THE INTERNET

Granted, it’s somewhat difficult to patent a concept like the internet, but Sir Tim Berners-Lee made a conscious decision not to accept royalties. He believed the World Wide Web should be freely available to the masses, leading him to never seek a patent on the website he first launched in 1991. In fact, a major contributing factor to why he won the 2004 Millenium Technology Prize was because he recognized how much his creation would contribute to humanity. When accepting his award, he insists the internet never would have succeeded if he charged for his invention: “If I had tried to demand fees…there would be no World Wide Web. There would be lots of small webs.”

THE COMPUTER MOUSE

The computer mouse was patented, at least for a short while. Douglas Engelbart first invented the mouse in 1963, but the patent expired in 1987, just before it would explode in popularity in the mainstream. He never sought out royalties, however, and passed away in 2013. Still, his invention is one that we continue to use daily. Fun fact: the first mouse was carved out of wood and only had one button…because that’s all there was room for.

EMOTICONS

The very first smiley, as they were once called, was designed by American artist Harvey Ball. His task was to design an image to boost morale at an insurance company in 1963, but it quickly spread outside of the office. Ball declined to register a copyright and was paid only $45 for the original design. Of course, emoticons and smileys would eventually evolve into emojis, a movement in their own right. According to Wikipedia, Ball’s smiley has three unique features: “Narrow oval eyes (with the right slightly larger than the one on the left), a bright sunny yellow color, and a mouth that is not a perfect arc.” When Ball died in 2001, the land owned by his family was purchased by the city of Worcester, MA and the “Harvey Ball Conservation Area” was created with the aptly named “Smiley Face Trail.”

THE KARAOKE MACHINE

We have Daisuke Inoue to thank for the staple of Japanese bars and teenage sleepovers the world over. His invention, the karaoke machine, is one of the most accessible and recognizable pieces of technology available to people of all incomes. But he never patented it, leading him to never benefit from the sales globe-wide- or the slew of cheap imitators and knockoffs. The word karaoke, in case you were wondering, actually means “empty orchestra” and the most popular song requested by budding singers is “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson.

THE ASSAULT RIFLE

Whether you agree with the existence of AK-47s or not, you must acknowledge their importance in history. In 1947, Mikhail Kalashnikov invented the weapon and it went into production. The original manufacturer for the gun has the patent, however, not Kalashnikov. He claims he created it for the good of his country and wanted no profit off it. Kalashnikov, who died in 2013, was also a lifelong poet and author of six books.

TETRIS

Strictly speaking, Tetris was patented- but the rights were owned by the Soviet Union. Alexey Pajitnov didn’t see any royalties until 1996 when he and Henk Rogers formed The Tetris Company. The name Tetris is a combination of the German prefix tetra- (which means four) and Patijnov’s favorite sport, tennis. In 1993, Tetris became the first video game in space when a Russian cosmonaut brought his Gameboy and Tetris game on a mission to the space station Mir.

MATCHES

Much like with Berners-Lee, chemist John Walker wanted to ensure his idea was free to the masses. His invention? The matchstick–able to create and transport fire with ease, even without a candle or other source nearby. The exact date of creation has been lost, but we know it to be sometime in the 1820s. In the 1970s, Walker’s hometown of Stockton-on-Tees attempted to commemorate him with a statute. Twenty years later, it was realized that the statute actually matched the likeness of a different man whose name was also John Walker and who happened to look similar to the town hero. The mistake was realized after consulting with the National Portrait Gallery and the statue was removed.

MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES

In 1975, Cesar Milstein was given the chance to patent his medical breakthrough after being approached by Tony Vickers. Milstein agreed, but the National Research Development Corporation failed to file the patent due to being unable to “identify any immediate application.”  Today, six out of the ten best selling modern drugs are monoclonal antibodies. Milstein and his partner, Georges Kohler, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1984 for their discovery.

MAGNETIC STRIP

We have Ron Klein to thank for the modern credit card. Before his creation, stores had to check numbers manually. Klein took the tape from reel-to-reels, created a scanner to read it, then affixed it to a plastic card. While he never patented the tech, his story was a successful one: his hundreds of other inventions have kept him rolling in royalties and is commonly known as “the grandfather of possibilities.”

