Another Lightening Storm:
A second brainstorming session on re-patenting technologies within a social space.

Shipka's Forum Prompt:
Online Workshop

As always, posts must be at least 250 words and be completed by Wednesday March 15 at 5:00 pm.

K. Bailey's Response ·  P.C. Paul's Response ·  B. Mechairia's Response ·  A. Campbell's Response ·  Y. Martin's Response

R. Desai's Response ·  M.J. Bowen's Response ·  E. Berman's Response ·  B. Bauhaus' Response ·  E. Jones' Response ·  S. Norfolk's Response

N. Barsky's Response ·  E. Woodward's Response ·  K. Zajdel's Response ·  N. Horstman's Response ·  A. Reed's Response ·  S. Miller's Response

A. Sheikh's Response ·  C. Gatton's Response ·  M. Purcell's Response

         My boyfriend brought up a good point; what if I wanted him to go get something out of my purse for me (which happens very often). I will put a back-up sensor that will open to two other people's fingerprints as well.

         I had two ideas to patent this re-invention. I like the commercial idea or an advertisement where I can just explain what it is that I am re-inventing. My other way would be to write the patent on the purse itself. It could be the new design label. This way a thief would know what purses had this, and the patent would be much more pleasant to read.

         Any suggestions would be great. This is a tough project!

"A Juggling Act" a response to K. Bailey's "Still on Purse Idea" by P.C. Paul
K. Bailey said, “Any suggestions would be great. This is a tough project!”

         This IS a tough project and I am working on two at the same time with the same due date.

         K. Bailey also said, “I agree that if a thief wants to get into a purse they don't really care about the purse itself, and they will rip into it. I don't really want to make a steel purse,” Right because I in my mind see a way that steel could ever be made especially pleasing. Even a covering of some kind will still indicate it’s a metal. I can’t think of a single material made that would be less tamperproof that wouldn’t be ugly in some way. “…but I still think my re-invention would help in [reduction of] purse theft. Even if it cuts it down a little, it has helped. Thieves are going to [be] startled by the panic alarm that is on the purse, and maybe even a little by the purse only opening to a fingerprint.” I follow your invention, it is going to still have its problems but you would want to play it up as acting as a deterrent.

         Okay, you haven’t mentioned this but what you are looking at is called Biometric Fingerprint Security. It falls under the topic of Biometric Security and is very common in the Information Systems field. Breach of security for this is stealthily getting someone to pick up say a glass of wine, sneak the glass off, pick up the fingerprint and create a finger substitute. Of course this is meant for securing really high tech stuff, but this would be the anti-technology unless someone was desperate they would just cut the finger off. On your side is time. Someone has to determine which hand and finger was used for security purposes, but it is cheaper than Iris and Retina scans.

         K. Bailey in addition said, “My boyfriend brought up a good point; what if I wanted him to go get something out of my purse for me (which happens very often). I will put a back-up sensor that will open to two other people's fingerprints as well.” Granted/sounds good.

         Bailey continued, “I had two ideas to patent this re-invention:
         I like the commercial idea or an advertisement (sales pitch) where I can just explain what it is that I am re-inventing.”

         If you do this you will need to target either two audiences of more or have some anti-thing in order to meet the word requirement. Advertisements are brief. I think another possibility would be an article in the weekly Technology & Science or the Business section of the newspaper which allows you to say more.

         “My other way would be to write the patent on the purse itself. It could be the new design label. This way a thief would know what purses had this, and the patent would be much more pleasant to read,” said Bailey.

         This is where I am lost. Are we supposed to re-invent/re-design the patent document itself? I spoke to others and no one is clear on this.

         I got it. You would put this in goals and choices about putting the patent on the purse itself (why on the purse). It seems you are positioning yourself to argue that the form of the patent is not aesthetically pleasing (not clear?) or that it does not do the “work” you think it should do (not sure?) or your way is a better way of making the patent document do the necessary work.

         Now that I think about this, this helps me because I chose to imitate the document. I have a science and technology background and as awful as the language sounds in the patent, generally most hard science stuff is written this way. It tells the examiner precisely what the invention does and does not do. There is no reading between the lines. Technical documents are very specific this way. As a writer, I have to be absolutely clear otherwise there are ethical, legal, plus life or death implications to leaving it up to the reader to read between the lines. I have to go back to my tech writing notes to expand the argument but the patent does specific “work” that other genres of writing do not and cannot do. Okay, that’s how I position myself. I am arguing that the patent does the “work” it does efficiently regardless of how awful it sounds.

         On the other hand, of course you may see this completely differently so therefore make a choice and defend it. When you defend it you will have to counter-argue.

         Does this make things better or worse?

         One problem I have right now is trying to fin some web site that I saw that had CAT scans or something showing the activity centers of the brain. This would help in a promotional article and in a disaster article. I saw them on the web and I didn't bookmark it or copy the address. Does anyone have ideas?

Integral Worm Interfaces the Human Brain with a Computer
ARTICLE DATE: 01.16.11
By Tarmo Virki, Reuters, eWEEK

HELSINKI (Reuters)—Artificial Intelligence systems maker Integral Worm Inc. expects to see increasing revenues from the sale of its flagship product for use on PC’s, its president and chief information officer said on Thursday.

"We are on the bleeding edge of technology," P. Christopher Paul told Reuters in an interview in Finland where he visited clients such as Interspatial Inc.

