In addition to the constant changes seen throughout the inventing industry, having the right mindset and resources readily available throughout your inventing process is crucial.  

Although your inventing toolbox will gain and lose items throughout, here are some of the things you’ll always need:

Lots of Questions
Every step of the inventing process involves asking yourself lots of questions. Before you begin, think about why you’re doing this. Were you bothered by the lack of variations for a specific product on the market? Or, maybe you came across a poorly designed product? Or have you always wanted to be an inventor but you were just waiting for the right inspirational moment to strike?  No matter the reason, it’s important you keep this at the forefront of your mind. You may need to remind yourself of it later in your journey.

As you move forward in the process, you’ll have to start asking yourself more complicated questions. Who is my invention for? What makes my invention different from the competition? These questions can make some inventors feel like they’re slipping into an existential crisis, but don’t get overwhelmed. Take the questions one step at a time. You don’t need to have all the answers right away

The Problem and the Solution
The core function of any invention is to act as a problem-solver. You’ll need to ask yourself- what is the problem that is driving you to build this invention? How does your invention solve that problem? The problem itself could involve creating an entirely new invention or it could be adding something to improve a pre-existing invention. For example, Uber Elevate is inventing a completely new mode of travel in order to solve the problem of Uber customers facing traffic issues. Similarly, every new iteration of the iPhone improves on its predecessor in certain specific features like battery life, picture quality, facial recognition, etc. Inventors often make the mistake of thinking their invention needs to be some big, entirely new creation–that’s not true at all. Think about it, how many people bought the latest iPhone?

Your Idea Sketch(es)
When you think of your idea, you should immediately begin working on the design. And there’s no better way of doing that than by sketching. We recommend keeping a notebook solely for this purpose because your sketch will change several times throughout the course of inventing. Keep your notebook handy and date each sketch along the way. It’s also a fun way of seeing how far you’ve come by the end of the inventing process.

Don’t make the mistake of putting too much pressure on your first sketch. The first one–like any first draft–will be rough. Just focus on getting the idea down in as much detail as you can. You can work out the details later. As you go on, focus on making sure all of the pieces fit together the way that you think they will in your head. And begin to think about what materials would work best as certain parts. If on your third or fourth sketch you realize a certain part or feature won’t work, be honest with yourself about it. Don’t wait until you get into the building process to double-check because you’ll just end up wasting materials. Try to work out a solution right away.

Don’t focus on the aesthetic of your design until the end of the process. Functionality comes first. Once you have that down, then you can worry about making it look pretty.

Lots of Inspiration
Another common mistake inventors make throughout the process is spreading themselves out too much. They make their workshop their inventing space, hanging up all their various diagrams and points of research on the wall like a detective who is losing his/her mind trying to catch a criminal. Don’t let your inventing space look like a crime scene. Having all of your various steps all over the place can easily make you feel overwhelmed and disorganized. It may even make you dread going into your workshop–especially when you’re having inventor’s block.

We recommend keeping all of your materials organized and in one space, preferably a drawer that you can shut at the end of a long day. As far as decor, rather than look like a criminal catcher, we recommend making the space inspirational. That can mean something different to everyone, but some suggestions would be hanging up posters with inspirational quotes or photos of people who inspire you. Make your inventing space feel comfortable and inviting and you’ll always look forward to getting in there and working every day.

Organization
It’s never too early or late in the process to get organized. And we don’t just mean keeping your workshop in order (which is also important), but also just categorizing your invention in different ways. From beginning to end, focus not only on building your invention but also on where it’s going to go after it’s created. So, for example, what stores do you think would carry your invention? Would it fit best in a convenience store like Rite Aid or a home improvement store like Home Depot? What aisle would it be under in its prospective store–apparel? electronics? housewares?

It’s important to consider this throughout the process because, if you want your invention to be sold in stores, it’ll have to fit with the other products that they sell. Come up with a few ideas on specific stores you’d want to stock your invention and where you think it’d fit. Then take a trip to that store/aisle, look at all the different products and packaging there. This may help you with your final invention sketch/design or even give you an idea for an added feature.

