Today’s news is coming straight from one of our very own creationeers, Lucky!  A couple weeks ago, we featured Lucky’s top five apps for inventors.  Now, he’s back, with his perspective on innovative product design!

From Lucky’s mind… to you!  

Imagine having a product that you use [as] an infant, a child, a teen and an adult… something that is both utilitarian and stylish.  You’re probably thinking of the blanket you had as a child; but, one designer, David Singelyn, has endeavored to create a piece of furniture to follow you throughout your life.  Dubbed “Gro Furniture,” the crib/bed/desk hybrid is designed to get the most use out of one piece of furniture.  Taking a basic frame of bamboo plywood, the owner is able to use several modules that allow the crib to become a bed for a small child, a day bed, and eventually, a desk, creating a piece of furniture that can last a lifetime.

Gro Furniture is not the first well-designed product that serves multiple purposes, of course.  In 2008, Moreno Ferrari designed a line of clothing for C.P. Company that went from fashion to functional gear.  The Transformable Armchair, for example, was a raincoat that the wearer could take off and inflate into an armchair.  [It was] certainly not the most practical design, but [was] visually appealing and could be useful in marine or camping situations.

And, speaking of marine life, if you’re the boating type, the Amphicar was the only mass produced amphibious automobile available to the American public. 

It was powered by a Triumph Harold engine and was capable of speeds of 70 mph on dry land and 7 mph in the water.  It could drive from land, directly into the water, with no need to retract its wheels.  Unfortunately, the company went under when EPA and DOT regulations went into effect in 1968, but Amphicar enthusiasts still restore and drive these cars today!

As promised, you will be hearing a lot more from Lucky in the future.  Every couple of weeks, he’ll be giving us his perspective on what’s hot in the invention industry!

Stay tuned for more!

[Source: Yahoo News, Fab.com, Found_NYC, The International Amphicar Owner's Club.  Amphicar Trio Photo Credit: Fran Gealer]

As all of you lovers out there are aware, today is Valentine’s Day, a time to express our love to our “sweeties,” “honies” or whatever your preferred pet name for your lover is!

Now, we know you can do this in a number of ways… chocolates, flowers, jewelry, etc. But, why not show your Valentine you care with some holiday-themed Davison designs?

Fill up the heart-shaped Silicone Cookie Bowl with your sweet’s favorite sweets!

This great baking tool, designed for Xtraordinary Home Products, allows you to bake “D-licious” cookies and fill them with fruit, pudding, ice cream or anything your little heart desires!

If those treats don’t have your Valentine swooning, how about baking up something in the Sweetheart Silicone Dessert Pan?

Joining the original Dessert Bar Pan, which was designed for our client, Joseph, the heart-shaped Sweetheart pan allows you to cook up “D-lightful” treats that no Valentine can deny!

And, if you don’t have a Valentine to spoil this year, that’s just more “D-licious” treats for you! Happy Valentine’s Day!

* Typical client projects are not licensed, sold on any market or profitable.

While technology and popular media may have us believing that Apple’s iPhone is an invention we simply can’t live without, experts say there are much more elementary items that may be far more influential.  Those items include elastic bands, bubble wrap and, oh, yes… the paper clip.

In fact, scientists have said that it’s the items that cost mere pennies that we would be lost without.  They may not be as celebrated as the latest SmartPhone, PC tablet or other fancy gadgets, but have you ever used your iPhone to keep your desk clean?! 

According to Hi-Cone Director Ton Hoppenbrouwers, it’s the simple little inventions that are the “hidden heroes.”

“Whether the products hang our clothes, make tea or hold a six-pack, they are indispensable to consumers… They are design classics, which do their job brilliantly,” said Hoppenbrouwers.

By the way, Hi-Cone is the maker of those plastic ring carriers that ever-so-faithfully hold together your six-packs of beer and soda!

Also according to Hoppenbrouwers, like the evolution of the cell phone, these seemingly elementary inventions do evolve to meet society’s changing needs.

“Yes, they evolve to meet changing needs, but they do not change dramatically,” said Hoppenbrouwers.

Think tea bag and K-cup, pencil and mechanical pencil…  and for the day, appreciate the simple things around you, like your light bulbs, pencils and bubble wrap.  But, please, don’t try to play Words With Friends with your paper clips!  

Read more about the simple things we just couldn’t live without here!

Recently, we announced that our client, Jean’s, Meatball Baker, which offers a healthy alternative to greasy meatballs, was featured in the most recent Avon catalog and at shopavon.com.

It turns out, that great news was just the first bit of excitement the Meatball Baker has been cooking up lately!  Nearly as soon as we heard that our “Meatball Queen” Became an “Avon Lady,” the Meatball Baker was back at it!

This time, it was Good Morning America’s (GMA) ”Secret Steals and Deals” website that featured the Meatball Baker – and for 60% off at that!  For 48 hours, interested cooks everywhere could purchase the Meatball Baker for $8.80!