         A second cable would attach to the jack adhering to the USB 2.0 standard currently in use. The purpose of this cable is to allow the user to manipulate the computer software and operating system the same way one uses a computer mouse. This will permit the user to manipulate the visual data by mind control.

The Integral Worn, known for its artificial intelligence computer systems and, after its acquisition of Electobiosys five years ago, set on a mission to see if it was possible to interface the human brain with a computer, he said.

"We are on virgin territory here and of course this technology is not for everyone... for 1000’s years people have struggled with being to explain something that was visual/spatial in their minds and for those of us who are not artists… how do you explain the image... We were vigilant to make it happen, and we did" Paul said.

The Cyberpeople jack is a complex marriage of computer hardware technology and biogenetically engineered human nerve tissue created within the laboratory. The recipient must first undergo a biopsy in order to have DNA to recreate the recipient’s own nerves. Once the nerves have matured the recipient undergoes surgery implanting the nerve bundle into the central nervous system to send visual information from the memory center of the brain. A biogenetically engineered jack with a special BIOS chip is grafted to the recipient’s neck permitting a IEEE 1394 standard firewire cable and USB 2.0 cable to be plugged in, he said.

The opposite ends of the IEEE 1394 and the USB cable are plugged into a PC. Special software is installed on the PC in order to permit the computer user to display visual information from the computer users brain directly on the computer monitor, Paul said.

"The computer user with practice learns how to alter and manipulate the image in the user’s mind thereby altering the image on the screen. Of course this technology is extremely cost prohibitive at the moment but the object was to prove that we could do this," he said.

Currently, the mathematician writes source code typically in C language to produce the image on a computer screen. The present invention move beyond the mathematical applications and positions the average computer user with the ability to create visuals that cannot be created by current methods.

Sample output of spatial rendering from a test subject’s mind.
A mathematical function called a "Biomorph"
where the sample function is [f(Zn) = sin(Zn) + eZ + c]

Over 130 test subjects have undergone the complex surgery and have had no complications or side effects from the system.

"We have been able not just to present combined strategy but also to execute against that strategy. It's off to a great start," he said.

"We are not quite ready to go into production ... but having received the patent for the system I'd like to believe that most of the heavy lifting is behind us."

Analysts and investors say the integration of the two companies is a good fit, because Integral Worm strength is in artificial intelligence and computer systems, while Electobiosys is a leader in regeneration of damaged nerve tissue.

Copyright (c) 2011 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1936653,00.asp

A response to P.C. Paul's "Promotional News Article" by A. Campbell
I actually took tons of journalism courses throughout high school and I'm studying for a minor in journalism, so I think I can help you out!

         The way you have this article set up seems great to me. The only thing I think you should change is describing WHAT the product is a little sooner in your writing. I was always taught that when people read an article they want to read only a little bit of the article and be able to know what the article is about.

         So, I would suggest just adding a little something after the first or second paragraph that just states to the reader what exactly your company has produced. It's always good to engage your reader with what they are reading early in the article so that you can keep their attention.

         Of course, you don't have to take my advice; I was just giving some suggestions. Overall, I think this article really helps you get your point across! Great job!

         Hope this helps!

A response to A. Campbell's post by P.C. Paul
Thank you Ashley, that's exactly what I want to hear. Not that it's great, but that it requires... something or less of something. I've done some journalism but not enough. Besides, I like a test reader that makes me want to go back to the keyboard.

         I'll work on it and next I'll throw up the disaster story. This whole idea only came together a short while ago.

         I hope to provide similarities--from both the complexity and difficulty of mazes in general and in the similar complexity in producing 3D animation. My other reason for the maze is to provide a visual representation of the complexity of patents (both textually and visually).

         At the end of the maze there is a light. The animation, once the user steps through this light, will stop. An elegant and simple website appears. This web-site will reveal the differences between my re-invention and the original invention.

RE-PRESENTATION 1
This representation will focus on Video Gaming. I will produce a couple of advertisements specifically targeting gamers. There are many gaming magazines, I hope to pick one soon.

         This re-presentation will focus on Low polygonal modeling. The idea is getting excited gamers directly involved with the production process of Video Games. The two advertisements will focus on different aspects of modeling:

         The first will flaunt the re-invention's architectural creation ability. I will focus mainly on level design and world creation. I will accent the possibilities, focusing also on lighting and camera adjustment. Second, character modeling. I will focus on Bi-ped (skeletal) animation. The flexibility of modification both in modeling and animating your characters.

         The reason why I am making two advertisements for one re-invention is to meet the word limit, trying to make them both just as visually involved as they are textually involved. I will most likely add more as my project nears the bulk of its creation.

         If anyone has any advice, or questions please feel free!

A response to B. Mechairia's "Current Progress (3D Animation)" by P.C. Paul
I don't mean to sound rude about this and I am trying to help but I can't understand what I cannot see. Do you have a web page and a web link to refer us to look at? I know this may not be possible because I have a suspicion everyone is knocking themselves dead to get this done. What we are doing for each other is peer reviewing so the more you put in bulletin board or direct us to a url the more input we can provide.

         My plan is to first create an advertisement (probably a magazine ad) that will poke fun at how hard corks can be to remove from wine bottles, and then write something about how my company has come up with a new solution with our screw caps. The screw caps will look very sophisticated, not cheap, and my idea is to offer a free wine tasting for people that come in to see the new wine bottles and caps.

