What if we told you that there once was this amazing man who had many talents: comedian, ventriloquist, voice actor, inventor, and humanitarian – would you believe us? OK, you’d say – that could happen. But what if we said that he was also the host of a prime-time television show, the host of a children’s show, and has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame? Would you believe us then? Maybe, you’d say – but that is pretty cool if it’s all true. Then what if we said that this guy also invented the first mechanical artificial heart that could be implanted in a person’s chest cavity? Would you still believe us? No way, you’d say – that’s just over the top.

Well, meet Paul Winchell; actor and inventor extraordinaire. Some may remember Paul Winchell from when they were small children, watching his children’s show on Saturday morning. It was fascinating. What made it so cool was that he was a ventriloquist and had two ventriloquist dummies named Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff. Throughout time, many people have been fascinated by ventriloquists and their ability to make their voice seem to come from another place.

Ventriloquists have been dazzling audiences for thousands of years, but just in the time we have had radio and television, we have had such artists as Edgar Bergan, Paul Winchell, Shari Lewis and even today we laugh at Jeff Dunham and his curmudgeonly old dummy named Walter. So it’s no surprise that little kids would be fascinated by Paul Winchell and his alter egos, Jerry and Knucklehead, back in the 60′s and 70′s.

You may recognize his distinctive voice in numerous animated roles for film and television cartoons. Turns out, he was a very successful voice actor and did a lot of work for Disney and Hanna-Barbera cartoons. Perhaps his best remembered role was as the voice of ‘Tigger’ in the Walt Disney movie “Winnie-the-Pooh and the Blustery Day,” which earned an Academy Award for best animated short film. He won a Grammy for the best children’s recording of the year for “Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger Too.”

His voice gave life to many other characters, including Boomer in “The Fox and the Hound,” the Siamese cat in Disney’s “Aristocats,” and many Hanna-Barbera characters, including the evil Gargamel of “The Smurfs.” Winchell provided the voices of Sam-I-Am and his friend in “Green Eggs and Ham” from the animated television special “Dr. Seuss on the Loose” in 1973. In commercials, he voiced the Scrubbing Bubbles for Dow Chemicals and Mr. Owl for Tootsie Roll Pops.

But what was probably most fascinating about Winchell was the fact that he was a very successful inventor. Over the course of his life, he held patents on over 30 devices, including a disposable razor, a flameless cigarette lighter, an illuminated ballpoint pen, a retractable fountain pen, an inverted novelty mask, battery-operated heated gloves, an indicator to show when frozen food had gone bad after a power outage, and the first artificial human heart. That’s right, the artificial heart.

This invention was developed through collaboration with Dr. Henry Heimlich, inventor of the Heimlich Maneuver, and held the first patent for such a device. Though Dr. Robert Jarvik has been referred to as “the inventor of the artificial heart,” documents from the United States Patent Office show that on February 6, 1961, Paul Winchell filed for a patent on his artificial heart. He was granted a patent (3097366) on  July 16, 1963, well before the Jarvik-7 was ever invented.

Winchell established more medical patents while working on projects for the Leukemia Society and the American Red Cross. Some of his other medical inventions were a portable blood plasma defroster, a piezo-electric diaphragm, and a sectional garment for hypothermia. And there’s more. He was also an entrepreneur who owned a shirt factory; and a humanitarian who proposed an idea he called “The Tilapia Project,” which would have used the production of rapidly reproducing tilapia fish as a source of protein for undernourished people in sub-Saharan Africa.

We grew up thinking Tigger was all bounce and no brains; so if we told you the man who is the voice of Tigger is really a creative genius who has accomplished so many amazing things in his life, would you believe me?

We bet you would now…

SOURCES
http://paulwinchell.net/bio.html

http://www.accuracyproject.org/cme-theartificialheart.html

PHOTO SOURCES:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Paul_Winchell_Jerry_Mahoney_1951.JPG

http://rense.com/general66/paulw.htm

http://ventdj.blogspot.com/2012/03/for-paul-winchell-fans.html

If you are like most inventors, the ultimate goal for your idea is to create a product that will sell.

But one of the first problems you will face is this – an idea is not a product. In order to create a product from an idea, an inventor must be willing to devote time, energy and money to take all of the steps necessary for this to happen. In order to give your idea the best chance for success, you need to work with people who understand all the many steps to bring a product to market.

