Model Builders Inc Blog

"The Origin of Things Sketches, Models, Prototypes" is our fifth book review of the greatest product designs. It was published in 2003 in Rotterdam and accompanied an exhibition of the same name from May 10, 2003 to July 27, 2003 at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

This interesting book covers quite a wide range of products and how they were developed. Each product is explored on an average of eight pages and many interesting design questions are explored. For example the paper clip on the cover of this book looks like a perfect example of form follows function but in fact since the late 1800's there have been patent applications for over 30 paper clip designs that work quite well.

This book focuses on the processes through which new ideas are transformed into products. The industrial designer here is framed as a good leader of a team of several disciplines - design, marketing and technology. Thirty three products from 1862 to 2003 are reviewed to explore what processes (Sketches, Models, Prototypes) the industrial designer utilized to turn  a new idea into a product. The first fourteen pages discuss the product design process of the Netherlands first industrial designer Wim Gilles. Below we review 4 of the 33 products.

When the DRU company developed a new kettle in 1954 industrial designer Wim Gilles based his design on new insights and analysis. In fact the company's existing design they had discovered  performed very poorly. Giles changed the design. The position of the handle in relation to the center of gravity for filling or pouring was optimized, the angle of the spout improved, the bottom was flat to help heat up the sides for a more even heat, and space was added to the top so that there was space at the top for steam when the kettle was filled (this prevented water from coming out the spout). For its time this kettle was a prime example of the value of industrial design and in 1955 was included in a technical encyclopedia.

Wim Gilles Kettle 1954

Aart Roelandt studied industrial design at the Academy for Industrial Design in Eindhovven and later received the incentive prize from the City of Amsterdam for his recumbent bicycle design. First he built two recumbent bicycle designs in graduate school. Then working with an engineering firm they came up with four prototypes to figure out the correct ergonomic position. Two years and 500 test rides later they were ready for production. The recumbent bicycle was not a new idea but the Roulandt was the first to be mass produced. The design advantages include a sight line that is parallel with the horizon for better visibility and a much more comfortable ride since the back, stomach and wrists are not squeezed up.

 Roulandt recumbent bicycle 1981-83

The first suction based vacuum cleaner powered by electricity was developed in 1907. The basic technology was not changed until James Dyson turned the industry upside down by removing the bag since it clogs with dust and reduces the suction power. His first attempt was to build a working prototype from cardboard and tape attached to a current vacuum cleaner. Dyson made 5, 127 prototypes from cardboard, plastic, foam and metal to develop  his cyclone technology.

After a deal with Japanese company Apex, Inc. the G-Force Cyclonic Cleaner was launched. With that success he was able to set up his own research center and manufacture his products in England. In 1995 Dyson came out with the DC02 a compact, cylinder version that worked because he placed the bin at an angle with a hinge for opening. It also could sit on a staircase and "climb" stairs as it was pulled along. Dyson said "it looks and behaves like a domestic pet". One year later it was the best selling cylinder cleaner in the United Kingdom and a great example of the value of using multiple iterative prototypes to develop a new product.

 Dyson DC02 1994-1995

"For furniture designers and manufacturers....the quest for the perfect one-piece molded chair has been continuous for half century or more." The Air Chair 1997-1999 designed by Jasper Morrison and manufactured by the Italian firm Magis "is the closest we have come to achieving the modernest grail of the single molded chair."

Jasper Morrison Air Chair 1997-1999

This concludes our book reviews on the greatest product designs of the last 100 or so years. Industrial designers were key to the transition from craft to mass produced products by incorporating new materials and manufacturing methods, improving function and appearance, and creating efficient designs that reduced the cost of production. At Model Builders, Inc. we have worked with many noted industrial designers such as Raymond Loewy on moving from an idea to reality with a new product. We hope these five book reviews provide insight into that process of sketches, models, prototypes - with the industrial designer as the team leader.

Do you have a favorite book on industrial design prototypes, products or designers? Please let us know by posting a comment. If you have any questions or would like to discuss prototypes or other projects contact us at Model Builders, Inc. 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

"Icons of Design The 20th Century" is the third book review of great product designs.  Industrial designers created many of the product designs in this book. There are 83 products selected and presented by 23 authors - only 5 of the authors are American and most of the rest are European. In the book's FOREWORD industrial designer and art historian Reyer Kras makes interesting comparisons between the Christian icon and the industrial icon.

