5.1 INVENTION INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL EINDHOVEN INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE / DESIGN TECHNOLOGY GOALS CONCEPTS • • • • Summarize sub-topic Learn new definitions Consider real life examples Practice exam questions • • • • • • Drivers for invention The lone inventor Intellectual property (IP) Strategies for protecting IP: patents, trademarks, design protection, copyright. First to market Shelved technologies INVENTION DEFINITION Invention is the process of discovering a principle which allows a technical advance in a particular field that results in a novel/new product. Seetroën: the first glasses to eliminate motion sickness. DRIVERS FOR INVENTION Drivers for invention include personal motivation to express creativity/for personal interest, scientific or technical curiosity, constructive discontent, desire to make money and desire to help others. 1. DESIRE TO MAKE MONEY Innovative and creative ideas are at the heart of most successful businesses, but is it the main or sole objective of the inventor to make money? For products and systems to develop further iterations to evolve then the financial return will fund the research and development work to enable the designer to increase the amount of new inventions and innovations. 2. DESIRE TO HELP OTHERS TU Delft and Royal Gazelle have developed a prototype of a bicycle with smart steering support. This bicycle should help prevent the number of falls in the future. The bicycle works with a smart motor in the steering column that supports steering when the cyclist is in danger of falling. DRIVERS FOR INVENTION 3. EXPRESS CREATIVITY/FOR PERSONAL INTEREST Guitar-shaped tables of the Dutch brand Ruwdesign. 4. SCIENTIFIC OR TECHNICAL CURIOSITY Alexander Graham Bell Bell became curious to know about signals, and the telephone prototype was born in 1876. His scientific curiosity led him to creating the photo phone, improved versions of phonograph, and even his own flying machine. 5. CONSTRUCTIVE DISCONTENT Dyson was frustrated by the inefficiency of conventional hand dryers. He re-designed the dryer using the airblade strategy to overcome the inefficiency. THE LONE INVENTOR DEFINITION An individual working outside or inside an organization who is committed to the invention of a novel product and often becomes isolated because he or she is engrossed with ideas that imply change and are resisted by others. Trevor Bayliss and his invention: the wind-up radio. THE LONE INVENTOR Lone inventors: • are individuals with a goal of the complete invention of a new and somewhat revolutionary product • have ideas that are completely new and different • may not comprehend or give sufficient care to the marketing and sales of there product • work usually isolated and have no backing towards their design • are having a harder time to push forward their designs, especially in a market where large investments are required for success • ideas are, because of how different they are, often resisted by other employees and workers • work alone and are used to setting their own goals • don’t work in teams usually, so team goals may prove difficult to adhere to • most likely be dogmatic which is less conducive to team work • are, often, not flexible THE LONE INVENTOR Lone inventors find it increasingly difficult to become successful as most products are now extremely complex and rely of expertise from a variety of disciplines. Most designers work in design teams which are multidisciplinary in nature with individual specialists and expertise. By nature, lone inventors often find it difficult to work in teams, in large departments of large companies. They can be dogmatic, singularly minded, and less flexible than team members. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) DEFINITION A legal term for intangible property ("creations of the mind”), such as inventions and designs that are used in a commercial setting. Law protects intellectual property. BENEFITS OF IP 1. DIFFERENTIATING A BUSINESS FROM COMPETITORS In a crowded market being able to differentiate from your competitors gives an edge. Businesses want to protect their differentiated products. 2. SELLING OR LICENSING TO PROVIDE REVENUE STREAMS A license is a consent by the owner to the use of IP in exchange for money. 3. OFFERING CUSTOMERS SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT When a new product is released to market the producer wants to prevent others from copying the idea so they can guarantee exclusivity to their customers. 