PATENT LITIGATION BY NON-PRACTICING ENTITIES | BEATING A PATENT TROLL | WEEK #9

Hey guys!

I hope that you all have enjoyed your spring breaks! For this post, I am going to discuss an article about how Chris Hulls, the chief executive of the family networking and communication service, Life360, beat a patent troll:

http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/23/i-beat-a-patent-troll-and-you-can-too/

Hulls discusses how most people view patent trolls as a problem, but they rarely fight back because it is cheaper to settle and pay them licensing fees than it is to go to court. Last May, his company Life360, a family networking app, was attacked by a troll the same week they raised $50 million in financing. In this case, they were being sued by Advanced Ground Information Systems Inc. for patent infringement.

Hulls chose not to settle and the jury delivered a verdict of non-infringement. He claims that he used three non-traditional methods to win his case:

Go Nuclear

• Patent trolls expect that you will listen to your lawyers, stay quiet, and pay them to go away
• Hulls repeatedly publicized the case and the individuals involved in order to frame them as patent trolls in the eyes of the media
• Patent trolls hate to be publicly scrutinized for their actions

Share Information and Resources

• Hulls open-sourced all of the prior art collected with the tech community and even announced free legal support for other startups with less than $25 million in funding facing AGIS
• This drew attention to the case and the meritless claims being brought against Life360
• This also sent a strong signal that if you sue Life360, it would make it harder to sue others as well

Go With Your Gut and Commit To It

• Many legal advisors may prefer to settle in order to avoid the large financial burden and distraction of going to court
• This is a short-term view, as you are less likely to become a future patent troll target if you have a track record of combatting patent trolls

Life360 received two other demand letters since the AGIS suit was filed, and when they saw the extreme defense they mounted against AGIS, they went away.

PATENT LITIGATION BY NON-PRACTICING ENTITIES | EXAMPLE #1 | WEEK #8

Greetings again Patent Pals,

As a continuation of my last blog post, as promised, I will be discussing one example of patent litigation by NPEs in the real world. The following link discusses a lawsuit between Motorola and the infamous patent troll firm Intellectual Ventures (IV):

http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/26/motorola-intellectual-ventures/

Intellectual Ventures Background

• IV is a patent holding firm that is known for licensing out its portfolio to companies such as HTC and Samsung, but it has also built up a reputation as a patent troll, or a non-practicing entity
• In addition to a recently scored $17 million win against Symantec, IV has been involved with multiple lawsuits with Motorola over the course of the last few years
• IV does not view their actions as patent trolling, but rather as defending investor rights and protecting the interests of their investors and customers
• IV is one of the largest intellectual property owners in the world, having more than 70,000 patents and patent applications to its name

Intellectual Ventures vs. Motorola

• After a 2011 lawsuit ended in a mistrial, IV recently won a case against Motorola that pertained to multimedia messaging (MMS) technology (damages TBD)
• The two companies are going to start another lawsuit pertaining to a removable computing device patent this week

What is next for patent trolls?

• Intellectual Ventures and other companies like it have been accused by some in the technology industry of burdening innovation by using the patents they buy to pursue lawsuits instead of building products
• Such companies are a central focus of renewed Congressional efforts at patent reform, aimed at curbing litigation
• The America Invents Act which President Obama signed into law back in 2011 has ushered in a "first-to-file" patent system that has effectively combatted some of the loopholes employed by patent trolls
• Last year, the Supreme Court struck down an abstract software patent, which set a precedent against weak patents that merely captured the idea behind a piece of software.

PATENT LITIGATION BY NON-PRACTICING ENTITIES | OVERVIEW | WEEK #8

Hey guys!

This week's blog is going to cover patent litigation by non-practicing entities (a.k.a. NPEs or "Patent Trolls"). The aim of this particular post is to provide an overview of NPEs, which will serve as a bridge to the examples I will be covering in my next two blog posts. I feel that this is the best way to really thoroughly analyze NPEs, which have become an increasingly contentious topic.

What is an NPE?

• An NPE can be loosely defined as any entity that earns or plans to earn the majority of its revenue from the licensing or enforcement of its patents.
• Other factors to consider include:
• An NPE is an entity that holds a patent for a product or process but has no intentions of developing or manufacturing it.
  
• An NPE could be a party that purchases a patent from one firm, and then sues another firm for infringing on the patent.
• At the end of the day, the definition of “patent troll” is highly amorphous, and the types of business models, patent enforcement, and licensing practices that are considered to constitute “trolling,” as opposed to more socially acceptable forms of monetizing patent rights, vary widely in public opinion.

Legal Implications of NPEs

• Because they do not sell products or services (other than the licensing of their patents), NPEs typically do not infringe on the patent rights contained in others’ patent portfolios.
• As a result, they are essentially invulnerable to the threat of counter-assertion, which is otherwise one of the most important defensive – and stabilizing – measures in patent disputes.
• The patent troll's business model revolves around two main criteria:
• A lengthy and expensive litigation process that deters the defendant from pursuing counter-actions, and
• A broad or vague patent that can be used to snare many defendants for licensing rights.

