in general.”
In meeting with Hartman Global, Fischer and the team at TFG learned quickly that Hartman had broad expertise across many industries and the ability to plainly understand their needs and desires.
“They really understood and it wasn’t like we were talking to someone that had no idea what that type of equipment was,” explained Fischer. “Gary (Hartman) really grasped the technical side of what we’re doing.”
TFG Founder, Norm Fischer, spoke about working with Hartman Global in saying, “They definitely had the experience to write patents for any product out there. It’s very unique that they have that expertise and the ability to really grasp the technology, and put together and prepare a document to go to the patent office.”
“We actually have a couple more patents that we’re working on now to get back to them in order to get a couple more items patented,” Norm said.
The Fischer’s have seen the process first-hand and they’re now able to more quickly get future patents in motion. More importantly, they’ve see the value of keeping their products protected.
“Now that we’ve been in the realm and we understand the importance a patent, and having things documented and protected, we’re going to be going back to Hartman in the future,” added Julie. “This patent was for this specific dryer and location but now we have other locations that we know we can make certain modifications and sell them to other customers.”
Northwest Indiana is full of innovative entrepreneurs and companies who are designing, producing, and marketing an incredibly diverse array of products which have the ability to change the way an industry operates.
The services that Hartman Global IP Law provides can help those individuals and companies take their next big step by protecting their product. And who knows? Like TFG’s technology, the ‘Next Big Thing’ might be created and produced right here in Northwest Indiana!
To find out more about how Hartman Global could help get your idea off the groud, visit: www.hartmanglobal-ip.com/.