FIDGET SPINNERS

Another case of “was patented, it lapsed, and then it exploded.” Catherine Hettinger first created the toy/fad but had to let her patent lapse when she couldn’t afford the $400 fee. Then, just last year, it became the hottest new meme and cheap rip-offs (and expensive luxury versions) were sold everywhere. A pity, because fidget spinners (when they’re of a decent quality) are fairly therapeutic. As a matter of fact, as smaller manufacturers began making fidget spinners, they were used as a tool for kids who struggle with behavioral issues such as ADHD, autism, and anxiety.

Should you seek out a patent for your idea? Maybe. But don’t be deterred if you can’t. After all, plenty of other ideas haven’t been, and they’ve survived just fine.

The post Inventions That Are (Surprisingly) Not Patented appeared first on Davison.

“It’s just another wonderful example of how an idea comes to be!” said founder Mr. George Davison (“Mr. D”), excited to venture to The Container Store following great news for Davison client Jennifer’s Hanger Pocket Accessory Organizer product, which keeps clothes and accessories neatly organized.

“We found out that the product has also been private-labeled by The Container Store!” said Mr. D, noting that Jennifer’s Hanger Pockets have already found success in versions available through other stores.

Upon learning this news, Mr. D took a special trip to The Container Store’s Pittsburgh, PA location, which opened last October, following a private preview party. It was an exciting moment for Mr. D at the store as he prepared to give a special shout to Jennifer on the success of her invention idea.

“Hey, Jennifer! We’re in The Container Store with your invention!” said Mr. D. “Way to go, Jennifer! So proud of you,” he said. Check out Jennifer’s Hanger Pocket Accessory Organizer in The Container Store here:

Congratulations again to Davison client Jennifer on her idea reaching yet another store shelf! Do you have an invention idea? Confidentially submit your idea today.

Copyright Davison, 2017

The typical project is not licensed, sold in stores or profitable. The client has not realized a net profit on this product.

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May is National Inventors Month! This month-long celebration promotes the inventors whose ideas have served as real contributions in the world.

When you think about inventors, names like George Washington Carver, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and Alexander Graham Bell might come to mind.

But in today’s blog, in honor of this inventors 361^st birthday, we’re paying tribute to Bartolomeo Cristofori, just like Google did last year with Cristofori’s very own Google doodle.

Does his name strike a chord with you? If it doesn’t, you’ll want to listen to his story!

Though Cristofori likely isn’t a household name or a name that immediately pops into your head when you think of famous inventors, you’d be surprised to know that his invention is much more popular than you think.

As an Italian musical instrument maker, Cristofori has been credited with the invention of the pianoforte, or as we now know it, the piano.

Yes, Cristofori invented the piano – you know, the instrument that plays some of the most beautiful music, has helped create some of the most famous music pieces and has aided some of the world’s best musicians? Yes, we’re talking about that piano!

Cristofori’s invention idea started when he created a hammer mechanism that struck the strings on a keyboard to make a sound. Depending on how hard or lightly the hammer struck the key, the sound would either be louder or softer.

The ability to change the volume of the tones was a major breakthrough for the music world.

Before Cristofori invented the piano, he worked as a harpsichord maker. If you’re unfamiliar with the harpsichord, the idea of changing the loudness of the tones is very foreign for this instrument. So, Cristofori set out find a better way to make music.

How did he do so? As we mentioned before, his invention was comprised of a hammer that struck the strings to make either soft or loud sounds, depending on the amount of pressure placed on the key by the musician. He removed the plucking mechanism that’s commonly found on a harpsichord and replaced it with a hammer – thus laying the foundation for the piano!

The origin of the piano dates back to around 1709 and about four of his pianos existed by 1711.

But, like most inventions, the first iteration isn’t the last. In fact, it took Cristofori 25 years to improve his piano to the piano that we’re most familiar with. The frames for his piano were made of wood in the style of a harpsichord. Though his invention wasn’t accepted by his home country of Italy, it was the Germans who marketed and made the instrument popular.