Different Types of NPEs

• Some inventors choose not to pursue the development, manufacturing, and sales of their inventions. 
• They may lack the resources to do so, or the interest, passion, and commitment that such an effort requires. 
• Instead, they may seek to license their inventions to others who can use them to deliver better products and services.
• Some companies invest in research, development and commercialization for a number of years, but fail to achieve adequate sales to sustain their business. 
• Facing this, they begin to seek a return on their investment through the licensing of their intellectual property.
• Some entities buy patents with the express purpose of licensing them aggressively.

Regardless, it is widely argued that so-called “patent trolls” are corrupting the U.S. patent system and endangering technology innovation and commercialization at large. Case in point, an influential study estimated the “direct costs” of patent troll litigation in the U.S. in 2011 at $29 billion.

I think the image below is a very entertaining and illustrative synopsis of my analysis!

Sources: https://www.patentfreedom.com/about-npes/background/, https://www.law.northwestern.edu/research-faculty/searlecenter/workingpapers/documents/Mazzeo_NPE_study_mhz_012112.pdf, http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/12/what-the-courts-did-to-curb-patent-trollingfor-now/383138/

OBVIOUSNESS: VIDEO | WEEK #7

Hey guys!

This post is going to be a brief summary of a video I found online about Obviousness and the Unified Patents Court! I have included the video I uploaded to my YouTube account below and the link from the actual website of Simmons & Simmons Elexica, a European law firm.

http://www.elexica.com/en/resources/podcast/episode-0272-obviousness-and-the-unified-patents-court

"Problem-Solution Approach"

Although the video is specific to Europe, much of the details they discuss with regards to obviousness are universally applicable. One of the lawyers specifically mentions the "Problem-Solution Approach" to dealing with potentially obvious patents:

1. Start with the closest piece of prior art
• Search for all previous patents that are similar to the patent in question
• The closest piece is easy to find because it is the patent that you have to make the fewest changes to
2. Identify the differences between the new patent and the prior art
• Locate the differences between the patent in question and the closest piece of prior art
• Ask yourself - "What difference does this difference actually make?"
3. Formulate a technical problem
• If the differences between the prior art and the patent in question DOES make some kind of difference, then you need to formulate it as a problem that needs to be solved
4. Determine if the solution is obvious
• The last steps requires the determination of the obviousness of the solution - is the solution an obvious solution to a technical problem?

Haberman vs. Jackel International Example

Also known as the "Anywayup Cup" case - the invention was a baby's drinker cup fitted with a known kind of valve to prevent it leaking. Babies drinker cups had been known for years. Parents all over the world had put up with the fact that if they were dropped they leaked. Nobody had thought to solve the problem. So when the patentee had the technically trivial idea of putting in a valve, there was an immediate success.

Was this patent obvious?

The court found the patent non-obvious, and according to the video, the key was the final step in the Problem-Solution Approach. Objectively, one might think that something so technically trivial would be obvious. However, nobody had ever thought to place a valve in the drinker cups, and the leakage from the cups was a serious problem, which suggests that a POSITA was unable to come up with the invention on their own, thus making the patent non-obvious.

I hope you all found this case as interesting as I did!

OBVIOUSNESS | WEEK #7

Hey guys!

This weeks post aims to discuss obviousness. As we learned in class, non-obviousness is a requirement for a patent to be approved. I will discuss the definition of obviousness that we established in class, and then I will analyze some of the research I found on my own online. I will then provide a concrete example of obviousness in order to make it clear what is expected of an approvable patent.

Class Definition:

• In class, we learned that:
• A patent is obvious if it is defined to be that way by a POSITA
• A POSITA is defined as a Person having Ordinary Skill In The Art

External Research:

• Through my own external research outside of class, I learned an invention can be obvious if it satisfies one of the following 6 criteria:

1. If the invention is created through a substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results the invention is obvious.
2. If the invention is achieved by using a known technique to improve a similar device in the same way the invention is obvious.
3. If the invention is created by applying a known improvement technique in a way that would yield predictable results the invention is obvious.
4. If the invention is achieved from choosing a finite number of identifiable, predictable solutions that have a reasonable expectation to succeed the invention is obvious.
5. If known work in one filed of endeavor prompts variations based on design incentives or market forces and the variations are predictable to one of skill in the art the invention is obvious.
6. If the invention a product of combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results the invention is obvious.

http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2014/02/01/when-is-an-invention-obvious/id=47709/

Illustrative Example of Obviousness:

• In class we discussed an example of obviousness with regards to bottle caps:
• Assume that one bottle cap has a blue cap, and an somebody else files a patent for a bottle cap that is red
• The patent would be likely rejected because it is obvious 
• A red bottle cap provides no functional benefits
• A red bottle cap fails to solve a new problem

PERSONAL VIEW RELATED TO ANTICIPATION AND OBVIOUSNESS | WEEK #5

Hi everybody!

