Surveys were sent... check your SPAM folder if you didn't get it
over 6 years ago – Tue, Oct 31, 2017 at 09:45:55 AM

Hi all, 

The surveys for your Art of the Patent Playing Cards were sent by email yesterday, 10/29.  Be sure if you haven't received your survey to check your SPAM folder.  Sometimes Backerkit emails get classified as spam since they send out so many emails.  If you still don't see your survey, go to https://aotp.backerkit.com and they'll re-send the link.  

Remember you can add-on any of the products to your existing pledge, and so far we've seen a great response from about two-thirds of the backers! But the other one-third of you haven't completed the survey yet... so be sure to get these completed ASAP so we can get our proper counts and order the correct quantities of each item.  I'm amazed at the response, you guys!  You're great... thanks again for a fun project. 

--Kevin Prince

Sending surveys in the next few days
over 6 years ago – Fri, Oct 27, 2017 at 01:18:52 PM

Soon, within a few days, you’ll receive an email from us with a special link to your BackerKit survey. It’s important to respond to your survey as quickly as you can since we need this information to fulfill your rewards.  

You don’t need to create a BackerKit account to fill out your survey. When you receive the email with the survey, click the survey link to respond. Answer the questions about your reward preferences, provide shipping information, and purchase add-on items if you like. 

You don’t have access to this survey link yet, but it will be available soon via email! After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before we close the surveys and get our final counts.  

The card artwork is at the printers now, and everything is on-track.  Here is some information about how each deck turned-out, as well as the uncut sheet artwork.  You'll want to review this before selecting which decks you want in your survey.

"Classic" Blue Deck

Images are taken from patents featured in the book The Art of the Patent.  Face card art is taken from actual patents and selected purely for the drawing's artistic qualities.

"Famous" Red Deck

Images are taken from famous, well-recognized inventions. Face card art is of famous inventors, and rendered in a "line art" type of style commonly used in patent drawings.

 "Amusement Park" Green Deck

Images are taken from patents having to do with amusement parks, carnivals, and the like.  The face card artwork includes the traditional face card images, but rendered in either a stippled technique common with design patents, or in a line art style used more typically with utility patents, complete with numerical call-outs!

"Vehicles" Purple Deck

Images are taken from all types of vehicle-related patents, including automobiles, bicycles, spacecraft, airplanes, and some surprising vehicles. Face card artwork includes portraits of people famous for their impact on vehicle technology, and are rendered in a "line art" type of style commonly used in patent drawings.

Thanks again everyone, and watch your inbox over the next few days for the Backerkit survey.

--Kevin Prince

We did it! Art of the Patent playing cards are funded!
over 6 years ago – Sun, Oct 08, 2017 at 11:12:03 PM

Thanks everyone! We blew-away the $5K goal and even hit the last stretch goal of $20K. Way to go, and thanks for your support!  

Please note that we're going to use BakerKit for the surveys that will be emailed to each of you in a week or two, once the Kickstarter funding is finalized with all of the backers.  You'll be able to pick which decks you want for your rewards (from all four decks) and will also be able to add to your order any of the products: decks, uncut sheets, books, bricks, and brick-o-bricks!  US shipping is included (so if you got charged for US shipping I'll be issuing you a refund for that part of the charge; this issue only affected a few of the earliest backers).  Stay tuned... 

Also, thanks for your kind words about the terrible events a week ago in our city, Las Vegas. Our family is safe, and we know two couples that were there and who are physically safe... but emotionally they're wrecked by the things they experienced.  We appreciate you keeping up the prayers and good thoughts for the victims' families and everyone who was there.

--Kevin Prince

Three days to go! Artwork is finished!
over 6 years ago – Thu, Oct 05, 2017 at 06:40:06 PM

Three days to go on the campaign, and we're done with the artwork on all four decks! Check out these uncut sheet examples, below.   You'll note I've made a slight change on the Blue Deck face cards by enlarging the figures and removing the upper/lower symmetry.  This allows you to see the incredible artwork on these much more clearly.

For the Green Deck, I decided to convert the traditional face-card images into patent drawings of two different styles.  The first is a typical "utility patent" style with numeric call-outs...

 ...and the other style uses a stippling shading technique, often found in design patents...

We're going to use Bakerkit for the surveys, so as many of you know they allow you to add-on products with your final survey.  So if you originally pledged for, say, two decks, but now want the entire set of four decks, you will be able to easily add those once we send the surveys out, some time after the end of the campaign.  The price is going to be $9 for each additional deck, $30 for each additional uncut sheet, $100 for each additional brick (12 decks), and $995 for a brick-of-bricks (qty 144 decks).  Also, please note that if you pledged early and had the issue with shipping being charged in the US, even if you do get charged I will refund you that money. I'm not going to make you pay for shipping costs that I don't actually have to pay.

Finally, know that I've started the process with US Playing Card Company (USPCC) and their legal team is reviewing the artwork now.  I am hoping they keep their 5-7 week estimate for delivery, which would put us into mid-to-late November to start shipping, with a couple of weeks of wiggle room.  That's not as much wiggle room as I would like given their printing timelines, but that's why I'm starting the process with them now before the campaign is over.

If you have any questions, please let me know. Most of the questions have been about how to add-on products, which has been encouraging. Remember, you'll be able to add products after the campaign is over and we send out the surveys.  Thanks again everyone!  

--Kevin Prince

Preliminary Survey
over 6 years ago – Sat, Sep 30, 2017 at 08:06:53 PM

Howdy! We're trying to get a jump on the ordering process since this can be slow sometimes at the US Playing Card Company,  We'd like all backers to take this short preliminary survey about the number of decks they'd like to see.

Please take this short survey here: https://goo.gl/forms/ZJJ8e68Ql3txvack1

You won't be obligated to your answers here, although obviously we'd appreciate the truth!.  Thank you!

--Kevin Prince