         I am having a difficult time thinking of another representation though so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

         One question I have still having is, if we create a patent replica for our product does that count as a second representation? Or, do we need two representations, a patent, and statement of goals and choices? I'm so confused :-/

"Screw Corks?" a response to A. Campbell by P.C. Paul
Screw corks? That sounds rather... kinky. Intercourse the bleeding penguin on top of the television set too! (Monty Python)

         A. Campbell said, "I am still heading on the path to re-inventing a top for a wine bottle. I have settled on the idea of a screw cap and I think I have found a way to still key into an audience that may not be so fond of changing the cork itself."

         A. Campbell continued, "My plan is to first create an advertisement (probably a magazine ad) that will poke fun at how hard corks can be to remove from wine bottles, and then write something about how my company has come up with a new solution with our screw caps. The screw caps will look very sophisticated, not cheap, and my idea is to offer a free wine tasting for people that come in to see the new wine bottles and caps. I am having a difficult time thinking of another representation though so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!"

         My ideas for actual submission are going to be brutally simple. I don’t have all kinds of fancy software available to me and I don’t have time to produce the stuff. It’s not like I know people I can farm stuff out to who know how to do the big ideas.

         I think you could write an article for the Food section of the Leisure section of the newspaper to satisfy the requirement of two re-presentations (remember it reads at least two. An advertisement won’t have a lot of words in it so you may need more then two). Also keep in mind, every idea you come up with and abandon to list in Goals and Choices and why the idea was abandoned. Another thing could be setting up an argument and the second or third being the wine connoisseurs poo pooing the idea of a screw cap and why they poo poo the screw cap.

         If I have time, I will go back and create 2-D drawings to represent the re-patent but the problem there is doing this adds another component of text to the patent where I have to number each thing drawn in and explain what it does if you remember the patents we looked at. "Or, do we need two representations, a patent, and statement of goals and choices? I'm so confused :-/"

         We need a patent (500 words minimum), at least two re-presentations (250 words minimum), and statement of goals and choices (1000 words minimum) for a "C."

         If you post your work or give us a url we can look at it and peer review it.

A response to A. Campbell's "Screw Corks" by S. Miller
One way you can advertise the silent corkscrew and still maintain the “sophisticated” appeal is to target it to social events where silence is golden. When an audience attends a symphony or ballet they enjoy good wine. With a silence cork the establishment could continue to serve while still remaining quiet so the audience can enjoy the production in its proper setting.

A response to S. Miller's post by P.C. Paul
S. Miller said, “…Social events where silence is golden.” Hahaha. Silence can also be ‘Louder Than Bombs.’ Social… depends on what the social context is and the in what culture also. I know when I delivered my idea of a patent I could hear crickets. “Cyberpeople!”

         Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp…

         What does that mean? Was someone secretly dialing 911 to bring in the experts with straight jackets?

         After doing some superficial studies of Asian culture, silence is a period of reflection when something has been said. It can also be a period of reflection on when something has not been said, in other words reflecting on empty space or nothingness. It was interesting to learn that India came up with the concept of 0 in mathematics. Now we can’t function without it, which also lead to the concept of less than nothing, negative numbers.

         In Asian societies the concepts of nothingness and emptiness are huge concepts. I am not talking about aloneness which is different. In meditation training in order to prepare the mind or correct it, make it ready for or move towards enlightenment one exercise is to focus the mind on nothing, however one has to do that. So close their eyes, others don’t care for this because it’s too easy to fall asleep. Others step into a empty room and concentrate on a blank wall. When a though comes into your mind you label it “thinking” and throw it out. When one tries to do this for 20 minutes, at first every few seconds a thought of some kind creeps in. One then throws it out. As one continues to practice the spaces between nothing or blank mental activity become wider. Keep in mind, when doing this training by clearing this empty space in the mind the person is not, I repeat not expecting divine intervention for divine intervention is from some other power than the self and is external. The one meditating is seeking enlightenment that will come from within one’s own space, or internally. For Buddha, this is how he achieved enlightenment. The other school of thought is a Satori, which is sudden enlightenment, usually triggered by an external force say the slamming of a book while meditating or someone suddenly shouting at you or other.

         Miller also said, “…and when an audience attends a symphony or ballet they enjoy good wine.” For some even a ‘bad’ wine will do. Haha.

         “With a silence cork the establishment could continue to serve while still remaining quiet so the audience can enjoy the production in its proper setting,” said Miller.

         I have decided to take and show the wrong materials and their poor results and then the material I chose for my re-invention in the best limelight possible. Since I have decided to produce a CD in a case as if I am presenting an actual CD it will be interesting to see the results even for myself. I also have found myself reading the prior work over and over again deciding on how I will present my information. I do admit that Chris was correct in saying that the class has me talking and thinking outside the box until my head hurts.

         I have definitely decided to continue on my track of CD reinvention and patent. I have also explored that website several times in order to explore more of the patents and the word choices used. My worse fear is not being prepared or missing something crucial so that is why I have read over everything just to make sure I am on target. I believe that everyone hopes they do well on the project.