This blog post will cover my personal views related to anticipation and obviousness. We learned a great deal about this in class, and I found the topic to be particularly interesting. In class, we learned that there are three main requirements for a patent to be approved:

1. Usefulness
• In order for a patent to be useful, it must meet a need or solve a problem
• The patent must fill a current or anticipated need
• A useful patent can be "reduced to practice", operated, or enabled (i.e. it can be built and function)
• A useful patent can be an improvement on an already existing patent
2. Novelty (Relates to anticipation)
• Anticipation occurs when a single piece of prior art practices all of the elements of a single claim
• A novel patent has not been published or implemented before
• Ways around justifying a seemingly un-novel patent
• If the structure is known, are the elements used in a new way?
• If the function is known, is there a new problem to solve?
3. Non-obviousness (Relates to obviousness)
• A patent can be rejected if it is obvious, meaning that a Person having Ordinary Skill in the Art (POSITA) defines it to be that way
• The patent must not be trivial or insignificant - it must serve a specific function
• The example we discussed in class was the bottle cap color example

I have included a video below created by an actual patent attorney that talks about anticipation and obviousness:

http://beemlaw.cmi-demo.com/video-gallery/three-common-rejections-of-patents

Thus, a patent can be rejected if it does not satisfy one of the aforementioned criteria (i.e. it is obvious or anticipated).

In the beverage sleeve examples I analyzed in my previous post, it was clear that many of these patents were similar but were able to functionally differentiate their claims, which is why they all were approved. Thus, although many of the patents attempted to solve the same problem, the technologies through which they did so varied widely. For example, while some patents described reusable sleeves while others described disposable ones. Some sleeves were customizable while others were not. Some sleeves gave beverage temperature readings, while others were composed of better material for insulation. At the end, none of the patents were obvious because every change served a functional purpose. None of the patents were un-novel because they did not infringe on the claims of others. Finally, all of the patents were useful because they met a need and solved a problem, even if it was by adding an improvement to an already existing patent.

INSULATED SLEEVE PATENTS AND PATENT APPLICATIONS | WEEK #5

Hey guys,

For this week's blog post, I will be discussing the backgrounds, priority dates, technologies, specifications, diagrams, and claims of the following patents:

1. US 6343735 B1: Insulating sleeve
2. US 2661889 A:  Thermal coffee cup
3. US 8,251,277 B1: Thermal sleeve, method for manufacturing a thermal sleeve, and combination cup and thermal sleeve
4. US 7,922,031 B1: Insulator sleeve for a beverage container
5. US 8118189 B1: Temperature-indicating sleeve and related container
6. US 6152363: Sleeve construction for improved paperboard cup insulation
7. US 20080078824 A1: Beverage cup sleeving system and method
8. US 20100019023 A1: Protective sleeve
9. US 20140151385 A1: Hot and cold cup sleeve

This will be a longer post, so for the sake of time, I am just going to dive right into it!

Patent #1:

• US 6343735 B1: Insulating sleeve
• Priority Date: May 4th, 2000
• Background: Hot beverages used to be served in foam plastic containers because of their strong insulation, but foam plastic has raised environmental concerns over the course of the last decade.
• Technology: Provides the user with a gripping surface that remains at a comfortable temperature despite the temperature of the liquid.
• Specifications: Ridges that run from top to bottom and from top to middle and two side cardboard folded sections with air gaps in order to reduce heat transfer.
• Claim Analysis: The invention is a sleeve with a top and bottom opening that wraps snugly around a cup containing liquids with high temperatures. It has two cardboard side flaps that offer an area of separation between the cup and the user's hand, allowing the beverage to cool down.

Patent #2:

• US 2661889 A:  Thermal coffee cup
• Priority Date: July 20th, 1948
• Background: This was the first invention that provided insulation from hot beverages that raised the temperature of the surface of the cups they filled.
• Technology: A coffee cup that insulates hot beverages without the use of any third-party objects or sleeves.
• Specifications: An outer frusto-conical shaped sleeve and an inner corrugated lining.
• Claim Analysis: The invention is a cup that contains an inner layer and an outer surface that provide an area of separation between the user's hand and the hot beverage. It has a bottom surface like all cups, but also has the functionality of being able to screw on a lid on the top for further heat retention or emission.

Patent #3:

• US 8,251,277 B1: Thermal sleeve, method for manufacturing a thermal sleeve, and combination cup and thermal sleeve
• Priority Date: April 15th, 2005
• Background: Prior to the creation of the thermal sleeve, multiple cups were often used to provide a layer of thermal insulation.
• Technology: The thermal sleeve provides insulation to protect a user's hand when holding an article that is hot or cold. The thermal sleeve can be referred to as a cup sleeve when it is used to wrap a cup.
• Specifications: Includes a layer of creped paper in order to provide thermal insulation.
• Claim Analysis: The invention includes claims on a cup sleeve, a cup sleeve in the form of a laminate, a thermal sleeve, a combination cup and cup sleeve, and a method for manufacturing a cup sleeve.