For over 20 years, Davison has helped inventors bring their ideas from the concept stage to products selling in stores. Their product development services are extremely thorough, and they work with the inventor every step along the way; from patent and product related research to designing, developing and building working prototypes and product samples. They design packaging for the product, identify manufacturers and present new products to corporations, manufacturers, and retailers for possible licensing agreements.

So, as an inventor with a great idea, you probably have a few questions regarding costs:

•      Who pays for the product development services? Clients pay for initial design research, product design, prototype development, integrated retail product packaging (illustrating what the product could appear as on the retail shelf) and product sample demonstration videos.
•      Who pays for licensing? Davison offers licensing representation for a fixed fee plus a 10% interest in any future royalties. However, this is not a purchase of patent or invention rights, and no purchase or partnerships are offered. To see the range of services and costs involved, visit www.davison.com/legal/aipa.html
•      Are there ever cases where Davison would work on an invention for only a percentage of profits? No. Developing inventions is a very uncertain undertaking, and it would be too risky for Davison to work on any invention without some form of up-front payment.

So if you’re looking to have your new product idea prepared and presented to a corporation for possible licensing, Davison has the experience, expertise and track record you should look for in new product development services.

If you know us very well, you know we’re all about finding innovative solutions to everyday problems. Now, a Davison-designed product is receiving recognition for doing just that.

Real Simple Magazine, whose motto is “life made easier, every day,” recently included the Davison-designed Hydro Bone on their “40 Most-Pinned Problem Solving Products” list.

Of the hydrating chew toy, the magazine said, “If you’re hitting the park with Fido, be sure to pack the proper warm-weather essentials. Simply soak this rubber bone in water and toss it to your four-legged friend, so he’ll stay well–hydrated all day long.”

Licensed and sold by Hugs Pet Products, the Hydro Bone was born in the mind of our client, Diane, who first got the idea for the refreshing toy when she was looking for a way to keep her Japanese Chin puppy hydrated on long car trips.

Diane’s Hydro Bone certainly solved that problem and more! On Real Simple’s list, the Hydro Bone is among other problem-solving products like a corn de-silker, dissolvable jar labels and a machine that chops up candy or cookie ice cream toppings. View Real Simple’s entire list here.

Congrats to Diane, our Creationeers, Hugs Pet Products and everyone else who had a hand in bringing this innovative bone to market!

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

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

We all know the world of inventing is a risky one that is all about taking chances on ideas. Take Mr. D for example, his first invention idea was not as successful as he would have liked, because he was beat to the marketplace by a larger corporation.

Well, it turns out that these “failed” inventions are common with many of history’s famous inventors.

Today, we’ve found some not-so-great inventions from some of the most famous, most successful inventors of all time. Whether these ideas were just ahead of their time or simply just didn’t work, they are definitely worth a second look!
 
Thomas Edison’s Talking Doll – This famous inventor had over 2,000 patents to his name before he died, so it is not hard to believe that one of his creations just didn’t quite work. Perhaps a predecessor to today’s talking dolls, Edison tried to combine his very successful phonograph with a children’s doll, in hopes that little girls everywhere could communicate with their dolls during playtime. Unfortunately, the contraption had a few fatal flaws and it cost the equivalent of $240-$600, which was a bit pricey for Edison’s day.
 
Leonardo da Vinci’s Water-Walking Shoes – Famed artist and inventor Leonard da Vinci certainly had a creative flair that didn’t stop with a few paint strokes. In fact, da Vinci tried to solve a problem that we’ve still not touched – walking on water! His inflated shoes resembled water skis, but were nearly impossible to balance and move in!
 
Gunpei Yokoi’s Virtual Boy – Thanks to Yokoi, every ’90s child can lovingly remember his or her Nintendo Game Boy. What they may not remember is Yokoi’s Virtual Boy, a game system, with 3D graphics, that users were supposed to strap to their faces in order to play! The rumor is that Yokoi’s failed invention was the reason the former Nintendo genius left the company.
 
Sir Clive Sinclair’s Miniature TV – Among Sinclair’s electronic pocket calculator and fold-up bicycle was also his “pocket television,” a brick-sized portable TV. Although it was a genius thought, the mini TV’s screen was tiny, reception wasn’t great and it didn’t fit in most pockets!