Your Actual Toolbox
Lastly, you’ll need your actual toolbox, aka the materials and tools you’ll be using throughout the process. Every invention requires different tools and materials. Our biggest recommendation is to play around and see what works best for the functionality of your product. You may think a certain material would be perfect in your sketching stage, but once you begin to actually build your invention you find that it doesn’t work at all. Don’t get discouraged. Research to see what types of materials similar products are using. In addition, think about what price-point you’d want your invention to be when you’re choosing materials.

If you’re trying to create a less expensive version of a product and you build with super expensive materials, you’re doing it wrong.

Make sure your inventing toolbox is constantly stocked with these basics and it’ll be easy to look into the future with excitement and fear. Isn’t that what change should be all about?

There’s no time like the present to start stacking the resources you’ll need while on your inventing journey. First things first, though: you need to know what type of inventor you are. From there, we can help you stay motivated and organized while you continue to push your product idea forward. Learn your inventing type today!

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If you celebrate Christmas, you certainly remember the excitement that came when it was time to put up the Christmas tree. Boxes upon boxes of ornaments scatter the living room as if a decorative bomb went off, leaving behind a colorful mess in its wake while you eagerly ran back and forth putting up as many ornaments as your tree could hold.

For Ryan Kenny, Christmas was always a special holiday that he held near and dear to his heart. Growing up, Kenny would meticulously comb over the Christmas tree, repositioning the ornaments until he felt it looked just right.

That same energy stuck with Kenny all the way through to adulthood. One day while decorating the tree with his family, Kenny couldn’t help but notice the unsightly pole that supported the artificial Douglass Fur. “Never should a tree that represents such a special holiday have such a hideous green fuzzy pole holding it upright,” Kenny thought to himself.

After realizing the glaring problem, Kenny took to the internet in search of a solution that would hide this imperfection. To his surprise, there was nothing on the market that currently addressed the problem at hand. Kenny decided to take action.

With a background in graphic design, he began developing a few prototypes that might do the trick. Keeping in mind that his product would have to fit more than one model of tree, Kenny finally decided on a design that worked – thus, the Christmas Tree Hugger was born.

After scouring the market for the right materials, Kenny decided on neoprene, a particularly elastic material that could stretch and hold shape. This material, coupled with a few Velcro closures did the trick. Taking a traditional tree bark design, Kenny printed a nearly perfect tree trunk right on to the material.

With a reversible wrap, one side being bark and the other side being a candy cane pattern, the Christmas Tree Hugger proved to be the perfect holiday accessory.

*Davison had no involvement with the design of the featured product

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Late last year, we burst onto the social media scene with the launch of our Facebook and Twitter pages.  This year, we’re expanding our social media presence from “likes” and “tweets” to include ”pins” and “circles!” We’re excited to announce the recent launch of Davison Pinterest and Google+ pages!

And, we’ve got to say, if you haven’t caught on to the Pinterest craze just yet, you definitely will now!

The online pinboard allows users to share images of all of the things they love!  Since everything we do (i.e. drawing, designing, engineering, creating prototypes) is so visual, Pinterest is the perfect place to show it all off!

Some of our current boards include “Inventionland,” where we can share more of our creative design facility, “Davison Products,” where we’re able to show Davison-designed products in action and on store shelves and “Inventors Never Quit,” where we’re able to keep inspiring and motivating prospective inventors to pursue their ideas!

Check out Davison’s new Pinterest page here!

Once you’ve pinned all of your favorite things (be careful, it’s addicting!), visit our new Google+ page!

As if Google didn’t already have everything you could think of and more, they now have social media, too!   And, Google+ allows you to do… well… everything!

We’re especially excited because Google+ will allow us to connect and chat with other inventors, plus share information and photos with friends and clients!

Plus, unlike any other social media forum, the ”Circle” function on Google+ allows you to group your followers together, so we can tailor what we share (i.e. our licensing partners may not have the same interests that our fellow inventors do)!

Check out the new Davison Google+ page here!

Whether you “like it,” “retweet it,” “pin it” or “+1 it,” make sure to share all the great news about Davison on social media!

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For our client, George, it was sheer coincidence that first led him to Inventionland… but, there were many things that have kept him coming back!

