In my 7th-grade history class, our teacher took one class session out at the end of the year, and gave us all a single sheet of paper. On it, we were instructed to write out five objectives that we hoped to achieve before graduating from high school. We sealed the sheets inside envelopes, and the teacher assured us that we would receive them back when we were handed our caps and gowns before graduation.
I don’t remember exactly what I wrote down, but I do know that one of the goals was to patent an invention before I walked across the stage in Honeoye Falls. Of course, I didn’t know at the time that applying for a patent can take the better part of a decade and thousands of dollars – but it remained a good dream anyway! Almost needless to say, my first opportunity to file a patent application didn’t come until five years after that graduation cermony, when we filed a provisional patent application for Wi-Pics.
Today, I took another step toward finally checking off that long-held wish: The GM intellectual property team decided to apply for two patents on inventions that I’ve contributed to. I guess it’s easy to do when you have a legal budget that probably exceeds the GDP of some small countries, but it still feels special to me anyway. I’m sure, if those patents issue and turn into little bronze patent plaques on my wall, that it’ll feel even more special.
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