Inventing

In my part of Tempe, Arizona, I am Varsity Coach for the Boy Scout troop. So one thing that interests me is teaching young people to be creative and look at the world around them for ideas.

The Boy Scouts of America recently announced a new merit badge – Inventing – that fosters creativity and innovation.

The requirements for the Inventing Merit Badge are essential skills for any entrepreneur.  Let’s see how you stack up.

This is just a few highlights questions Boy Scouts will be able to learn from this new merit badge.

1. Define the term intellectual property. Explain which government agencies oversee the protection of intellectual property, the types of intellectual property that can be protected, how such property is protected, and why protection is necessary.
2. Explain the components of a patent and the different types of patents available.
3. Think of an item you would like to invent that would solve a problem for your family, troop, chartered organization, community, or a special-interest group. Keep a notebook to record your progress.
4. Talk to potential users of your invention and determine their needs. Then, based on what you have learned, write a statement describing the invention and how it would help solve a problem. This statement should include detailed sketch of the invention.
5. Build a working prototype of the item you invented. Test and evaluate the invention. Among the aspects to consider in your evaluation are cost, usefulness, marketability, appearance, and function.
6. Discuss with your counselor the diverse skills, education, training, and experience it takes to be an inventor. Discuss how you can prepare yourself to be creative and inventive to solve problems at home, in school, and in your community. Discuss three career fields that might utilize the skills of an inventor.

So what do you know about your business’s intellectual property?

Do you know different kinds of patents available?

What problems could be solved with a new invention?

Would people actually pay money to have that problem solved?

Can you make a functional prototype?

Can you assemble a team with the diverse skills, education, training, and experience to develop a new product and bring it to market?  If you make the best mouse trap in the world, but nobody knows, what good is it?

If your idea solves widespread problems, you have a societal responsibility to sell as much as you can.

Tags: Community Involvement, Creativity, Entrepreneur

This entry was posted on June 30, 2010 at 7:16 am and is filed under Innovation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.