Although they may have found failure on their pathway to success, it was the “no quit” attitude of these great inventors that brought us many, very valuable inventions. Read more about these great innovators’ failed inventions here!

This month, we celebrate an invention that, thanks to the many enhancements made to it, is nearly obsolete in today’s technologically-advanced world!  Yes, September 1873 marks the first time a practical typewriter was commercially sold.

The “Sholes & Glidden Type Writer” was not widely successful, but it did pave the way for a worldwide industry that continues to evolve and revolutionize what was very time-consuming and tedious office work.

The American-made invention originated in the multi-talented mind of Milwaukee, Wis. publisher, politician and philosopher Christopher Latham Sholes, during the Age of Invention.  At the time, Sholes was working in Kleinsteuber’s Machine Shop, trying to produce a machine that would automatically number book pages.

It is believed that one of Sholes’ colleagues suggested he further advance the idea by devising a way the equipment would print the entire alphabet.  With that prodding, the typewriter was just a few strokes away.  Not surprisingly, when it finally was released, the “Type Writer” was named in part for Carlos Glidden, a man who worked with Sholes at the machine shop!

Sholes created the simple device, which utilized a piece of printer’s type on a small rod that was mounted to strike upward onto a flat plate.  The plate held a piece of carbon paper, sandwiched together with a piece of stationery.  Using an old telegraph key mounted to the base of his device, Sholes tapped down on his new invention and watched as the little type jumped up and hit the carbon paper against the flat plate.

And that was pretty much it!  The space bar and enter keys came later, but Sholes did construct the machine to include the entire alphabet.  Sholes’ prototype was sent to Washington as the patent model and still exists – although it’s locked in a vault at the Smithsonian!

Along with investor James Densmore, Sholes brought his typing machine to gun maker E. Remington & Son; but, because he lacked patience when it came to marketing the invention, Sholes sold all his rights to Densmore, who kept the idea afloat.

Originally, the “Sholes & Glidden Type Writer” was brought to market with brightly decorated decals and gold paint.  It had a QWERTY keyboard, but could type only in capital letters.  Similar to an antique sewing machine, the “Type Writer” also included a foot treadle for carriage return, possibly because a Remington sewing machine engineer had recently been transferred to set up the “Type Writer” factory!  The company also offered a table model, which did not include the foot pedal.

Five years later, a second model was introduced and it included upper case, lower case and a shift key.  The colorful panels disappeared and a new black-framed look emerged.  This, the “Remington No. 2,” became a big seller and catapulted the typewriter industry… that is, at least until computers, cell phones and iPads were invented! 

Whatever it is that we’re typing on today, Mr. Sholes, we thank you for your innovation!

Information for the article provided by Earthlink.net and About.com.

When we think of the 1950s, we may think of donning poodle skirts and saddle shoes and heading to the sock hop to dance to some Elvis.  But, it’s what we may NOT think of that we want to examine today…those ’50s fads and inventions that just didn’t quite catch on.

Here’s a list of our five favorite funky ’50s inventions:

1. Curved Barrel Machine Gun: The sleek, curved design of this fierce 1953 weapon allowed for shooting around corners!  It was perfect for taking the “fire first, look later” approach!  While it sounds pretty cool, we all may be a littler safer without this one!

2. Handwriting Game: As if repeatedly writing “I will not…” statements on the chalkboard wasn’t punishment enough, this engaging 1955 game challenged players to analyze each other’s handwriting!  I suppose practice makes perfect?

3. Venetian Blind Sunglasses: Kanye West may be trying to revive this trendy fad, but it certainly didn’t catch on when it was first introduced in 1950!  Though they seem to have no real practical purpose, I suppose they may good for only letting “some” UV rays in!

4.Honegar: All you “Man Vs. Food” fans actually may love this crazy concoction.  In 1959, Dr. DeForest C. Jarvis mixed together honey and vinegar in an effort to remedy minor aches and pains.  Hmmm… tempting, but I’ll stick with ibuprofen!

5. Vest Pocket Ash Tray, Rainy Day Cigarette Holder, Cigarette Holder Built for Two: We just couldn’t resist lumping these three ’50s inventions together.  They were perfect for “lighting up” with your lover on a rainy day and dropping the ashes in your vest!

For a look at these funky inventions, click here!

Now, we know we said our favorite five inventions, but hope this honorable mention doesn’t ruffle your feathers – pun intended!

