Levels of inventions

Altshuller observed that not all patented inventions are equal. They strongly differ in the levels of their conceptual sophistication and in the ways they were developed. Therefore, he proposed a five-level scale for their classification. These levels are briefly overviewed here. 

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However, even if there is some disclosure of the invention in the prior activity, the law of patents in the United States requires a high level of detail concerning the invention. A summary of factors to consider in establishing that an invention is not obvious is as foUows ... 

In addition to the telegraph, the invention of electricity resulted in the development of other communications systems that paved the way for the modern communications infrastructure. The telegraph was followed by the laying of the transatlantic cable (18.S8), the invention of the telephone (1876), Marconi s wireless telegraph (1897), television (1927), and satellite communications (1957). Although early implementation of each technology was restricted to a minimum level of practical communication, each technology eventually evolved into a mass market for use by businesses and residential customers. 

The nickel-cadmium battery was invented by Jungner in 1899. The battery used nickel hydroxide for the positive electrode, cadmium hydroxide for the negative electrode, and an alkaline solution for the electrolyte. Jungner s nickel-cadmium battery has undergone various forms of the development using improved materials and manufacturing processes to achieve a superior level of performance. 

The research that we conducted, the Evergreen Project, was designed to avoid these problems. It was the largest study of its kind ever undertaken. We analyzed over 60,000 pages of information from 200 firms in multiple industries. In all, ten years of data were collected. The firms that were studied varied in size, and we complemented these broad extensive analyses with focused, in-depth exploration of issues of special interest. Both researchers and practitioners were involved. Fourteen prominent academics from Dartmouth, Harvard, Wharton, and other leading business schools were involved. Twenty-one practitioners implemented the study in coordination with the academic researchers. We interviewed journalists, executives, and Wall Street analysts. We let the answers come from the data, and then tested specific hypotheses to explore promising possibilities. And finally, we invented new statistical methodology that is appropriate to this level of complexity. 

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