4.  Build knowledge and insights for the opportunity

Xerography had practically no foundation in previous scientific work, except for Carlson's extensive years of research. Dr Harold E. Clark, a Xerox physicist said in 1967 that:

• 'Chet put together a rather odd lot of phenomena, each of which was obscure in itself and none of which had previously been related in anyone's thinking. The result was the biggest thing in imaging since the coming of photography itself. Furthermore, he did it entirely without the help of a favourable scientific climate. As you know, there are dozens of instances of simultaneous discovery down through scientific history, but no one came anywhere near being simultaneous with Chet. I'm as amazed by his discovery now as I was when I first heard of it.'

5.  Name everything, including processes

In 1938 inventing the process that gave his path direction, Carlson named it  'electron photography' and then 'electrophotography'.

6.  Research and test, then research and test again

In 1938 Carlson and Otto Kornei, one of his early collaborators, produced the first xerographic image using India ink. Kornei wrote the place and date on it '10-22-38 ASTORIA'. But Carlson was thinking about the need for a copier and  brainstorming for it well before 1938.

Ten more years of invention, improvement, testing and product research and development lay ahead.

7. Tell stories, promote effectively 

In November 1940, when his first patent was issued Carlson got some runs on the board because The New York Times ran a brief story on the front page of its second section. The article generated several inquiries.

Some years later a New York City patent attorney named Nicholas Langer came across a copy of one of Carlons' first patents and wrote a laudatory article published in 1944 in a technical supplement to a magazine called Radio News. Carlson returned the favour by hiring Langer to work at P. R. Mallory.

Carlson wrote to numerous companies and did numerous presentations, in the process collecting rejection letters from General Electric, RCA, A. B. Dick, The Charles Bruning Company, IBM and others. He was not a showman, he was necessarily the best man to pitch his idea. He was perhaps too reserved in his manner to be an effective presenter.

Electrophotography patent, 1939

Also, in the early years his pitch was hampered by a unperfected or malfunctioning prototype.

8.  Legally protect you idea

Carlson's invention ultimately became the subject of almost 40 patents. The first was U.S. patent No. 2,297,691 on 6 October 1942 for electrophotography, later called xerography.

Back in 1938, as soon as he had invented electrophotography Carlson contacted a close friend of his to be present as he communicated it and recorded the information in writing to help document the date and nature of the discovery for patent law purposes.