If it wasn’t for Cristofori’s idea and his ability to think outside of the harpsichord, we can’t help but wonder where would the likes of Frederic Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven and Johann Sebastian Bach, to name a few, be?

You see, there’s no idea too small or large. Who knows, maybe one day your invention idea will change the world like Cristofori’s idea did!

Copyright Davison, 2016

Sources:

https://www.google.com/doodles/bartolomeo-cristoforis-360th-birthday

http://www.britannica.com/biography/Bartolomeo-Cristofori

Media:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Bartolomeo_Cristofori.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Cristofori1690OvalSpinet.jpg

http://www.google.com/doodles/bartolomeo-cristoforis-360th-birthday

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No, you didn’t read that headline incorrectly. We said that the Hanger Pockets we designed at Inventionland for our client Jennifer have some serious “Tex Appeal!”

Now, what on earth did we mean?

The clothing accessory organizer that conveniently slips over a hanger, allowing users to keep their outfits carefully coordinated, has been featured in the September issue of a Central Texas life and style magazine, aptly named “Tex Appeal.”

According to their website, Tex Appeal is “fascinating, alluring, engaging, tempting, influencing, and charming… all about Central Texas living . . . the people, the places, and the things that make us appealing.”

In their September 2014 issue, Tex Appeal writers featured an article that told the story of how Hanger Pockets came to be. Not only was a Davison inventor and her product featured in the magazine, but our founder and CEO Mr. Davison contributed to the story as well!

In a one-on-one interview with our inventor, Jennifer, she reveals that she originally signed with Davison in 2008, but it took her over two years to save the funds to move her idea forward. Our client said that even when her idea moved forward, there was a lot of waiting around.

“When I did hear, I got rejections from several manufacturers. At that point, I decided to put the matter in God’s hands and move forward with my life,” Jennifer said.

Early in 2014, Jennifer got a call that was not a rejection, but a licensing agreement with the Jokari Corporation. Though she was overjoyed, she said that she, again, waited another six month for her Hanger Pockets to hit the market.

“Be sure you have a strong support network also, because you will go through a roller coaster of emotions – you need people around who will believe in you and listen. You also have to walk by faith and not what you can see at the moment,” said Jennifer.

Mr. Davison said that Jennifer’s product is off to a great start, thanks to her persistence to pursue her idea.

“Hanger Pockets is off to a good start; it’s gotten the kind of response we hoped to get… [Jennifer] had an idea that worked and Jokari was happy with it, too. This is a win-win for all parties involved,” said Mr. Davison.

Read more about Jennifer’s Hanger Pocket story and see what the magazine has to say about our nine-step Better Way to Invent on pages 42-43 of Tex Appeal.

Congratulations, again, to Jennifer and the entire Davison and Inventionland teams that worked to bring Hanger Pockets to market!

Copyright Davison 2014

Sources:

http://issuu.com/tdtnews/docs/texappealsept2014/0

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We could think of no better way to celebrate Black History Month than to feature African American inventors, such as Granville Woods, who changed history, and without whom our lives would be drastically different today. Many people may have never heard of Granville Woods, but he and his inventions had a profound impact on all of our lives.

A self-educated man, Woods taught himself mechanical and electrical engineering and became a successful inventor, holding more than 50 patents.  He is considered to be one of the ten most important African American inventors of all time, and was so prolific that he has often been compared to Thomas Edison. Probably his best known invention was a telegraph that allowed messages to be communicated from a moving train to a train station, allowing train engineers and station masters to know how close a train was to another, which greatly reduced accidents and collisions between trains.

Woods was born in 1856 in Columbus, Ohio and attended school until he was about 10 years old.  Forced to quit school so he could get a job, he became an apprentice in a machine shop and learned the trades of machinist and blacksmith while repairing railroad equipment and machinery. He developed a fascination for the electricity that powered the machinery, and spent the next few years learning everything he could about electrical engines and all of the other machinery used in railroads.  He also took as many night school courses in mechanics as he could afford, and would encourage his fellow workers to teach him everything they knew. Ultimately, this love of railroad and electrical engines would lead to him to creating a variety of inventions relating to the railroad industry.

One of his first inventions was a device which essentially was a combination of a telephone and a telegraph that allowed a telegraph station to send voice and telegraph messages over a single wire. Woods filed for a patent for his “telegraphony” in 1885 and later sold the rights to this device to Alexander Graham Bell’s company The American Bell Telephone Company.  The money he made on that deal enabled him to become a full-time inventor.

In 1887, he patented the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph, which allowed communications between train stations and moving trains, and resulted in a huge improvement in rail safety. Surprisingly, Thomas Edison sued Woods, saying that he had created a similar telegraph first and that he was entitled to the patent for the device. The courts sided with Woods, so Edison sued him again. After losing again, the story goes that Edison decided it would be better to have Woods work for him than against him, and offered Woods a prominent position in the engineering department of the Edison Electric Light Company. Woods turned him down.

By now, Granville Woods was becoming a well-known figure in the invention world, and he began to produce a string of inventions and patents. In 1887, in addition to his Multiplex telegraph, he also filed patent applications for a train’s electromagnetic brake apparatus.  In 1888, he manufactured a system of overhead electric conducting lines for railroads, upgraded tunnel construction for electric railways, created a galvanic battery, and made more improvement to railway telegraphy. In 1889, he filed a patent for an improvement to the steam-boiler furnace and automatic safety cut-outs for electric circuits.

In 1892, Woods used his knowledge of electrical systems in creating a method of supplying electricity to a train without any exposed wires or secondary batteries.  He devised a system where the track had a third rail with iron blocks spaced every 12 feet and electricity was passed to the train as it passed over these blocks.  Ironically, when he filed a patent for this “third rail” propulsion system, Thomas Edison had beaten him to it, holding a patent on a similar system ten years earlier.  So, though their paths crisscrossed several times in throughout thier lives, both Woods and Edison had a mutual respect for each other and a mutual love of inventing.

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Davison founder and CEO George Davison and our client, Lennell Parks, along with her TheraPED (as part of her “Dare to Invent” webisode) will be the featured guests on Lifetime TV’s “The Balancing Act” tomorrow, November 8th at 7:00am.

The story behind the TheraPED not only is a triumphant solution for Lennell’s discomfort, but also a celebration of an inventor’s ingenuity that now helps countless consumers who suffer from foot pain.

Initially, the innovative spa-therapy product was created to provide comfort from the “hot feet” she experienced as a result from multiple sclerosis. The TheraPED offers cooling therapy and is designed with multi-functional gel pads that also provide moist heat for the top, sides and bottom of feet.

Licensed by Health Enterprises, the TheraPED has been a big hit among yoga and Zumba bloggers and was included in gift bags at the 45th Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards!

In a separate interview, Mr. Davison summed up the amazing collaborative effort for the TheraPED.

“Everyone did a great job.  To think that this whole project started as an idea years ago and it has brought together such wonderful people all along the way… people helping people to make the world a little better for our friends and neighbors.”

The post Davison’s TheraPED – Bringing the Perfect Balance of Relief! appeared first on Davison.

Inventing is no easy task, and there are many hurdles standing in the way of budding creators — oftentimes a naysayer.

Overcoming negative reactions to your idea can be difficult. But the Wright brothers didn’t let Thomas Edison (arguably one of the greatest inventors of all time) crush their dream and neither should your clients and their ideas.

In 1895, Thomas Edison was quoted in the New York World, saying “It is apparent to me that the possibilities of the aeroplane, which two or three years ago were thought to hold the solution to the [flying machine] problem, have been exhausted, and that we must turn elsewhere.”

Less than ten years later, the brothers defied one of the most intelligent men in the United States, if not the world, and made two flights from level ground into a headwind gusting to 27 miles per hour (43 km/h).

The first flight, by Orville, of 120 feet (37 m) in 12 seconds, at a speed of only 6.8 miles per hour (10.9 km/h) over the ground, was recorded in a famous photograph. The next two flights covered approximately 175 feet (53 m) and 200 feet (61 m), by Wilbur and Orville respectively. Their altitude was about 10 feet (3.0 m) above the ground.

