Sometimes adding an existing item or making the slightest of changes can greatly enhance your product or even supply you with a totally new one. Below is a selection of 5 “Why didn’t I think of that” products from the MoreInspiration.com database.

1) Trimmed down flashlight
The Pak-Lite combines two Super Bright LED Bulbs with a 9-volt battery. It uses a patented design to provide a small, lightweight, long running, simplistic, durable, and field proven flashlight that will be with you wherever you go!

2) Self-charging smoke alarms
DuPont’s self-charging smoke alarms are plugged into ceiling-mounted light sockets, and charge up each time the light switch is turned on. You don’t lose your light either, just plug the bulb directly into the alarm.

3) World time clock
A patented desk clocks with 12 slides, each with the name of two major cities; together, the 24 cities represent the 24 global time zones; to find the local hour in another time zone, simply roll the clock so that the city representing that time zone is on top.

4) Cigarette-Match-Stick
The Cigarette-Match-Stick are cigarette packs with a strike strip on the side and the cigarettes are coated with the phosphorus material on it’s tip. So instead of looking for a matchbox or lighter every time you want to light your cigarette, you can just light it up by striking it on the strike strip on the pack itself.

5) Serving tray with finger tips
This tray has five points sticking up in the middle, which serve as holes for your finger tips. This provides better grip for waiters.

As discussed in part 1, we want to change products to be better, nicer, cheaper or greener. For this we need to alter properties of these products. The reason why we alter properties is to achieve either (1) new functions or (2) improved functions. Here are some examples with their functions in bold

• A product can change its surface from flat to protruded so it is easier to grip, has better heat transfer.
• A solid product could be changed to be a liquid so it is easier to mix or dissolve.
• A solid product could also be made into a powder so it is easier to dissolve.
• Other functions include cleaning, transporting, measuring, assembling, connecting, etc…

Note two things about why this is so powerful.

1. Different properties (e.g. liquid and powder) can create the same function
   E.g. Dissolving by making it liquid or powder. The nice thing about this is that the “solution” is no longer related to a specific product. You can take the property/function link and apply it to every product. Great for finding inspiration outside your own domain!
2. Also notice most functions are expressed in the form of verbs
   This opens up new opportunities for automated analysis of what makes an innovation. CREAX continually invests in research into this area. Some of the results can be seen on the papers we publish on TRIZ Journal. E.g. Directed Variation - solving conflicts in TRIZ

The functions can be found in the drop-down menu on the advanced search page:

See MoreInspiration.com for all examples using asymmetry

1) Maximum protection umbrella

The asymmetrical shape of the umbrella make it more aerodynamic, prevent it from turning inside out in a strong wind. The shape also keeps the rain out of your neck.
read more

2) Asymetrical fridge magnet

The Endo magnet is like an ordinary magnet, but with one difference. One side has a sloped edge, making it possible to tilt the magnet and place something under it when it is on the fridge.
read more

3) Oven glove with finger

The cut-out of an extra finger on an ovenglove allows the user to easily grip smaller objects. Asymmetry is applied to the glove to create an extra finger for gripping.
read more

4) Asymmetric passenger/performance tire

This new tread is molded into an asymmetric outer shoulder tread design that uses large tread blocks to provide rubber-to-road contact. It reduces tread squirm and enhances response and control.
read more

5) A-Knopf

This assymetrical button is so designed that the elderly and people with a handicap, can easily use the button for closing their clothes. The button is easier to grip, and the lip helps the user to find the button hole and push the button through.
read more

1) Browse by industry

Use the Advanced Search screen to find innovations in popular industries.

2) Extra options on the front page

The front page of MoreInspiration.com now allows you to see “most recent”, “most viewed” or “most commented” innovations.

3) New layout for emails

When forwarding innovations to your friends and collegues, they will now receive a mail with a greatly improved layout

We continue to work on improving the site. If you have another suggestion on how we can make the tool better for you, please mail it to us at moreinspiration@creax.com

For creating these better, nicer, cheaper, greener products we need to change the products or the processes by which we create them. What do we change? You guessed it…Properties.

Take the example of innovations in a toothbrush. We are not interested in the toothbrush as such, but in the variations of toothbrushes. The hollow toothbrush, the flexible toothbrush, the protruded toothbrush, the transparent toothbrush or the automated toothbrush. Notice that these variations are mostly expressed as adjectives.

After a couple of week of struggling with hosting this blog, we have finally relaunched it at www.moreinspirationblog.com.

We’ll soon be adding new articles on how to get the best out of MoreInspiration.com and about new features that are in the pipeline.

To set up an email alert that delivers new innovations to your mailbox, you’ll need these 2 easy steps:

1. Perform a search
   You can do this with the searchbox on the top of the page, using the Advanced search page or by using the industry links under each item title.
   
2. Make an alert from the last search
   Using the “My alerts” panel on the right side, you can select at which intervals you want to receive the new results of this search in your mailbox. If at any time you want to edit or cancel alerts, simply click the Show my alerts link and edit there.
   

Should you still experience the same problems, please let us know at moreinspiration@creax.com