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 Regazzoni
Scinte s.n.c., University of Bergamo, Industrial Engineering Dept., Italy
ETRIA - TRIZ Future ‘07
Frankfurt, 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)
GrantedORApplications
F16J15/10
F16J15/10 (Sealings with non-
metallic packing compressed
between sealing surfaces)
217

Intrinsic features of Sealing Tech.
IPC
(International Patent Classification)
GrantedORApplications
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°patents
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))10-PRIORACTION
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!

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

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