Complaint Review: Invent-Tech Ricky Mendez

Are ya'll ready for a h*ll of a ride?  Then put on your seatbelts and be the jury.  It started back in early June of 2000, I saw the luring Infomercial from Invent.  "The launch pad for new ideas"  their motto.  Remember this motto, you will hear one like it again later.  They offered to help patent, to do a confidential preliminary patent classification search, help bring your inventions to development and market, etc.  Seemed like the real deal.  I sent them three inventions, that I picked out of ten, that I felt were the best ones.  

I first received a packet of information on how to get started, including their agreements and basic graphs for drawing out the inventions.  I also received a Statement of Authenticity, which the dates are shown on all the documents I have.

So I go over all the materials sent and no request for money was mentioned or came up in the material sent.  So on August 7, 2000 at 9:38am I faxed to Invent, Attention; Ricky Mendez a total of seven pages, which was all three inventions.  Patiently waiting for a reply and a patent classification search to be done on all three inventions.

I have already been doing some research on my own and found none of the products or inventions, patented or on the market.  So in August of 2000 I receive a call from Ricky Mendez, he was excited to get to work.  He asked me which one of my inventions I would like to start first.  He stated that there was funding for "No Child Left Behind"  which was a Government sponsored program.

Ricky Mendez suggested that my invention "AFP" Automated for Phonics would be a great start because it would fall under the Government funded program listed above.  Ricky went on to say "that this invention was a winner, and would go right in line with the President's program of No Child left Behind."  So I got really excited, not that the other inventions were bad, just that AFP had the best timing for this program.

I explained to Ricky how the invention AFP would work, it had the option of using either the attached pen or the buttons.  Using the buttons over the pen would help improve a child's dexterity. 

I received the confidential searches back on the inventions which showed that the inventions were cleared.  Meaning that is was ok to move forward, because there was nothing like them on the market yet.  I did receive a certificate of Inventor back from Invent, with Ricky Mendez and the President's signature on it making it look official.

Ricky Mendez told me on the phone that there was nothing like AFP out there on the market or filed or patented.  So two to three weeks go by and I hear nothing from Ricky Mendez, so I call Ricky around the 17th or 18th of August 2000 and he tells me that he needs me to sign some papers that he is sending me before we can get started.

So I wait for the papers, mind you no money has been mentioned yet.  Matter of fact, I told Ricky Mendez up front about my finanicial situation.  So, I get these papers dated August 23, 2000 and I can't believe my eyes.  Ricky Mendez switched his focus from my invention of the AFP and changed to one of my other inventions which was the Sports Card Motion Viewer and no mention at all of the AFP, Automated for Phonics.  There was no paperwork sent for AFP, just paperwork for the Sports Card Motion Viewer only. 

This decision of switching to the Sports Card Motion Viewer instead of AFP which Ricky on his own without including me, raised much suspision, and red flags.  I was very concerned on what happened to the paperwork and plans to move forward on AFP.  I called Ricky to question him about the switch and I get no answer.  The documentation that was sent to me was a proposal for $745.00 to get started on the Sports Card Motion Viewer. 

I was waiting for the paperwork to get started on the Automatic for Phonics invention, but received nothing from Ricky Mendez like he stated he was sending for my AFP invention.  I was upset to say the least.  The proposal sent to me requested $745.00, which Ricky knew I did not have and I wish he would have mentioned the money aspect before I sent in all the details, and drawings of my inventions.

I knew then something was very wrong.  In the statement of Authenticity, it states "I hereby authorize Invent Tech to provided me with a free confidential Preliminary Patent Classification Search with no purchase required.  I understand that submitting my concept is not a release and further that this information cannot be used, disclosed, or sold without my expressed written permission."  I signed and dated the Statement of Authenticity on all three inventions that were sent to Invent Tech and Ricky Mendez.

So I realized that I needed to act quickly to find someone else who could help me bring these inventions to market.  So I contacted Davison and Associates.  Here we go again, this time the President of the company George M. Davison said he would personally see that we bring AFP to market.  I have signed documents and dates, they are excited and anxious to get started.  This is not even two months after I last talked to Invent Tech or Ricky Mendez.

Then around October 10, 2000 somewhere in there, I was watching tv and I see a Leap Frog Commercial showing my invention which made me physically sick to my stomach.  I was mad, oh my and to top it off, their motto stated "Bring us your child mind and we will put it on the launch pad."  Doesn't that sound familiar?  Similiar to Invent Tech's company's motto "The lauchpad for new ideas."

After seeing my invention on television which is now called "Leap Frog" my contact with Davison stopped and I went into a terrible depression which lasted for about five years.  Around January 18, 2005 I wrote the Attorney General of Florida a letter which was notarized, that stated that I was taken advantage of by Intent Tech / Ricky Mendez.  I wanted the Attorney General's office to investiage Invent Tech in regards to my AFP invention.  

I spoke to the Attorney General's secretary, and received some great advice on what to do.  I waited for a response from the Attorney General's office and did not get a response back.  In December 2009, I decided to contact Invent Tech to find out if Ricky Mendez was still employed there and to talk to their Attorney, I left a message.

Invent Tech called back in mid-December, I was told that Ricky Mendez left the company at the end of 2000 and I was not given Intent Tech's Attorney's phone number.  No other information was given.

I decided to Google Ricky Mendez's name on the Internet, that lead me to InventorEd's website which allowed me to file this report.

It is important to mention that after Leap Frog came out, strangley enough my house was broken into and my AFP paperwork was missing.  Which I did not discover right away, it was only after I was going back through my invention paperwork that I discovered it was gone.  I do have proof and other documentation that AFP is my invention, along with proof that it was sent to Invent Tech, attention Ricky Mendez.

The whole intent of Automated for Phonics was for my children, to help them better their reading skills.  The ideal was to take Hooked on Phonics to a whole new level and actually sell Automated for Phonics to Hooked on Phonics.  Not for my invention of AFP to be stolen which left my children behind.