Title: Phase 2 — Instructor Notes (Instructor ONLY)
Course: ATEP - MMT: Module A: > Section: PHASE 2 RESEARCH AND INVESTIGATE

Notes for the Instructor  —  Phase 2

The following assignments are designed to help the students obtain a better understanding of Research and Investigate.

1. Print out a list of experts in the field with their address, phone, email.
2. Create a survey to determine if there is a need and what constraints are required.
3. Create simple sketches to help visualize the product.
4. Find similar solutions with a Patent Office search: www.uspto.gov. Save images and create a presentation to the class.
5. Using a keyword search on the internet for answers to a list of questions.
6. Create a list of search engines and explain how each does a search.
7. Read an article on one of your research findings and write a short synopsis.

From the information obtained to this point, answer the following questions:
Q1 Why will sketching help in the design process?
Q2 What is the name given for the rules that a team agrees to follow?
Q3 How many different ideas should you put into the engineering notebook?

Answers to 2.1.2 Research "Using a Browser" assignment:

1.  What state named the Corsair their state airplane? Connecticut

2.  What is the name and location of the US Navy’s oldest three-masted heavy frigate named by President George Washington?  The USS Constitution berthed at Pier 1 of the former Charlestown Navy Yard, at one end of Boston's Freedom Trail.

3.  What is the difference between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion? Nuclear fission is either a nuclear reaction or a radioactive decay process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts.  Nuclear fusion is a nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei collide at a very high speed and join to form a new type of atomic nucleus.

4.  What temperatures do modern jet engine turbines operate at?  Around 2,500 °F (1,370 °C)

5.  From what are acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)  and polylactic acid (PLA) plastics made?  Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is a petroleum based plastic. polylactic acid is created from processing plant products including corn, potatoes or sugar-beets.

6.  What is the chemical element which has the symbol Cr and what is its atomic number?  Chromium with the atomic number 24

7.  What is the displacement and length of the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)?  101,400 long tons & 1,092 feet (332.8 m)

8.  What is window glass made from & give the percentages?  silica 72% + sodium oxide (Na_2O) 14.2% + magnesia (MgO) 2.5% + lime (CaO) 10.0% + alumina (Al_2O_3) 0.6%

9.  Why was a refrigeration plant needed to build the Hoover dam?  The concrete would take 125 years to cool and the resulting stresses would cause the dam to crack and crumble so each five-foot form contained a series of 1 inch (25 mm) steel pipes through which first cool river water, then ice-cold water from a refrigeration plant was run to cool it.

10.  Who and in what year made the world's first working television system with electronic scanning of both the pickup and display devices?  Philo Farnsworth  in 1927

Answers to 2.1.3 "Patent Application Information" assignment:

Use the U.S. Government Patent web site (www.uspto.gov) to answer the following questions about patent applications and upload the document to you instructor:  http://www.uspto.gov/patents/resources/types/utility.jsp#heading-1

1. What are the three main types of patents?  Utility, design, and plant

2. What is the file format, page size, margins, font and font size required for filing a patent?  Each document can be created in a PDF format for filing via EFS-Web must have a top margin of at least 2.0 cm (3/4 inch), a left side margin of at least 2.5 cm (1 inch), a right side margin of at least 2.0 cm (3/4 inch) and a bottom margin of at least 2.0 cm (3/4 inch). The application pages must be numbered consecutively (centrally located above or below the text) starting with page one. In addition, the PDF document size should be 8.5 inch by 11 inch (standard size) or 21 centimeter by 29.7 centimeter (DIN size A4). The specification, including the abstract and claims, must have lines that are 1 1/2 or double-spaced in a single column of text. The text must be a nonscript font (e.g., Arial, Times Roman, or Courier), preferably with a font size of 12. Handwritten text scanned into PDF format is not acceptable.

3. In a nonprovisional application for a utility patent how many claims must it contain?   A nonprovisional application for a utility patent must contain at least one claim. The claim or claims section must begin on a separate physical sheet or electronic page. If there are several claims, they must be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals.

4. What does the Patent Office require for a "claim"?   The claim or claims must particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or inventors regard as the invention. The claims define the scope of the protection of the patent.

5. What is the purpose of the abstract?   The purpose of the abstract is to enable the USPTO and the public to determine quickly the nature of the technical disclosures of your invention. The abstract points out what is new in the art to which your invention pertains. It should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph, and it must begin on a separate page. An abstract should not be longer than 150 words.

6. What is required for the specifications of the invention?   The specification is a written description of the invention and of the manner and process of making and using the invention that concludes with the claims to the invention, which must begin on a new page. The specification must be in clear, full, concise, and exact terms to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which the invention pertains to make and use the same.

7. Is a patent application is required to contain drawings?   A patent application is required to contain drawings, if drawings are necessary to understand the subject matter to be patented. Most patent applications contain drawings. The drawings must show every feature of the invention as specified in the claims. Omission of drawings may cause an application to be considered incomplete and no application filing date will be  granted by the USPTO.

8. What is meant by an oath or declaration?   Each inventor must make an oath or declaration that he/she believes himself/herself to be the original and first inventor of the subject matter of the application.

9.  On a separate page insert the flow chart of the "Process for Obtaining a Utility Patent."       http://www.uspto.gov/patents/process/index.jsp

Answers to 2.1.4 "Research Using the U.S. Patent Office" assignment:

1. Search for "Mechanism for opening and closing barrier."

a)      What is the Patent number?  8,510,992

b)      Who invented the product?  Goddard-Watts; James

c)      Who was the invention assigned to?  Silverline Tools Limited

d)      When was the patent awarded?  August 20, 2013

e)      When was the patent applied for? March 11, 2010

f)        List the top five references cited:   1701294, 2432881, 2699005, 3722140, 5299882

g)      What is the abstract for this device?  An automatic gate opening device is claimed comprising: a gate drive axis (134), movable between a gate closed position and a gate open position; a treadle (102) and a rechargeable energy storage means (16, 118). The device also comprises an energy conversion means to convert stored energy into rotational movement of the drive axis (134) in a gate opening and energy conversion means to convert stored energy into rotational movement of the drive axis in a gate closing direction. The treadle (102) is configured such that, with the drive axis (134) in its gate open position, a single actuation of said treadle (102) recharges the energy storage means with sufficient energy to move the drive axis from its gate open position to its gate closed position and back to its gate open position.

2. Search for Patent Number 5,934,599.

a) What is the name of patent?  Footwear Lacing System

b) Who invented the product?  Hammerslag; Gary R.

c) Who was the invention assigned to?  No One

d) When was the patent awarded?  August 10, 1999

e) When was the patent applied for? August 22, 1997

f) List the top five references cited:   746563, 908704, 1060422, 1062511, 1090438

g) What is the abstract for this device?     A footwear lacing system comprises a lace attached to a tightening mechanism. The lace is threaded through a series of opposing guide members positioned along the top of the foot and ankle portions of the footwear. The lace and guide preferably have low friction surfaces to facilitate sliding of the lace through the guide members so that the lace evenly distributes tension across the footwear member. The tightening mechanism allows incremental adjustment of the tension of the lace. A release mechanism allows a user to quickly loosen the lace.

Download a copy of the image drawing and upload it to your instructor.