How do you turn a late-night idea born out of empathy into a fully patented safety innovation?

In this episode of Invent America, host Rita Crompton ("America's Inventor Lady") sits down with Michelle Fuor, creator of Liberté—a concealed, wearable personal safety device engineered with a blade, handcuff key, tungsten glass breaker, GPS tracking, and a silent SOS trigger.

Over a four-year development journey, Michelle transformed her vision into reality, overcoming key hurdles in prototype testing, app development, international patent searches, and securing an issued U.S. patent. Michelle shares real stories that inspired her, the financial realities of hardware manufacturing, and why licensing is crucial for independent founders looking to reach global scale.

In this show, you’ll discover:

·       The step-by-step breakdown of turning a prototype into a patented product.

·       Common patent pitfalls, why international searches matter, and how to avoid costly shortcuts.

·       Funding challenges, crowd-driven market validation, and building strategic partnerships.

·       How mentorship and inventor support communities can accelerate your commercialization roadmap.

📌 Are you an inventor working on a physical product? Leave your questions below and join the Inventors' Roundtable to connect with fellow founders!

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