The Inventor in You
A Step-by-Step Guide to Your First Invention
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Chances are, you will invent something in your lifetime. We all have some hidden talent for solving problems, coming up with better solutions, or creating something new. Some of us may be better at these things than others, but all you need to do to invent something is identify that talent, nurture it, and learn how to use it more effectively. Like any other ability, the more you use it, the better you at get it. And, if you don’t use it, you can certainly lose it. These talents are the real tools that can lead to an invention. If you think somebody like you could never invent something, you are wrong. You do not have to be a genius, or even a scientist, to be an inventor. Many important inventions were created by ordinary people like you. There are plenty of things waiting to be created in our everyday lives. How many times do you hear people say, “I wish there was a better way to do this?” In most cases, this gives you the reason or the need for an invention. It may be the right opportunity for you to start thinking about coming up with a solution. Most of us just say this and do nothing about it, believing that we do not have what it takes to solve the problem. We are not necessarily talking about designing a rocket ship. In fact, inventing a better product can be as simple as modifying an object that you handle every day to your liking. As a consumer, you may know more about the uses of that object than the person who designed it. Many inventions were the result of making small changes to commonplace tools or items. Not all of these design changes are necessarily the work of the manufacturing designers. Many suggestions came from consumers just like you. When you are not happy with a tool or consumer good that you are using, you may come up with an improvement without even realizing it. Unfortunately, only a small number of people take that idea seriously and decide to take the next step. Throughout my life, I have heard many people say, “I had a good idea once,” but they never did anything about it. Some common excuses or reasons for not acting on that idea include: “somebody else probably thought of it before,” and “it will never work,” and “it sounds silly,” and “I don’t have the time or money to go through with it.” The same people may regret not acting when they see their idea coming to market years later. Just having an idea in your mind is not enough; you have to have a strong desire to invent something. You need to follow it through until the end and make it happen. Remember, not all ideas will come to fruition, but you will never know until you try. Your invention may be for an idea for a new product, a new process, or even a new use for something that already exists. The idea could be something simple, like folding a piece of paper differently to create a new, unique, or useful shape. It might be doing something differently to make a process easier, faster or better; or discovering a new use for an existing product. Be creative with your ideas. Your invention may be a new toy or a game that brings joy to children, a machine that makes an everyday process easier, a medicine or a cure for a disease, a computer program that launches a satellite, or something significant that makes our lives more comfortable, better, and brighter. The end result could vary from something that makes subtle changes in our life to something revolutionary that can change the world.
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About the Book
Charles Kannankeril, an inventor with seventy patents, draws on his years of experience in creating innovative and useful products to help you bring your own ideas to life. Whenever someone says, “I wish there were a better way to do this,” then you have an opportunity for an invention. All you need to do is identify a solution, make it a reality, and then promote your method. The more you cultivate these abilities, the better you’ll become at inventing. With this guide to inventing, you’ll learn how to: · identify areas where an invention could solve a problem; · develop the mindset, motivation, and determination to develop inventions; · navigate cost factors in the invention process; and · improve upon inventions that already exist. Kannankeril also emphasizes how important it is to believe you have what it takes to solve problems. Many inventors make great contributions simply by modifying objects that they handle every day to their liking. Filled with stories from the author’s own experiences as an inventor, this practical and entertaining guide to inventing explores how an inventor’s mind works and how to find The Inventor in You.