The Sanitary Appliance for Birds, an undergarment designed to catch bird…. ummm, well you know…. received patent number 2,882,858 in 1959!  While it never really caught on, it is too bad all the birds of the world aren’t required to wear undergarments as they soar high above our heads!

Practical or not, these inventions bring a whole new meaning to the “Nifty Fifties!”

What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, makes a slinkity sound – and has made millions of dollars since it was invented in 1945?  The slinky, and other must-have toys and gadgets may be inexpensive to purchase, but continue to make their creators millions!  Today, we delve into our childhoods to explore the stories of 5 top toys that all started…with an idea!

The Slinky- Engineer Richard James and his wife, Betty, borrowed $500 to start production of this spiral-coiled success – which came from an idea Richard had aboard a World War II Naval ship, when a spring fell onto the floor and flip-flopped around, amusing him.  The James’ perfected the long, steel ribbon and Richard designed the machine that manufactured the 80-foot Slinky himself.  Although it took some persuading to get the Philadelphia department store, Gimbels, to market the toy – it sold out in 90 minutes!  Today, nearly 300-million Slinkys have sold…and, at $3.99 each, those sales add up…fast!

Pet Rock– Advertising executive Gary Dahl is the mastermind behind the $3.95 smiley-faced rock that made millions!  According to Dahl, the “pets” were created as a replacement for the hassle, mess and money of more-conventional pets, like cats and dogs.  His packaging even included a training manual with instructions on how to take care of, train and command the rocks!  Estimates show Dahl sold over 5 million pets in a six-month time period.

Koosh Balls– Originally invented to help his own children learn how to catch, engineer Scott Stillinger tied rubber bands together to make a soft ball that wouldn’t hurt their hands.  The name came from the “koosh” sound the ball made when it hit the ground.  Evolving from rubber bands, OddzOn, Stillinger’s company, says there are approximately 5,000 fibers that go into one ball!  The Koosh line included about 50 products in all, some of which are still on the market for only a few bucks!

Antenna Balls- While Jason Wall has “had a ball” with his invention, he has Jack to thank.  When Wall found out Jack in the Box had sold millions of “Jack” antenna balls, he got busy designing his own novelty creations.  Whether in the form of happy faces, cowgirls or sports logos, you’ve probably seen Wall’s designs as you’ve been out traveling.  With million-dollar sales since 1999, you may already have one on your own car!  If not, you can pick one up for about 4 bucks at your local gas station or convenience store!

Silly Bandz– A new trend for children of all ages, Robert Croak, the ingenious creator  of Silly Bandz, got his idea while on a Japanese business trip in 2002.  There, silicone bands were used as a more environmental-friendly option for rubber bands.  Croak, and his employer, BCP imports, transformed the office supplies into fashion must-haves by adding tons of shapes and colors.  First hitting the internet in 2008, Silly Bandz are now sold at over 8,000 locations nation-wide.  At around a couple bucks per pack, Croak says he’s shipping out millions of the bandz each week!  What’s even better – he’s selling them with NO advertising!  The buzz for the bandz is all on-line, and on the playground, of course!

So, whether these popular gadgets slink down the stairs, “koosh” against the ground or do nothing at all – they’re sure to bring a lot of fun to children of all ages – and a lot of “fun” money to their inventors!

The Oil Filter Gripper, first licensed in 1993 by Flo Tools International, was one of the first major successful products we designed for our clients. Myles and Lisa hired Davison to research, redesign and develop the innovative tool, which went on to win a bronze IDEA (Industrial Design Excellence Award) in the Consumer Products / Professional Tools category in 1996. 

Myles with Oil Filter Gripper and IDEA award

The Oil Filter Gripper has had a great run and, after 17 years, it is still on the market and going strong. The product, which was designed by Davison’s VP of Inventegration, enables do-it-yourselfers to easily and neatly remove a hot and dirty oil filter.

As can be seen on its product page, the Oil Filter Gripper is now sold by Auto Alley through Amazon.com, and it is still licensed by Flotool / Hopkins Mfg. Corp., which also continues to show it at trade shows, such as the AAPEX (Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo). 

Myles has changed a little over the years, but he is still a big fan of Davison and our unique 9-step process that turned his dream into a reality. The Oil Filter Gripper, like the Davison Method, certainly has stood the test of time!

Inventors, George Davison, VP of Design, 1993