Response to Y. Martin 's "I Want to Break the CD!" by P.C. Paul
Y. Martin said, “The other ideas were so good that I had seen in class that I wish I was as computer savvy as they are. I also wish I had the time to but into the creation as I feel I may need...but enough whining and down to business.” I feel your pain. But that doesn’t help the problem at hand. Wait a moment, wait a moment, can you hear it? It’s, it’s that voice “Yolanda, play to your strengths, use the Force.” Do the best with what you know how to do. You said you were an artist. Work in the materials you like.

         Martin continued, “I have decided to take and show the wrong materials and their poor results and then the material I chose for my re-invention in the best limelight possible. Since I have decided to produce a CD in a case as if I am presenting an actual CD it will be interesting to see the results even for myself. I also have found myself reading the prior work over and over again deciding on how I will present my information.” I remember you’re working on the CD and I assume part of this will be the jewel case. Can you make the patent into liner notes? Those little books that they give you with the CD. Maybe you could break out of the patent document by Using the Government Sections as song titles and then breaking up the text to look like lyrics. In other words indent and break sentences in such a way that it visually looks like lyrics?

         “I do admit that Chris was correct in saying that the class has me talking and thinking outside the box until my head hurts,” said Martin. I must admit the one that is still driving me buggy is the OED. That needs a lot of work. If I have time I’ll swing back to the patent but the OED is nowhere near finished. I had to “abandon” the word I was using. I also thought of writing my argument around the word “abandon” because I at one point wanted to “abandon” the entire project. “Consume” also became a good one because the premise was the project is consuming all of my mental energy. I was thinking of placing a definition into containers (garbage that had been consumed to represent what the project was doing to my mind.)

         Martin said, “My worse fear is not being prepared or missing something crucial so that is why I have read over everything just to make sure I am on target.” I already made that mistake once with the OED. Which reminds me I better check both assignment sheets again.

         “I believe that everyone hopes they do well on the project,” said Martin. Thanks Yolanda. You can always post anything you’re not sure or happy with to get a critic.

         In looking at these different technologies, I began thinking about the panic button on car remotes. By pressing said button, the car will respond by emitting a loud sound. So, if you see someone trying to break into your car from a distance, you can press the button, and the resulting noise will hopefully deter the burglar. The mechanism by which this occurs is comparable to the way that a car finder would work. Clearly, I have now narrowed down the method by which my car finder operates, but I am having trouble finding out how the panic button on a car remote works.

         With regards to the GPS system, one would need a cell phone or Internet access to access the information on where a car is. For instance, it is possible to install a GPS system in your car, and then access it on the Internet. Of course, this technology could only function as a car finder if the individual has a cell phone and/or internet access. Therefore, my audience, if I chose to patent this invention, would be limited. Besides, the idea of a car finder that works like a panic button is less complex and time-consuming, making it a better choice overall.

         To market my invention, I will create a written pamphlet. Car dealerships and stores like CarMax often have brochures advertising features like sensors that alert you if something is in your path when you reverse out of a parking space. Obviously, this means that my car finder should have the ability to be added on, as opposed to being installed on the car as a standard feature. Ultimately, whether it is a standard feature or an optional one depends on the expense involved in both options.

A response to R. Desai's "Patent Assignment" by P.C. Paul
R. Desai said, “In looking at these different technologies, I began thinking about the panic button on car remotes. By pressing said button, the car will respond by emitting a loud sound. So, if you see someone trying to break into your car from a distance, you can press the button, and the resulting noise will hopefully deter the burglar. The mechanism by which this occurs is comparable to the way that a car finder would work. Clearly, I have now narrowed down the method by which my car finder operates, but I am having trouble finding out how the panic button on a car remote works.”

         I am not clear as to where to look. Could that be being done a radio wave frequency? Is the problem that this device is marketed under a different name other than “panic button,” and that is what is causing the search headaches?

         Desai continued, “With regards to the GPS system, one would need a cell phone or Internet access to access the information on where a car is. For instance, it is possible to install a GPS system in your car, and then access it on the Internet. Of course, this technology could only function as a car finder if the individual has a cell phone and/or Internet access. Therefore, my audience, if I chose to patent this invention, would be limited. Besides, the idea of a car finder that works like a panic button is less complex and time-consuming, making it a better choice overall.” Okay I’m lost.

         The other idea that I have that I like is the automatic lawnmower. Now, the only problem that I ran into with this idea is that I actually did find patents for similar ideas. There’s a patent for a robotic lawnmower, a programmable lawnmower, an apparatus for self-propelling machines, etc. The good news is that they have a slightly different approach to it than I do. All of the patents I saw placed sensors on the mower so that the mower could detect islands (where the flowers and trees are) and the sidewalks or streets so that the machine would know when to change course. I am proposing that the mower have a specific route that it takes so that it automatically knows when it needs to change course and the sensors wouldn’t be needed, except for maybe a safety precaution to ensure that the mower doesn’t run over something that isn’t supposed to be on the lawn.

Re-inventing the Patent I decided that an interesting way to reinvent the patent for this product would be to create an audio version of the patent that the owner of the mower could listen to while they use the mower for the first time (while programming the route). Since there is going to be a computer attached to the mower, there can easily be an audio patent saved on the hard drive. I figured that a pair of earphones (included) could be attached to the computer and then the owner could listen to the patent while mowing, to help pass the time and give out some interesting information. Additionally, I was thinking that in order for the patent information to be more appealing to the user, music in the background, or the patent in some sort of song format, might be the best way to go.