Patent #4:

• US 7,922,031 B1: Insulator sleeve for a beverage container
• Priority Date: March 1, 2006
• Background: With the increase of disposable paperboard coffee cups, various types of disposable coffee cup sleeves have been devised to eliminate the previous practice of “double cupping,” wherein an additional paperboard coffee cup was used to insulate the heat of the coffee from the consumer's hand. 
• Technology: A reusable insulation sleeve that provides a transparent area to allow for increased customizability.
• Specifications: Includes an opaque frusto-conical inner sleeve and a frusto-conical outer sleeve which may be made from vinyl, silicon rubber, or any other material with strong insulation properties.
• Claim Analysis: The invention includes claims on a reusable insulating sleeve with two frusto-conical layers that provide a layer of separation between the user's hand and hot surface of the disposable coffee cup.

Patent #5:

• US 8118189 B1: Temperature-indicating sleeve and related container
• Priority Date: December 15th 2006
• Background: When hot beverages are purchased for immediate consumption, they are most often sold in a disposable, insulated cup. Because the cup is at least partially insulated, it is very difficult for the consumer to know if the beverage is too hot for consumption, unless they feel the contents.
• Technology: A temperature-indicating sleeve capable of being placed on or around and in contact with an outer surface of a container. 
• Specifications: The sleeve comprises a top opening, a bottom opening, at least one sleeve wall having an outer surface; and a visually observable temperature indicator on or in the sleeve wall. The temperature indicator is calibrated according to the known insulating property of the container and/or the sleeve and is capable of determining a temperature of contents of the container to an accuracy of within about 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Claim Analysis: The claim provides for the temperature indicating sleeve itself, a container in combination with the sleeve, a sleeve for a container that insulates a hot or cold container from the user's hand, and the method for making it.

Patent #6:

• US 6152363: Sleeve construction for improved paperboard cup insulation
• Priority Date: May 3rd, 1999
• Background: This invention relates to the construction of sleeves for use with paperboard cups. Such structures of this type, generally, employ a paperboard sleeve backed with hot-melt glue dots which are used to improve the insulating characteristics of a paperboard cup to the same level of common polystyrene cups.
• Technology:  The invention offers a sleeve construction for providing insulation for a container.
• Specifications: Comprises a substantially smooth paperboard sleeve having a predetermined length and height and first and second sides, a plurality of air-gap means rigidly attached to the first side of the sleeve such that the air-gap means are individually spaced along the length, height, and first side of the sleeve in columns and rows, and a layer of printed graphics located substantially on the second side of the sleeve.
• Claim Analysis: The claim provides for a container sleeve that is made of a smooth paperboard material and has thermal air gaps to allow for quick and easy cooling and a section containing graphics for differentiation.

Patent #7:

• US 20080078824 A1: Beverage cup sleeving system and method
• Priority Date: April 23rd, 2006
• Background: When paper-based cups are filled with a hot liquid, soup, coffee, and tea they are difficult to handle. In addition they can be uncomfortable to handle when cold and become slippery due to condensation.
• Technology:  The invention offers an elastomer sleeve construction for providing insulation for a container and is resistant to water damage.
• Specifications: Comprises a layer of elastomer formed into a homogeneous seamless conical sleeve, the conical sleeve having an exterior surface, an interior surface an upper opening and a lower opening, wherein the upper opening is configured for receiving a beverage cup, and the inner surface of the conical sleeve is configured to contact an outer surface of the beverage cup. Another embodiment comprises a thermal cup protector comprising an elastomeric and fabric composite sleeve, a conical configuration and with opposed open top end and open bottom end, an exterior surface and an interior surface, the interior surface configured for receiving a beverage container with a frusto-conical shape.
• Claim Analysis: The claim provides for an elastomer formed into a homogenous conical sleeve with an exterior surface, an interior surface, and upper and lower boundaries.

Patent #8:

• US 20100019023 A1: Protective sleeve
• Priority Date: July 25th, 2008
• Background: Hot and cold beverages and food (e.g., coffee, tea, soft drinks, soup, ice cream, and the like) may present a handling problem to consumers when dispensed into containers such as drinking cups.
• Technology:  The invention offers a sleeve with a unique arch shape. Sleeves are sometimes used to supplement the thermal insulating properties of containers by, for example, reducing the rate of heat transfer between a container and a hand gripping the container.
• Specifications: The sleeve, when unassembled and laid flat, is a blank with top and bottom edges. The top and bottom edges have an arch-like formation created by peaks and troughs.
• Claim Analysis: The claim provides for a sleeve is disclosed having a unique arch-like shape that facilitates manufacturing material efficiency and therefore reduces material costs and environmental waste. A blank for a sleeve and a method of making a sleeve are also disclosed.

