More-of-the-Same or a Breaktrough Innovation?

In  a recent post What’s (not) an Innovation? we mentioned that an innovation consists of a new combination of

• a function – the innovation has the purpose of satisfying a need
• a principle – there is a mechanism or idea how to deliver that function
• a market – the innovation has a value that can be traded.

But still remains the question:

• When is an innovation really breaking patterns more than other innovations?
• When is an innovation incremental?
• When radical?
• When is a technical solution just more-of-the-same routine engineering?
• What is the difference with a scientific invention?
• When is it patentable?

Valeri Souchkov presented a new classification scheme for solutions or inventions, based on the original classification by Genrich Altshuller.

Principles (scientific discoveries) cannot be patented. The levels of inventions 2 to 4 are patentable. So, a new combination of a principle with a function and a market can patented, regardless the fact that the new combination of principle and function in another market already exists. Below you will find 4 examples of patentable solutions, based on the same principle and the same function, but with different applications. That is to say: fulfilling different needs and as such, serving different markets.

Principle: quickly increasing/decreasing pressure, the Function that is used is to remove things; 

Applications (market):

1.  remove seeds from peppers
2.  remove shells of cedar nuts
3.  remove sunflower seeds
4.  remove dust
5. splitting imperfect crystals

Actually, in the examples above we see here concept extraction at work, or in other words “How to Search for (Patentable) Ideas”:

1. Look for the concept behind an idea (concept= a function and a principle or mechanism)
2. Apply the concept to other areas (product/market combinations)