Pitch 1: To the lazy adult male
I was thinking of a radio/TV ad that has a man being invited over to a neighbor/friend's house to watch "the big game" on Saturday or Sunday. He's excited and can't wait, but then his wife tells him that he can't go because he has to mow the lawn. He reluctantly obeys his wife and calls the neighbor back. He tells the neighbor he can't come over because he has to mow the stupid lawn. The neighbor informs him of the new auto-mower and explains the gist of the product. The man gets all interested and excited. And then maybe the man can go to wife and tell her about the mower. The commercial could end with an announcer giving info about the product, like where to buy it or something.

Pitch 2: To a kid who has just been told by his father that he was born so that he could mow the lawn instead of the father (and any kid who mows the lawn)
Basically, I was thinking off a colorful cartoon-like ad on the back of a cereal box. Kids usually eat breakfast before they mow the lawn and they often like to read the back of the cereal box while they eat. This would grab their attention and inform them of something that would make their weekends a little more fun.

More:
I haven't completely decided on the pitches for the other audiences I was thinking of, but I wanted to also go for Single women who have lawns that they might not want to have to mow, as well as elderly people who are not in the shape to push around a lawnmower every week (and someone, like a son or daughter, could always do the first mowing for them). Those people often have to hire people to mow the lawn for them and that can be expensive. This mower probably will cost a pretty penny, but it's a one time deal. It will save so much in the long run.

Well, I hope everyone else is finishing up their project. Good luck to you all.

Response to M.J. Bowen's "I Fought the Lawn, and I Won, hehe" by P.C. Paul

Witty, very witty.

Can we get a new post? This one has a scratch in it. (Blackboard duplicated the post.)

Pitch 1: To the lazy adult male

Pitch 2: To a kid

Pitch 3: Single women

Pitch 4: Senior citizens

You have great pitches. Here’s one you didn’t consider.

Pitch 5: People with severe allergies
I had a friend who had allergies that were so bad he never came out of the house during springtime. His parents would take him to the beach to fly kites. Eventually he developed a love for the sea and that is where he is today. He spends most of his time at sea because of the allergies.

         I am making a coloring book with pictures of different things, but the captions are all basically things/places/reasons why a soccer mom would be in her car, driving for most of the day (Ex. Taking her children to a doctor’s appointment, taking the cat to the vet, etc.) I am making sort of like a notice for the consumer, which clearly isn’t the child who is coloring, but the mother/father who has the money to purchase the car. In the notice, it will give reasons of what makes this car different from all the other cars on the market and how it acts differently from all the other competition.

         For the re-presentation I liked the praise/complaint letters like the example Shipka gave us (I think his name was Alex). That is a good way to get the whole idea across through other people’s voices, although these people are made up, we still have full control.

         I am about half to three quarters done my goals and choices. This will be what takes up most of the time I have today, as it has taken up most of my time in the past week. I am trying to be really thorough, but as I read it I feel like I might be going into too much detail. Do others feel this way, as well?

         Good to luck to all as we finish this up, see you all tomorrow in class…and then spring break!

P.C. Paul's response to E. Berman's "My Car"
Ryoko the parrot speaking: "Cat Cat Cat! It’s always about Sam. What about meeeeeeeee? I like to go on car rides too. I go to the Vet too. And I’ve got my own seat too! The head rest. :-P to you Sam."

         Chris: “That’s it! Get off the keyboard!” Sorry, this is what happens when for walk out of the room with eternal thee year olds unattended.

         E. Berman said, "I am trying to be really thorough, but as I read it I feel like I might be going into too much detail. Do others feel this way, as well?"

The grabbing hands
Grab all they can
Everything counts
in HUGE amounts."
(Depeche Mode)

         This is your answer. Did you get it? No? Allow me to translate. You cannot have too much detail. "Content, content, content." It’s the name of the game. You not only account for what you did, you account for what you did not do in order to receive credit. Example: I thought of creating 30 second video clip as a commercial but because I do not own a video camera or know anyone who owns a video camera I could not make a 30 second commercial. This is a constraint. Something you wanted to do but could not.

         Tip of the Day: All projects here and the real world are subject to three constraints right from the start:
Scope, Time, Cost.
Does this help?

         I finally decided upon creating a webpage to advertise the "sensor-sonic surf strap." on the page will be stuff about the innovator (me) and the innovation (the strap) plus recognition gained by the product, where to purchase it, it's blueprints, and that sorta thing. It’s actually turning out to be pretty cool. Although, I’m probably going to be awake from now through the night into tomorrow making the final tweaks and stuff on this page. There’s so much to it. I just didn't realize.

         I used to be really great with html coding because I used to be like this huge nerd, actually I still am a huge nerd, but, I guess I used to be this like huge computer nerd and I knew how to do all of that kinda thing and (wow this sentence is super long) now I just forgot what I’m doing. Anyway, my point being, I decided to stick with the surf strap and bypass the George Foreman laptop idea (although that would've been preeeetty sweet).

         Right now, my four main sections of the site include the 'about' section, 'blueprints,' 'recognition,' 'purchase,' and 'mission statement.' the blueprints section will include the design of my product, it's new patent, and it's comparison/contrast to previous similar patents. The 'recognition' page will highlight what individuals have used the strap and what they think about it (celebrities and such). 'Purchase’ will have to do with where the product is available for, well, purchase and how to go about buying it. The final section 'mission statement' will highlight my overall goals and choices. So far so good.

