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I entered OpenPower in the Create the Future design contest. It is open for public votes, and I can use all the help I can get.
Posts tagged Patent
Independent Study Submittal
I have wrapped up my independent study focused on further development of a linear, modular, open-source home electrical system.
This semester involved the Intellectual Property Law Clinic at the Kent School of Law, and Engineering feedback from IIT’s electrical engineering department. Their contributions helped to evolve the proposal into a more sophisticated, novel, and innovative product.
The IP Law clinic conducted patentability studies on novelty, obviousness, and freedom to operate. Prof. Ken Choi from the engineering department has been developing passive-power electrical circuits, so he was able to give feedback on the possibilities and limitations of transmitting electricity through magnetic fields. He also has interest in smarter, greener electrical solutions that incorporate smart-grid concepts.
As a result, gone is the ‘track lighting’ electrical delivery method, and instead I incorporated a much thinner profile track that delivers electricity from regular continuous 12 gauge copper wires to a magnetic induction emitter bar in each ‘powered’ length of track. The modules then do not need to mechanically attach in the track; instead they can be magnetically placed along the track length as small ‘patches’. Therefore, the module only needs to be as large as the plug that is going in to it.
The OpenSource Power Solution Marketing Brochure
Our latest project submission required a tri-fold marketing brochure for our PowerTrac Open Source power solution.
Illinois Institute of Technology – Topics in Advanced Technologies – Durbrow/Brock
Team – Pollard, Ze, Turgeon, Turcotte
Re-inventing Home Electrical Systems
Is your home cluttered with surge protectors and extension cords all coming from just a few outlets? Most outlets in homes are left empty, but are required to be there by code. Outlet locations are typically not well-designed for how people actually live. I am working on a proposal for an open-source electrical outlet system that allows a homeowner to place outlets wherever they need them. Less material, less labor, more efficient power, and power wherever you need it….
