Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 6.5: Example of Morphological Analysis
Specifi cation
feature
Specification
feature
Solution 1
Solution 1
Solution 2
Solution 2
Solution 3
Solution 3
Solution 4
Solution 4
Solution N
Solution N
1
sample
1. Collect
Sample
C
S
Syringe
P
Pin prick
p
I
Incision
2
2. Transport
Sample
T
a
t
S
Sample Bottle
B
A
Absorbent sheet
s
S
Slide
O
On instrument
in 1.
i
D
Direct to device
(3)
e
t
d
sample
in 1
(3)
3
3. Analyze
Sample
A
…
…
..
.
sample
4
4. Dispose of
sample
D
o
…
…
..
.
sample
6.4.7 Research
Although this has been left to last, it should not be your last point of call. Remember the
Newton quote “on the shoulders of giants”? Why reinvent the wheel if you do not have to.
Quite often the solution is, quite literally, staring you in the face. But where do you start?
The first place is lapsed patents. If a patent has lapsed then it is free to be used. If you have
the money, then you are also able to buy or license active patents. Every government has a
patent office, and every national patent office has a patent search engine, hence all you need is
access to the web to perform this simple search.
The second place to look is a company catalog (and trade literature). Often there is something
sitting on a shelf that you can buy that is totally fit for your purpose. Because you're buying
it off the shelf you have no development costs, and it will probably be cheaper in the long
run. Do not be afraid of buying technology; however make sure that what you have found is
“
medical use compliant
”!
The third place to look is scientific literature. Quite often a research project in a university
will present something in a paper that solves your problem. They may or may not have it
protected by a patent. If they haven't then it is public domain and you can use it; if it is
protected you will need to contact the University IP office to discuss licensing. However be
warned…University IP offices are not fast movers so do not expect a quick answer.
6.4.8 We Have Ideas!
The whole reason for Section 6.4 was to enable you to generate ideas, and lots of them.
Generating ideas, if done sensibly, is relatively easy. Generating lots of ideas can be quite
hard, and every now and then generating just one idea becomes tediously slow. However,
using one of the tricks listed above should “oil the wheels of creativity.” The hard part is yet
to come, which is how do we pick the best idea? That is the topic for the next section.
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