WORLD CONFERENCE: TRIZ FUTURE 2007 - November 6-8, 2007, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

ETRIA – TRIZ Future 2007 Frankfurt, 6-8 November 2007

TRIZ TOOLS TO EVALUATE MARKETING STRATEGY AND PRODUCT INNOVATION

WORLD CONFERENCE: TRIZ FUTURE 2007

November 6-8, 2007, Frankfurt am Main, Germany



TRIZ TOOLS TO EVALUATE MARKETING STRATEGY AND PRODUCT INNOVATION:

A NEW START-UP CASE STUDY

OF SILICONE TECHNOLOGY

Roberto NaniRoberto Nani, Daniele RegazzoniScinte s.n.c., University of Bergamo, Industrial Engineering Dept., Italy

ETRIA - TRIZ Future ‘07Frankfurt, 6-8 November 2007



Outline

• Context

• Patent-based field definition

• Product Innovation in sealing technology

• Conclusions



Sealing and gasketing solutions



silicon moulds ideal for cooking and freezing



Starting from sealing solutions

• Patent portfolio of the main international companies operating in the sealing solutions

• Main class (IPC): F16J15/10 (Sealings with non-metallic packing compressed between sealing surfaces)

• Secondary classes (IPC): some technologies, different from the sealing one IPC-R Code-

4 digit Items % Bar Chart

F16J F 217 39.8 % F16L F 72 13.2 %

B29C B 30 5.5 % C09K C 24 4.4 % F02F F 19 3.4 % B32B B 13 2.3 % C08L C 12 2.2 % F01M F 10 1.8 % G11B G 8 1.4 % F01N F 7 1.2 %



Main and Secondary classes (IPC)

IPC

(International Patent Classification)

Gra

nte

dO

R A

pp

lic

ati

on

s

F16J15/10

F16J15/10 (Sealings with non-metallic packing compressed between sealing surfaces)

217



Intrinsic features of Sealing Tech.

IPC

(International Patent Classification)

Gra

nte

dO

R A

pp

lic

ati

on

s

M = Intrinsic features

K = Extrinsic features



Intrinsic features of Sealing tech.

[M] = f(C, ρ) = (((mould*)<in>(TITLE,ABSTRACT,CLAIMS))

AND ((flex* ) <in> (TITLE,ABSTRACT,CLAIMS)))

• mould = class C of the silicone technology

• flexible = intrinsic characteristic ρ of class C

9,765 matches found of 10,446,533 patents searched

IPC-R Code-4 digit

Items % Bar Chart

B29C B 1585 10.4 %

B65D B 851 5.6 % F16L F 397 2.6 %

A61M A 303 2.0 % A61F A 298 1.9 % C08L C 268 1.7 % B60R B 260 1.7 % B29D B 246 1.6 % H01R H 223 1.4 % C08G C 219 1.4 %



Model of Sealing tech.

[K(IPC-R Class F16J15/10)] + [M]

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

F16J F —

IPC-R

n°

pate

nts

K

M

B29C

B65D



Model of Sealing tech.

• B29C - SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS

• B65D - CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g.: PACKAGING ELEMENTS.



Exerted Model of Sealing tech.

[F] = ((convert*) <in> (TITLE,ABSTRACT,CLAIMS)) [K(B29C OR B65D)] AND [M] AND [F] = ((convert* <in> (TI,AB,CLAIMS) ) AND (( (b29c OR b65d) <in> IC ) AND (((mould*) <in> (TI,AB,CLAIMS) ) AND ((flex* ) <in> (TI,AB,CLAIMS)))))



Exerted Model of Sealing tech.

[F]=((40 principles) <in> (TITLE,ABSTRACT,CLAIMS))1

0 -

PR

IOR

AC

TIO

N

871

WO06130932A1

WO05097467A1



Product Innovation

• The Traditional Colander is a container for

cooked pasta, rice or vegetables whose goal is

to separate and drain food from the cooking

water by means of small holes, placed along a

regular pattern

• A Silicone Colander is characterized in that the

bottom is flexible and can be used in different

positions: it can be concave or convex. And this

influences the dimensions of the holes



Convertable Colander

Bottom with convexity outwards, restricted holes



Bottom with convexity inwards, dilated holes

Convertable Colander



Limit of the idea

The weight of the food and the speed of the pouring may change the convexity of the inside bottom into a concavity



Modelling Technical Contradictions

• TC#1: if the colander is convex to the outward, then the hole edges shrink, this means that the food does not pass through the holes, but water will hardly flow outside

• TC#2: if colander is convex to the inward, then water will easily flow through the holes, but small and filamentary foodstuffs will pass through the enlarged edges of holes or will close them



Law of System Completeness and

Energy Conductivity

Energy Source

Engine Transmission Tool Product

Potential Energy

Gravity Colander Bottom holes

Water-food

Control

Bottom convexity

Conflicting pair: water and bottom.