Industrial Designer Kras also compares the shift within the past 10 years from the mechanical revolution to a new peak in a electronics revolution in the past 10 years. The way mechanical appliances operate has disappeared for many functions - "Certain functions...have dematerialized, vanished into the caverns of the chip, the hard drive and the digital network". His conclusion "This shift in technology has also impacted how industrial designers envision and shape electronically controlled products."

If the need to design the product - the image- disappears, will that be the end of this profession? Or will the designer be able to create an intangible context? In the future this is destined to pose one of the greatest challenges to the designer." In some ways this parallel's Jay Doblin's concern 30 or more years prior about the impact "that the combination of intellectronics and automation" would have. Maybe it is no coincidence that the Internet was the product selected for 1990 and the last product selected (for the year 2000) in "Icons of Design The 20th Century" is Virtual Reality.

The Savoy vase 1937 - Alvar Aalto - his most important contribution to 20th Century glass design and an early example of organic design.

First published in 2000 and again in 2004 this book has each object shown in color photographs with illustrations of its use. With most of the products there is a timeline description and small photograph of the designer along with a full page description of the history and significance of each product.

The format is quite similar to that of industrial designer Jay Doblin's 1970 book "One Hundred Great Product Designs". Both books are also in chronological order with the year they came out shown next to the product name. There are two pages on each product and one of the pages is a large picture (most are in color).

U.S. "Tunnel" Mailbox 1915

Designed by postal engineer Roy Joroleman to resolve a conflict between fiercely independent farmers and government regulators. This mandated galvanized sheet metal design is simple and functional.  The red flag lets the carrier know when to pick up mail. Formerly a variety of discarded containers served as mail boxes on rural routes. 

                                             Motorola MicroTAC 1989

The MicroTAC folding mechanism revolutionized the shape of cell phones

Some of the other great product icons in this book are:

Aircraft: Douglas DC-3 Dakota 1935 and Lockheed Super Constellation 1951.

Appliances: AEG Electric Kettle 1909 and Philips-Alessi Line (five kitchen appliances) 1996

Automobiles: Ford Model T 1908-1927, Bugatti 1926, Mercedes Silver Arrow 1934, Cord 810 1936, Fiat 500 Topolino 1936, Volkswagen Beetle 1938, Citroen 2CV, Chevrolet Corvette 1953 and Morris Mini 1959.

Cameras: Leica Camera 1913-1925, Kodak Baby Brownie 1934 and Minox Camera 1938.

China: Teaset 1934.

Home Entertainment: Braun Phonosuper SK4 1956, Sony Portable TV 80 301 in 1959, Brionvega Radio TS-502 in 1964, B&O Beogram 4000 in 1972, Sony Walkman 1979, Philips Compact Disc 1980, Tamagotchi (interactive computerized toy) 1996.

Typewriters: Underwood Typewriter No. 5 1900, IBM Selectric Typewriter 1961 and Olivetti Valentine Typewriter 1969.

Apple Macintosh 1984

A variety of other great products also were developed in the 20th Century -  Raleigh Safety Bicycle 1905, Coca Cola Bottle 1915, Rolex Oyster Watch 1926, Zippo Lighter 1933, Parker 51 Fountain Pen 1941,Vespa Motor Scooter 1946, Tupperware 1946, Rolodex Rotary Card File 1952, Harley Davidson "Easy Rider" 1969, In-Line Skates 1980 and other interesting choices in this book.  Overall "Icons of Design The 20th Century" is a nice update - with color pictures, about 30 more years of great products to our two earlier book reviews and with more of a European point of view.

 In-Line Skates 1980

The 4th and 5th books we review on the greatest product designs have a very different format. The 4th book has nine categories of products. The fifth book goes more extensively (about 5 pages each) into the development of each of about 35 products.

Do you have a favorite book on industrial design prototypes, products or designers? Please let us know by posting a comment. If you have any questions or would like to discuss prototypes or other projects contact us at Model Builders, Inc. 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

"The Design Collection Selected Objects" is the second book review of great product designs. Industrial designers created many of the objects here. This book was published in 1970 by The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Their design collection was established in 1934 and has over 1,800 mass produced or homemade objects. Some 125 of these are exhibited continuously and 85 are pictured in this book. The objects include Tiffany favrile glass vases, a 1932 heat-resistant all glass teapot, multi-colored glass tumblers, a silver and turquoise enamel jewel box, stackable tableware, stackable chairs, a coffee grinder, a desk fan and  other household items plus one random access control panel for the IBM 305 random access memory accounting machine from 1960.

