Introducing (Drum roll, please!)…The Davison.com Trade Show Page!

We all know our licensing team “tries longer” to bring our inventors’ ideas to market by attending industry trade shows and expositions. Now, with just a click, current and future clients will know our team is out there representing Davison products across the nation too!

Davison’s President said he thinks the page further reinforces just how well our method works.

“It’s one thing for a company to say they attend trade shows… It’s quite another for a company to say they attend trade shows and have a proven method of getting people’s ideas into the product lines of companies.  We do the latter,” said the President.

Davison’s Vice President of Licensing added, “The page looks great, and it’s another avenue for clients to see the exposure Davison has at trade shows with our corporate clients!”

The new Davison.com Trade Show Page includes a “highlight reel” slide show of photos from previous shows, as well as news updates on each show attended. There’s also a list of upcoming shows, so we can track our team’s journey as they meet with national and international corporations, finding homes for electronics, housewares, hardwares, crafts and pet products!

While Davison regularly attends trade shows in a number of industries, it does not promise that any particular client product will be, or is likely to be, presented or discussed at a trade show.

To check out the new page, visit http://www.davison.com/tradeshows/.

Whether you’re looking to quickly jot down an idea, find inspiration for new ideas or learn more about what’s happening in the invention world today — there’s an app for it!

We’ve scoured the app store to find must-have inventor apps.  Without question, our favorite is Davison’s Inventionland app, which, just like America’s largest invention factory, inspires creators to dream and pursue their ideas!

For your viewing pleasure, here are 10 more top invention apps:

Get Inspired

IDEO Method Cards — Developed by IDEO, a top product design and development firms, this app includes 51 cards that help inspire design and creativity.

FitMind Creative Thinking — Exercising your mind is simple with this app!  It includes multiple programs that simulate frequencies, allowing your mind to relax and engage in creative thinking.

Organize Your Ideas

Evernote — With this app, you can document your ideas by writing notes, snapping photos or recording voice memos.  Remembering your idea has never been easier!

Idea Sketch — Have a more complex idea?  This app allows you to diagram your idea by organizing your thoughts into a color-coded mind map, concept map or flow chart.

Sketch it Out

ZeptoPad — When words are just simply not enough, this app allows you to sketch out your invention idea by creating vector images.

EazyDraw — Complete with multiple drawing screens, drawing scales, English & metric units, CMKY and RGB colors, this app is a great tool for sketching out a vector visualization of your idea.

Educate Yourself

Famous Inventions and Patents — Learn about the inventions that changed the world!  This app includes full text descriptions and technical drawings of some of history’s most important inventions.

Inventions News — Keep up to date with the latest invention-related news, videos, articles and columns.

Inventors Handbook — This app is perfect for any inventor who has a brilliant idea, but doesn’t know what to do next.

Patent Legal Coach — Learn everything you need to know about applying for a patent.  This app guides users through every step of the patent process – from search, drawings and claims to written description.

Next time you’re searching for fresh apps, don’t forget that creativity and innovation are only a finger click away!

Ok, so, it might be a stretch to believe a tree branch could help fight cavities, but history shows ancient civilizations (we’re talking 3,000 BC!) may have used a “chew stick,” or thin twig with a frayed end, to clean their teeth. 

And, chew sticks must have worked fairly well, as the bristle toothbrush, similar to what we use today, did not come along until June 26, 1498, when a Chinese inventor attached coarse hog hair to bone and bamboo handles.  An Englishman, William Addis, is credited with first mass-producing the toothbrush around 1780. 

Although, we think we’d prefer the “twig” model, boar bristles were actually used until 1938.  At that time, a French company, Dupont de Nemours, introduced “Doctor West’s Miracle Toothbrush,” which utilized nylon bristles. 

What may be even harder to believe than using tree branches and hogs hair to promote dental hygiene, is that although American, H. N. Wadsworth, patented a toothbrush in 1857 and American companies began mass-producing toothbrushes around 1885, many Americans didn’t use them until influenced by the increased hygiene habits World War II soldiers brought back from the battlefield!

Swiss inventors introduced the first electric toothbrush in 1939; an American company, Squibb, marketed their electric Broxodent in 1960; quickly following, General Electric introduced a rechargeable cordless toothbrush in 1961.  Finally, in 1987, Interplak, an electric rotary-action toothbrush, was marketed for home use. 

Although it may have taken a while to catch on, most Americans agree, the toothbrush is one invention they cannot live without!  To find out why many Americans said they would rather part with their cars, computers and cell phones than with their trusty toothbrush, click here!



