TIM Moor is brimming with business sense. He oozes it.

At a mere 32 he is an inventor with his name on 70 patents and the director of an inventors' consultancy with a daunting curriculum vitae - complete with a stint at the Ministry of Defence.

Tim's demeanour contradicts the stereotype of the hard-hitting successful businessman; he is modest and unassuming.

We meet in York to discuss his consultancy company, G & T Design, and his latest invention, a disposable baby's bottle made out of recyclable materials.

The bottle is being manufactured and marketed by The Vital Group, a London-based international company.

When compressed, Tim's bottle is no bigger than a couple of biscuits. Stood up against a normal baby bottle it looks tiny - analogous to Ann Darrow in King Kong's clumsy clasp.

Its size is what makes it appealing to a mother or father on the move: it can slip into a jacket pocket like a handkerchief or into a lunchbox.

As Tim gets out the compressed bottle, a lady in the café asks what it is, and Tim explains. Her reaction - perhaps a barometer for public opinion, is clear: as a mother who has carted around huge (often empty) baby bottles she is clearly impressed by the compact bottle.

But the benefits of a compact baby bottle go beyond reducing one's luggage. Its small size makes it easily transportable en mass - six of Tim's compressed bottles take up the space of one conventional baby bottle. This, says Tim, has significant implications for the improved hygiene - and therefore healthcare - of babies worldwide, particularly in third world countries.

Soon the product will be launched in major pharmacy stores across the UK and plans have been drawn up to ship it to Italy, Australia, Canada, Spain, New Zealand, France, and South Africa.

Another addition to Tim's technological repertoire is the gas analyser, a medical device capable of diagnosing the early stages of diseases such as asthma and diabetes. Patients blow into a container and the technology reads the gas content of their breath. The product is being developed in the United States.

"Medical experts have described the gas analyser as a significant contribution to the medical world, " said Tim.

To develop the gas analyser, Tim set up a company, Elan Vital (UK) Ltd, with former colleague from Automotive Emissions colleague, Jonathan Dibble. Jonathan left the company in 2003. From that point Professor Albert Crowe, head of the physics department at Newcastle University, helped with the development.

Now Tim is developing another idea, along with Stuart English from Northumbria University - the Value Innovation technique.

The technique is based on recognising cornerstones in innovation - gaps in the market, and will eventually be implemented in commerce.

"You can train yourself to help realise the value in intellectual property - it's about realising the commercial value of an idea and identifying areas in the market to look at, " said Tim. Tim will be collaborating with Stuart to develop a national programme based on the principles based on Value Innovation.

Tim says the principles of spotting a niche in the market and maximising on an idea's potential have formed the basis of his inventors' consultancy business, G & T Design. The company draws on Tim's own trials and tribulations as an inventor involved in the commercial and industrial sector for over eight years.

G & T Design provides inventors with "the complete solution from inception of idea to the launch of the developed products, " according to the company brochure. Put simply, potential inventors can hand over their idea, pay a fee and the company will take care of everything from the original inception of idea to making it viable, patenting it, prototype production and, most crucially, networking.

"We network around a product and source the best offers, " says Tim, adding: "I would always advise inventors to find a company who can market their product rather than them marketing the product themselves, which can cost thousands."

Such costs, if self-funded, can be tremendous, often exceeding five figures. The cost of services with G & T Design depends on the product. "A high end, highly technical device will be more expensive than something that needs less rigorous testing, " Tim said.

As for funding it yourself, Tim says: "I've met people who have spent £20,000 to £250,000 on a product and are still no closer to getting it to market."

G & T's client base is far-reaching, with inventors from as far afield as New Zealand. At the moment, Tim is launching two major products - one of which relates to the drinks industry and the other relating to renewable energy.

Tim said: "Setting up G & T Design was hard work - you need to let your presence be known and introduce yourself to the local (business and inventing) network."

He adds that a lot of work needs to be done in Yorkshire on the 'front end' of inventing, i. e. what to do with one's initial idea and who to talk to.

Tim has five clients on his books. Some require more time than others; depending on the stage they are at with their product.

"I've got one client at front-end stage and one whose product is being commercialised."

One product being commercialised at the moment is for the drinks industry, says Tim, adding: "This particular product will be promoted and backed by major drink brands. It will come to a head in the near future" At this stage, nothing more can be said about it. Until we're told more, it's a case of using the Value Innovation technique and guessing?