Patent #9:

• US 20140151385 A1: Hot and cold cup sleeve
• Priority Date: February 6th, 2014
• Background: Hot cup sleeves do not work well for cold drinks A cold drink gathers moisture on the outer surface of the cup. The moisture drips down onto the tabletop. The condensation makes a cardboard cup sleeve soggy when wet. Another difficulty is that moisture has a tendency to undo the glue that fastens the two ends of the cup sleeve together.
• Technology:  The invention offers a sleeve for use with hot or cold beverage cups. The sleeve is extremely lightweight, thin, inexpensive, and disposable. It is also a highly effective insulator for hot drinks.
• Specifications: The inner layer or lining is water-absorbent. This prevents condensation from dripping onto the table. The outer layer is made of a non-woven synthetic fabric for purposes of keeping the hand dry. The inner and outer layers are adhered together with a polyethylene film, which is not visible after fabrication. The two ends of the sleeve may be glued or hot-melted together.
• Claim Analysis: The claim provides for a disposable sleeve for beverage cups, comprising a water-absorbent lining, a water-repellent outer layer, and a polyethylene coating laminate film layer as an adhesive to bind said lining to said outer layer, wherein the material for said lining is selected from the group consisting of resin and pulp the material for said outer layer is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, viscous rayon, acrylic, aramid, and nylon.

SLIDE TO UNLOCK PATENT | WEEK #4

Hey guys!

After meticulously perusing through the "Slide to Unlock" patent (US 8046721), I can say that I now have a much deeper understanding for just how complicated and detailed patents really are. It is no wonder that it usually takes several attempts to get a patent approved, as we learned in class. I took some time to really try to understand all the details of the patent, including the diagrams, claims, and elements. This blog post will be an analysis of the Claim #1.

Analysis of Claim #1 | "Slide to Unlock"

Overview of Patent:

• Title: "Unlocking a device by performing gestures on an unlock image"
• Priority Date: December 23rd, 2005
• Filer: Apple, Inc.
• Inventors: Imran Chaudhri, Bas Ording, Freddy Allen Anzures, Marcel van Os, Stephen O. Lemay, Scott Forstall, Greg Christie

Key Terminology:

• Touch-sensitive display: used in many electronic devices to display graphics and text, and to provide a user interface through which a user may interact with the devices; may display one or more soft keys, menus, and other user-interface objects on the touch screen; a user may interact with the device by contacting the touch screen at locations corresponding to the user-interface objects with which he or she wishes to interact
• Method of unlocking: the patent (Claim #1) is meant to protect infringement of a "method", meaning the process by which the user is able to unlock the device

Analysis of Claim #1:

• First, it is important to note that Claim #1 is describing a METHOD, meaning a user-initiated action, that can unlock a...
• HAND-HELD ELECTRONIC DEVICE, meaning that the size of the device is up to the discretion of whoever is reviewing the patent; however all electronic devices should have the basic components, including RAM, some sort of processor, a display, etc.
• The method must unlock the device using a TOUCH-SENSITIVE DISPLAY which was defined above in the previous section; the "touch" aspect of the claim means that the user must make contact with...
• An UNLOCK IMAGE, or some sort of icon that depicts a symbol that is representative of unlocking something, at...
• A PREDEFINED START LOCATION on the screen, meaning that the location where the user makes contact with the screen must be apparent on the display itself, across...
• The display while maintaining contact with the display until the the icon reaches...


• A PREDEFINED END LOCATION on the screen
• If a competing idea or invention fails to mimi every single criteria of Claim #1, then it is not an infringement of the claim
• In order to infringe on a patent, you only need to infringe on one of its claims

https://www.google.com/patents/US8046721?dq=Slide+to+unlock+patent+US+8046721&hl=en&sa=X&ei=T_L9VOfdEYHUoAS8gIHYBw&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA

TOP 5 WORST PREDICTIONS (WEB) | WEEK #4

Greetings Patent Pals,

I hope you all enjoyed my top 5 worst predictions from the slides we discussed in class! Now I have posted the top 5 worst predictions that I found on the Internet. I think this is pretty self-explanatory if you read my last post, so just enjoy!

Top 5 Worst Predictions (Web)

1. "There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share." - Steve Ballmer, Former Microsoft CEO, 2007 - Today, the iPhone has the 2nd largest market share globally in the smartphone space, after Samsung. The reason is largely due to Apple's uncanny ability to do two things: 1) Pinpoint what people really want and expect out of their devices, and 2) Delivering these expectations in the simplest way possible so that there is no learning curve. Add on the fact that Apple has developed one of the most advanced technological ecosystems for their customers, and it really is not surprising at all that they are doing so well with the iPhone.
2. "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." - Ken Olson, Founder of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), 1977 - Today, most households own computers. They serve a recreational purpose that extends far beyond their work functionality, as they act as a medium through which media and digital content can be streamed and downloaded. They also allow people to more effectively communicate with each other and connect with each other through social media. A computer has become a necessity in virtually most fields, ranging from education, to enterprises, to entertainment.
3. "No one will need more than 637KB of memory for a personal computer. 640KB ought to be enough for anybody." - Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft - Today, most computers come preinstalled with at least 128GB of storage, and that is on the lower end of the spectrum. Bill Gates failed to account for the fact that people would start using their personal computers for most of their productive and entertainment-related tasks. This requires much more storage than he ever could have anticipated.
4. "I'd shut [Apple] down and give the money back to the shareholders." - Michael Dell, Founder and CEO of Dell Computers - How the tables have turned since then. Apple has had its struggles historically, but now there is no doubt that it stands as the most valuable technology company in the world and a cash cow for its investors through its dividends. Needless to say, Dell is ironically in a much different position. 
5. “Remote shopping, while entirely feasible, will flop." - Time Magazine, 1966 - I can understand why Time made this quote, but it is interesting to see how things played out, as this is far from the truth. The explosion of the Internet, as well as companies such as eBay and Amazon, have allowed retailers to sell most of their merchandise online, and consumers have responded very positively. In fact, many people do a majority of their shopping online these days - even groceries! The shared economy has also ushered in services such as Postmates and Instacart, which have effectively increased demand for online shopping as well.

