Patent tip: Recognize the invention!

Search for "pling-effects"

The best way to describe an invention is by the "pling-effect". "Pling-effects" occur when a problem occurs that is difficult  to solve. Most of these problems come about, because one or more counteracting forces prohibit an aimed effect to occur.

For instance the situation:

My son wants to organize a birthday party on the freshly discovered earthy planet Kepler 452b.

problem:

Even when travelling the speed of light, it is about 1400 years travelling. So the guests will likely arrive late, probably too late.

So the problem cannot be easily solved, until someone reaches a "pling-moment", which in this case is daunting to say the least.

Occurrence of "pling-effects"

Mostly the "pling-moment" occurs somewhere distant from the environment where the problem originally occurred. Like during relaxing, sport, showering, sleep or having a beer with close friends. It is the sudden light bulb, the creation of a new insight, a somehow higher level of knowledge than before that defines a "pling-moment".

The true master of all examples of the "pling-effect" is the Eureka moment of Archimedes in his bath tub, when he had to investigate the gold content of a crown of the that time reigning king. The excitement when the insight has reached apparently was so great that he danced naked in the streets of joy.

"Pling-effects" are often extremely rewarding, and mostly the solution appears dead simple once it has appeared in the mind. Here the danger of downgrading the invention is likely to occur, especially by people with creative technical minds. Questions like: is that so special? or remarks like everyone could have come up with this are detrimental for the recognition of inventions.

Remember, this is always a hindsight view! Beforehand, before the "pling-effect", no-one would say the solution is easy, because, before the "pling-effect", there was none to judge in the first place.

Mostly, the hard and often frustrating work comes in implementing the "pling-effect" in a working prototype. Mostly it is difficult, because the implementation is never performed before. It is like stepping into the unknown and see if it works out.

So whenever a "pling-moment" occurs, a potentially patent worthy invention may have been generated, out of thin air! This much explains the word invention, as if the wind has blown something into a mind.

Summarizing

- "Pling-effects" indicate an invention.
- "Pling-effects" occur at very distinct and memorizable moments, mostly in a relaxed state of mind.
- "Pling-effects" are giving a sense of excitement.
- "Pling-effects" are mostly very simple in hindsight.
- "Pling-effects" are by nature difficult to implement, because nobody has done it before, ever.


When is such "pling-effect" patent worthy?  You will read more about the patent requirements in one of my future patent tips!

I wish you happy inventing!

Hendrik de Lange
Dutch and European patent attorney
http://www.octrooifabriek.nl

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes