We understand that as a market leader, we are in an envious position because we have the most inventions being sold, and we are building the most new product samples going into major retail buyer meetings. Our nature is to be humble and grateful and not speak negatively of those in the industry who have not been met with our level of success.

I find it very interesting because this is the story of all successful inventors. The story goes like this: Some inventor comes along and observes a challenge and works hard to invent something better. Once he or she goes to market, smart inventors know that the products, people and companies that will be displaced by what has been invented will begin to try and undermine them. THIS IS NORMAL! When you try and make things better in this world, you must hope that you’re strong enough to help lift an entire industry (even when they try to undermine you every day). Leadership carries a strong burden, and staying above the chaos your competition tries to create is what you must do to lift an entire market.

My organizations want to increase the pace of innovation in our country and our method took me many years to invent. It was my dream to invent a better way to invent, because the old ways didn’t work for me. They worked fine for large corporations with big budgets, but as an entrepreneur, I needed a more cost effective way. It was painful! If my better way to invent is successful one day, the name “Davison” will resonate in people’s minds as the way to develop their idea! Until then, we will continue to get our name on more and more inventions that are available for sale in the market.

The lesson is: Being a market leader carries a lot of responsibility. All of you inventors and entrepreneurs out there, who are dreaming of seeing your products in stores one day, must stay strong in the face of opposition and simply stay above it!

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I have thought hard about whether or not I desired to spend my time creating a blog to help teach the principles of innovation, inventing, and entrepreneurship. After some deep thought, I decided it was important for me to teach and give to those who desire to better themselves in these areas. Now that I have clarity on what I desire, it will get done. So, the first lesson revolves around the word, desire, and it is the single most important step if you choose to be an innovator, inventor, or entrepreneur.

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Well, that’s just one of the incredible things about inventing. A single, successful idea can launch into many others. Recently, that’s exactly what’s been going on with the project-based inventing curriculum that my team and I have polished over the last several years.

I’m committed to launching our real-world inventing coursework in schools across Pennsylvania and beyond and so, I am thrilled to be involved as regional educators and students flock to Inventionland, our expansive 61,000 square-foot design facility, to experience it for themselves.

You see, in today’s schools, it is becoming increasingly difficult to capture students’ attention, let alone keep them engaged, energized and prepared for tomorrow’s careers. But, my state-of-the-art, project-based curriculum has the potential to do just that. Recently, we gave area educators just a taste of those capabilities.

This week, I had the pleasure of leading curriculum directors from nearly 20 different Pittsburgh-area schools, as well as representatives from Intermediate Unit 1(IU1) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Along with one of my Inventionland Creationeers, Matt, I guided the group through the process of building a pencil holder from 31 pieces of laser-cut cardboard.

As we all found out together, developing a product is much like developing coursework. You start with pre-development work, identify the needs of the market, brainstorm your solution and work through concept models to find the best direction. And with great effort comes great reward, right?

My real-world inventing curriculum allows students to go through the sequence that brings successful products to store shelves. They go through the product development process and get an overall picture in their mind that functions as a “how to” map, building a belief system. In doing so, they see that the product development process isn’t magic, but a proven method they can apply to their own invention ideas to bring them to life.

Here is just a glimpse at student groups whose eyes have recently been opened to all the possibilities of the product development process at Inventionland:

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In an October press briefing, Tesla CEO Elon Musk envisioned a much different future for motor vehicles. “People will not need hands on the wheel – and eventually there won’t be wheels and pedals,” envisioned Musk.

Fully driverless cars thanks to a new “Summon” feature in the Tesla Model S and X; cars that park and drive themselves in and out of garages; cars with Autosteer that limit their own speeds on residential roads – all of it certainly requires immense attention to safety concerns and rigorous testing, but it’s the pure possibility that’s so intriguing.

It’s this type of forward-thinking that we as inventors and innovators can appreciate. There’s always a better way to do something. Perhaps it’s yet to be discovered. Perhaps it’s an idea in the works. The process of ideation allows us to travel down many different roads. It’s important to always keep that road open for reaching new potentials and uncovering a myriad of possibilities.

Where do you see the future of motor vehicles and transportation? What other instances of innovation do you foresee in 2016 and beyond? Here’s to enjoying the ride!

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2016/01/09/tesla-model-s-can-now-drive-without-you/?n…

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I am proud to announce our partnership with Jokari International, with whom we’ve collaborated historically. For over 40 years, Jokari has assembled a successful line of unique household products and established their brand as a global leader in consumer product design.

Inventionland will be serving as an outsource research and development partner for Jokari’s endeavors, in addition to directing product design and packaging of Jokari products. We look forward to joining forces with another powerhouse in innovation.

Learn more about our partnership in the recent HomeWorld Business feature, here.

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Chief of Police James Farringer, of the O’Hara Township Police Department, recently presented all of us at Davison Design & Development with a certificate of recognition for our participation in the Community Resource Program, which promotes community cooperation and support of law enforcement to make our community a safe place to work and live.

We’ll continue to serve in the Community Resource Program and support the efforts of our friends in the O’Hara Township Police Department.

Wishing you a safe and happy new year,
George M Davison

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The products of Disney’s innate desire to create, such as the iconic character Mickey Mouse, still elicit a sense of nostalgia in all of us today.

But it is not only the products of his imagination that bring so many of us to admire Disney. The positive outlook he kept on life and a ‘dream it, do it’ attitude is something we can all thrive on in life and work.

In Disney’s own words:

“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.”

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

Just a few days before his 114th birthday, as his imaginative legacy lives on, Walt Disney still reminds us that, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

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Muller-Munk immigrated to the United States in 1926, pre-Depression era, where he began his career as a silversmith at Tiffany & Co. But as the demand for luxury goods decreased, he adapted his work to suit mass production, designing a number of consumer goods for powerhouse companies like Westinghouse, Texaco, and U.S. Steel.

In 1935, Muller-Munk would design his most famous product, the art-deco inspired Normandie pitcher, a chromium-plated brass pitcher resembling the prow of its French ocean-liner namesake. Gaining traction, Muller-Munk was invited to head the industrial-design program at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh (now Carnegie Mellon University). He drew inspiration from the industrial hub, visiting factories and studying mass production methods.

In 1945, Muller-Munk established Peter Muller-Munk Associates, a nationally-recognized firm of over 30 designers servicing top clients with products like a chrome blender, home movie cameras, projectors, power tools, and even a frost-free refrigerator.

The CMA exhibit features Muller-Munk’s designs and project plans, chronicling the work of a man with a unique vision for the common props of everyday life. Stop by “Silver to Steel: The Modern Designs of Peter Muller-Munk” through April 11, 2016.

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The work of our veterans encourages us as a nation to strive for our best, making valiant efforts to create an impact on the greater good. To be leaders. To be thinkers. To be innovators.

Not only do we take this time to commend our veterans for their service, but also to highlight further world-changing contributions they have made in the way of innovation.

U.S. Army Sgt. Gary Walters

Walters is part of a legacy of inventors who created solutions to solve societal problems. After losing his leg from an exploded IED, Walters found that the limb-to-socket interface of his prosthetic leg often became hot and uncomfortable. So with the help of eight others, Walters developed the Aquilonix Prosthesis Cooling System designed to improve comfort for amputees in need of a way to keep the interface cool and dry.

George Westinghouse

Before making his mark as founder of the successful Westinghouse Electric Company in 1886, Westinghouse enlisted in the Union Army at age 17 and served from 1862 to 1863, before transferring to the Union Navy as an engineer before his discharge in 1865.

After the war, his involvement in developing railroad technology would lead him to invent and patent the air brake in 1869, later followed by a gas meter and natural gas pipe system for homes. Westinghouse had over 400 patents awarded during his lifetime.

Laurens Hammond

World War I veteran Laurens Hammond invented and manufactured the Hammond electric organ in 1935 as an alternative to expensive, wind-driven pipe organs. The invention turned a new note when legendary jazz musician Jimmy Smith took to the music industry with the Hammond organ as his iconic instrument. Hammond would go on to hold 110 patents.

In honor of our inspiring and innovative veterans – thank you!

Sources:

http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/military-transition/famous-veteran-george-westinghouse.html

http://www.intellectualventures.com/insights/archives/veteran-inventors-protecting-and-advancing-society?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily+Intellectual+Ventures+IV+Insights+Blog&utm_content=Daily+Intellectual+Ventures+IV+Insights+Blog+CID_3f83c8de817b4c7b544e716b91978d9e&utm_source=Email+marketing+software&utm_term=Veteran+Inventors+Protecting+and+Advancing+Society

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What is Patent Artwork?

I look for historic/iconic patents and then extract key elements like drawings, claims, signatures etc. Next I create backgrounds using the Adobe Creative Suite blending different textures and images together. These are contextual with an aged look creating a sense of history. Finally, I take a photograph of the invention and blend it together with the other elements to create a collage, leaving the viewer with a glimpse of how a dream became a reality.

What is your background in art? How did you come to this particular project?

For most of my working life I was a financial analyst for a fortune 500 pharmaceutical company. I decided to leave the corporate world and pursue something I had a real passion for. That was photography. My initial patent artwork print was a one-off in which I was trying to overlay a drawing from an 1872 patent over the invention, a coffee mill.  When I moved the drawing to the side of the image, I had that “eureka moment.” I was struck by the “story board” of how an idea was transformed into an actual product. I started looking around for other items that had patents that I could make prints of.  Within six months that was all I was selling in my booth.

What appeals to you about inventions and the inventor spirit?

It’s all about problem solving: seeing an unmet need and then going about creating a solution. It can be something very simple like the counter weight for a trombone to getting man into space. One of the striking things about many inventors is how they look around at every day things and then apply what they see to solving the problem.

Are you inspired by any particular invention or inventor?

Obviously the Wright Brothers really did change the world in so many ways, so they are high on my list. As a guitarist, I do like Leo Fender. He was not even a musician but he got the first mass production guitar on the market, the Telecaster, and it is as popular today as ever. Following it up with the Stratocaster he gave us, arguably, two of the three most popular electric guitars of all time. He also gave us the two most popular electric basses, the Precision and the Jazz.

You can find artwork made from your favorite patented inventions here. Thanks, John Pattenden, for “bringing art to innovation and innovation to art!”

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