TOP 5 WORST PREDICTIONS (SLIDES) | WEEK #4

Hello fellow IEOR bloggers,

This week I will be discussing the Top 5 worst predictions out of the 25 worst predictions that we discussed in class! It is pretty amazing how some of the world's most intelligent and influential figures in their respective fields have been simply flat out wrong when it came down to predicting the success of some of the worlds greatest inventions. Again, this is just my opinion, and I encourage lots of creative discussion with regards to my thoughts and ideas. Enjoy!

Top 5 Worst Predictions (Slides)

1. "I think there is room in the world for maybe 5 computers." - Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943 - Obviously there are much more than 5 computers in the world today. Computers used to be used for industrial purposes and were very large. Over generations of innovation, some form of a computer now exists in almost every modern and industrialized household, in the forms of PCs, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. The computer is growing increasingly more optimized for portability, speed, and recreational use.
   
2. "The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty - a fad." - The President of the Michigan Savings Bank advising Henry Ford's lawyer not to invest in the Ford Motor Co., 1903 - Automobiles are the most widely-used transportation vehicles today, while horses have grown to be almost completely obsolete outside of recreational purposes. Almost every industrialized household in the world today owns a car, as civilizations have been structured such that it has nearly become a necessity. Cars help transport people to their destinations, and products to their retailers, faster than horses ever could.
   
3. "A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth's atmosphere." - New York Times, 1936 - Not only have rockets left the Earth's atmosphere, but so have people, satellites, animals, and other foreign objects. We have made great strides towards discovery of life on other planets and exploration of our galaxy since 1936, and as we develop greater technologies, I can only imagine that we will be sending much more than just rockets to places beyond the Earth's atmosphere.
   
4. "There will never be a bigger plane built." - A Boeing engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane that holds ten people - We have come a long way since the Wright brothers built their model of the airplane. Today, airplanes can store hundreds of people and take them across the world to any destination that pleases them. Innovations in engineering have allowed for much more aerodynamic models to be manufactured, which has created much more economical air transportation.
   
5. “Everyone acquainted with the subject will recognize it as a conspicuous failure.” - Henry Morton, President of the Steven’s Institute of Technology on Edison’s Light Bulb, 1880 - It would now be difficult to imagine a world without light in it. The light bulb not only brightens our homes, but also our streets, our vehicles, and our computer displays. None of these things would be made possible if the light bulb didn't exist, and we would find ourselves pretty unproductive for about 12 hours of the day when it would be nearly impossible to see most things outside of candlelight range.

TOP 10 INVENTIONS REVISITED | WEEK #3

Hey guys,

Welcome back to my blog again! Professor Lavian brought up a really good point in class this week - what is the point of sharing our opinions an thoughts with each other on this social media platform if we aren't learning from each other? Different people have different perspectives, and they all bring up very valid points and arguments. I have looked through many of your blogs, and I really like a lot of the ideas you guys have had for your top 10 inventions! That being said, I have updated my top 10 inventions list based on what I have read in your blogs!

I noticed that many of you guys used a color coded system to make the changes to your lists easier to understand. I found this to be a fantastic idea, and I hope that you all don't mind if I did something similar!

KEY:

Black = Same Placement
Blue - New to List
Green = Improved Ranking
Red = Reduced Ranking

Top 10 Inventions Revisited

1) The Internet - The Internet has changed the way we communicate with each other, process news and information, view and interact with media and entertainment, connect with each other, and store and record data.

2) Currency - Currency has given nations around the world a systemized and standardized method of trade that can accurately establish the worth of goods and services as well as a medium for exchange that eliminates the need to store commodities under barter.

3) Smartphone - The smartphone has not only changed the way we communicate with each other, but also the way we connect with each other through social median and interact with the world around us through various utilities and applications.

4) Written Language - Written language has given societies a medium through which they are able to pass down theories, stories, histories, arts, ideas, and literature. Written language has proven to be the most lasting method of communication.

5) Telephone - The telephone has made it easier to communicate in a faster and more timely and efficient matter. It has almost eliminated the need for writing letters to contact distant friends, families, and relatives, and it has made the world a much smaller place to live.