The objects were "selected on the basis of their quality and historical significance to illustrate the development of design in the prior seventy-five years" by the museum Committee on Architecture and Design when Philip Johnson was the Chairman  and Arthur Drexler was the Director, Department of Architecture and Design.

Although not in chronological order each object description lists the year first produced. Like Jay Doblin's book there is one large picture of the object and a description. Unlike Doblin's book the description is very brief and there is no explanation of the significance of the object. There is only one page of general explanation by Arthur Drexler who views the objects as an archeologist might. Basically he says that the objects were made to serve a purpose" and "belong to the 2oth-century category, the "functional". They were not ends in themselves.

Some of the objects are both in this book and in Doblin's like the two chairs shown below as well as The Alvar Aalto Bent Plywood Chair 1934, The Eames Plywood Chair 1947, the Olivetti Lettera Typewriter 1950, the  Eames Lounge Chair 1957 and the Saarinen Stem Chair 1957. Unlike Doblin's book there are no automobiles, airplanes, helicopters and only a few electronic or mechanical devices.

 Marcel Breuer Side Chair 1928

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Barcelona Chair 1929

 Portable Radio and Phonograph 1959 (Mfr. Braun)

Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vacuum Cleaner 1956

Giuseppe de Goetzen Vacuum Brush 1955

David Gammon Turntable 1964 (Mfr. Transcripters, Ltd.)

Roy Richter and Frank Heacox Racing Driver's Helmut (Mfr. Bell-Toptex, Inc.)

"The Design Collection - Selected Objects" plus Jay Doblin's "One Hundred Great Product Designs" provide insight into the impact of industrial design in the 20th Century prior to 1970. Doblin's book however provides great written insight into the significance of each object in his book. 

An interesting side book to read from this era might be "California Design, 1930--1965: "Living in a Modern Way" edited by Wendy Kaplan.  It is based on a 2012 exhibit of the same name that originated at the Los Angles County Museum of Art. Charles Eames and other designers are featured.

Do you have a favorite book on industrial design prototypes, products or designers? Please let us know by posting a comment. If you have any questions or would like to discuss prototypes or other projects contact us at Model Builders, Inc. 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

"One Hundred Great Product Designs" by industrial designer Jay Doblin is the 1st of our 5 book reviews. Published in 1970 this book is a classic and sets the format for several similar books published later - products are in a chronological order, there is one large picture per product and there is a concise history of each product.

The Industrial Age resulted in thousands of products based on whatever the machinery could make efficiently. Industrial designers starting in the 20th Century managed to create a much smaller number of very carefully designed mass produced products. Henry Drefyus, Raymond Loewy, Norman Bel Gettes and other well known industrial designers were able to design the look of the future - often with streamlining and styling. In this book Jay Doblin takes us on a chronological journey of 100 great product designs from the 1742 Franklin Stove to 1965 Bell Trimline Telephone.

Jay Doblin went to Pratt Institute and was an executive designer with Raymond Loewy Associates from 1942 to 1955. For the next 14 years he was the director of the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology. This book is the result of 10 years of research by the faculty at IIT in an effort "to find out which product designs were considered "great", and why". Only mass produced items designed, manufactured and distributed for sale were considered.

Some of the 100 Great Product Designs are:

Aircraft: Douglas DC-3 Airliner 1934, #51 Beechcraft Bonanza 1947, Sikorski S-58 Helicopter 1949 and #96 Learjet 1963.

Appliances: #19 Electrolux Vacuum Cleaner 1918, #35 Coldspot Refrigerator 1937, #42 Chemex Coffee Maker 1941, #49 Thermador Built-in Oven 1946, #73 General Electric Wall-hung Refrigerator and Kitchen Center 1954, #81 Frigidaire Fold-back Surface Cooking Burners, 1955, #82 NuTone Built-in Mixer 1955, #84 Braun KM3 Kitchen Machine 1957, #86 Frigidaire Sheer Look Major Appliances 1957 and #89 Tappen 400 Range 1958.

Automobiles: #13 Rolls-Royce 1907, #14 Fort Model T 1908, #30 La Salle 1935, #32 Cord 810 1936, #36  Volkswagen 1937, #38 Lincoln Continental 1939, #43 Willy's Jeep 1941, #45 Cisitalia 1946, #54 Studebaker 1947, #55 MG Model TC 1948, #57 Porsche 3561952, #70 Studebaker 1953, #77 Citroen DS-19 1955 and #97 Ford Mustang 1964.

