A Product Design Services Company Takes A Brief Look At The History Of Patents

 When product design services think about patents, they are considering something that goes back hundreds of years. As a matter of fact, within the United States patents’ duty and function dates back to the original constitution and the people who composed it. However, the actual history of patents is older than when it began in the United States, and U.S. patent law appeared after a tradition that was already stated centuries ago. 

Many product design companies refer to the Venetian Patent Statute that dates back to 1474, which was a time when the capitalist system was coming out from the decline of feudalism. Although product design services inform us that patent law is always changing and evolving, the statutes laid out in that document almost six centuries ago are today still the fundamental standards of patent law. 

The Venetian Patent Statute — 1474

The Venetian Patent Statute is the oldest document which product design and development company say it defines in broad terms a codified patent system. It was established by the Republic of Venice as the first statutory patent system in Europe. 

Obviously, the practice of patent rights came before the writing of this specific document, however, what makes the Venetian Statute so fascinating for product design services is that it represented for the first time that patent customs were codified in an overall applicable, well-defined, and broad manner. 

Prior to the Venetian Patent Statute, patents were handed out on a case-by-case basis in response to individual requests for protection by petitioners. From the time the Statue existed, the conditions defining the rights of inventors to find patent protection were well described. They declare that “any new and ingenious device, not previously made” which served some useful purpose was eligible for patent protection.

This quickly reminds us of the current USPTO patent law which calls for a patentable invention to be original and useful. Contrary to patent law, there was no cost for applying for protection under the Venetian Patent Statute. 

From 1474 to 1788, about 2000 patents were granted by the Venetian Senate. This is minuscule in comparison with modern patents, in which the USPTO received 615,243 patent applications in 2014 alone. 

U.S Patent Law: The Patent Act — 1790

Before the revolution and the sanction of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, patent law in the American colonies was managed in an off-the-cuff manner, with no across-the-board patent rights until the early 1780s when specific states started to bring in their own statutes. This was all amended with the Constitution and the Patent Act of 1790, which established the basis of patent law which has regulated intellectual property rights in the U.S to this day.

These rights were detailed even further in the Patent Act of 1790. The act issued the responsibility of granting and administering patents to the Patent Board. There were only three members of the Board, and they were the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of War. 

As anticipated, the patent process was very slow initially, as these three would have to appoint meetings in which to talk about the applications they had received. 

Applicants had to hand in a written description of their invention, along with drawings when possible. This had to both sufficiently describe the invention as well as provide instructions that could be followed for the replication of the invention by others. At first, applicants also had to complete an examination though this requirement was quickly abandoned by the Patent Act of 1793.

When there was a violation, a jury was summoned to determine whether a patent holder was entitled to damages. Convicted infringers would have to surrender all their infringing items to the patent holder, and patents could be declared null and void if they were found to be infringing upon a previous claim. On the other hand, if someone brought up an accusation of infringement against someone else but lost, they were forced to pay the costs of the case. 

Up To The America Invents Act — 2011

American patent law was subjected to various changes after the original patent Act of 1790. The first was an amendment in 1793 to clarify the application process. This was tailgated by the Patent Act of 1836. Patent law then encountered fierce criticism during the Great Depression, which witnessed the eventual legislation of the Sherman Antitrust Act which wanted to reduce the influence of monopolies. 

The Patent Act of 1952 proposed the requirement that patents be ‘non-obvious’, and to be original and useful. This amendment was created to prevent shady people from claiming patents over what should be thought of as common knowledge.

The most momentous change to U.S. patent law that has happened recently was the America Invents Act of 2011. When referring back to the English Statute of Monopolies which advised U.S. patent law up till this moment, patent rights were awarded to whoever could show that they were the first person to invent the object in question.

Although this requirement sounds like a lot of sense, it caused some complications. With the total number of patent claims now encountered by the USPTO, it became challenging sometimes to figure out who was the first inventor. This led to the popularity of “interference proceedings”, where inventors would compete in trying to show that they had been the first inventor so they could claim patent rights.

With the America Invents Act of 2011, U.S patent law changed from a “first to invent” system to a “first inventor to file” system, which got rid of interference proceedings completely. Under U.S patent law, it is no longer important who invents a thing first, what matters is which inventor files a patent application first.

Keep in mind that not everyone can file a patent application since you still have to be an inventor. Therefore, if two people both invent a new device, the first of them to file a patent application will be granted the patent. The law does not allow someone who had not invented that device to takeover by filing for a patent for their invention. 

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Why an Industrial Design Company Must Preemptively Protect Rogue Users

 

When creating a product, many people fail to consider how a user might improperly handle its features because they assume that it is a straightforward design. However, there are cases in which human error or experimentation happens and the product is suddenly in very different hands. Whether by choice or accident, misuse of products can lead to unintended safety hazards. This is why an industrial design company must account for product misuse in their initial design. 