Proof Positive

– The National Air Traffic Controllers Association says that there are, on average, between 25,000 and 30,000 passenger flights in the United States per day.

– The Boeing Company earned 68735.00 M in revenue for 2011, according to Yahoo!

– According to the annual Amadeus Review of Ancillary Revenue Results, 50 airlines from around the world reported making $22.6 billion in fees alone (checked baggage, priority boarding, etc…)

– This website exists.

So, don’t let anybody tell you that your idea can’t, won’t or shouldn’t succeed. And let Davison help you find a better way.

The post Defiant Design: The Wright Brothers’ First Flight Flew Above Criticism appeared first on Davison.

Sometimes, celebrity comes with a side of glitz, glamour and… innovation!  We’ve said it before, but ideas really do come from everywhere and from everyone!

From the King of Pop to Catwoman, here’s a host of celebrities who are bursting with talent and also with ideas:

1.  Michael Jackson 
If the Shoe Fits, Wear it! 
Slip these on your feet and you’ll be hooked… literally!  To accompany his sleek dance moves and assist “Smooth Criminal” video directors, MJ designed these gravity-defying kicks that hooked into stage floors, allowing him and his dancers to pull-off seemingly superhuman moves!

2. Prince 
The Artist Formerly Known as Inventor
Why should a member of music royalty that’s done it all have to choose between his guitar and piano?  Thanks to Prince’s keytar, he doesn’t!  Like leg warmers and acid-washed jeans, the keytar was a product of the 80s.  It was worn like a guitar, but played like a keyboard – and made a supposed 2007 European comeback!

3. Eddie Van Halen
Go Ahead, Jump…
With your guitar that is.  Do-it-yourselfer Eddie Van Halen created a guitar support device that allowed him to maneuver his guitar like a keyboard, so he could use both hands!  Leaving no stone unturned, Van Halen even included banjos and mandolins in his patent application!  Eddie, we can’t stop lovin YOUR creativity!

From the stage to the big screen, innovation doesn’t only lie within mega-hit music artists.  Here are a few on-screen heroes who had big-time ideas, too!

4.  Marlon Brando
The Man, the Myth, the Inventor!
A man of many faces on the big screen, it turns out Marlon Brando could have also drummed his way into our hearts.  The drummer in an Illinois band even had a little Henry Ford in him, patenting a way to make tuning drums more efficient and affordable!

5. Jamie Lee Curtis 
Bringing a New Meaning to Triple-Threat
Acclaimed actress and author Jamie Lee Curtis added inventor to her growing list of talents in 1988 when she patented an innovative infant diaper design.  Curtis’ diaper design included an outside pocket, perfect for stashing baby wipes.  Okay, Supermom!

6. Julie Newmar 
“Holy Innovator, Batman!”
This 1960’s Catwoman just said “no” to her skintight cat-suit!  Instead, she made an improvement to the newly invented pantyhose.  Newmar improved the design, creating a more sheer option that women wear to this day.

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This week marks the birth of an undeniably influential inventor, without whom the words iPod, iPhone and iPad may never exist!  Steve Wozniak’s work has helped make the computer industry all that it is today.

Born and raised in California, Wozniak began his college career at the University of California, Berkeley.  Prior to finishing his degree, he secured a job at Hewlitt-Packard and left the university.  At the same time, Wozniak was involved in a local, experimental-computing organization with fellow entrepreneur, Steve Jobs.  With a little convincing, Wozniak joined Jobs in beginning a business to build personal computing systems.

Together, the pair raised $1300 to launch their venture, selling off personal items like a car and a calculator, and set up shop in Jobs’ family garage in 1976.  The dynamic duo sold their first 50 personal computers, or Apple Is, for $666 each, to a California computing company.  But, as we all know, they didn’t stop there.

The Apple II quickly followed as the first mass-marketed personal computer, revolutionizing the launch of the personal computer industry.  While Apple’s success has continued to soar, at the time, Wozniak moved on to other projects.  Today, he remains an official Apple employee and still collects a pay check!

