USPTO Educator Invention Challenge “Necessity is the mother of all inventions” Anonymous

Teacher Innovator Challenge NEW Task: Invent or Improved Product or Service Key Deliverables: Create a 3 minute pitch + logo + jingle Sketch your invention (perfection is not required ) Search the patent and trademark databases for ideas; Is your invention novel? Is your trademark registerable? Get everyone fully ENGAGED in the process Use your rubric as a guide!

Problem, Collaborate, Solve (1-2-3) What is the Problem Looking for the right problem to solve Use your bug list from STEM Innovator as a starting point Collaborate – Team work makes the dream work  Problem Solve (Solutions) Search USPTO Patent and Trademark Databases What is your Value Proposition? Put yourself in the shoes of your customer(s) – Customer Discovery Test your solution (ask the customer, call them) Pivot as needed (i.e., change the solution to adapt to customer needs) Explain some of the issues and problems that are typically associated with a skateboard or animal bowl. You may ask the audience how many of you have animals at home? How many of your students play with skateboards?

Design, Invent & Protect Design It: Design, sketch, prototype the invention Invent It: Is this a NEW invention or an IMPROVEMENT of an existing one? How does it work? What will do? Who will use it? Protect It: (Patents, Trademarks, Trade Secrets, Copyrights) For Patents: www.uspto.gov/patents For Trademarks: www.uspto.gov/trademarks Make sure that you emphasize that drawing a picture is key. Remember a picture is worth more than a 1000 words. Is the invention new or an improvement upon something that exists already? Did you know that in both cases you can get a US patent? Provided it is new, useful and non-obvious. Show us or tell us how it would work. Remember you have to sell it to me. I am the investor. Make connection to Shark Tank show.

Pitch It Today Branding It: (Trademarks) LOGO - design and sketch a logo for your invention TAGLINE - What can brown do for you?® JINGLE - NBC Entertainment Chime Pitching (Selling) It: (Putting It All Together) Describe the invention What are the key benefits and features of the invention? Who will buy it? How much will it cost? How will you market it? How will your new invention be sold? e.g., on-line, retail Make connection to shows that offer an opportunity for inventors to pitch their ideas to a group of investors such as the Shark Tank show. ***Please don’t forget your disclaimers. Make it credible. Why would anyone care about your product? What are the special features that makes it different than anything else that exists in the marketplace today? Is the price point reasonable? Too expensive?

Invention Topics Revealed “Classroom management Food and cooking Save the planet Sports mania You wear it well

Judging Categories Best overall presentation/pitch Most commercially viable invention Most creative invention “Gotta Have It Now” invention Most creative branding or product name