Tech Journal We Can All Be Inventors — and Insight’s Innovation Program Proves It

Perhaps you think of Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, one of the largest and most successful technology brands in the world. Or maybe you think of Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb, without whom we would still rely on candles and oil lamps to light our homes. The Wright Brothers might be front-runners — their invention of the airplane transports millions of people across the globe each year to visit new places and experience different cultures.

All of these inventors are strong contenders for the most innovative people in history. Each of them undoubtedly made their mark on the world, providing us with creations we rely on daily.

But what if the world’s next greatest innovator is the coworker who sits at the desk next to yours in the office? Or the cashier who checked you out at the grocery store last night? Or better yet — what if it’s you?

Innovate@Insight — Insight’s program designed to help technical talent translate their unique ideas into patentable intellectual property — proves it’s possible.

Solving challenges through innovation

As the leading Solutions Integrator dedicated to achieving transformative outcomes through technology, Insight solves unique, pressing challenges for clients of all sizes and across all industries.

As you might imagine, this often means being presented with some tough-to-crack challenges. Clients frequently come to Insight with problems they’ve either tirelessly worked to solve themselves or haven’t had luck solving with other technology partners. And, with more than 30 years of experience providing transformative outcomes through IT, Insight is well aware that unique problems require unique solutions.

The reality is existing, “off-the-shelf” technology often doesn’t suffice. On many occasions, Insight’s bench of more than 3,700 engineers, architects and consultants must create entirely original technical solutions to meet the client’s objectives and achieve the greatest impact.

This made Karim Adatia, Insight senior vice president and deputy counsel, wonder: What if the novel methodology that was developed and used in these solutions could be patented and used to deliver accelerated outcomes for other businesses with similar challenges? There’s no doubt these innovations have a wider application beyond their original intent, he thought.

“When I speak to our innovators, oftentimes they don’t know that what they’re working on can be impactful beyond the specific client challenge they’re trying to resolve,” said Karim. “They’re so wired to solve a problem and look for ways to do things better, they don’t step back and see there’s widespread commercial value to it that could be a novel and useful new way ahead for entire industries.”

And thus, Innovate@Insight was created.

How it works

The process is simple. The inventor starts by filling out an Invention Disclosure Form (IDF), including a description of the potentially patentable invention, as well as any other information that may be relevant to the application process, such as additional inventors or the date of conception.

After a team of patent attorneys reviews the IDF, a drafting attorney conducts an interview with the inventor to get a more detailed understanding of the invention. From there, the legal team writes several drafts of the application, receiving feedback from the inventor(s) and in-house counsel throughout the process. The final draft is then filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The ease of the process makes Innovate@Insight unique, according to inventors who have participated in the program. Insight’s patent attorneys assume the responsibility for determining what components of a solution may or may not be novel, relieving innovators of a heavy responsibility and providing them with an outlet to exercise creative freedom — without the confusion and nerves traditionally associated with filing a patent.

“When I previously filed a patent application back in 2018 with another company’s patent team, it wasn’t very straightforward,” said Meagan Gentry, national Artificial Intelligence (AI) practice manager for Insight. “I didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t know how buttoned-up my explanation of the invention needed to be. I wasn’t sure how to prepare for the interview. Innovate@Insight makes the process of describing your invention, interviewing with patent attorneys and documenting all that great knowledge truly seamless.”

Solutions for our clients turned solutions for the world

So far, Insight has submitted more than 80 patent applications for innovation spanning Internet of Things (IoT), AI and machine learning, edge data processing, advanced analytics and computer vision solutions.

Insight Lens — a metadata-driven architecture for ingesting data from multiple enterprise data sources using Azure Data Factory (ADF) and processing/transforming data into a Modern Data Warehouse (MDW). Insight Lens enables businesses to accelerate their MDW approach, minimize their maintenance burden, remove overly complicated data ingestion strategies and start leveraging their data to drive improved business outcomes in weeks rather than months or years.

Through Innovate@Insight, Insight Chief Data Scientist Michael Griffin developed a computer vision solution that enables a computer program to generate highly accurate inventory counts of products on pallets from a single photograph. When used in unison with information about the products on the pallets, companies can reliably manage inventory while minimizing the potential for human error.

Michael’s solution is being piloted by one of North America’s largest beef processors to minimize food processing errors and streamline plant operations.

But what really makes Innovate@Insight special is more than just the ground-breaking technology Insight is bringing to the market. It’s about providing everyone the opportunity — and confidence — to pursue their creative visions.

“You don’t have to be born an inventor to invent,” said Meagan. “Inventorship doesn’t live in an ivory tower for people who are devoted to research and development, or the mad scientist behind the curtain. It’s for anybody doing anything.” 

What unique ideas do you have? Discover how Insight accelerates digital transformation through unmatched technical talent.

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