6) Light Bulb - Imagine a world in which we did not have lights. It would be an absolute disaster. We take lights for granted, as we use them in our homes, on the streets, at work, with vehicles, and even to illuminate the displays of our televisions, phones, and computers.

7) Television - Televisions have made it much easier to receive real time updates of the news and weather while also serving as a primary source of media entertainment. It also provides real people discussing hosting this content, which allows viewers to more effectively resonate.

8) Anesthesia - Anesthesia has made it possible to perform life-saving and cosmetic surgeries while eliminating the pain that people feel while they undergo these surgeries.

9) Camera - Cameras allow people to store and cherish the memories they make, while also serving as a medium for entertainment through video cameras.

10) Wheel - The wheel has served as the fundamental building block for all transportation vehicle innovations over the course of the last several centuries. A simple invention, the wheel has spurred on innovation with vehicles and recreational sports.

TOP 10 INVENTIONS | WEEK #2

Welcome back everyone! 

This week I have posted what I believe to be the top 10 technological advancements of all time that have had the greatest impact on society. Keep in mind that this is simply my opinion, and I encourage any creative discussion and debate on my selections. My top 10 is in no particular order. I have included my slide presentation and transposed the content at the bottom of this blog post. Enjoy!

1) Internet

• The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link several billion devices worldwide. 
• The US Department of Defense awarded contracts as early as the 1960s for packet network systems, including the development of the ARPANET (which would become the first network to use the Internet Protocol.) 
• The Internet contributes greatly to the creation of an ever-increasing global information database. Thus its importance can not be over-emphasized. Its importance includes the ability to easily deliver information in any format, to/from a wide range of computing platforms. In addition to information from external sources, it could also be used as a mechanism to share information within an enterprise. Several large companies have hundreds of internal servers, and the number is growing rapidly. The Internet provides access to mail, interactive conferences, network news, and rich information resources. In summary, the Internet has made the world “smaller” by allowing us to communicate and deliver and gather information more effectively and efficiently than we could before. 

2) Wheel

• A circular object that revolves on an axle and is fixed below a vehicle or other object to enable it to move easily over the ground. 
• Evidence of wheeled vehicles appears from the second half of the 4th millennium BC, near-simultaneously in Mesopotamia, the Northern Caucasus, and Central Europe, so that the question of which culture originally invented the wheeled vehicle is still unsolved. 
• Wheels have been historically important because they have allowed transportation and trade to happen more easily than they otherwise would. They have also made warfare more mobile. These two factors have contributed to the constant expansion of civilizations to the point where we now have a very interconnected world system. The wheel allowed people to engage in peaceful trade more easily. It allowed goods to be pulled in carts. Eventually, it allowed the invention of railroad cars and automobiles. These factors increased the amount of contact between areas and regions. They helped to create a situation in which both war and trade tended to help do away with small countries and create bigger countries. This helped bring about the situation we now have with large countries that are in close contact due to trade. 

3) Refrigeration

• Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. The work of heat transport is traditionally driven by mechanical work, but can also be driven by heat, magnetism, electricity, laser, or other means. 
• In 1842, John Gorrie created a system capable of refrigerating water to produce ice. Although it was a commercial failure, it inspired inventors around of the world to produce modern refrigeration. 
• The most common, and arguably most important, use for refrigeration is food preservation. It used to be that people had to go to a market every day and buy fresh groceries before they perished. Early methods of food preservation such as cold cellars and salting were expensive, difficult to regulate, and didn’t maintain the same quality as what we are used to today. After the discovery of bacteria the importance of refrigeration became clear. Low temperatures slow chemical and biological processes including bacterial growth which spoils food. Modern refrigeration provides an environment too cold for harmful bacteria to flourish, keeping people healthy. Refrigeration, especially at very low temperatures, has had an incredible impact on the medical world as well. Human tissue deteriorates quickly when it is not supported by a body.

4) Television

• A system for transmitting visual images and sound that are reproduced on screens, chiefly used to broadcast programs for entertainment, information, and education. 
• The invention of the television was the work of many individuals in the 19th and early 20th century. Individuals and corporations competed in various parts of the world to deliver a device that superseded previous technology. 
• Most households today have at least one television set. First of all, there are many different types of programs on television. The viewer can watch a weather report to prepare for the day, cartoons and sport for relaxation and fun, and school programs, documentaries and the news to learn about the world. Furthermore, advertisements inform us about products and new ideas. Because TV is a medium that combines moving, color images and sound, it resembles real life, so viewers can identify with what they see. Modern technology ensures that the content is up to date meaning that information is available almost anywhere at any time. In summary, TVs serve to fulfill our needs for entertainment and knowledge through an up to date and realistic medium that we can resonate with.

