Utility Models

http://www.wipo.int/sme/en/ip_business/utility_models/utility_models.htm

http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/ipr/sme_guide_utility_models_bywipo.htm

These are two sites that discuss Utility Models, also know as "petty patents" or "utility innovations", which are used to protect inventions and innovations. A utility model is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which allows the right holder to prevent others from commercially using the protected innovation for a limited period of time. The term of protection is usually around 7 to 10 years for utility models. The requirements for utility models are less stringent than the requirements for patents, but they do vary from country to counrty. These are usually best suited for minor improvements to already existing products or adaptations of them. There is only a small number of countries that currently use them and according to 1000ventures.com, the US is not one of them yet. I think it is important for all companies to be aware of these models, as well as the other types of patents and copyrights, so they can safely protect their inventions and innovations. Innovation can bring great competitive advantage to a company, but that advantage can be quickly taken away if those innovations are not protected properly.

Eco-Innovation

http://ecoble.com/2009/01/04/top-15-eco-innovations-of-the-21st-century/

I found an interesting page on the the website Ecoble:Stuff for the Green Consumer, Reader and Thinker. It discussed the top 15 eco innovations of the 21st century. Some of these "eco innovations" include a solar aviation, animal waste energy, bamboo, green gadget power and reusable shopping bags. These are not just convenient and exciting new technologies and innovations, they are also very beneficial to our environment. The first solar aviation consists of solar powered airplanes that is becoming more and more of a reality. In 2008, a solar powered Zephr set a record for unmanned non-fueled flight when it flew for more than 83 hours straight. Animal waste energy was another intriguing innovation discussed. In Wisconsin, "Dairyland Power" operates 3 animanl waste to energy plants. This technology, the reusing animal waste to generate energy, is considered one of the greatest eco innovations of the 21st century. Bamboo, although it has been around for centuries, is part of another eco innovation. It is not being used to make skateboards, furniture, biodegradable plates, clothing, and golf tees. 21st technology has allowed this natural resource to be used in a number of different eco friendly ways. There have also been green innovations to keep our electronics constantly charged. These charges can find energy from the wind and sun. The reusable shopping bag is a popular innovation that is a much greener substitute for the plastic bag. Many stores are making these reusable shopping totes available to their customers. I found all of these innovations extremely interesting and eye opening. Creative innovation cannot only benefit a business or provide convenience for the consumer, it also has the ability to help our environment at the same time.

Nature Inspired Innovation

http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2009/01/nature-inspired-innovation-9-examples-of-biomimicry-at-work-image-gallery.php?page=1

This was a very interesting gallery that I found on the site treehugger.com. TreeHugger: A Discovery Company is a media outlet for "green" news, solutions, and product information. The site provides various examples of recent innovations that were inspired by something in nature. There is a picture of each innovation along with a picture of the aspect of nature that inspired it. The first innovation is Japan’s bullet train. The nosecone shape of the front is inspired by the kingfisher, a bird that dives seamlessly into water. The goal of this innovation was to eliminate the loud claps that were heard when the train emerged from the tunnel. Another example was Mercedes-Benz’s bionic car, which was inspired by the boxfish. Scientists noticed the aerodynamics of the boxfish’s shape and modeled the car after it. This resulted in a vehicle with a 65% lower drag coefficient than other cars at the time. Another rather interesting example is the innovations in hardwood plywood products which were inspired by mussels. Mussels have a great ability to stick to things, like rocks, and Columbia Forest products took note of this. They looked at the natural adhesive abilities of mussels and found a way to use soy-based formaldehyde-free technology when constructing hardwood plywood products. These and other forms of biomimicry are extremely interesting examples of very creative innovation.

Service Innovation: The Next Big Thing

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/mar2007/id20070329_376916.htm

This is an article from Business Week by Reena Jana from March 2007. The focus of the article is the importance of Service Innovation in business today. The focus is shifting from product innovation to service innovation as the next hot area. Service innovation is not a new or unheard of subject; it is simply more hidden and often looked over when thinking of inventions and innovations. The article provides the example of Thomas Edison’s light bulb invention. “People don’t tend to think of the related service innovations—getting light bulbs into houses and schools, setting prices for the electricity services to keep them lit. That’s all service innovation.” IBM has recognized the importance of service innovation in the last few years. To connect with other companies developing service innovation, they contacted the Technology Professional Services Assn. and the Services & Support Professionals Assn. They used the idea that service innovation is not a “one-company thing” but something that can be developed more fully in a community.