Now that the summer season is underway and we’ve all enjoyed some delicious grilled burgers, dogs, chicken, veggies and more, we pay tribute to the many inventors who’ve worked so hard to allow us to enjoy these savory treats – and with such ease!

Technically, one could say that grilling dates back to the domestication of fire, hundreds of thousands of years ago.  And, possibly campfire grilling is a bit reminiscent of those early grilled feasts.  So, how has grilling gone from the campfire to the backyard, poolside, deck-side and, even inside?

Perhaps an invention before it’s time, a Pennsylvania man, Ellsworth Zwoyer, patented the design for the first charcoal briquette in 1897.  Not very practical to produce, it was Model-T inventor (and Mr. D’s hero), Henry Ford, and a relative, E.G. Kingsford, who brought the briquette into commercial production and made it profitable.  As we all know, Kingsford charcoal remains popular today.

Putting those briquettes to good use, military men, returning from World War II, began moving their families to U.S. suburbs with more outdoor space and experimenting with outdoor activities… like outdoor cooking!

Up first was Swedish inventor, Hikmet Kuran’s brazier grill, an open-air, charcoal grill that actually made outdoor cooking quite dangerous and often left foods burnt on the outside and raw on the inside – just the way some of us lovingly refer to as “Pittsburgh-style!”

Next, a Chicago metalworker at Weber Brothers Metal Spinning Company, George Stephen, designed a more modernized grill by adding a grate and vents to a harbor buoy he cut in half.  With that, the Weber grill was born!

Gas grills followed, when William Wepfer and Melton Lancaster, who worked for an Arkansas power company, were charged with finding a way to raise natural gas sales.  The pair redesigned a charcoal grill to work with gas instead.  Today, gas grills run on propane as well.

For those rainy, or snowy, days, George Foreman introduced his electric grilling station in 1994 and brought grilled goodness from the poolside to inside!

Finally, let’s not forget those Davison-designed products that contribute to a great cook-out, like the Fill ‘N Grill, Burger Maker and Slider Maker – just to name a few! This was a corporate project that Davison developed and licensed for its own benefit.

No matter which way you slice it (the brisket or pork BBQ that is), we owe a big burger-sized thank you to all the inventors who’ve helped bring grilling to where it is today!  Now, who’s hungry?!

The 2011 Riverview Relay for Life in Oakmont, PA was an overwhelming success, in part because of the sponsorship of Davison and the creative contributions from our “Dare to Invent” team. The largest fundraiser in the world, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, gives everyone a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer and remember loved ones lost, while fighting for a cure.

Young “Relayers” were continually visiting the “Dare to Invent” site (#54) to test their skills at a Nerf dart shooting game and an Einstein “brain bag” toss game. Kids who got a bullseye or got the “brains” inside Einstein’s head (making a lightbulb light up) got to pick out a toy (the movie star sunglasses were a hit!). They also had fun coloring and putting together models of T-Rex, pterodactyl and stegosauras from cardboard pop-out kits. The activities were created by Davison’s Corporate Creative Coach, Jonathon, and Trevor, package design engineer, with assistance from designers, Tess and Bev.

Everyone put in a lot of time, and laps around the track, especially a few employees, who stayed at the park the entire 24 hours! They even stuck it out through a downpour and thunderstorm during the night!

“The team pulled through and we did a great job for first-timers. It only rained hard for a couple hours, and my tent and canopy are very water proof,” said Jonathon. “We’ve got bigger and better plans for next year and hope to triple the size of our team and activities.”

In addition to the company’s sponsorship, the Davison team raised money by charging 25 cents to play the games or 50 cents to build a dinosaur, as well as raffling off two baskets of Davison products and a stack of Inventionland books.

In addition to the company’s sponsorship and employee donations, the team raised money through the games and the raffling off of Davison products and a stack of Inventionland books. Several team members also purchased luminaries to honor loved ones who have battled cancer. During the moving ceremony, glowing luminaries marked with the names of individuals who have battled cancer lined the track and were placed on the bleachers to convey “HOPE.” The many names were read aloud as the images of survivors and those who lost their battle were shown, followed by a moment of silence.

The Riverview Relay had a goal of raising at least $103,000 to reach a total of $1 million in its 11th year. However, during the final count on Sunday morning, they were about $6,000 short of their goal – but, at the last minute someone came out with an anonymous $10,000 check! “Overall the event raised $106,014, which is absolutely incredible!” reported the captain. “It was really touching and sort of like what you see in movies,” added Emily, a team member. “Overall, it was a great time, and hopefully next year will be even bigger.”