         If anyone has any other ideas to throw my way. Please feel free!

         The bag will be marketed toward all consumers that eat chips. The bags will be very beneficial for all ages. For example, many children have difficulties opening the chip bag. My younger sister is never able to open chip bags, so she just pops it and the chips fly everywhere. Also, with elderly who may lose strength in their hands or who may have arthritis, this will definitely help. Parents will also be pleased because it will help to prevent spills and messes.

         For the marketing aspect, I want to make a television commercial and also make a print ad in a magazine. Of course, the best part of the ad is coming up with a theme or jingle. I have a couple ideas:

1. “Are you bored with the same odd chip bag? Well its time to open a new flavor in your life with the new Ziploc chip bags.”
2. "If you wanna flip it, all you have to do is zip it!"
3. “You have a craving savor, unzip your flavor.”

         Lol, I know they are corny but it might work!!! I haven’t yet come up for a pitch to attract the parents or the elderly to my product…still in the process. The magazine ad will follow similar to my commercial pitch with kids trying to put the excitement or flavor back in lunch. The advertisements will show kids having fun, laughing, dancing when they unzip the bag…still working through it. I am not sure if it will cover a lot. I am so frustrated with putting it all together right now.

         If I change my mind and go with the ‘Pez’ idea, the pitch will pretty much be the same but elaborate more on the health factors. I wanted to market this towards adults and elderly too, but the ‘Pez’ dispenser is a bit elementary and may push the older consumer away. Like I said earlier, I have more with the Ziploc idea now, but if the ‘Pez’ idea will get more information, I will follow that patent. If any one has just the slightest bit of advice, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Thank-you guys for the help during the workshop…and GOOD LUCK with your projects!!!!

         As you might guess, I'm still focused on creating a new piece of juggling equipment. My challenge has been to find something where there's a suitable history in the patent database (or elsewhere). The problem is that I haven't found much, because I'm not sure what to look for. The best I've come up with has been the two patents for juggling clubs, which I thought of improving by introducing new material that makes it less painful, or perhaps coming up with some kind of insulation for the hand.

         I definitely intend to use some sort of illustration or photograph in my presentation. That's a little hard, since I lack artistic ability. However, I believe that this sort of patent calls for a visual approach. Actually, that may be one criticism of the patents as they are currently presented. They have a lot of words, but words aren't always the easiest way to make us able to visualize something, and inventions are usually visual. Ever heard, "A picture is worth a thousand words?” A new juggling club, or a special glove, would call for not merely a picture but a diagram, I think, detailing the different parts of the equipment. I suppose the purpose of patents is not to help people visualize the product but to provide a record that will prevent others from using the same idea. But I feel comfortable using a visual approach to supplement the text: I still will use writing and try my best to imitate the patent format with text clearly explaining what I have. One of my re-presentations will consist of diagrams and illustrations, the other will be written.

         Anyway, I haven't even talked about how the invention itself! Well, that's partly because I need to put more thought into this. A lot of what I'm "inventing," I'm sort of improvising, and I know I'm ignorant about this subject, so I'm trying my best to find some research to support what I'm saying, by tomorrow. However, I may also look around my house and experiment with stuff I have: gloves, scarves, and so on, to see how well it insulates my hand from the force of the club while juggling, and also how it affects the juggling itself. I'm ignorant of how the different materials work, which is why I've been improvising a lot of this project. But I will make sure to use as much data as I can find, to support my invention as much as possible.

         I am still at the point that I may scrap this whole idea and come up with some really weird, whacky new type of juggling equipment, or perhaps go with my alternative plan about mechanical balls that can move at whatever speed one wants. The problem has been finding the prior art needed to support this kind of radical approach, and that has not been easy.

         I am somewhat disappointed with my final product. My prototype did not work as well as I had hoped, and I did not/could not find a Dance Magazine to present my feature story in. I would have liked to have had the magazine in order to present a more finished product, and introduce a frame of reference for the story. I am eager to see the work of others. The ideas that everyone has shared thus far are really cool, especially, the mood sheets. I think some of you should think about pursuing an actual patent!

         Just as we shared ideas with the group, perhaps in future assignments we can meet and have peer-editing sessions. This would help me tremendously to tie up the loose ends of my work. It is always beneficial to have another pair of eyes review my work, but they find errors that I have overlooked. Overall, this assignment was challenging, nerve racking, but a lot of fun. I found myself thinking in ways that I normally don’t, or never have (especially in terms of rhetorical choices). I never realized how many messages I send, or that can be translated/ communicated through simple things like the placement of texts. Anyways, I’d like to thank everyone for their advice, and wish you the best of luck on your final products.

         P.S. I hope to purchase those mood sheets, and chip Pez dispensers someday!

Response to E. Wodward's "Good Luck Everybody!" by P.C. Paul
Of my work. It is always beneficial to have another pair of eyes review my work, but they find errors that I have overlooked. Overall, this assignment was challenging, nerve racking, but a lot of fun. I found myself thinking in ways that I normally don’t, or never have (especially in terms of rhetorical choices). I never realized how many messages I send, or that can be translated/ communicated through simple things like the placement of texts."