About the Author
Charles Kannankeril was born in Kerala, India, where he received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. After coming to United States, he received a master’s degree in organic chemistry from the University of Massachusetts. Charles was accepted to the doctorate program there, but he decided to pursue engineering to broaden his knowledge base. He received a master’s degree in engineering, from the same university in the field of plastics. Charles has over three years of teaching experience at universities in India and the United States. He has worked in the plastics and rubber industries and has forty-five years of research and development experience in this area. Charles has held various positions in these fields including development engineer, senior development engineer, senior engineering fellow, and director of research and development. Invention has been a large part of his life. He grew up in India without much more than the essentials. Instead of wishing for the kind of luxury and modern capabilities others had, Charles created his own way by making the best out of what he did have. When he saw or heard about the new technologies and advances outside, he often thought about how to experience and recreate what he was missing. The best way he could do that was by imagining, imitating, and improvising. Charles recognized his hidden talents and skills, nurtured them, and learned how to use them. He learned the necessary techniques to train his mind and prepare it to think and act like an inventor’s mind. He set his goals high and started doing things differently with the resources available to him. This attitude of experimentation and determination gave him the creativity, knowledge, and confidence to become an inventor. During his career, he was granted a total of seventy patents—thirty-seven from the United States and thirty-three international. Currently, Charles has ten patent applications that are pending in the US patent office. Some of his inventions are also protected by trade secrets. Over the years, he invented and documented over three hundred ideas for new products and processes. His areas of expertise include cushion technology using Bubble Wrap, foam, paper, and on-demand cushion products; food packaging technology related to meat-packaging trays, absorbent pads, and microbial control; medical products such as inflatable hospital beds, ostomy bags, blood-wipe pads, and biohazard material shipping bags; solar-power technology, and polymer formulation and process technology. One of his significant inventions—a high temperature–resistant rubber tape formula that could withstand 3400° F—was not patented but instead kept as a trade secret. In recognition of his contributions, Charles was inducted into Sealed Air Inventors Hall of Fame in 2004 and received the Engineer of the Year award from the Indian Engineer’s Association in 2012. By sharing his life and research experiences, Charles’s goal is to inspire readers to be creative and set their goals high to make meaningful contributions to society by creating a better way of life. Charlie Kannankeril is one of the most prolific and creative inventors I’ve met in more than thirty years in business. He has written a wonderful book about a creative young boy who developed a passion for invention and grew up to develop more than seventy patents. It’s also a superb guide on how to develop our inventive skills, as told by a top-notch inventor. In his book, Charlie shows us how we all can become more inventive in our professional and personal lives. A worthwhile read by anyone interested in the inventive process. —William V. Hickey, Retired Chairman and CEO, Sealed Air Corporation I first met Charlie in the early 1990s after he had already become a legendary inventor at Sealed Air, and I was immediately struck by how humble and curious he was. For someone with his well-earned reputation as a genius inventor he was remarkably approachable; he had time for everyone and was always available to share insights, provide gentle suggestions, and perhaps most important to challenge assumptions. When Charlie talks about the inventor inside all of us, his philosophy is centered on a trait we all can access but often ignore—the need to be actively curious. Charlie is one of the most curious people I know—always asking questions, then questioning the answers, then using the insights gained to inform his imagination. Charlie would tell you that curiosity feeds imagination, and he certainly has a special gift for helping to unlock the inventor in all of us. —Ken Chrisman, Division President, Sealed Air Corporation I believe everyone possesses the potential to be creative and innovative. Some build on another’s idea such as by adding a new feature or benefit. Others start with a blank sheet of paper to create a new, game-changing concept. Having worked with Charlie for many years, I can tell you that he excels in the ability to play both roles. If I were to categorize inventors as novice, apprentice, or master, Charlie is definitely a master. He is known among his peers as an invention machine. Much like Michelangelo describing his sculpting of David where he said he simply chipped away the stone that was not David in order to allow David to emerge, Charlie’s imagination of future possibilities brings his inventions to life. Having seen Charlie’s imagination and inventive processes firsthand, I can assure you that you are learning from one of the best. —George D. Wofford, Vice President, Global Core R&D, Sealed Air Corporation When I think of creativity, innovation, resourcefulness, and imagination no matter the subject matter or obstacle, I immediately think of Charles and his time at Sealed Air. Charles possesses the mind-set and attitude combined with a keen sense of curiosity that allow him to view problems differently and come up with unique solutions. His vast number of patents and trade secrets over his career are a direct indicator that being an inventor is about a drive for continuous learning to solve some of the most challenging issues in industry. Charles’s portfolio of work spans a vast array of scientific and engineering disciplines illustrating how to bring out the inventor in all of us from someone who has been living the inventor’s life since his childhood. —Chad Stephens, Vice President, R&D, Product Care Division, Sealed Air Corporation In the last 25 years that I have known Charlie, I discovered that he was behind some of the game changing inventions in the plastics industry, which transformed the lives of ordinary people around the globe. Innovation and entrepreneurship begin with the identification of problems in our daily lives and finding solutions for them. Charlie began his journey as an inventor by finding solutions to the problems of an under-developed island in India, the land of "Jugaad", by adapting modern technology to enrich lives. His talents eventually flourished in the world’s capital of research and development, which gave him a productive environment long before innovation became the engine of growth of the economy. Charlie's life epitomizes the story of how Indian talents, combined with the capital and opportunities of the United States, have created wonders in both countries. Many innovators have told their stories, but Charlie's book, 'The Inventor in You' is more a guide for the next generation of inventors rather than a simple account of his exceptional accomplishments. I am sure that his story will inspire new generations to identify their talents and to develop them to enrich the era of new technology, without losing the human touch —-T.P. Sreenivasan, Former Ambassador of India, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.