4. MARKETING AND BRANDING In a crowded market a company’s brand can help attract loyalty and sales. Companies will want to protect their brand from copying and imitation. A brand has reputation and history that is valuable. STRATEGIES FOR PROTECTING IP PATENT DEFINITION TRADEMARK DEFINITION DESIGN PROTECTION DEFINITION COPYRIGHT DEFINITION An agreement from a government office to give someone the right to make or sell a new invention for a certain number of years. A trademark is a symbol, word, or words legally registered or established by use as representing a company or product. A simple and costeffective way to protect an innovative shape, appearance or ornamentation. A legal right that grants the creator of an original work exclusive ownership for its use and distribution. Usually for a limited time and within geographical boundaries, copyright allows the creator to receive compensation for their intellectual effort. SERVICEMARK DEFINITION A trademark used to identify a service rather than a product. STRATEGIES FOR PROTECTING IP Uhh yeah… but what are those crazy symbols now really about? STRATEGIES FOR PROTECTING IP PATENT TRADEMARK ™ ® SM DESIGN PROTECTION COPYRIGHT © Protects how something works and what it’s made of. Protects a brand name. Protects the appearance. Protects all the creative works. Examples are: • a shape • a composition of pattern or colour • a combination of pattern and colour Examples are: • literary works • musical works • dramatic works • pictorial, graphic and sculptural works • • • ® = a registered trademark ™ = pending registered trademark SM = pending service mark PATENT PENDING TM DEFINITION An indication that an application for a patent has been applied for but has not yet been processed. The marking serves to notify those copying the invention that they may be liable for damages (including backdated royalties), once a patent is issued. NOT PROTECT YOUR IP Reasons why some innovators decide not to protect their IP and alternative strategies to ensure success. TRADE SECRET The company may want to keep a trade secret and by applying for a patent this opens the idea up to a wider audience. They often choose to work with a nondisclosure agreement (NDA). OPEN SOURCE Others may want to share their idea and give open access in the realization that this may, in the long run, gain greater profits and/or products. Example: the recipe of CocaCola. Example: Makerbot (a company which makes 3D printers) believes that they can improve their product faster and better if all the users are able to make improvements and share this. FIRST TO MARKET DEFINITION The first product of its type to be released on the market. Sometimes, first-movers are rewarded with huge profit margins and a monopoly-like status. FIRST TO MARKET ADVANTAGES • Leading the competition; before competitors develop rival products to gain a larger market share. • Increased profit; as the product is the first of its type to be released on the market allowing the company to capture a large market share. • Secure brand loyalty; ensuring that consumers are more likely to purchase the product so the product becomes the dominant design. • Secure IP; prevent competitors from developing similar products enabling the product to become the dominant design. • Creating a new product category; that creates a new market that allows the brand to become a market leader. SHELVED TECHNOLOGY DEFINITION Technology that is shelved for various reasons. Sometimes shelved technologies will be rediscovered or taken off the shelf. A company has spent money on research and development (R&D) and so shelving a product will not be taken lightly. SHELVED TECHNOLOGY Reasons why some patented inventions are shelved. COST EFFECTIVENESS The technology is available, but the cost of using it in products makes it too expensive for the consumer. Example: 3D printers for home use - although this is changing now. SOCIAL - The market is not ready for change. Example: Football camera judge, also changing now. - The market perceives the product as unsafe. - Cultural reasons. Example: Amish beliefs around use of technology. TECHNOLOGICAL The science and underpinning ideas have been developed, but technology is not resolved enough to introduce the product. Example: flexible phones. TIMING / STRATEGIC REASONS Products are released in a strategic order. Example: The iPad could have been released before the iPhone, but Apple didn’t want to confuse the market with new products in that order. DEVELOPMENT Inventions are often the result of an individual or group’s curiosity about whether something can be done or a problem can be solved. On occasion, inventions are the result of an individual’s curiosity about something other than the product that they finally develop. These inventions include microwave ovens, ink-jet printers and Post-it® notes. INVENTION Invention by lone inventors or in collaborative, creative teams is at the forefront of design. A designer must use imagination and be firmly grounded in factual and procedural knowledge while remembering the needs and limitations of the end user. Designers must not only be creative and innovative, but also understand the concepts that will make a new product viable. INVENTION INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESS The role of intellectual property and patents in stifling or promoting inventions globally needs to be considered, especially with regard to the inequalities between countries. THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE • What is the role of imagination in invention? Are there limits to what can be imagined? • Sometimes there are unforeseen consequences of inventions. To what extent might lack of knowledge be an excuse for unethical conduct?
