Inventor

From internet search engine Google to the iconic Victor Mower, some of the world’s most ingenious inventions were created by innovative people working from suburban garages.

Australia is home to thousands of those “pioneering citizens” who turn their sheds into makeshift factories to create revolutionary new products and services.

Among them is David Tong, a “backyard inventor” from Coorparoo, in Brisbane’s east.

He might not have wild grey hair and thick glasses but David is a bona fide inventor who has created a range of nifty products over the past 20 years, from automatic-watering flower pots to electronic revolving photo frames.

As a full-time inventor, his ideas are his income, which means he has to live by a rigid set of rules to protect himself from “concept” poachers.

David said the most important rule was to never, ever speak about an idea to anyone – especially not curious newspaper reporters.

He said that, to get a patent on an invention, it needed to be entirely new and novel, which is why secrecy was paramount.

Although he won’t be specific, David said he had recently moved from physical inventions to creating business and management systems, to combat issues such as the drought.

At the moment, the enigmatic ideas man is studying a master’s degree in entrepreneurialship and works day and night on his inventions – sometimes forgetting to sleep because he becomes so engrossed.

David said he worked best in the middle of the night or early morning when his mind was the clearest and there were no telephone calls or family noise.

“Normally, I wake up at 4 o’clock and write and write – sometimes for two hours,” David said.

“I always take time to write ideas down or quite often record it by recorders if the idea is complicated.

“I have notebooks and recorders everywhere in my house – on the desk, next to the sofa, in the bed and even the toilet.

“Good ideas are just like lightning, they will go away quickly if you don’t write them down,” he said.

David said he started inventing when he was very young, taking inspiration from his father who patented several successful designs and inventions in Hong Kong.

After having studied mechanical engineering and business at university, David worked full-time while using his income to invent gadgets in his backyard.

“Most of my salary was spent on books, tools and materials while my brother could afford to buy his first camera, hi-fi equipment and enjoyed movies with his girl friends,” he said.

Ten years ago, David moved from New Zealand to Brisbane and joined the Inventors Association of Australia (Queensland), an organisation of which he is now vice president.

He said aspiring inventors must be aware that inventing was a risky business with many products never making it onto the market.

Inventors should never embark on the expensive patenting process, he said, unless their products were commercially viable.

“Commercialisation is one of the major challenges,” David said.

“An inventor will spend a lot of time and a fortune on their invention before they are able to get the product commercialised and make some profit.”