Q&A with Steve Greenberg: The Innovation Insider
Each month we interview a different expert for their insider’s perspective on innovation. This month: Steve Greenberg, author of GADGET NATION: A Journey Through The Eccentric World of Invention. As “The Innovation Insider,” Steve travels the country looking for innovative products, showcasing the latest trends, and demonstrating new products on television programs seen in America’s largest markets, such as NBC’s "Today Show." He also writes for several magazines, newspapers and websites. Steve is on the board of the United Inventors Association (UIA), for which he produced and hosted a 10-part educational video series on "What Every Inventor Needs to Know." Here’s perspective from Steve:
Q: What excites you about inventions?
Steve: Ingenuity is exciting. When people use their brains to solve problems we ultimately improve the human condition. Sure, some inventions may not truly change the world, but the act of inventing is about moving forward, about fixing one aspect of our lives. Inventors are all about creativity and that’s inspiring.
Q: As someone who often shows inventions on national programs like NBC’s "Today Show", what do you see as the key attributes necessary to show an invention on national TV?
February 2010
In this issue
- Q&A with Steve Greenberg: The Innovation Insider
- More positives from the USPTO
- Case study: Trax™ Leash launch lessons
- FYI: Upcoming tradeshows for new inventions
- More headlines from AbsolutelyNew
- Invention quote of the month
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More positives from the USPTO
The USPTO continues to struggle with an array of challenges. Director David Kappos, to his credit, has openly acknowledged the challenges—most notably, limited funding, people resources, and technical resources, which together have limited the agency’s ability to review patents and change with the world around—and is working to address them. After all, you can’t fix a problem until you first admit it is indeed a problem.
The going is slow and we’re far from ready to cheer, but we’re pleased to point out three positive developments and how they can affect your pending or future patent applications:
Case study:
Trax™ Leash launch lessons
Every product experience is unique, but each also offers learning that can be leveraged by others.
This month we go deep into the Trax™ retractable leash line—which will reach some very large pet-product stores later this year—sharing the behind-the-scenes story and lessons from the road to launch.
FYI: Upcoming tradeshows for new inventions
Tradeshows are great for showcasing inventions and/or making contacts with industry leaders. The key is to plan ahead, to get the most out of each show you attend. So looking beyond this month, here’s a list of U.S. tradeshows happening in the March to June window.
More headlines from AbsolutelyNew
• ABC-TV “Shark Tank” Pro Joins AbsolutelyNew’s Advisory Board
• AbsolutelyNew VP Elected to United Inventors Association Board
• ORB™ Wireless Earpiece Finger Ring Wins CES 2010 Top Honor
• AbsolutelyNew Launching 10 Inventive Products in PETCO Stores
Invention quote of the month
"The easy first idea that comes into your head as a designer is not always the best. If you work and work and work you can come up with a much better approach."
— Steve “Woz” Wozniak, Apple Computer co-founder,
recipient of U.S. patent numbers 4,136,359; 4,210,959; 4,217,604; and 4,278,972