I didn't want to call this post a "best and worst" of the consumer electronic show (CES), so I won't. Instead, there are a couple things that stood out to me at CES this year.
First is Sleep Number's Helicopter Parent Starter Kid (They call it SleepIQ kids). If you are having trouble determining whether you are a helicopter parent, this quiz may help. The main features of this bed/app combination that stood out to me are (1) it alerts you when your kids are out of bed, (2) it has a light that turns on when your kids get out of bed, and (3) it has an app that detects whether there are monsters under the bed. At $1000, it shortens the 5-second delay between when your kids wake up at night and when they arrive in your room to inform you they are going to the bathroom or tell you they are hungry. Additionally, it solves the need for a $2 night light.
Moving to the other end of the spectrum. 3D Printed Chocolate could change the world. Hershey and 3D Systems teamed up to bring the first consumer 3D printer for chocolate.
So what kind of intellectual property do they (either Hershey or 3D Systems) have?
- potential patentability of the device for printing chocolate and any improvements over its plastic printing predecessors
- potential patentability of the process of printing chocolate using the device
- potential design patentability of so many previously impossible chocolate designs (here is the world changing part)
- potential patentability (or trade secret) in the chocolate formulations that will optimally melt and reform under printing conditions
- copyright in 3D plans for various chocolate shapes
- trademark in COCOJET (not registered with the U.S. Trademark Office yet!)
My professional opinion is that your money is better spent buying the chocolate printer and bribing your children to sleep. Then you can eat chocolate in delicious shapes while inventorying the intellectual property in your business.
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