Cameras: #8 Kodak Brownie Camera 1900, #20 Leica Camera 1925, #32 Bolex H-16 Motion-Picture Camera 1936, #53 Hasselblad 500C and #57 Polaroid Land Camera 1948. 

China: #23 Arzberg China 1931, #33 American Modern Dinnerware 1937 and #44 Castleton Museum White Dinnerware 1946.

Typewriters: #29 Hermes Portable 1935, #63 Olivetti Lettera 1950 and #93 IBM Selectric 1961.

Industrial designer Jon W. Hauser from engineering firm Barnes & Reinecke updated the design and appearance of the Hough Payloader to reflect its superior performance. This proved that "integrated design and engineering could increase sales and pride of ownership in heavy-duty equipment."

Model Builders, Inc. was fortunate to work starting in 1950 with many notable industrial designers such as Jon W. Hauser, Raymond Loewy, Richard Latham and Dave Chapman.  One model we built was a 1/4 scale Hough Payloader that duplicated all the hydraulic actions of the front end loader by using minature cylinders and a new reversible pump unit.  The Hough Payloader model was a hit with potential customers at tradeshows and was written up in detail on two pages in the December 1956 issue of Applied Hydraulics magazine. Another project was creating two full size prototype seats and the custom ashtray prototypes for Raymond Loewy's Scenicruiser bus. The Greyhound logo and Scenicruiser bus are excellent examples of Loewy's styling and streamlining designs.

Doblin thought most of the current design then was "commercial and vulgar" but "the future had possiblities for excellence". He saw that the combination of what he called intellectronics and automation was producing abundant supplies with less labor and that cities were becoming centers of information handling, not manufacturing. Doblin included #87 the IBM RAMAC Computer 1957 with its disc storage in this book. He thought the computer would help man control increasingly complex systems and "result in a brighter, more rational world where cooperation replaces competition." Power would be based on knowledge and that would make education more important for everyone.

"One Hundred Great Product Designs" is a classic book that captures the impact that industrial designers made on mass produced products. The list first appeared on pages 135-141 of the April 1959 issue of Fortune magazine http://www.fulltable.com/vts/f/fortune/design/a.htm  along with a interesting explanation of how the list was selected. What makes this book exceptional is the carefully written explanation of the design significance of each product.

Do you have a favorite book on industrial design prototypes, products or designers? Please let us know by posting a comment. If you have any questions or would like to discuss prototypes or other projects contact us at Model Builders, Inc. 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

Industrial designers hire a model shop or use an in-house model shop to build physical prototypes of new products and other ideas. Knowledge of prototyping, materials and manufacturing techniques enable the model maker to refine an idea from two dimensions into a physical model that turns that idea into a product.

Here are 8 reasons why industrial designers use model shops:

1) Reality. As stated on page 132 in the 1947 book "Design for Business" by J. Gordon Lippincott

  "Before any design goes into mass production, a full scale model should be made and, if at all feasible, an operating model.  The costs of tooling, merchandising and advertising are so great that any economies gained by skipping the model-making step are more than offset by the greater risk of producing an article that lacks consumer acceptance through failures in styling or function.

Renderings are particularly misleading and should serve only the function of stimulating new, fresh, creative thinking.  In other words renderings are only the expressions of the idea stage.  As soon as a proposed form for a new product has been selected, models should be produced - in full scale wherever possible or practical. Half and quarter-scale models are completely misleading because most people do not have the ability to appreciate changes in scale.  A molding on a quarter-scale model of a refrigerator may look perfectly satisfactory, but when the same design is enlarged to full scale, the molding will be completely out of proportion  - usually too large."

Raymond Loewy stainless steel ashtray prototype for the 1954 Greyhound Scenicruiser bus

2) Capability. The industrial designer usually needs a model maker that has a shop with a variety of capabilities including machining, rapid prototyping, woodworking and finishing work such as sanding and painting. The space, machinery and model making talent needed to produce the industrial designer's prototypes and appearance models are simply too expensive to do at the industrial designer's location unless there is a constant volume of work to do.

The larger industrial design firms like IDEO and large companies like Steelcase tend to have an in-house model shop to create prototypes and appearance models. However for peak loads of work, special expertise or equipment, and a short run of parts they may use an independent model shop.

