Co-Living Spaces Startup StayAbode Files Provisional Patent for Its Workforce Management System

Bengaluru-based co-living spaces startup StayAbode, is using technology to up the standards for offering best-in-class service in co-living spaces to its customers. The company has filed for a provisional patent for its Workforce Management System that uses internal positioning systems which will allow them to efficiently manage their service teams including security and housekeeping. StayAbode is using design, technology, service and brand to reinvent the way rental residential real-estate is looked at.

Founded in 2016 by Viral Chhajer, Varun Bhalla and Devashish Dalmiya, StayAbode has built a technology to manage their workforce, starting with a mobile app for their housekeeping team. This technology helps them increase workforce efficiency by 30-40%, constantly improving the quality of service and helping in on-boarding and training staff quicker as the company grows.

The new Workforce Management System will enable dynamic task allocation which will help provide housekeeping on demand and also cover use cases such as managing housekeeping tasks in case of an unoccupied room, etc. It will give a real-time, bird's-eye view of housekeeping activities at all of their properties which together with data gathered by their audit team and resident feedback will help them make real time quality assessments and improve services.

Varun Bhalla, Co- founder and CTO, StayAbode says, “Our endeavour is to develop and use technology to better industry service standards. We have filed for a provisional patent for our Workforce Management System that will help greater efficiency in managing service for our customers.”

StayAbode’s co-living spaces is building the future of residential real estate for the urban millennials. StayAbode’s co-living spaces supports the lifestyle of the young, single sociable household, enabling a high level of comfort, convenience and a sense of community with shared spaces such as kitchens, common areas, game areas, music, art corners and places to dine and work. StayAbode has properties where utility bills are paid, linen washed and where one cooks at leisure. It provides its tenants an experience of living in a boutique hotel with a community of like-minded individuals. StayAbode uses real-estate efficiently giving property owners up to 100% higher yield on their properties.

The company raised angel funding in February this year from a consortium of investors led by Ishan Manaktala (COO of CoreOne Technologies) and Angie Mahtaney (CEO at K Mohan Exports). Gaurav Bhalotia (Ex-VP Engineering, Flipkart), Vishal Lulla (CEO, Vishal Exports) and a group of Investors from Lets Venture also participated in the round.

Here's How Patenting Can Protect Your Ideas and Creativity

A unique idea, product, or service is born after much hard work. Hence, it becomes the creator's responsibility to protect their creativity and hard work at all times. For starters, they should always push towards working with companies that openly embrace independent product developers. One of the safest ways through which they can protect their ideas is by patenting them.

Here are ways through which one can ensure that their ideas remain theirs forever :

1) Keep looking for Warning Signs

Before submitting your hard work, make sure that you intensively investigate any potential licensees. The procedure is very simple, all you have to do is to Google the name of the company that you're in talks with the keywords 'complaints' and 'lawsuits.' Scout for any warning signs/red flags. Keep seeking out referrals. Don't worry, there will be numerous companies that will want to partner with you and extend you a fair treatment. Such companies will be easier to join hands with, especially when it comes to the part of contract negotiations.

So, what are the warning signs that you need to look for? For example, if a company says that it only considers looking at patented ideas, then it is quite clear that it hasn't actually embraced open innovation. Further, nowadays, a number of companies are accepting online submission of forms so as to systematically manage the numerous ideas they've received. Whenever you're requested to sign documents, do a thorough reading of it or let a lawyer look over it, if you find the legal language difficult to understand. When a company claims it's open to ideas, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're genuinely okay with independent product developers. There have been several cases in the past where certain companies had cleverly gotten people to sign documents where they had to give up all legal rights over their idea.

2) File a Provisional Patent Application

Filing a provisional patent application can quickly help you in protecting your unique idea/invention. When you file a provisional patent in India, you give yourself a 12 months’ time to decide if the idea is worth your time and money, and should you take the provisional patent application forward. It is always considered advisable to file a provisional patent application before disclosing one's unique, original ideas to any third party.

In order to file a provisional patent application with up to 30 pages, the government fee applicable is INR 1,600 for individuals, INR 4,000 for small entity applicants and INR 8,000 for large entity applicants.

While filing for provisional patent, you need to make sure that each provisional specification filed should include as much information the applicant has at the time of filing of the patent as according to the rules, new matter cannot be added by the applicant at a later stage.

3) Test the Waters Before Making the Final Jump

Once the provisional patent is in place, start testing if the market is really interested in your idea and if it has any future. Invest the 12 months allotted to you, courtesy the provisional patent, very carefully and test the markets reaction towards your idea. If it's not that positive, then it will be your call if you still wish to go forward and invest more time in developing your idea or abandon it then and there.