GMA also published an accompanying article called “Mom Inventions: Exclusive Deals and Steals, Just for ‘GMA’ Viewers,” which commended our client, Jean, on her invention.

“Mom/grandmother inventor “Jean the Meatball Queen” partnered with Davison, a new-products development company, to develop this rack that holds small, medium and extra-large meatballs letting all the fat drain into the bottom of baker,” the article stated.

We couldn’t wait to be the first to tell Jean the great news either!

“To be truthful, I am not much of a TV watcher, so I really never heard of it until you just told me about it.  I do like the publicity though,” said Jean.   Jean expressed how happy she was about all the exposure her Meatball Baker has received and said she, sometimes, is still in disbelief!

“At times, it is still hard to believe that my idea has truly came to life.  I am seeing my idea used in other ways too, meaning I have seen my pan duplicated with just a change in the handle at a Farm & Fleet store in Eau Claire, Wi.  I have also seen the meatloaf pan where the grease drains through a grid for a healthier meal.  So, I look at it as my idea must have been a good one, if it is being used in all sorts of ways,” said Jean.

As for the possibility of her invention being in the news even more?

“The press can talk about my pan all they want,” said Jean. 

Speaking of great press for Davison-designed products, we also found the Silicone Dessert Bar Pan on a Bed Bath & Beyond advertisement on the NBC Today Show website!

What will be the next Davison-designed product we find out there?  We can’t wait to see!

A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.

While you were out and about shopping this holiday season, it is very likely that you may have seen that Davison “D” on store shelves… or online… or in your MAILBOX?!

That’s right, the adorable Davison-designed Pugz Shoes for Dogs were featured in Bed Bath & Beyond’s holiday mailer!  In a section called “Gifts Fur Them,” the doggie boots were advertised for $19.99!  You can also find them at Bed Bath & Beyond online, here!

While that is quite the “steal,” Meijer.com again featured Pugz as “Today’s Big Steal” in early December!  (You may remember, they also featured Pugz as the daily steal in November!)

The Meijer website featured the boots at 53% off, or a whopping $13.99!

 You can bet that with all these great deals, Pugz are flying off store shelves and onto the feet of four-legged friends everywhere!  We’ve posted a video below of Cocoa, an adorable pup that’s modeling Pugz!  

 And, oh, are there more… visit the links below to watch more adorable pups in Pugz!

Gracie — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tioFyhj2U4
Noah –  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=035aofBsBm

We’ve got D-licious news about some Davison-designed bakeware that has landed on new store shelves! 

Chicago Metallic’s Cupcake Surprise Pan can be found on the shelves, in the catalog and on the website of Sur La Table!  If you’re not familiar with the store, it boasts of selling ”quality tools that set the standard for excellence in the industry.”

Without a doubt, the Cupcake Surprise Pan fits that bill!

The pan, which allows you to bake sweet treats with a surprise-filled center, has already been available at Bed Bath & Beyond, on QVC, at Amazon.com and at other stores.  Now, we can add Sur La Table to our ever-growing list of over 1,000 retailers that carry Davison designs!  

So, how do you use this D-lightful pan?  Simply place your favorite filling on the center spike of each cupcake mold,  fill with batter and bake!

And, oh, so many tasty options!  Fill the pan with cherries, coconut, chocolate, peanut butter, pineapple, cookie dough, strawberries… just about anything! 

While you’re enjoying your “secret snack,” thank Mr. Davison and his team for all that deliciousness.  The Surprise Pan, which is sure to satisfy any sweet craving, is just another example of a successful Davison-designed product that is showing the power of teamwork! 

Congratulations to everyone who had a hand in helping create this success-filled Surprise Pan and to everyone who helped launch the product to new store shelves!

 A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.  This corporate product was invented and licensed by Davison for its own benefit.

With the latest Davison-designed bakeware, your cup can runneth over, literally!

Check out these awesome, new Silicone Cookie Bowls being designed for Xtraordinary Home Products: 

Currently being produced in festive pumpkin and heart shapes, the cookie bowls can be filled with fruit, pudding, ice cream… just about anything delicious!

According to our Vice President of Licensing, the bowls are just the latest Davison client product that is turning into an entire line!

“The cookie bowls started with the original round version and [are] now taking a similar path as the Silicone Dessert Bar Pan, by branching off into holiday themes.  Look for the product to air on QVC in the first quarter of 2012,” said our Vice President of Licensing.

We can’t wait to see what delicious shapes we can fill up and devour next!  Congratulations to everyone who has worked on this D-licious designs!

The client has not made a net profit on this product. A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit. 