         In reference to peer editing, this is why I put my work up. Not necessarily that someone would edit their work but I know there are a few people in this "space" still trying to determine what we are doing. I was hoping others would take my lead and post their work so we could offer suggestions and look for holes.

         The other possibility is that people can come down to the Writing Center for a peer review as there are six tutors that are also taking Shipka’s classes and we have some idea of what we are doing in "this" space. Just a suggestion.

         It is always beneficial to have another pair of eyes review my work, but they find errors that I have overlooked. Overall, this assignment was challenging, nerve racking, but a lot of fun. I found myself thinking in ways that I normally don’t, or never have (especially in terms of rhetorical choices). I never realized how many messages I send, or that can be translated/ communicated through simple things like the placement of texts."

         In reference to peer editing, this is why I put my work up. Not necessarily that someone would edit their work but I know there are a few people in this "space" still trying to determine what we are doing. I was hoping others would take m led and post their work so we could offer suggestions and look for holes.

         The other possibility is that people can come down to the Writing Center for a peer review as there are six tutors that are also taking Shipka’s classes and we have some idea of what we are doing in "this" space. Just a suggestion.

         For my patent, I'm think of re-inventing it using various reviews from gaming and electronics magazines. These reviews will mention the aspects of the old control as well as the changes, so I think this will work quite well.

         As for my marketing plans, I obviously want to target women gamers, so I'm going with an advertisement that can be used in both gaming magazines, websites, etc, as well as popular female magazines like seventeen, etc. I'm still hung up on how to advertise for children. On one hand, it would be fairly easy to market this product to kids, using a flashy ad or even making a short game they could play through. My issue is that XBox games are not really for kids, and parents will be concerned. I suppose I could do something with complaint letters, especially in light of our discussions of Gee concerning violence. If anyone has any ideas about this aspect of my project it would be greatly appreciated.

         Good Luck everyone!

A response to K. Zajdel's "New Video Game Controller" by P.C. Paul
On advertising/targeting children have you thought of writing a television commercial. It’s probably too late now but it is a possibility.

         For my patent I had a couple ideas that didn’t really work out, like printing the patent on the gum itself, but I think I’m going to go with the idea of making a series of comic gum wrappers, like the Bazooka Joe comics, that each feature a part of the patent and can be collectable. That way no one eats it.

         As for marketing plans, I’m trying to market it to college students, so I was thinking of making one of those fliers like the ones they post in classrooms advertising jobs or used books for sale or something, that have the phone numbers you can rip off the bottom. Instead of phone numbers it’ll have coupons attached, since all college students are broke most of the time, hence the reasoning behind the product itself. I also want to advertise it to either groups like business executives or parents, but I’m not entirely sure how yet. I was thinking something along the lines of ads that come in magazines like Forbes and Time, typical “adult” magazines, because then I could more or less use the actual ad and just cut and paste the correct information onto it. Maybe like an alcohol ad, only for gum instead? Something that would appeal to that age group.

A response to N. Horstman's "This is Starting to Make Me Hungry..." by S. Miller
I like this idea. One way you can make the flavor of the gum even more appealing is to target those who like to explore exotic/cultural foods/dishes. You could have gum that tastes like sushi...like wasbi gum, unagi gum, thai gum. It will allow people to try the taste out before actually eating the real dish. Sushi is expensive, finding out that you don't like it before buying a huge heaping platter of the stuff could be very, very appealing!

A response to S. Miller's post by N. Horstman
Hmm... I like that idea. Maybe then instead of marketing it to corporate I could try a food magazine ad or something. Too bad there isn't a way to give it the same texture as the food, since that's a big part of liking something. I've tried the same sushi roll at different restaurants and hated it at one place but loved it at another because of the texture.

A response to N. Horstman's "This is Starting to Make Me Hungry..." by P.C. Paul
I would like fillet of yak flavor!

         The key fob turned out to be a little more difficult than I had imagined. I find myself stuck on different how stuff works sites and looking everywhere at the different ads for various products.

         The only idea that I can think of for the patent is an ad in a magazine. Well that's the only one I've been working on lately. Right now, I have been focusing on trying to create something great and meeting all of the expectations of the assignment.

         This class has really proven to be an interesting one. I have done more thinking and let me creative side actually emerge into the classroom. Hopefully that will be seen in my re-invention.

A response to A. Reed's "I Hate Key Fobs" by P.C. Paul
Bluetooth technology???? Has anyone suggested this? It’s used for wireless telecommunications. I was just tutoring paper today and the tutee was writing an expanded definition of Bluetooth. If I remember correctly Bluetooth class 3? C? Would transmit nearly 400 feet.

Olfactory Factory Teas, Co.
P.O. Box Aroma 123
Baltimore, MD 21228

Invoice: Script for Radio Commercial
Sound begins in the middle of a loud monotone whistle of a teapot. The sound gets increasing until an agitated male voice breaks in:

Male (distressed): I simply cannot take it anymore! Argggg! What can I do? I can’t stand this but I refuse to give up my Chamomile! This is causing me more stress then the stress I am trying to escape from by drinking this tea that is supposed to calm me DOWN! Isn’t there another way!?!?!?!?!?!

Female (voice is tranquil, soothing, reflective and inviting): Why, yes there is, John. Others have also found this alarming sound quite disturbing. Luckily for you, and other avid tea drinkers, Olfactory Factory Teas has released their new product, The Potpourri Pot. Instead of being notified that your tea is ready by a loud shrill that attacks your sense of hearing, now, thanks to The Potpourri Pot your mind can be calmed buy the indulging scent of the tea with which you are finding solace.

