In this series, John Cronin shares insights relating to invention, creativity, and intellectual property collected over 17 years at IBM (becoming its top inventor with over 100 patents and 150 patent publications) and 23 years as managing director of ipCapital Group (working with over 800 companies and approximately 15% of the Fortune 500, hundreds of mid-size companies and hundreds of startups and governmental laboratories).
June 13, 2024
Season 01 Episode 49
In this episode, John Cronin explains the symbiotic relationship between patents and prototypes. Learn how prototyping can enhance your intellectual property (IP) and vice versa. Discover the advancements in prototyping technology, from AI integration to 3D printing, making the process faster, cheaper, and more effective.
July 18, 2023
Season 01 Episode 39
Get ready for an enlightening episode of Invent Anything! In Part 2 of our series on selling patents, we’ll be providing a detailed guide to the art and strategy of patent sales. Whether you’re a veteran inventor looking to make the most of your portfolio or a newbie just starting in the patent world, this episode has insights for everyone.
July 18, 2023
Season 01 Episode 38
In this episode, John guides us through the process of selling a patent, starting with The Basics, navigating through Patent Citations, Press Releases, Patent Valuation, Trojan Horses, and finally, Selling to Large Companies. From start to end, John ensures a comprehensive, educational, and practical approach to selling your patent in this first part of a two-part series.
April 24, 2023
Season 01 Episode 36
In this episode of Invent Anything, we dive deep into the world of provisional patents and explore how they can drive innovation, protect intellectual property, and catalyze success for board members, investors, CEOs, CTOs, CFOs, and inventors alike. Tune in now to harness the power of provisional patents and supercharge your path to success!
April 24, 2023
Season 01 Episode 35
Continue your journey to transform your business with Intellectual Property in Part 2. Learn how IP can reduce risk, minimize liability, save money, attract valuable partners, and secure funding. Don't miss these expert insights and success stories.
April 24, 2023
Season 01 Episode 34
Discover how Intellectual Property can revitalize your business by improving employee morale, boosting sales, strengthening your brand, fostering innovation, and enhancing business relationships. Tune in for ten actionable tips to harness the power of IP.
February 9, 2023
Season 01 Episode 32
What if there was a way to create more inventions in less time with lower costs that empowered your team to be more creative and gave your business leverage over competitors and partners? Revolutionize your business with the power of Invention On Demand - say goodbye to limits and hello to limitless possibilities!
February 1, 2023
Season 01 Episode 31
In this episode, John discusses IP Analytics, which allows you to use data from the patent office to find unique and valuable insights. IP Analysis can provide new directions for R&D, positioning your company against (or protecting your company from) a competitor, and increasing the value of your company in a merger or acquisition.
January 27, 2023
Season 01 Episode 30
To truly know your business, you need to understand your IP Landscape. How do your business, market, product, and technology fit into the world’s intellectual property system? Find out in today’s episode.
December 5, 2022
Season 01 Episode 29
Do you work with an innovative team but can’t figure out why they never produce any IP, like patents and trade secrets? Many inventors have lots of great ideas but seem to have trouble getting them out of their heads, onto paper, and filed with the patent office. The ipScan is here to help and has been used for over 25 years to extract and unlock the hidden value in inventive teams.
October 23, 2022
Season 01 Episode 28
Is there a patent stopping your business from moving forward or increasing market share? Do you have a new technology or patent that you think will be valuable but worry your competitors might be able to figure out how to get the same benefits without you? In this episode, John Cronin will explain how any patent can be invented around so that it's harder for competitors to get around you.
July 3, 2022
Season 01 Episode 27
In today’s episode, John will teach you how to deal with copycat companies and win the war against IP infringement. If you’ve invested time and money into your technology, the last thing you want is another company profiting off your hard-earned developments. Whether you need to prepare for this possibility or arm yourself to deal with copycat issues immediately, this episode will give you the tools to succeed.
June 9, 2022
Season 01 Episode 26
In this episode, John explores the types of businesses that may or may not need intellectual property (IP), like patents and trade secrets. Learn whether your business needs IP to protect its business model or if filing patents will just increase expenses.
May 26, 2022
Season 01 Episode 25
In today’s episode, John discusses the process of creating a powerful intellectual property tool: provisional patent applications. Provisional applications can be leveraged in many situations and offer strategic advantages to businesses and inventors.
May 20, 2022
Season 01 Episode 24
Developing intellectual property can be difficult and costly, so how do you communicate the value that IP offers to a business and market? In this episode, John will teach you how to tell your IP Story to get the most value out of your intellectual property, like patents and trade secrets.
May 9, 2022
Season 01 Episode 23
What do you do when you find out your patent is being infringed? Many companies with sizeable or even small but important patent portfolios have asked themselves this very question. In this episode of Invent Anything, John answers many of the common questions that patent owners have when they think someone is using their invention illegally.
