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Patent
Searches |
Activity 3.2.1:
Have you ever had an idea that you thought would be great
enough to patent? Did you talk to a patent attorney or
expert about the process involving patents? If so, you
discovered it is a detailed process and searching for
existing patents can be tricky.
There are three main ways to
search for patents on the United States Patent and Trademark
Office’s (USPTO) website. These are keyword searching,
number searching, and browsing using the manual of
classification.
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Interviews
and Testimonials |
Activity
3.2.2: Often during the course
of researching a topic, you will come across a personal
testimonial or interview as to the effectiveness of a particular
product or process. Just look at the exercise or dieting
industry, where you will see numerous examples. During your
research, you may come across one or more testimonials that will
support the validity of your chosen need. It adds a personal
touch to what could become dry research and emphasizes the human
factor. For example, if you are concerned about the number of
injuries caused by lifting heavy wheelchairs into cars, a
logical place to look for people also interested in that would
be at nursing homes or extended care facilities.
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Pros and Cons |
Activity 3.2.3: Benjamin
Franklin used the pros and cons listing technique when he
was in the process of making important decisions. In his
notes, he explains that he would take a piece of paper and
fold it down the middle, creating two columns. One side
would be reasons for an action and the other side would be
reasons against the action. He would then list all the
things he could think of in the appropriate column. When he
was finished, he would strike the ones he felt cancelled
each other out; the column with the most remaining would be
the course of action he would follow. He very candidly tells
of this being the way he chose his wife.
As you are graduating from high
school and focusing on college, you will be faced with many
decisions. Your choice of colleges will depend upon many of
the following factors: available scholarships, courses of
study offered, tuition cost, housing options, and minimum
acceptance requirements. No doubt you will rank these
considerations, and possibly others based on their
importance to you. After you have compiled a list of
colleges offering your course of study, you can decide which
one satisfies most of your considerations. This is the type
of informed decision-making engineers and many other
professionals make everyday. It provides them with a
justification for their choices that are based on objective
considerations.
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