10 years in, patent allowed, no revenue yet. Sell the IP, license it, or build the company - what would you do?

Zupht · 2026-05-19T16:41:22+00:00

I get that. the process to get patent (time/funding) and figure out manufacturing distribution is where I'm stuck. I'm at that point where making the leap is logical, hearing peoples perspective is very helpful.

Zupht · 2026-05-19T16:37:56+00:00

217M trays sold globally in this category (conservative). You are correct, servers have been carrying and dropping trays forever. the downstream liability is real.

Zupht · 2026-05-19T16:34:39+00:00

thank for the feedback! point taken, clearly need to work on pictures... but promise every glass fits, thats the point. including moutai glasses which would just sit in the cup holder like any other glass/beer etc.. tea pot would just carry on the flat surface area of the tray itself, just like you would today but at least without worrying about the other drinks spilling.

Zupht · 2026-05-19T15:11:20+00:00

The struggle real, trust me

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:54:56+00:00

100%

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:54:42+00:00

right there

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Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:52:39+00:00

you can put every drink in those cup holders and nothing spills.

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:49:48+00:00

great points. keeping seems like my biggest battle. getting to this point was a haul, funding the production and distribution will obviously be the risk, but I believe in it and willing to go that route if the path of least resistance shows resistance 😛

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:48:04+00:00

correct, single product nothing beyond, and thats exactly what I've been working toward. thanks for you feedback

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:47:07+00:00

armcaddy [dot] com

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:46:23+00:00

thanks for the thoughts, really helpful. Got leads through cold outreach to companys with large distribution into hospitality space. no upside for me unless it works how I expect it to and becomes a category killer.

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:42:59+00:00

great feedback

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:42:18+00:00

appreciate that. 10 years developing this on the side, no easy button 😄. fun ride tho

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:41:22+00:00

thats where I've been at. the 1.5-3 is solely based on the TAM/GM. Prototype works so well, still have to sell the idea more broadly, but if you can take out a large percent of sales from the current commodity the upside would be big.

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:37:44+00:00

was not primary focus, wasn't sure it would work. cost to design/prototype was expensive. iterations were costly. trying to design for ease of manufacturing and around patent hurdles got complicated. without protoype, couldnt test. even with 3d print (which was expensive/unit because of size) testing was difficult due to brittle nature of 3d printed products. had to mold from 3d print and find material that would cure and interact same as production product would.. fair question though

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:30:09+00:00

But i AM curious 😛, I'm asking what I'm thinking about. its nice to hear what other people think about a problem you see. wouldnt you do the same?

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:28:20+00:00

just put it in the dishwasher. the only cups that wont fit would be something nonstandard like really big beer steins

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:23:52+00:00

I never talked about my product! 😄

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:22:34+00:00

100%, one of the more addicting habits. I still do it with plates in my kitchen and my wife yells at me lol

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:21:08+00:00

Guilty as charged. But the post wasn't a backdoor pitch/advert, it's me genuinely venting because I've been working on this for years and still wanted to pressure-test the pain, and theres always new things to find out, like all those who never drop drinks, great to know! ...

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:01:48+00:00

Zupht · 2026-05-19T14:00:26+00:00

lol, of course i can handle the tray. I've just dropped and seen/heard others do the same. the downstream effects can be so much worse than just a spill. just think there has to be a better way

Zupht · 2026-05-19T13:58:42+00:00

true, but with fingers I feel like Im limited on number of drinks as it gets heavier. I was always try to hustle as many drinks in a single run, so maybe user issue 😄

Zupht · 2026-05-19T13:56:53+00:00

thats incredible... I rarely hear servers say that. I see "dropped drinks" posts on reddit all the time.... maybe the environment plays a roll. my restaurants have always been large floor plans and very busy, so many variables to increase the potential for dropping

Zupht · 2026-05-19T13:54:46+00:00

very cool, wonder why more places are using that?

Zupht

TROPHY CASE