That is certain, as Jonathon, who has been busy delivering the prizes to raffle winners, is already making ambitious plans for the 2012 Relay.

Hint — it’s going to involve a lot more Nerf guns, targets and dinosaurs — and even more fun!

The Senate has deemed it so! In a unanimous May 3, 2011 vote, the U.S. Senate approved an immediate resolution that made May – National Inventors Month! Similar to many inventions, the month-long celebration actually began as one idea, was improved upon and turned into another!

Previously, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the inventing community and the general public had accepted and celebrated August as National Inventors Month. With Senate approval, the move to May allows for greater inventor recognition in schools and more opportunities to inspire and celebrate innovation across the nation! In honor of this creative month, we did some digging and found some fun trivia about some very familiar inventions!

Did you know:

- The British inventor of the World Wide Web never patented his technology, because he was afraid it would become too expensive to use and the Web would never go world-wide!

- The formula for Coca-Cola has never been patented! Only selected company employees know the secret recipe!

- The grocery store owner who invented the shopping cart hired fake shoppers to push the invention around his store, because his customers didn’t want to give up their baskets!

- Long before the iPhone and iPad, the first Apple computer was born in Steve Jobs’ parents’ garage and Jobs had to sell his car to raise funds for his first commercial order!

- Parker Brothers execs initially passed on the Monopoly game because it took too long to play; but, the company president got his hands on a copy, stayed up until 1 a.m. to play it one night and he was hooked! The rest is history!

The sold-out 2011 National Hardware Show was the hot place to be last week, and not just because it was held in steamy Las Vegas. Davison’s President and VP of Licensing made the most of the opportunity to network with numerous corporations as they unveiled exciting new products to a wide range of home improvement retailers.

“The Hardware Show was great; we met with a ton of companies,” said the VP. “The show was better (than last year) because we have more products to discuss, more companies to work with, more people to talk to and more opportunities with companies that work with us.”

Drillcraft Tools Corporation unveiled the Tru-Miter, a client product that we developed and licensed to the company. The tool, which measures angles for a table saw, is unique because of its simplicity and its appeal to contractors as well as do-it-yourselfers. The factory prototypes received good feedback from buyers, including a big player in the tool industry. The client has not received a profit.

“We have a major corporation interested in this item, so that is a big plus,” the VP said. He expects Drillcraft will “start to tool up” in the near future, as they wait for the final go-ahead from the corporation.

The Tru-Miter was initially turned down by another company, but once again, the Licensing Department’s motto “We Try Longer,” has held true.

The productive meeting with Drillcraft also included discussion on several drill cases we are working on for them, as well as their plans to expand into power tools and lawnmowers, as the company begins to diversify.

“We will be providing them with new products to help them expand those lines,” said the VP. No doubt our designers will power up and help the company extend their reach!

While at the Hardware Show, our team also had great meetings with Metro Design and All Star Marketing, with whom we have established relationships. A Metro stepladder for which we did the packaging received good feedback. In addition, Metro is going to be branching off into toys, which gave the VP more good news to report: “We will be opening up discussions to help further their new product development in the toy category.” Our designers surely have many playful ideas to share!

New corporations that we are working with include Blacktop 360 and SportCraft, for which we are working on a new Frisbee design. They received the design while at the show which “looks good,” but needs a little tweaking, so stay tuned to see how that project soars!

Our team also opened up discussions with Grime Boss, which makes heavy duty hand cleaning wipes. They demonstrated how the wipes instantly clean hands of paint, glue or other sticky, icky substances.

“We talked about new product development, to see if there is anything else we can add to their line.” Surely we’ll find something that sticks!

All this relationship building will inevitably lead to more product design and building. But the VP of Licensing is confident that our tool-savvy guys and gals are up to the task.

“The corporate team will definitely feel the push with the workload coming through; but they’ve done a great job handling it so far, and I would expect nothing less in the future.”

While no client should expect that his idea will be presented at a trade show, Davison’s presence at trade shows is invaluable in building contacts and keeping in touch with companies that are looking for new or improved products

More Davison-designed products have hit the big screen again! Several innovative Hugs Pet Products were featured on the Time Warner Home Network’s #1 show for home and family Welcome Home!