3) Expertise in materials. Professional model makers know from practical experience what materials may best meet the demands of the designer's intentions and the conditions a product will face. 

RAYOVAC ROUGHNECK flashlight - adjusts from Spot to Flood

4) Speed. Initial prototypes may be quicker if made in thin acrylic or styrene with vacuum forming.  Rapid prototyping is also used to create quick prototypes once the computer CAD work is done.  Machining plastic or metal is often the best way to create the final model since there usually can be much finer detail, more durable material and less finishing work. 

5) Product development. The initial design is tested with potential customers to see how well the product design works. Sometimes the product when held doesn't feel balanced. Many prototypes may have to be built and tested sequentially with changes before the product is ready to sell in the marketplace. Design is a collaborative process and model makers help the industrial designer perfect his craft.

Bernard welding handle final prototype

6) Appearance. A passion to do finishing work, the right grit of sandpaper, the right primer, the right shade of paint, a gloss, semi-gloss or flat finish often determine the success of a new product. The texture and finish must be the same as the final product. We hired one model maker because he could produce a flawless high gloss black finish on a wood base 10" high X 48" X 96". Sometimes industrial designers specify a specific model maker because of his or her superior finishing work.

7) Testing. Sometimes a design looks good on paper but doesn't work right when a prototype is built. The best model makers have the mechanical and electrial skills to help solve those problems.

8) Imagination. You never know when someone else's imagination, expertise, experience or knowledge may improve a product design. Model makers at in-house shop usually have a great knowledge of a particular product's history and techniques that were used to make that type of product.

Independent model shops often have a broad range of experience and may bring in new ideas from their diverse experiences.  At our independent model shop we sometimes find ourselves delving into a dusty two volume set of books titled "Ingenious Mechanisms For Designers and Inventors" that was first published in 1930 with chapter titles like "Intermittent Motion" to create special mechanical motions for a new product. Mechanisms in this book have already passed two important tests - (1) these are designs of mechanisms that will function properly and (2) they are simplified designs which normally are less costly to manufacture and more durable. This is just one example of the resources and experiences that model makers have. Last week we found a new nanotechnology based consumer product that removes and then prevents fingerprints on stainless steel.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss prototypes or other projects contact us at Model Builders, Inc. 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

The Saudi Aramco Exhibit is in a high-tech museum near Saudi Aramco's headquarters in Dhahran and is dedicated to energy education. There are 8 permanent sections to find out about oil production, Saudi Aramco's history and Arab-Islamic history. Also included are many temporary exhibits. Important information is combined with fun for youngsters and the family as well. There is a 3-D film "Energy to the World", a variety of ingenious hands on displays and interactive computer games to involve, intrigue and educate visitors. Every year the exhibit attracts tens of thousands of school children and international visitors.

The Saudi Aramco Exhibit opened in 1987. It features three dimensional models such as the 7' high detailed oil rig model shown below. 

Oil was first discovered in Saudi Arabia in 1938 and ARAMCO later became the largest oil producer in the world. The exhibit dramatically tells the story of the petroleum industry and relates it to over 10 centuries of Islam (from the 7th to the 17th Century) technological advances and heritage. By the mid-ninth Century Arabic had become the international language of scientific thought.

Recently a National Geographic book "1001 Inventions - The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization" (now in its Third Editon) and a traveling exhibition "1001 Inventions" (originally opening in the United Kingdom in 2006) has exposed millions of people to the Muslim technological advances and heritage. Currently the "1001 Inventions" exhibition is at the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC until February 3, 2013. We like to think "1001 Inventions" exhibit is based on the pioneering ARAMCO Exhibit that opened in 1987.

This 7' high oil rig model scale is 1/2"=1'-0" or 1:24. The model is in a scale that people can relate to and easily comprehend the entire oil rig as well as the details.

Oil Rig Model - Traveling Block, Hook and Swivel

Visitors are inherently attracted to a highly detailed model such as this oil rig that looks realistic. The traveling block and hook above are part of the hoisting system. Below them is the swivel which is part of the equipment that rotates the drill. This is a Loffland Brothers Rotary Rig. 

The model is all brass construction that is silver soldered into a very strong welded bond that enables this fine level of model detail as well as durabilty. It will withstand exposure to extreme temperatures if it is ever displayed outdoors or transported in a vehicle that is not air conditioned. 