Ever since Henry Ford, who just happens to be one of Mr. Davison’s favorite inventors, introduced the Model T in 1908, Americans have had an affinity for the motor vehicle, in all of its shapes and, especially, with all of its enhancements!  Today, we take a look at a few of the automobile industry’s top innovations, in no particular order, of course!

Speaking of an order, even before Ford’s Model T, Alabama inventor Mary Anderson was prepared for weathering any storm.  She invented the first spring-loaded, rubber-bladed windshield wipers!  At the time, they were intended for streetcars, but became an automobile essential by 1917.

Not to be taken for granted, the first automobiles didn’t have a starter, but had to be hand-cranked at the start of a trip.  Inventor and eventual vice president of General Motors, Charles Kettering, patented an “engine starting device” in 1911.

Merging into traffic may be nearly impossible without Texas race-car driver and inventor Ray Harroun’s 1911 automobile innovation – the rearview mirror!  He won the Indianapolis 500 with his device, a small mirror attached to his windshield.  At the time, other drivers used riding partners to watch for oncoming traffic.

While not a standard feature ON automobiles, Ford’s 1913 conveyor-belt assembly line made it possible to produce automobiles for the masses – one every 93 minutes, to be exact!  Ford’s method also inspired Mr. D, who followed the example when devising the Davison Inventing Method.  In fact, Mr. Davison is even known as “the Henry Ford of inventing,” because he has made it affordable for anyone to pursue their ideas!

Really revving up the industry was the mass production of the V8 engine and we have Cadillac to thank for that!  In 1915, the company introduced a 70 horsepower L-Head V8 engine.  Again, we can thank Henry Ford for making a more affordable model, which he introduced in 1932.

An automobile made out of corn and soybeans?  We think so!  Now termed “bioplastics,” the Ford Motor Company began experimenting with plastic automobile components in the 1920s.  In 1941, they introduced the first bioplastic car – but it never made it to production.

What’s that you’ve got in your trunk?  An air conditioner?!  The Packard Motor Company introduced the first built-in air conditioner in 1939, right before the U.S. entered World War II.  The huge option filled half a trunk and cost over $4,000!

Now, here’s a feature that does not come “standard” – automatic transmission!  Again attributed to Charles Kettering and General Motors, the four-speed transmission was introduced to the masses in 1940 Oldsmobiles, but it didn’t really catch on until Cadillac buyers made it their preferred option.

No automobile could pass an emissions inspection today without the next invention on the list, the catalytic converter!  The device, which converts toxic gases into harmless ones, was pushed to the forefront when the EPA set exhaust restrictions in 1975.  We (and Mother Nature) thank you!

To read more about these made-in-the-USA automobile innovations, visit http://editorial.autos.msn.com/made-in-the-usa.

Just in time for the holiday season, bird is the word for the latest spin-off of a Davison-designed cooking item.  The Silicone Dessert Bar Pan is now talkin’ turkey!

At an industry trade show in July, XHP President Scott Nicholson predicted the Silicone Dessert Bar Pan would have a “great line-up for the future.”  That prediction included a certain silicone bake pan shaped like a turkey and… that prediction is now coming true!

Originally, our client, Joseph, came to us with an idea for a brownie pan that would allow soft, chewy edges on every brownie.  Working with Joseph, our design team created the Silicone Dessert Bar Pan, which quickly became a runaway success, selling on QVC and in stores like Bed Bath & Beyond and Kitchen Collection.

According to our Vice President of Licensing, the Turkey Cakelette Pan with Stencil is the latest spin-off of the popular Davison-designed product.

“It’s another item [for] our client, Joseph, and continues his success story of how one product can change the game,” said the Vice President of Licensing.

Following the initial success of Joseph’s Silicone Dessert Bar Pan, holiday and Disney-themed pans quickly followed.

Perched with a bird’s-eye-view from store shelves this fall, the silicone Turkey Cakelette Pan with Stencil provides a fun, new way to personalize holiday treats for family and friends.

Currently, the Turkey Cakelette Pan with Stencil is available at Amazon.com, Sur La Table and at Chicago Metallic online.

A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.

Stretching our paws in the doggie door with the Silicone Dog Treat Pan, we’re happy to report that that you may be seeing some Davison-designed edible doggie supplies on store shelves soon!

That’s right, now pet owners can fill up their bone-shaped treat pan with Doggie D’Lites cake and frosting mixes.

These D-licious dog treat mixes come in three varieties:  Carob (similar to chocolate, but safe for dogs!), Peanut Butter and Banana!

According to our Vice President of Licensing, they’re a first for both Davison and for Hugs Pet Products.

“We are entering the consumable market with Hugs,” said our VP.

While we can’t say we’d love to sample the cakes (though, they do look tasty), we’d love to share them with our four-legged friends!

Congratulations to the entire team that has worked on Doggie D’Lites!  Stay tuned for more news on this and other exciting upcoming Davison-designed products!

This was a corporate product designed for Davison’s own profit.