Male (calmer and inquisitive): Oh. (Pause) Really? But how does it work?

Female (informative): That is a good question, John. It works in the same fashion as an air freshener except the scent is activated by the heat of the boiling water. It is a rather small device that does not detract from the aesthetic beauty of the teapot’s form. There is a small chip that that fits into the appointed slot that can only be found on our exclusive Potpourri Pot. The chips themselves are replaceable. They also come in a variety of scents that will fit your own varying moods. We even have Chamomile but we prefer to call it “The Calming Mile”. You can’t fully appreciate it just on description alone; you have to experience it yourself. Let me show you…”

(Brief moment of silence.)

Male: (Breathes in heavily and exhales) Wow…amazing. It is fragrant enough to get my attention but it also puts me at ease. (Slightly Agitated) But, wait, I drink cup after cup so how will I know when my second brew is ready? My kitchen will smell like this already and I will miss it!

Female: That is a legitimate concern. We have considered that dilemma so we have timed the release for only 2-3 minutes. It is long enough for you not to miss it but once you are finished your cup it will have already passed.

Male: (enthused and excited): This is fantastic! How have I, as a constant tea drink, existed without it? The Potpourri Pot by Olfactory Factory, is a must for every home!!!! (long, and satisfied sigh: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh….)

A response to S. Miller's "Tea for Who?" by P.C. Paul
You're rockin' and rollin' ;-)

         My other new idea was using the model of a car wash assembly line type deal where we drive our cars into a boxed area where machinery takes over and does the car washing for us. Well, I was thinking about using the model to create a doggy wash station, however, the concept would be the same, the design a lot different. I don’t think dogs would like to be placed into a box where they are scrubbed down by alienated objects—it may traumatize them. Instead, I wanted to create an open boxed area (cage-like) that could be easily (light-weight in other terms) placed in the shower/tub. The device would have gloves attached to the cage so that you can insert your hands into the gloves and soothe the dog as well as wash them. I came up with this idea because I have a hard time bathing my dog. I thought if I started giving her baths from the first time she arrived at my apartment, that each week would get easier and she would become more tolerable/comfortable with the shower/tub area as well as the water. WRONG! Every week gets worse and by the time she’s done being bathed, she’s attempted to escape from my hands more than five times and I’m red from head to toe with scratch marks (which get painful as her nails grow longer—another issue which she has become intolerable to—trimming down her nails). I developed the doggy wash station because of this issue, but I didn’t want to leave no responsibility to the owner of the dog. The owner would still have to wash the dog, but the dog would be confined so that he/she couldn’t escape. The glove inserts would be long enough for the hands to reach the entire exterior surface of the dog. The cage would obviously have holes so that you can see the dog and the water can fall onto the dog to get the soap suds off. In addition, I wanted to add some device that would blow warm air to dry the dog. After the dog is dry, its doggy wash experience is over. My dog is no more than 12 lbs. so my mental image is a small sized cage which will fit my dog comfortably. I suppose that I could make different sizes, but I doubt that a cage for a Great Dance would readily fit into the bath tub or shower (depending on the size of the shower). Anyhow, I was stuck on this idea for awhile—really stuck onto it but I didn’t have the time to develop/mold the idea as I would’ve wanted to, thus, sticking with my Tupperware idea. Although, I did like the human microchip idea too, but there did seem to be too many implications…of course with every technology, there is.

         In my re-invention of the patent, I am still stuck on the patents placed on the back of cereal boxes. I did also think about patent information being put onto magnets but the space of a magnet is quite small. The reason behind this is because of the relation to Tupperware and the refrigerator. I also thought about placing the patent in the packaging of the Tupperware. Maybe, having a section detailed “Ingredients” and then have patent information provided, following a complaint hotline or even comment hotline in terms of the effectiveness of the product.

         I had tons of thoughts regarding as to how to present the product from two different audiences…but I’m not giving these away! Hey, gotta leave something to the imagination, right?

         I took my idea of the mood sheets to class, equipped to fight with all I had in me for my idea. Once I present the idea to the class, I found that they were all very receptive to the idea. The one question that everyone had was how would I weave the crystals into the fabric. Then one of the students suggested that I take two pieces of fabric and sew between then lights, and then sew them together. This was gold! I finally had a solid plan for my re-invention. The problem was that if lights were sewn between fabrics, the weight of everything together would be too much. I was stumped. I did not know where to take it from here so I aid down for a nap.

         I awoke from my nap because I was too hot. I threw my comforter aside because I was already upset that I could not find a solution for my Mood Sheet problem. I sat staring at the comforter then it came to me, instead of mood sheets, what about a comforter? They can be heavier and will be able to more easily perform the function that I want. I was back in business!

         After researching my idea as a whole online I found that this idea had yet to be developed, so I came to a few conclusions:

1. The comforter had to be made of flame retardant material to cut down on risk
2. The miniature decorative lights that are battery run are the best to use because they also cut down the risk of fire and electric shock
3. The fabric covering the lights would be white because that is the easiest to see color through
4. I want to market this specifically to older children through older teens and even college students

         A controller that will be attached to the blanket so it is hard to lose and consumers can manually change the color of the sheets to suit them will control the lights.