Already hugely successful at the 2011 Global Pet Expo in Orlando this March, Hugs President Katie showed off the Dog Wash, Better Tether and all three toys within the line of hydrating chew toys – the Hydro Bone, Hydro Ball and Hydro Saucer!

Katie said the Hydro toys, which absorb water and slowly release it as pets chew and squeeze, offer “great fitness for both the pet and the owner! Great for their hydration… there’s nothing like it!”

Prior to this TV appearance, Hugs products already have received much attention and exposure.

The award-winning Dog Wash has been a featured item in the upscale In the Company of Dogs catalog and the Hydrobone has been featured on Good Morning America and in both Dog Fancy and In the Company of Dogs magazines. The Better Tether is also set to hit store shelves this June!

Welcome Home reporter Mike Warrick said of Hugs innovative products, “No matter if you’re looking to clean your pet, give comfort to your pet or play with your pet, you have an answer for everything!”

Congratulations to everyone who worked on these amazing products! To view the entire Welcome Home segment, visit Welcome Home TV.

It may be hard to believe, but just 49 years ago Gaylord Nelson started an 8-year fight to have Earth Day recognized as a national holiday. Nelson wanted to bring awareness to environmental issues that nobody seemed to pay attention to at the time. Because of his persistent efforts, we not only have a national Earth Day, but we also have rules and regulations to help diminish adverse effects of pollution, such as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

At Davison, we share Nelson’s concerns and we are eager to develop more eco-friendly products, such as the BagStor. The BagStor makes it easy to reuse and recycle plastic bags, thereby cutting down on the amount of plastic waste in landfills and reducing the need to produce more plastic bags from oil. According to the Green is Universal website, it takes 1,000 years for a plastic bag to decompose!

Another eco-friendly product, which we created for a client, is the Can Pump & Pour. This gadget keeps an open can of soda fresh and carbonated until the user has finished it, thereby cutting down on the number of cans used (or half used) and thrown away.

More recently, we collaborated with Jokari to create the Water Infuser, which has a hinged sphere that can hold pieces of fruit, vegetables and herbs (lemon, cucumber, strawberries or mint). The sphere is then placed in a pitcher and, through small slits in the plastic, the water or tea is infused with natural flavors — offering a healthy and inexpensive alternative to sodas, sugary fruit drinks and bottled water. Not only is it healthier, but it reduces the amount of bottles a family would normally purchase, use, and toss.

As a company, we look forward to more “everyday idea people” coming to us with their eco-friendly ideas so we can all help preserve the environment. This Earth Day consider trying to lower your carbon footprint and doing something for the environment. You can always do one better and invent the next product that will help to make the world a greener place! Dare to Invent.

Davison’s VP of Licensing has been to a lot of trade shows, but few, if any can compare to the 2011 Global Pet Expo in Orlando. Nearly all of the products we’ve done for Hugs Pet Products were on display in a booth that was also designed by Davison.

“It was one of the best, if not the best show I’ve been to,” the VP said. “We had a lot of new client products on display and there was phenomenal feedback from buyers.”

Representatives from Pet Smart, Petco, Bed Bath & Beyond, LTD Commodities, as well as distributors and retailers in Canada, South America, Australia and Europe expressed interest in selling numerous products in the Hugs line!
The Better Tether, formerly known as Low Pro, was received very well; several companies want to sell it and Hugs is tooling up for production to fill orders. Many other new and innovative pet products we developed for Hugs were introduced and received enthusiastic feedback. In fact, Bed Bath & Beyond wants to test several of them in select stores!

According to the VP, Bed Bath & Beyond also wants to put some of the product videos we created for the Expo in their stores during the test, and several e-tailers want to post the videos on their sites!

Needless to say, the owners of Hugs Pet Products were “extremely happy” with all the work we did. “The booth looked awesome” due to the 25+ innovative products it contained, said the VP. This was emphasized by comments they heard from buyers, such as: “Wow, you have some really unique products.”

Here is what the President of Hugs Pet Products had to say:

“The Global Pet show was phenomenal for Hugs! The booth looked great … with the backdrop, posters, videos and all the packaging and products displayed. It really helped draw customers in so that we could meet and talk to them. We couldn’t have done it without all the fantastic support from all of you at Davison! Over the 3 days, we got so many valuable leads. It really was an exceptional opportunity for us to showcase our products. And having the prototypes and sample packaging for the items that are still under development was so helpful.”

Check out some more great photos of Hugs Pet Products at the Global Pet Expo!