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Questions:
How do Engineers protect their Ideas ?
What is an Engineering Design Notebook?
What do Engineers Do?
What Makes a good Engineer?
Concepts:
Engineer
Conceptual sketch
Exploded view
Research/Data Analysis
Materials
Motion
Energy
Information
Systems (components, connections, tasks)
How Do Engineers Protect Their Ideas?
How Do Engineers Protect Their Ideas?
Trademarks, patents, and copyrights are legal registrations designed to protect the rights of the designer (or original developer of the idea or work). Each protection is based on a different type of work, process, or idea that is developed. The protections differ between patents, copyrights, and trademarks under the law both in duration and coverage. It all starts with the use of an engineer’s Design Notebook.
This legal document is typically the first way a unique idea first gains protection under the law. By following the appropriate steps in using an engineer’s notebook, your rights are protected in the design development. One additional protection is if something does fail in a design you have a documented improvement process or information that may prove valuable.
The goal is to present ideas so that someone else can read the sheets and understand the process and design ideas. Make sure the following items are documented: Who, What, When, How, and Why.
WHO developed the idea? Everyone involved in the idea generation process should be included.
WHAT was the idea that was developed? Include all notes, sketches, ideas, contacts, Web sites used, and research information used. Any external documentation (like pictures) needs to be permanently mounted in the notebook.
WHEN was the idea first developed? All pages need to be dated. Make sure it is clear when the process began for the design.
HOW and WHY: This is the explanation of the idea, written in clear, legible language. Try to keep all your notes in one place, using sketch paper or scrap paper in the hopes that you will create a better line drawing in your notebook, is not proper technique. Many times the ideas never make it into the notebook; you can always “line out” by drawing a single line and initial a sketch or passage. Using a single line will allow you to still read the section if the passage in error needs to be referenced or used later if there are additional changes.
(Copyright PLTW 2009)
Rules for Setting up the Design Notebook
Rules for Setting up the Design Notebook
Put your name, phone number, and email address on the front cover.
Leave some pages empty (2-3) at the beginning to put a Table of Contents
Number every page (Recommended: Pre-number the pages)
Use ink. Write legibly.
Do not use White Out; cross out instead.
Date all entries.
Sign each page. This is relevant for patents.
Tape or staple documents (e.g., handouts, meeting agendas) into the notebook.
Record directly into the notebook; do not make notes on other pieces of paper and transcribe them into the notebook later. (Exception: computer printouts)
Never tear out a page.
Leave no blank pages between used pages. Place an X in areas that are not being used on a page.
Include all your data, descriptions, sketches, calculations, notes, questions reflections etc....
Include narrative to describe sketches, diagrams, plots, and equations. Write as though you know someone else will read it.
Always keep your notebook in a safe place. Do not let anyone else put anything in your notebook.
Never backdate or change any designs already in your engineering notebook. In industry an engineering notebook is a legal record of a design process. Designers and engineers typically use ink in notebooks so ideas cannot be changed.
EXPLAIN EVERYTHING!
Engineers solve problems
Engineers solve problems
Examples of current and future societal challenges/problems (large scale), determined by the expanding world population:
Air Pollution
Water pollution & impacts on freshwater resources
Solid waste
Energy
Transportation
Infrastructure
Aerospace
Some of the major engineering disciplines are as follows:
Bioengineers deal with the engineering analysis of living systems.
Chemical engineers deal with complex systems and processes including, for example, the way atoms and molecules link up and how those connections shape the properties of materials.
Civil engineers design and analyze large-scale structures such as buildings, bridges, water treatment systems, and so forth.
Computer and electronic engineers design embedded computers and electronic systems that are essential for the operation of modern technology.
Control system engineers design and analyze systems that sense changes in the environment and provide responses to ensure that processes are kept within predetermined tolerances.
Electrochemical engineers, essentially a sub-branch of chemical engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering, work in fields that combine chemistry and electricity such as refining of metals, batteries and fuel cells, sensors, etching, separations, and corrosion.
Electrical engineers design and analyze systems that apply electrical energy.
Manufacturing engineers design manufacturing processes to make products better, faster, and cheaper.
Materials engineers design and apply materials to enhance the performance of engineered systems.
Mechanical engineers work in one of the most diverse of the engineering disciplines, and design and analyze many kinds of predominantly mechanical systems.
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING TOP 20 ENGINEERING
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE 20TH CENTURY
Electrification – to supply our homes and businesses with electricity
Automobile – for leisure and commercial transportation
Airplane – for rapidly moving people and goods around the world
Water Supply and Distribution – to supply clean, germ-free water to every home
Electronics – to provide electronic control of machines and consumer products
Radio and Television – for entertainment and commercial uses
Agricultural Mechanization – to increase the efficiency of food production
Computers – a revolution in the way people work and communicate
Telephone – for rapid personal and commercial communication
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration – to increase the quality of life
Highways – to speed transportation of people and goods across the land
Spacecraft – to begin our exploration of limitless space
Internet – a cultural evolution of the way people interact
Imaging – to improve healthcare
Household Appliances – to allow women to enter the workplace
Health Technologies – to improve the quality of life
Petroleum and Petrochemical Technologies – to power transportation systems
Laser and Fiber Optics – to improve measurement and communication systems
Nuclear Technologies – to tap a new natural energy source
High-performance Materials – to create safer, lighter, better products
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING ENGINEERING
CHALLENGES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Make solar energy economical
Provide energy from fusion
Develop carbon sequestration methods
Manage the nitrogen cycle
Provide access to clean water
Restore and improve urban infrastructure
Advance health informatics
Engineer better medicines
Reverse-engineer the brain
Prevent nuclear terror
Secure cyberspace
Enhance virtual reality
Advance personalized learning
Engineer the tools of scientific discovery
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