5) Penicillin

• An antibiotic or group of antibiotics produced naturally by certain blue molds, and now usually prepared synthetically. 
• Penicillin was discovered in London in September of 1928. Dr. Alexander Fleming, the bacteriologist on duty at St. Mary’s Hospital, returned from a summer vacation in Scotland to find a mold called Penicillium notatum had contaminated his Petri dishes. 
• The discovery of penicillin changed the world of medicine enormously. With its development, infections that were previously severe and often fatal, like bacterial endocarditis, bacterial meningitis and pneumococcal pneumonia, could be easily treated. Even dating all the way back to World War II and today with the war in Iraq, soldiers experienced injuries that would have been fatal without penicillin and other antibiotics that were developed subsequently. Penicillin helped reduce the number of deaths and amputations of troops during World War II. According to records, there were only 400 million units of penicillin available during the first five months of 1943; by the time World War II ended, U.S. companies were making 650 billion units a month.

6) Airplane

• A powered flying vehicle with fixed wings and a weight greater than that of the air it displaces. 
• The Wright brothers flights in 1903 are recognized by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the standard setting and record-keeping body for aeronautics, as "the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight”. 
• The significance of development of the airplane has had widespread ramifications on the society of the world. Airplanes have changed the way people travel and conduct wars. At times, they have also been centerpieces in popular culture, influencing generations of Americans and people worldwide. Airplanes are important, because they allow people and goods to be transported quickly over great distances and over all types of terrain. Before the advent of safe and convenient travel by airplane, journeys took much longer and were more difficult. Long voyages by ship are no longer a necessity to cross the world's oceans. Letters and packages arrive to distant destinations quickly and safely through air transport. Airplanes deliver supplies quickly to remote locations in emergency situations and restock military operations. 

7) Cotton Gin

• A machine for separating cotton from its seeds. 
• The modern mechanical cotton gin was invented in the United States in 1793 by Eli Whitney (1765–1825). Whitney applied for a patent on October 28, 1793; the patent was granted on March 14, 1794, but was not validated until 1807. 
• The cotton gin made cotton the principle cash crop. Prior to the cotton gin the principle cash crop was tobacco. Better than half the day was wasted deseeding the cotton by hand, meaning that less cotton could actually be picked. Plus if you wanted to increase cotton production by having a person do nothing but pick the cotton, you then either had to have a second person do nothing but deseed and clean the cotton or pick one day and deseed and clean the next. Both options were wasteful, even with slave labor. After the advent of the cotton gin, it became much easier to deseed cotton, causing the price of cotton to decrease, making cotton more affordable, and allowing people to sell even more because they were now able to produce more cotton a day.

8) Telephone

• A system that converts acoustic vibrations to electrical signals in order to transmit sound, typically voices, over a distance using wire or radio. 
• Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the invention of the telephone in 1876. Elisha Gray, 1876, designed a telephone using a water microphone in Highland Park, Illinois. Tivadar Puskás invented the telephone switchboard exchange in 1876. 
• The telephone is a communication device that people are still using today. The advent of the telephone changed the way we talk to people and access information forever. With the telephone people became more tuned in to the issues that were happening all around them. Through use of the telephone people could talk to each other for longer periods of time and receive information faster than they could by mail. The telephone ushered in a new era. Businesses and advertisements started using the telephone as a means of getting through to people. When important meetings or information came up people would relay it using the telephone. Overall, the telephone ushered in a new era of communication and information gathering.

9) Automobile

• A road vehicle, typically with four wheels, powered by an internal combustion engine or electric motor and able to carry a small number of people. 
• Starting in the late 1700's, European engineers began tinkering with motor powered vehicles. Steam, combustion, and electrical motors had all been attempted by the mid 1800's. By the 1900's, the combustion engine became the engine of choice. 
• The automobile has radically changed city life by accelerating the outward expansion of population into the suburbs. The suburban trend is emphasized by the fact that highway transportation encourages business and industry to move outward to sites where land is cheaper, where access by car and truck is easier than in crowded cities, and where space is available for their one or two story structures. Before the automobile, people both lived in the city and worked in the city, or lived in the country and worked on a farm. Because of the automobile, the growth of suburbs has allowed people to live on the outskirts of the city and be able to work in the city by commuting. New jobs due to the impact of the automobile such as fast food, city/highway construction, state patrol/police, etc. allow more employment for the world's growing population. 

10) Smartphone

• A cellular phone that performs many of the functions of a computer, typically having a touchscreen interface, Internet access, and an operating system capable of running downloaded applications. 
• In 2007, Apple Inc. introduced the iPhone, one of the first mobile phones to use a multi-touch interface. The iPhone was notable for its use of a large touchscreen for direct finger input as its main means of interaction, instead of a stylus, keyboard, or keypad typical for smartphones at the time 
• Smart phones are popular among people for the applications they offer to the users. People find it quite easier to communicate with people in a different way and also access different things with the features that smartphones support. People enjoy a lot of benefits in various forms of their daily work. They also get things done in quick time in an efficient manner. Smartphones offer: better means of communication, great exposure to the latest news, ways to personally development, simple ways to access applications, and a platform to communicate more effectively. Smartphones also serve a great entertainment value and allow people to connect more easily with each other by providing a platform through which users can access their social media accounts on the go.