Men and women, young and old, frequently say to me "What we need is 'a-watcha-ma-call-it', why don't you work on it?" or "I've got an idea, you ought to think about it", or "The problem with this thing is-, why can't you invent something to solve it?" When people find that I am an inventor they somehow feel that I have the only set of keys which opens all doors. Not so! This book should provide a set for everyone. Each one of us has latent inventive ability, but most do not realize this because they imagine a few gifted people are inventive. Only after years of inventing did I realize that there is no great mystery involved and that anyone can invent if he or she follows a checklist until all the possibilities are ex­ hausted. My longtime desire has been to present to teachers and students everywhere, and at every level of education, a sim­ ple, practical, and methodical approach to invention and so increase manifold the ordinary person's creative ability. This book realizes that dream.

Springer Book Archives

1 / Introduction.- 2 / Identification - "The Problem" - How to Find a Need and Develop a Solution.- 3 / Foundation - History and Classification as a Guide to New Ideas.- 4 / Data - What Is It?.- 5 / Data - Why Does It Exist?.- 6 / Data - Functions, Principles and use.- 7 / Imagination - Concept Definition.- 8 / Imagination - Combination and Substitution.- 9 / Imagination - Addition, Deletion and Rearrangement.- 10 / Imagination - Physical Force and Effect.- 11 / Limitations - The Conditions Imposed on Development.- 12 / Miscellaneous Aids in Inventing.- 13 / Summary of Invention Steps.- 14 / The History of Inventions in the United States.- 15 / Protecting the Invention.- Addendum: About the Author.