The article also discusses the Service Research & Innovation (SRI) initiative, a nonprofit founded by executives of IBM and Oracle. Having an information resource like the initiative will hopefully make service innovation a more common practice in business. The initiative should be more effective than earlier service innovation groups due to its future online social-networking and public archive features. The article does recognize the fact that service innovation will not grow overnight success and that it is a very broad field. Service innovation is the new playing field of business that is receiving a great deal of recognition even in academia. Service innovation is something that all companies should be working to develop, if they have not already, and the SRI Initiative offers up suggested paths of action for companies hoping to jump on this bandwagon.

Top 12 Areas for Technology Innovation Through 2025

http://changewaves.socialtechnologies.com/home/2007/11/20/top-12-areas-for-technology-innovation-through-2025.html

I found an interesting blog called "Change Waves: Observations on the Future" by Social Technologies. In this particular blog, they are predicting the top 12 areas for scientific and technological breakthroughs in the next 16 years. In order to predict these, Social Technologies' "Technology Foresight" program conducted a global focus group of experts in technology, innovation, and business strategy. The top 12 areas for technology innovation include: Personalized medicine, distributed energy, pervasive computing, nanomaterials, biomarkers for health, biofuels, advanced manufacturing, universal water, carbon management, engineered agriculture, security and tracking, and advanced transportation.

A few of them that I found particularly interesting were the areas of distributed energy, biofuels, universal water, engineered agriculture, and advanced transportation. Distributed energy is predicted to increasingly feature local generators that can be linked when needed for greater output. Possible innovations in this area include advanced batteries and electric storage devices of all sizes, power systems with source-switching ability, and new energy management systems. Being able to better control energy distribution can be beneficial both ethically and financially. I also found the projected innovations in biofuels interesting. The idea that further advances will be made in renewable biomass fuels so that they can supplement and eventually replace gas and diesel is very exciting, especially now. Universal water was another area that was discussed that I never actually realized was an issue until reading this. Water supplies are becoming increasingly strained and it is important that we are able to keep fresh water clean and make more fresh water from salt water. Technologies to improve this issue include ultra-fine filters and new energy sources for desalination and purification. Engineered agriculture was also another intriguing area with potential breakthroughs such as crop produced pharmaceuticals and chemical feedstocks and crops designed specifically for energy content and conversion. One final area that I found interesting and one that will be exciting to watch progress is advanced transportation. Both public and private transportation are believed to experience significant breakthroughs. Personal transportation will be coordinated through wireless networks, information systems, and the internet and on board sensors and computers will be offered for smart vehicles. While this blog was relatively brief, it was a very interesting insight into what the experts foresee as the major innovations in the next 15-20 years.

Innovation in the Air Transport Industry

I found a video titled "Driving Innovation in the Air Transport Industry" and found it very interesting. It begins with discussing how, with personal computers and the internet, IT development has been evolving at greater speeds. They shared a statistic of 3.3 Billion cell phone users and 1.4 billion internet users. They then go on to discuss the "digital traveler" who carry at least one mobile device while traveling and expect information to be available to them on their mobile devices. Innovation will thrive in this environment as it provides many opportunities for innovation. IT innovators aim for travelers to have the ability to research, book, and pay for flights(including excess baggage) all on their phones. Travelers can check in from almost anywhere from their phone while also having access to information on gate closings, rescheduled flights, and assistance on these rescheduled flights. When landing at their destination, biometrics another fascinating innovation) will further streamline the process and guides through the new airport will also be available via mobile devices.
This will not only assist Travelers but also airport employees. IT has the ability to put all persons at the airport in touch with each other in real time. Better communication between airport authorities, operators, ground handlers, and suppliers results in improvements to on-time performance, aircraft turnaround, flight safety, and air worthiness. These developments will also benefit the environment. This effective communication will ensure that aircrafts are performing in the most efficient ways.
The current technological environment and the increasing amount of travelers using mobile devices pave the way for more innovation. The video does mention, however, that there are some challenges with this plan. Innovations does not come free from challenge but we must rise to the challenge and be driven by a passion for innovation.

Innovation

Innovation Definition from Braden Kelley on Vimeo.

Innovation is a word that everyone is somewhat familiar with but everyone may have differing definitions. Our textbook focuses the entire 1st chapter on this subject so it is hard to find one short and concise definition. Since this class is going to focus on innovation, I thought I might try to see how others might define innovation. I found this video on vimeo by a man named Braden Kelley and I thought he described innovation in a clear, understanding way. He defined innovation as a way to "transform useful seeds of invention into solutions valued above every existing alternative". He discusses the example of Quicken, a financial software product that was created through the innovation. He then goes on to say that Quicken, while successful now, needs to keep up with newer products on the market especially those on the internet such as Mint. He elaborates this point by expressing the importance of the consistence of innovation. Innovation is not one single solution that will last forever. Creators and organizations need to constantly use innovation to continue to provide effective and useful products for the world today.