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Edison on Innovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond
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Edison on Innovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond

by Alan Axelrod
February 2008
Intermediate to advanced content levelIntermediate to advanced
192 pages
4h 1m
English
Jossey-Bass
Content preview from Edison on Innovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond

10.9. Lesson 98: New Wholes from Old Parts

The electric lighting system that Edison developed, including the lamp, generator, and means of distribution, necessarily drew on many existing devices for models and inspiration. This presented potential patent problems, which Edison addressed by hiring an expert, Francis Upton, to research all relevant British and American patents potentially bearing on the Edison system. Upton's conclusion was telling: "I feel sure that the total you have is new, no matter if parts have been used before."

NOTE

Invention and innovation are daunting to the point of creative paralysis if one is convinced that every aspect of a complex system must be invented anew. Genuine originality relies more on the innovative manipulation ...

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9780787994594Purchase book