Practivations

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...

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...

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 uplifti...