Do you play the lottery?
I do – despite knowing the odds of winning are infinitesimally small.
But who wouldn’t want to win all that money? Money doesn’t buy happiness – but I would like to try it for a while.
Other than the winning the lottery to get your riches – maybe you could invent something. Something new, something that catches on, something that everyone wants. So popular you can’t keep your invention in stock. Is that a viable method to go from rags to riches? Maybe we should ask the person who invented the Pet Rock (advertising exec Gary Dahl), or the Rubik’s Cube (that would be sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik), or the George Foreman grill (not invented by George Foreman).
I like to think I’ve had a couple of good ideas over the years.
I’m pretty sure I invented cheese fries, in an accidental sort of way, but how do you patent or even prove that?
I had the idea to put a single song on a cassette tape, much like the old 45 records used to be, but somebody beat me to it, then compact discs came out and the cassette single died.
I also think developing a product that combines soap, shampoo, shaving cream, and possibly toothpaste in one tube has some merit. Contact me about licensing details.
But I think my greatest idea occurred to me just a few days ago.
It’s not news that the pharmaceutical industry has embraced patient centricity as a driving force. Whether it’s better tasting, easier to take – or moving drug administration from the clinic to the home – the trend to increase drug-taking compliance by putting the patient first has taken off.
My epiphany came the other day while I was attaching a pen needle to an insulin pen. Sometimes its difficult to know if you have the pen needle properly connected. It supposed to click on – but once in a while it doesn’t seat properly and you have to give it another push to get it right.
What if there was a device that you could put the pen needle into, then affix that device to the insulin pen. With a simple squeeze it would properly attach the pen needle to the insulin pen. Picture a clamp, or even a pair of pliers, squeezing it into place. There would be an audible “click” and even a visual display to tell you it was on correctly.
I began to count my money then figured I better do a little research first.
After about five seconds on Google I found a patent for:
“The invention is directed to pen needles adapted for attachment to a in medication delivery device such as a medication pen. The pen needles according to the invention have attachment mechanisms that provide sensory feedback, such as an audible clicking sound or tactile sensation when the needle-bearing hub is fully seated on the medication pen, and other features that enhance ease of use.”
Oh well, back to the drawing board. Maybe I’ll put some more time into my soap/shampoo/shaving cream/toothpaste idea.
Mike Auerbach
Editor-In-Chief
[email protected]
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