“I found Inventionland by accident.  My boss sent me to RIDC Park to pick up a part.  [When I saw Inventionland], I snapped a picture and in two to three days, I was on it.  I Googled ‘Inventionland’ and did some research.  At the time, I already had one invention going on… and, here I am today,” said George.

Now, the local firefighter is working on his second product idea at Inventionland.  According to Senior Director of New Products, Robert, who has been working closely with George, it is a privilege to help a client with an idea that could save lives.

“George and several high-ranking members of Pittsburgh fire departments have banded together to do this idea.  They have coordinated several real fire tests on the product together… which is fascinating,” said Robert.

Earlier this month, George brought a group of his fellow inventors to the place where their dream may become a reality… Davison’s Inventionland!

“My tour consisted of family members, professional firefighters, the fire marshal and investors,” said George.  “[The tour and my group’s reactions] gave me confidence and motivation as to what I’m trying to achieve here.  [Inventionland] is for real and a select few people get to see this.”

While many of our wide-eyed visitors are initially impressed with Inventionland’s whimsical scenery and magical sets, it was the more technical side of the facility that really impressed George and his tour group.

“What caught my attention most was the video and photography department… from the green screen to the kitchen display.  The other tour group members were also impressed with the graphic design capabilities,” said George, who also said that his crew is not always easily impressed. It really wowed them.  It’s a tough crowd [that] I’m dealing with.  They would tell me!” George said.  “[At first], a lot in my group were speechless.  Then, they couldn’t stop talking about [Inventionland]!”

In fact, one member of George’s tour group was so inspired that we just may be hearing from him again soon!

“One gentleman in particular has had an idea in his head and I think he was able to open up about it more.  [Inventionland] inspired him to consider taking the steps to do something for himself,” said George.

George also told us that working with Davison has helped him realize he truly is an inventor… and, he has no plans to quit looking for that next new project!

“I don’t think I’ll ever stop thinking.  My mind is always going.  I always think, ‘how could I improve this?’ I give it a quick thought, then move on to the next thing,” said George.

According to George, that next thing could be… anywhere!

“I really wouldn’t mind one day, possibly, to even have the opportunity to work [at Inventionland],” said George, who also said he would recommend the inventing process to anyone!  “Whether they have a new idea or an idea on how to improve a product, I would not hesitate to work with Davison or Inventionland.  They are great people to work with,” said George.

Robert, one of Davison’s Senior Directors of New Products, said that feeling definitely is mutual!

“I’m looking forward to seeing the development on the product as [George’s] dream comes to life,” said Robert.

And, so are we!  Check back for more updates on George and his invention!

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That’s right, boys and girls, turn off your Smartphones, iPads and game consoles.  Today, we pay homage to some old-school childhood activities that have paved the way for many of the games kids enjoy today!

In fact, there are so many old favorites, we lumped them into five categories that are spilling over with fun!

Unless it’s raining, there really is no reason to stay inside, so get out from in front of the TV or computer and enjoy the great outdoors!  From old favorites like Run Down and Spud to Keep Away or Kickball, with some simple sports equipment, you’ve got an afternoon of fun!  Besides, the exercise can always do you some good!

Now, on those rainy days, why not take a walk on the creative side and try making some crafts?  You may surprise yourself with what you can make with just some paper, scissors and glue!

Although you’ve probably played solitaire on your computer, here’s a novel idea – grab a deck of cards!  There are millions of games, like Go Fish, Crazy Eights and Golf, that could occupy your time for hours…literally!

You don’t need satellite or Internet radio, or even a camp-fire to sing a few old favorites like “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain” or “If You’re Happy…”  This past-time is also a perfect add-on to any of our other suggested activities!

Finally, give your imagination some exercise and read a book!  Unlike today’s digital enhancements, which leave nothing to the imagination (Don’t get us wrong, they ARE amazing!), flipping open a good book lets your mind escape reality and delve into a world that is anything you make of it!

And, what would today’s lesson be without a little homework?  Your assignment – try out some of these old-fashioned games this weekend!  You just may inspire your inner-inventor!

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