Oil Rig Model - Monkeyboard

Fine detail like the monkeyboard platform is possible with the strong silver solder welding of the brass. The monkey board is used as the oil rig man’s work platform. The monkey board is located at a particular height in the derrick or mast. It is the same height as single, double or triple pipes.

Oil Rig Model - Crown Block

The crown block is a fixed set of pulleys (called sheaves) located at the top of the oil rig mast over which the drilling cable is threaded. The companion blocks to these pulleys are the traveling blocks. By using two sets of blocks a great mechanical advantage is gained. Consequently small steel drilling cable (3/4" to 1-1/2" diameter) can be used to hoist loads many times heavier than the cable could support as a single strand.

Colorful museum catalogs at the entrance (according to the Saudi Aramco World magaine November/December 1992 issue) go right to the point of the Exhibit that "it is meant to be a place for joyful learning...a carvansary for the curious" revealing secrets about the past, present and the juxtaposition of the two".

If you have any questions or would like to discuss oil rig models, site models, ship models, plant layout or process models, industrial models, nuclear training models, topographic models or other projects contact us at Model Builders, Inc. 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

Over many years we have worked with passionate inventors who are trying to develop a new product.  "For every 1,000 patents only about four or five will succeed and make money" per the article "A 'million-dollar' idea?" in Machine Design magazine. Developing a prototype model is an important step in determining which way your invention may go.

Our conversations with inventors often cover points like these:

- What physical, mechanical or electrical principles does this invention depend on? The idea might be a good one but may need some engineering assistance to ensure that it works. A high school coach came to us with an idea for a broad jump foul detector. He did not know what type of beam should be used to trigger the detector. We did the electrical and mechanical work for his laser activated detector. 

- Have you tried to make a physical mock up of this product yourself? Our experience is that only about one-third of the population can visualize things well in three dimensions. We often see drawings of an idea that looks good on paper but simply doesn't work or is more complex when a prototype is built. One client had a patent with step by step drawings showing how parallel parts could move together both vertically and horizontally. When we built a prototype, it didn't work. Fortunately we were able to solve that problem.

- Are you planning to produce and market the final product? Inventors have often not thought that far ahead. For example prototype details may vary depending on whether small or large production runs are planned. A prototype can be used to get feedback from users, investors, manufacturers and the marketplace. That information helps determine the final design, product cost and success of the product. Once we created the working detector, we referred the high school coach to an industrial design firm to help optimize user factors and the manufacturing cost. 

- Have you done your homework on what it takes for your invention to succeed? I recommend that inventors read "How I Made Millions With Just a Few Simple Ideas" by Robert M. Hayes. This guide shows with real examples how to increase invention success. Is a patent necessary? Will the invention sell? Most inventors assume the world will beat a path to their door but that rarely happens. This book illustrates how to sell and make money from ideas that may or may not be patented.

Converting an idea to reality is often difficult. Many good ideas die in the developmental stage because implementation requires special skills and tools. You need a model builder who can provide the ingenuity, experience, equipment and material to crystallize your idea.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss prototypes or other projects contact us at Model Builders, Inc. 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

"Is a product model or prototype required with a patent application?" is a question we often hear. The answer today is no. The US Patent of Act of April 10, 1790 required a patent model. if possible. The  US Patent Act of July 4, 1836 required a patent model until 1880. Each inventor submitted a model "not more than 12 inches square" along with the patent application as an aid to the patent examiner to determine the originality of the invention. 

Prototypes, although not ever required, are usually advisable because they help others visualize the idea and prove that it works. Prototypes help a lot when you are trying to sell or license your patent idea to others. They also help when you go to a manufacturer so they can determine what the parts might cost.

Rarely can you build a prototype straight from the patent drawing(s). Here are some important points to keep in mind when having a prototype built of your patent idea.

• Patent drawings illustrate the concept and are not meant to be engineering drawings. Measurements when shown in a patent are often a range within which the concept can work. However, many inventors we talk with think all they need to give us is the patent illustrations to have us build a prototype.

