Posts

To Patent or Not to Patent? Part 1

Image
  By Brad Griffin, VP/Product Development, Practicon, Inc.   In a series of articles, I’d like to recall and share some of my experiences as a dental product developer since 1987 and some basics about how our own product development process works at Practicon, Inc. Free advice is worth the cost, but maybe something herein will help someone who is equally excited about an idea for a better “mouth” trap.   For this article, the terms “owner” and “inventor” will be used interchangeably, though an inventor may “assign” or sell the patent rights to a third party (i.e. owner) if he/she so chooses. Further, the term inventor may refer to one or more persons responsible for the invention.   Once a new idea enters our product development process at Practicon, one of the first “filters” for it to pass through is the IP (Intellectual Property) filter. What is the status of the IP beyond the NDA, if any? Is the idea original and/or protected? Would protection be important? These are question
Post a Comment
Read more

To Patent or Not to Patent? Part 2

Image
  By Brad Griffin, VP/Product Development, Practicon, Inc. In a series of articles, I’d like to recall and share some of my experiences as a dental product developer since 1987 and some basics about how our own product development process works at Practicon, Inc. Free advice is worth the cost, but maybe something herein will help someone who is equally excited about an idea for a better “mouth” trap. In the first half of this article on the decision to pursue a patent, we discussed whether a new idea was free and clear of any infringement or prior art, and if a new idea worked from a patentability standpoint.  Based on whether we got the green light on questions 1 and 2, we can move on to calculate an answer to the third and final question regarding whether to seek a patent or not: Is a patent worth the cost? Let me repeat that whether an inventor chooses to patent his/her idea is up to the inventor and whatever legal counsel he/she has chosen. In answering this question, I am on
Post a Comment
Read more

The Practivations Questionnaire

Image
In a series of articles, I’d like to recall and share some of my experiences as a dental product developer since 1987 and some basics about how our own product development process works at Practicon, Inc. Free advice is worth the cost, but maybe something herein will help someone who is equally excited about an idea for a better “mouth” trap. There are both objective and subjective facts and findings that filter dental product ideas throughout Practicon’s product development process in a series of “go” or “stop” (i.e., kill) decisions. As a product concept moves along towards a hopeful launch, those “filters” become tighter, screening out products we eventually determine that we cannot manufacture or market successfully. Depending on the product, the mass of considerations and decisions that must be undertaken between first understanding an idea and the very first retail sale will be the subject of many more articles and stories to come. Suffice it to say, there are a lot of filters al
Post a Comment
Read more

After the NDA—Is it a problem worth solving?

Image
  By Brad Griffin, VP/Product Development, Practicon, Inc. In a series of upcoming articles, I’d like to recall and share some of my experiences as a dental product developer since 1987 and some basics about how our own product development process works at Practicon, Inc. Free advice is worth the cost, but maybe something herein will help someone who is equally excited about an idea for a better “mouth” trap. You’ve executed an NDA with Practicon and/or another potential product development partner. You have our permission to disclose your idea to us. Besides going above and beyond to deserve your trust, Practicon is obligated not to use or share your idea with any other party for the duration of the agreement unless, such information is specifically designated by the inventor as no longer confidential, or; such information is now or becomes publicly known but through no fault of Practicon, Inc., or; a license is granted to Practicon, Inc., or; such information was known to Pract
Post a Comment
Location: 1112 Sugg Pkwy, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
Read more

Why an NDA? Part 2

Image
By Brad Griffin, VP/Product Development, Practicon, Inc. In a series of upcoming articles, I’d like to recall and share some of my experiences as a dental product developer since 1987 and some basics about how our own product development process works at Practicon, Inc. Disclaimer: Let me say that I am not an attorney, and I do not have a crystal ball or the Midas touch. That much is a proven fact. Free advice is worth the cost, but maybe something herein will help someone who is equally excited about an idea for a better “mouth” trap. I n my last article, we discussed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) as a tool that allows an inventor to share his/her idea with another party, establishing that the information will be held as confidential and considered proprietary to the inventor. We examined why an NDA is important for both inventor and evaluator (Practicon). This week’s article ventures a bit into the weeds, but I wanted to answer a common question concerning most NDAs, including P
Post a Comment
Location: 1112 Sugg Pkwy, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
Read more

Why an NDA? Part 1

Image
By Brad Griffin, VP/Product Development, Practicon, Inc. In a series of upcoming articles, I’d like to recall and share some of my experiences as a dental product developer since 1987 and some basics about how our own product development process works at Practicon, Inc. Disclaimer: Let me say that I am not an attorney, and I do not have a crystal ball or the Midas touch. That much is a proven fact. Free advice is worth the cost, but maybe something herein will help someone who is equally excited about an idea for a better “mouth” trap. Have you ever been in that state between sleep and wakefulness when you are hit with a solution to a problem that has been vexing you for days or weeks? Or maybe you were mowing the grass, driving home, or diligently working on a completely different Problem B when a solution to Problem A finally came to mind. No doubt that our creative, problem-solving side is always at work, whether consciously or subconsciously. How the inventive part of our brain
Post a Comment
Location: 1112 Sugg Pkwy, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
Read more

The Ups and Downs of Dental Product Development

Image
If all the facets of what can be considered “Product Development” were written down, a small bookstore could be completely stocked with volumes on the subject. From finding inspiration to predicting return on investment (ROI) to protecting intellectual property, the topics are endless, as are the obstacles, regarding the evolution of an idea from napkin sketch to product delivery. Fortunately, those topics are also fascinating and irresistible to the many innovators and entrepreneurs that drive our civilization toward greater health, convenience, communication, speed, adventure, or any number of human milestones, despite the obstacles—one dream and one invention at a time.  Few pursuits come close to creating the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment experienced by seeing one’s idea become a practical reality, used by others to improve lives and livelihoods. While I have never climbed Mt. Everest, I imagine the rewards of a successful product “expedition” to be nearly as uplifting,
Post a Comment
Read more