 

An-Industrial-Design-Company-Can-Design-a-Product-Around-Human-Error-pinterest

People make mistakes, which is why designing for human error is such an important part of product development. It’s the reason that we have seatbelts and airbags in cars as well as fail-safes in other kinds of devices. Industrial design companies in California particularly Designstein Studios have at least four different approaches to protect users against their own unpredictable behavior, including extensive research, simplicity of design, use of safeguards, and communication to users. Without these considerations, products could fail to satisfy consumers. Below, each of these methods of designing for misuse is explained. 

 

Extensive User Research

 

User research should start with a demographic. Who is your target audience and how will they likely interact with your product? When you have this information, you can start to do tests. Besides noting your focus group’s initial impression of the product, you should also run through some scenarios with them. In order to predict product misuse, it is valuable to hone in on the buyer’s personality, skills, and experience with similar products. Industrial design services can help you tweak designs that present issues with your users so that your product is ready for a successful launch.  

 

Simplistic Designs

 

The more complicated your design, the more chances there are for human error. Simplify wherever possible to prevent risky product misuse. Determine the goal of the product and eliminate any unnecessary features that do not offer a significant advantage to the consumer. Is it possible to reduce the number of controls, for example, combining the on and off switch? Things like this will ultimately save you the trouble of confusing your user or prompting an accident. 

 

Use of Safeguards

 

The ideal product has no errors. However, it is not enough to design with perfection in mind. Experts at an industrial design company say that having safeguards provides that extra layer of protection to minimize the chances of product failure. For example, you might add a safeguard to a vacuum cleaner, so that the suction turns off any time you remove an attachment. Safeguards protect the user from injury and protect the product from being damaged by accident. 

 

User Communication

 

Last, but certainly not least, product developers should think about how their product will be communicated to their users. User manuals or small instruction booklets are necessary for many products. This will define any complicated features and inform users of the best safety precautions. User communication can also be implemented into the design of the product with mini commands. For example, when you empty your trash on a desktop, the computer may ask, “Are you sure you want to delete these files? They will be permanently deleted.” Confirmations of irreversible actions can reduce the chances of user error. 

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Product Design Services Describe the 8 Stages of Prototyping

 

At the center of product development is a good idea. However, in order to make this good idea a reality, product design services must perform different stages of prototyping and testing. This process can be identified by 8 stages: mockup, proof of principle, concept generation, alpha prototype, beta prototype, engineering test, real-world design trial, and production validation. Product design companies follow these steps in order to optimize their chances for a successful launch.

Mockup

Mockups allow designers to fully visualize the concept of a product before it is engineered for functionality. While some developers may be eager to jump into the technical features of a product, it is a good idea to use storyboards or other visual representations to verify that the product is worth pursuing. In the early stages, prototypes don’t have to be detailed or high resolution because they will inevitably change during development. Instead, a product design and development company can rely on cheaper and quicker technologies to make the mockup. 

Proof of Principle

At this stage, designers can look deeper into the technological aspects of a product with a proof of principle. In other words, product design services determine if the technology for this specific design exists at a reasonable price. This becomes increasingly important for ideas that are new and innovative. If you’re doing something that has never been done before, then you have no point of reference for the logistics of manufacturing. The proof of principle exists to test the technology you are aiming to use for your product. 

Concept Generation

Once you have approved your mockup and proof of principle, then you can move on to the concept phase. In this stage of the process, designers start to make decisions about the product, including the look, form, and experience. What color and shape will it be? What exact features will it include? How will a user interact with it? During concept generation, some designers like to build a physical form. This allows them to actively participate in forming the shape, texture, and weight of the product. However, this is not necessary for all products. If you are designing a familiar product, like tennis shoes, then detailed sketches may suffice at this point. 

Alpha and Beta Prototype

Finally, a real prototype! The alpha prototype should act and look like the final product. When you test this prototype, you will get a sense of whether or not the engineering and design work together. This will then lead into the beta prototype, which helps evaluate the product’s manufacturability. Both prototypes serve a different purpose in the product development process, but offer similar benefits to the goal of a successful product launch. 

Engineering Test

Once the prototypes are approved for their general functionality and form, then you can move on to a more specific engineering test. This will help identify any issues in the ability for manufacturers to reproduce your design. Once this test goes through, you will be able to confidently go into the next step. 

Design Trial

Your design may be functional and beautiful, but is it up to the standard of quality you expect? The real-world design trial should verify whether or not the product is durable for its environment. At this point, developers may require that the design meets certain certifications. Once the product meets these expected requirements, this information can be used later in the marketing stages. 

Production Validation

This is the final stage of prototyping. When you have approved all other forms of the product, you should do a test run of the production itself. How many products in the assembly line follow the design expectations? How many are faulty? If there are any problems at this point, then designers may need to go back a step or two and see what went wrong. However, following this 8-step process minimizes the risk of costly problems and increases the chance of a successful overall product!

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