20131216-NEWS--17-NAT-CCI-CL_--
12/13/2013
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CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS
DECEMBER 16 - 22, 2013
INSIDE
19, 21: A LOOK AT THREE PROLIFIC LOCAL INVENTORS
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PATENT POWER Creating ways to make an impact Nottingham Spirk says 70-20-10 rule can help companies develop innovations
STRONG IDEAS START HERE And they don’t necessarily come from big corporations, as small businesses dominate Crain’s Patent Power Index
R
obert Yeggy is thorough. The Medina man searched through 2,000 patents before he and fellow scientist Vito Altavilla filed their own patent to protect VARY Petrochem’s first chemical compound, which separates oil from sand and other materials. Dr. Yeggy printed the other patents out and initialed all the pages, which ended up filling both the trunk and the backseat of a car. He often wrote comments on them to make sure his patent attorneys knew why the compound he and Mr. Altavilla created was different from the compounds described in Yeggy the other patents. Thus, it makes sense that their INSIDE: Patent Power Index. Page 18 tiny, Brooklyn-based company is ranked third on the Crain’s Cleveland Business Patent Power Index. The index is meant to showcase local companies that produce highquality patents. It relies on the Ocean Tomo Rating System, which analyzes more than 50 factors to determine whether any given patent is likely to be renewed and commercialized. For instance, renewal rates tend to be higher for patents containing more references to older patents and more claims, which describe the aspects of an invention that supposedly make it unique. Thus, those patents score higher. See IDEAS Page 18
STORY BY CHUCK SODER csoder@crain.com | Twitter: @ChuckSoder
STEVE BENNETT
This illustration shows an image of an actual United States patent.
By CHUCK SODER csoder@crain.com
Struggling to come up with the next big thing? Maybe you need a few pointers from Nottingham Spirk. The Cleveland-based product design company has nearly 1,000 U.S. and international patents covering all sorts of consumer products. Among them: The popular Spinbrush electric toothbrush, the Swiffer SweeperVac and the Twist & Pour paint container used by Sherwin-Williams. Co-founder John Nottingham himself is listed as lead inventor on more than 90 U.S. patents. So here are some tips from him and his son, Bill, who is a director in the company’s new business development and design management areas. See IMPACT Page 19
ON THE WEB In reporter Chuck Soder’s Tech Talk podcast, Bill and John Nottingham of Nottingham Spirk discuss what companies need to do to create the next big thing — before someone else does. Listen at: www.crainscleveland.com/ section/AUDIO