• To build or hire someone else to build a prototype requires that you provide or they create detailed drawings with measurements. If you go to a model shop, an industrial design firm or engineering firm with just your patent they will have to first create drawings with measurements that they can build from.
• First you may want to do a series of rough prototypes and have people test them until you determine potential problems and what variation of your idea has the best chance of being sucessful.
• Inventors sometimes want to build a final product model of their patent idea and then go out and market it to others.  It is probably a waste of money to try to build the final product in the beginning. If the idea is licensed to others they may want to modify your patent idea or use different production equipment which can't make the product exactly like yours.  So the money you spent to make your idea exactly like you wanted may be wasted. Furthermore you should probably use a rough prototype with people to test and see if it works well or needs improvement before it goes into production.
• We sometimes see inventors whose ideas when built as they describe, don't work. One patent was for something that worked in more than one direction.  The product as shown in the patent illustrations looked to the inventor and the patent examiner like a product that would work.  The inventor even had a series of drawings showing step by step how it worked.  However as we started to build the prototype it didn't work as drawn.  Fortunately we were able to change the design to make it work. Until you build a prototype and test it you may not know for sure if the idea works at all. 

If you are interested in the history of patents to gain a perspective on what works you may want to read "The Patent Book An Illustrated Guide and History for Inventors, Designers and Dreamers" by James Gregory and Kevin Mulligan. A&W Publishers, Inc. New York, New York. 1979. ISBN: 0-89479-037-4. Hardcover: 126 pages. This book covers the history of patents, who needs a patent, how a patent is obtained, the proper selling strategy behind the invention, and a list of common mistakes made by new inventors and how to avoid them. Along with an illustrated review of 50 famous patents – some of which changed the course of American history – are actual drawings from the patents. Hopefully this book enables you to see why some ideas succeeded and others failed.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss a patent model, prototype or other projects contact us at Model Builders, Inc. 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

Model builders are sometimes requested to make a custom model or award for a special presentation. Here are three unique award examples and some things to think about.

The 5" X 7" award pictured below holds a 2" diameter artistic glass globe with all seven continents that the recipient can spin with his or her thumb(s). This interaction engages the recipient and others who see it.

The model builder both created the design and did the fabrication. The two clear acrylic panels slide together below the ball and are bonded together. If the award happens to fall these two clear panels help protect the expensive glass globe from breaking.

The name of the person being recognized and the organization giving the award is engraved on it. Prior to this design the plan was to just put each globe in a nice wood box to protect it and add a engraved brass plate with the award information to the top of the box.

Shown in the picture below is a 18" diameter logo made from Legos which was ingeniously used to symbolize how a company was built brick by brick under the guidance of its founder. The original concept was going to be about 12" high.  However with guidance from the model builder the client soon realized that the logo in Legos had to be about 50% bigger in order to more closely resemble the company's logo.

This Lego logo wraps around all sides of 5/8" thick clear acrylic sheet which was cut into the shape of a round head with a neck. A five sided clear acrylic dust cover (not shown) was included.

Model kits when made with fine craftsmanship and quality materials are very meaningful to the recipient in industries such as transportation when that person's work is related to a product such as a railroad tank car. The model can be customized to have the same markings and details that relate most to that person. 

With model kits the details are very important and get noticed.  Is the lettering crisp or is it fuzzy? Is the lettering straight or crooked? Round tank cars are not easy to paint. Does the paint finish look the same on the whole model? Does the dust cover fit snugly or is it loose? Are the right couplers used on the railcar? Are the screws that attach the model to the wood base hidden behind the wheels or are they visible under the middle of the railcar?

You should consider seeing in person an example of a similar model or at least close up pictures of it before placing an order.

Model Builders, Inc. is known for creative thinking and fine craftsmanship. If you are looking for a custom model to award to a person or company take the next step by contacting us at Model Builders, Inc., 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

How do you get your product noticed? Maybe you should think big to make that product stand out! That is what FRIS vodka did.  They had an eleven foot high vodka model made, put it in a truck with clear sides, added a snow scene around the bottle and drove it to events.

The convection oven model in the back is twice the size of the real one in the front.  By making the sides and front clear the "heat arrows" inside show the path of the heat in the convection oven for even cooking. The model is close to 8 feet high with the signs on top.  An ideal size for viewing the heat arrows that highlight the flow path of the hot air in this convection oven.

 Even a drill bit becomes dramatic when it is made as a scale model 8 feet long and then used in a trade show. Craftsmanship, precision fabrication, a careful choice of paint color and a nice coat  of paint create a model that looks like the real thing...only larger.

Model Builders, Inc. is known for dramatic, realistic product models in a variety of scales. Take the next step by contacting us at Model Builders, Inc., 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .