Invention and design

1. Discuss the following questions:

1. Do you ever think of inventing something new and unusual? What could it be? Do you think you will be able to do it in your future professional life?

2. Is it really necessary for a designer to invent at least one thing? Why/ Why not?

2. Read the text and say what an invention is.

INVENTION AND DESIGN

Invention may be defined as a process of creation during which a novel idea becomes a novel product. (For 'product' read physical or intellectual product, process, system, service or any combination.)

By a 'novel product' we mean one that incorporates significant and distinctive elements not known previously and not available from compet­ing products. The phrase 'not known previously' is crucial. The rewards from invention come from the legally recognized right to own and exploit the 'inventive step' and this is difficult or impossible if there is 'prior art' - or evidence that the idea is not novel.

Prior art is a useful legal term that broadly means any evidence in any recorded form from any period in history that an idea is already known. Its scope is very broad: prehistoric cave drawings can count as prior art; cartoons in children' comics can be prior art. Prior art may cover the whole invention, or one or more elements of it.

Invention is also a process of risk management. Many inventions start as a single person's unsubstantiated hunch, and pursuing that hunch often means persuading other people to accept a level of risk similar to betting on a rank outsider in horse racing. This does not guarantee to advance careers or reassure investors.

Most significant inventions now appearing on the market are a marriage of inspired thinking and elegant design. It's probably not commercially possible to do it any other way, as today's quality-conscious markets cannot stand revolutionary but 'mad' or 'clunky' technologies.

There is also little opportunity for the really great invention. James Dyson did not invent the vacuum cleaner and Apple did not invent the computer. They invented improvements involving new or unconventional uses of existing or emerging technology. What they and other innovators did was reinvent through design. Design is therefore fundamental to invention and is the key to turning a prototype into a marketable product. It is vital to think about design from the very start, as the true value of an invention may not be noticed because of impractical or inappropriate design.

A good designer can be invaluable, particularly when dealing with manufacturers, who need both detailed specifications before they can make anything and access to someone who talks their language if problems arise. A good designer may also be able to suggest improvements to the invention which enhance its commercial potential and the value of the intellectual property.