From Apple, he went back to Berkeley, finished a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and became involved in education.  Wozniak began teaching and sponsoring programs for youth worldwide.

Ever the entrepreneur, he also went on to begin several other technology-forward companies, including CL 9, Wheels of Zeus, or “WoZ” and Acquicor Technology, among which developed remote control switches and wireless GPS technology.

Wozniak has been recognized extensively for all of his work in the computing industry.  In 1985, he received the President’s National Medal of Technology.  In 2000, he was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame and received the Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment for “single-handedly designing the first personal computer and for then redirecting his lifelong passion for mathematics and electronics toward lighting the fires of excitement for education in grade school students and their teachers.” (http://www.woz.org/)  Just a few examples of his commitment to tomorrow’s leaders, he has provided hundreds of laptops, America Online accounts and Internet access to students and teachers throughout his career.

Continuing to add to his seemingly never-ending list of accomplishments, Wozniak is a New York Times best-selling author who has also made several television appearances, including “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” and ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.”

While the accolades and recognition that came along with Wozniak’s work come as no surprise, this innovator’s favorite computer game?  No, it’s not the graphically-enhanced Call of Duty, Guitar Hero or Halo, but a more traditional, old-favorite… Tetris.

Perhaps, for this computer genius, they just don’t make ’em like they used to.

Nonetheless, from all of us clutching our favorite “iDevices,” Happy Birthday, Mr. Wozniak and THANK YOU!

*Information for this article and more information on Steve Wozniak provided by http://www.woz.org/ and http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/apple.html.

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“I needed something that would stay on and protect their paws… [Something to] keep their paws from getting dry and cracked,” Kay said.

For Kay, the logical solution was boots for her pups. After all, they worked for her. So, she searched stores high and low to find the perfect pair, but there was a problem.

“Nothing really stayed on. Their booties would fall off in snow banks,” said Kay.

Kay, Autumn Angel and Rough Spot needed a better solution.

“I looked all over and didn’t see hardly anything out there. Everything I did try, never stayed on,” said Kay.

Although she knew what the problem was, because the “Jill-of-all-trades” typically was busy working, she didn’t have time to pursue a solution right away.

According to Kay, she worked for about ten years in banking, but has also held positions in retail, housekeeping and on the line at General Motors!

“I’ve even done a little pet-sitting. I don’t feel like it’s just a job,” she said.

Perhaps the labor of love  inspired her. Around 2006, she thought of a more-improved boot, one that wouldn’t just slip off. While she kept the idea close to her, she also told her friend, Janice, and some of her family.

“[Janice] was so excited about it!  She agreed there should be something… [and], my grandchildren thought it was cool,” said Kay.

Her son, Kurt, must have thought it was a pretty cool idea, too. He began searching online and that’s when they found Davison. Without seeking any other invention companies, Kay decided to pursue her idea.

“I was hopeful about it. I was looking forward to how it would turn out,” she said.

She was very happy with the stylish, finished product that Davison designed, but the boots really ”kicked” off when she received an unexpected phone call.

“Like [Davison’s Licensing Department] motto, ‘We try longer,’ they did! I was quite surprised they were calling. It looked like the ball was rolling on my idea,” Kay said.

Those boots were made for walking  and that’s just what they did! Hugs Pet Products licensed and now sells Kay’s idea as Pugz, faux leather and faux wool shoes that provide pets with comfort and keep paws dry in any weather conditions.

Kay said she was very happy with the product that resulted from pursuing her idea with Davison, although she seemed a bit reluctant to accept her new title, “inventor.”

“Yes, I guess I do! I’m pretty proud of it!” she said.

Her fearless attitude, anything but reluctant, is a tell-tale sign of that title.

“I figured, just go for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!” she said.

Congratulations to Kay, Hugs Pet Products and everyone who worked on making this exciting venture such an awesome gain!

Although we can’t speak for Autumn Angel and Rough Spot, we’re sure they give Pugz four paws up!

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.

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