March 5, 2022
Season 01 Episode 22
In this episode, John discusses important issues surrounding prior art from many perspectives: not just how the patent office views prior art, but how to understand how prior art impacts inventors and businesses.
March 3, 2022
Season 01 Episode 21
In this episode, John will teach you the basics of Intellectual property (IP) strategy and intellectual asset management. By leveraging data, best practices, and game-winning strategy throughout your process, IP strategy can leverage your business unlike any other type of asset.
February 8, 2022
Season 01 Episode 20
Due Diligence on a company’s intellectual property can become the cornerstone of valuing a business for investment and fundraising, as well as for mergers and acquisitions. However, without the right strategy, many companies stumble on this crucial step. In this episode, we will cover everything you need to know to get started on your IP Due Diligence journey.
January 18, 2022
Season 01 Episode 19
In this episode, John discusses the many ways of monetizing – or making money with – a patent portfolio. To be successful with a patent monetization strategy, you’ll need a systematic approach. John speaks from decades of experience in intellectual property deals and licensing with ipCapital Group and while at IBM.
January 18, 2022
Season 01 Episode 18
In this episode, we will discuss how to figure out how much a patent is worth. This episode will cover six topics relating to patent valuation.
October 13, 2021
Season 01 Episode 17
In Part 2 of his interview with Mark Alyn, John recalls building a “patent factory” during his tenure with IBM as a semiconductor engineer in the technology development department. John and Mark also discuss the question, “Do corporations need to continue to invent?” It may seem obvious that the definitive answer is “Yes.”
October 13, 2021
Season 01 Episode 16
In this special episode, Mark Alyn interviews host John Cronin about John’s background and what lead to his career as an inventor, starting from childhood to becoming the top inventor at IBM to founding ipCapital Group.
October 6, 2021
Season 01 Episode 15
In this episode, John discusses when patent owners should consider getting an ‘Evidence of Use’ (EoU) opinion. Evidence of use is a process of collecting material evidence that an outside party may be practicing the technology claimed in a patent.
September 1, 2021
Season 01 Episode 14
In this episode, we'll cover freedom to operate (FTO), what it is, and the many strategies that you can use to gain leverage for your company.
July 28, 2021
Season 01 Episode 13
Invention is the key tool driving innovation. In this episode, John provides a clear differentiation of invention and innovation that, once understood, could transform your business.
July 12, 2021
Season 01 Episode 12
In this episode, you will learn everything you need to know about enabled publications. Often erroneously called “defensive publications,” Enabled Publications offer a secret and powerful weapon in your IP arsenal.
June 9, 2021
Season 01 Episode 11
In this episode, John unveils the power of trade secrets for your business. This episode answers questions like: What are trade secrets? How do you protect trade secrets? How to leverage trade secrets in business? And even how to create new trade secrets for your business.
May 25, 2021
Season 01 Episode 10
In this episode, we will learn the six ways to make money with patents. Patents are expensive to obtain, and many inventors and executives want to maximize their ROI from intellectual property.
May 20, 2021
Season 01 Episode 09
In this episode, we will discuss raising more money at a higher valuation using intellectual property. CEOs, founders, CTOs, etc. who are considering raising money may consider using a unique strategy of leveraging IP to tell a better story to investors.
May 12, 2021
Season 01 Episode 08
In this episode, John discusses how to get a patent on your invention. This episode covers everything you need to know to get your first patent.
April 6, 2021
Season 01 Episode 07
If you’ve ever wondered what a patent really is, the rights that it gives you, and what they mean for your business, you’re in the right place.
March 30, 2021
Season 01 Episode 06
In this episode, John discusses the technical details behind the process of ‘enablement’ – taking the invention from the conceptual stage to describing how it will work in practice.
March 23, 2021
Season 01 Episode 05
How can you take an invention from the early idea stage to something that will work and have value?
March 16, 2021
Season 01 Episode 04
Associative thinking is one of the most powerful creative tools for inventors. By combining different objects, ideas, and methods, new inventions can be made by making novel connections with your mind.
March 9, 2021
Season 01 Strategy
In this episode, we will cover a very important problem in the intellectual property space: what happens when a business has just been threatened. A close competitor recently received a very broad patent, and the first company believes the second company is violating the patent. Now what do they do?
March 2, 2021
Season 01 Episode 03
In the third installment, John discusses two major types of creativity: divergent and convergent.
February 23, 2021
Season 01 Episode 02
In this episode, John explains the fundamental ideas that underpin any creative process.
February 16, 2021
Season 01 Episode 01
In the introductory episode, John discusses his background, topics that will be covered in future episodes, and his motivations for starting the series. Also discussed are different points of view on IP issues, from the employees, managers, executives, and IP attorneys.
