My goal by the end of the year is to have a patent for the signs and to have signs manufactured already. I will hopefully be in the middle of advertising for sales to potential cities who would be buying the signs. Ideally, the sign would be in the review process to be included in the California Road Signs handbook for the year 2014 (we would be too late to be included in the 2013 handbook).
My goal this week is to begin making a pro/con list of potential designs and attempt to map out flaws in each idea.
I have had a busy last two weeks. My mentor has called sign manufacturers and has made an order of road signs. NOTE: When I say "signs" in this case I only mean literally the stop signs, not the entire sign that goes on the road. The shipment should arrive by Thursday or Friday at the latest. When the shipment arrives, we will be able to experiment with different designs and get a better idea of how the entire road signs will function best. I will be sure to post pictures of this first shipment of signs!
So, the next few steps involve the design process exclusively as we begin making tangible progress on the project. We will be working with the signs themselves and will have the opportunity to construct a prototype soon as we also have shipments of potential fastening devices and basic forms of what will be holding up the sign. Again, I will be sure to include pictures of the project as it begins to take form. It is quite difficult to describe what we are creating because there is still so much to be figured out, and I am sure it is nearly impossible to get a good idea of exactly what I am working on! All of this confusion will be cleared up soon when I can post some pictures!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
October 2 Update
My homework for this week is to learn more about the patent process. The plan is to apply for a provisional patent as we complete the design. We are able to do this because any changes we make would be in the material and not affect the overall design.
The design process officially began last night as we had a brainstorming session. We have identified a few areas as potential problems:
1. The current flaps in the road seem to attract drivers to drive over them, causing them to wear out very quickly. We must find a way to construct signs that can withstand such wear over a long period of time.
2. We must plan for these flaps to be run over by cars, trucks, even street sweepers. Such durability is difficult to achieve, so the material must be well thought out. We plan to use rubber, but are debating whether we will need aluminum reinforcement to ensure the signs' durability as well as its structural integrity because the sign must remain at the same angle at all times.
3. We are trying to avoid putting metal into the design because of the potential for damage to the cars. Any metal included would also significantly increase the cost of each sign. However, durability cannot be compromised simply because of cost.
As you can see, we have some problems to work out. During the interim, I am learning about the patent process so we can apply for a provisional patent in the next month or so. My mentor is contacting sign suppliers and testers to find the best material for the signs. The road signs handbook also requires a certain number of tests to be run on the product applying, so we will have to prepare for that, as well.
The tangible results thus far are few, but we will begin to see the process as we begin to create CAD designs of the sign. These designs will help us for the specifications necessary for the manufacturing of the signs as well as for the designs required for submittal of the provisional patent.
I am very surprised at how much planning is necessary for this project. Though it seems simple, so much must be thought out before actually beginning manufacturing the product. It has been a learning process thus far, and I expect to learn much more by the end of this week!
The design process officially began last night as we had a brainstorming session. We have identified a few areas as potential problems:
1. The current flaps in the road seem to attract drivers to drive over them, causing them to wear out very quickly. We must find a way to construct signs that can withstand such wear over a long period of time.
2. We must plan for these flaps to be run over by cars, trucks, even street sweepers. Such durability is difficult to achieve, so the material must be well thought out. We plan to use rubber, but are debating whether we will need aluminum reinforcement to ensure the signs' durability as well as its structural integrity because the sign must remain at the same angle at all times.
3. We are trying to avoid putting metal into the design because of the potential for damage to the cars. Any metal included would also significantly increase the cost of each sign. However, durability cannot be compromised simply because of cost.
As you can see, we have some problems to work out. During the interim, I am learning about the patent process so we can apply for a provisional patent in the next month or so. My mentor is contacting sign suppliers and testers to find the best material for the signs. The road signs handbook also requires a certain number of tests to be run on the product applying, so we will have to prepare for that, as well.
The tangible results thus far are few, but we will begin to see the process as we begin to create CAD designs of the sign. These designs will help us for the specifications necessary for the manufacturing of the signs as well as for the designs required for submittal of the provisional patent.
I am very surprised at how much planning is necessary for this project. Though it seems simple, so much must be thought out before actually beginning manufacturing the product. It has been a learning process thus far, and I expect to learn much more by the end of this week!
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