TY  - CHAP
A1  - Corazza, Giovanni Emanuele
A1  - Thienen, Julia von
A2  - Glăveanu, Vlad Petre
T1  - Invention
T2  - The Palgrave encyclopedia of the possible
N2  - This entry addresses invention from five different perspectives: (i) definition of the term, (ii) mechanisms underlying invention processes, (iii) (pre-)history of human inventions, (iv) intellectual property protection vs open innovation, and (v) case studies of great inventors. Regarding the definition, an invention is the outcome of a creative process taking place within a technological milieu, which is recognized as successful in terms of its effectiveness as an original technology. In the process of invention, a technological possibility becomes realized. Inventions are distinct from either discovery or innovation. In human creative processes, seven mechanisms of invention can be observed, yielding characteristic outcomes: (1) basic inventions, (2) invention branches, (3) invention combinations, (4) invention toolkits, (5) invention exaptations, (6) invention values, and (7) game-changing inventions. The development of humanity has been strongly shaped by inventions ever since early stone tools and the conception of agriculture. An “explosion of creativity” has been associated with Homo sapiens, and inventions in all fields of human endeavor have followed suit, engendering an exponential growth of cumulative culture. This culture development emerges essentially through a reuse of previous inventions, their revision, amendment and rededication. In sociocultural terms, humans have increasingly regulated processes of invention and invention-reuse through concepts such as intellectual property, patents, open innovation and licensing methods. Finally, three case studies of great inventors are considered: Edison, Marconi, and Montessori, next to a discussion of human invention processes as collaborative endeavors.
KW  - invention
KW  - creativity
KW  - invention mechanism
KW  - cumulative culture
KW  - technology
KW  - innovation
KW  - patent
KW  - open innovation
Y1  - 2023
UR  - https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/63103
SN  - 978-3-030-90912-3
SN  - 978-3-030-90913-0
SP  - 806
EP  - 814
PB  - Springer International Publishing
CY  - Cham
ER  -