When selecting the patent award that your corporation will present to inventors to recognize the issuance or application of a patent, there are several things to consider. Patent awards will become part of your corporate innovation culture and can be the driving force behind the growth of your company’s intellectual property. It is important to choose an award that will bring value and inspiration to your team of talented innovators.
For years the selection of patent awards was very limited. With few options other than a patent wall plaque. Several years ago, Stellar Kent noticed a shift in patent award trends. Our customers were asking for new and innovative awards. As a result, we created a new category of patent awards.
With office environments changing and patent volume increasing, Stellar Kent identified the need for desktop awards that could be stacked to save space. We are very aware that, in 1992 there were 173,075 utility patent applications in the U.S. and by 2019 that number had grown to 621,453. Innovation in just about every sector has skyrocketed over the past several decades. The coming years will bring even faster growth in innovation and granted patents. Over the next several decade’s countless patents in sectors such as clean energy and cybersecurity will be issued to new and existing companies.
In 1992 a prolific inventor might have received five or six patent awards in his or her lifetime. Fast forward to today, and a prolific inventor might receive five or six patent awards in a year. Some inventors will receive as many as 50 throughout their careers. As many companies move to shared and other non-traditional workspaces inventors simply don’t have the space to display large patent awards.
What does this all mean when you are designing a corporate patent award program or revamping an existing one? If your company receives a few patents per year, a traditional patent plaque might be a good choice. However, if your company is granted a higher volume of patents, a stackable desktop award such as the Stellar Kent Hexagon award is a great space-saving choice. You may also want to consider adding, patent application, milestone, and trade secret awards that blend seamlessly into your program.
For more information about developing a patent award program to fit the unique needs of your company and to create an inspiring culture of innovation recognition, contact us at [email protected]. A Stellar Kent Patent Award expert will contact you to discuss your needs and assist in choosing the right award for your program helping to ensure all of your innovators and achievements are recognized.