Intensification of the contradiction

• TC#1 colander’s bottom can be pushed outward

up to reach a blown out

shape. In this case, the diameters of holes on the

bottom decrease

• Pushing this condition to

the limit we can imagine there are no holes at all.

• Water and food cannot leave the colander

Blown-shaped bottom



Defining Operational Zone (OZ)

the holes = the Cave

Internal volume of the

colander (negative

action zone)

External volume of the

colander

(positive action zone )



Defining Operational Time (OT)

the deluge

T2

T1

time before

the water is

poured into

the

colander

time length from the moment

when water starts pouring into the

colander till it leaves the colander

( > 5 s)� the deluge



Defining Available Resources (SFRs)

i) System (internal) resources:

• Internal Surface

• External surface

• Holes

• Water (hot)

• Cooked food

ii) Available (external) resources

• Gravity

iii) SFR of the super-system:

• Kitchen tools

• Cooking pan



Defining Ideal Final Result IFR-1

without complicating the system and without harmful side effects.

< to strain foodstuffs >< useful action >

< keeps the bottom’s ability>< keeps the tool’s ability to provide >

AND

< The Cave >< Operational Zone >

INSIDE the

< the deluge>< Operational Time >

WITHIN the

< water from staying inside the

colander >< harmful action >

ELIMINATES

X-element



Intensifying the formulation of (IFR)-1

without complicating the system and without harmful side effects.

< straining of foodstuffs ><a useful effect>

AND PROVIDES

< The Cave >< Operational Zone >

INSIDE the

< the deluge >< Operational Time >

WITHIN the

< water from staying inside the

colander >

<the negative effect>

ELIMINATES

< Internal Surface ><Existing resources>



Physical contradiction (PhC) - Macro-level

< water from staying

inside the

colander >

< one of the

conflicting

actions >

IN ORDER to PREVENT

< pushing outwards

proof (it drains) >

< physical macro-

state >

HAS to BE

< Internal Surface ><Resource >

< push-proof >



Physical contradiction (PhC) - Macro-level

< Internal Surface ><Resource >

HAS to BE

< that residues of

filamentary foods get

trapped in holes >

< inverting the

convexity of bottom >

< another conflicting

action or requirement

>

IN ORDER to PREVENT

< pushing inwards

proof (it does not

drain) >

< opposite physical

macro-state >

< convex-proof >



Physical contradiction (PhC) - Micro-level

< push-proof >< macro-state >

IN ORDER to PERFORM

< groove >< physical state

or action >

THERE SHOULD BE

(it drains)



Physical contradiction (PhC) - Micro-level

< obstructed holes>

< convex-proof>

< another macro-

state >

IN ORDER to PREVENT

< undercut >< opposite state

or action >

AND THERE SHOULD BE

(it does not drain)



Ideal Final Result (IFR)-2

The operational zone < the cave > has to provide <

undercut > (not to provide drainage of water) and <

groove > (to provide drainage of water) within < the

deluge (>5s) >



Step Back from the IFR

Micro-problem: how can water flow through small holes?

Blown-shaped bottom



Solution for the micro-problem

Intensification of the micro-problem: how to

improve the action of sets of small holes?

Several small holes

connected to one single big external hole



Partial Solution

Thin straight grooves on the internal surface connecting big holes on the external

surface



Transition from the micro-problem to an

optimised product

A continuous undercut groove can be used to replace several segmented undercut grooves on the internal surface



Transition to the Technical Solution

Internal bottom perspective External bottom perspective

An internal grooved surface, allows draining large amounts of water through big-sized holes while food is blocked by the edges of the internal surface without getting in contact with the draining holes



Conclusions

• TRIZ-based paradigm to overcome SMEs lacks in the management of IP and to evaluate potential of new products in different field of application

• Translation of specific knowledge about silicone gaskets technology into the food and beverage market segment

• Problem solving of newly defined product

• The solution proposed has been recently filed as an international patent and it will be soon available on the market



Thank you for your attention!

Presentations & Public Speaking

WORLD CONFERENCE: TRIZ FUTURE 2007 - November 6-8, 2007, Frankfurt am Main, Germany