Expert Details
Patent Infringement and Invalidity for Juvenile, Toy, Baby and other Consumer Products
ID: 736585
Illinois, USA
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 1987 | Degree: BS | Subject: Industrial Design | Institution: Kent State University |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2018 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Director of Product Development | Department: Product Development |
Responsibilities:Establishing development program to expand line of this emerging brand through targeted new lines and innovation. Close collaboration with art director to assure premium positioning in line with elevated brand. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2011 to 2018 | Employer: Self Employed | Title: Founder/ Owner/ CEO | Department: Executive |
Responsibilities:Founder and partner in this Juvenile Products focused consulting group. Have consulted with major brands in the juvenile industry to manage new product programs both in the US and directly with China factories. Have set up satellite offices to handle sales and support of established international brands expanding into the US market. Handled marketing and social media for several brands globally.Directly focused on new product development and successfully sold goods into Babies R Us under their private label program until their recent liquidation. Also developed goods for several other branded and private label programs both within the US and globally. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2009 to 2011 | Employer: Essentials Brands | Title: VP of Product Development | Department: Product Development |
Responsibilities:Following the successful purchase of Baby Planet by Essentials Brands, joined Essentials Brands to integrate their new brand into the business and to educate all on juvenile gear categories. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2005 to 2009 | Employer: Self Employed | Title: Founder/ Owner/ CEO | Department: Executive |
Responsibilities:Founder and operator of a start-up juvenile products company. Company was established as a trendy upscale brand with a focus on strollers carrying an eco-friendly message. Enjoyed national and global recognition and distribution leading up to a successful sale of the company’s assets to Essentials Brands in the fall of 2009. This brand was later re-acquired. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1995 to 2005 | Employer: Kolcraft Enterprises, Inc. | Title: Director of Design | Department: Product Development |
Responsibilities:Established design group and grew to direct full development team. Increased distribution by more than 50% and created new categories through refinement and new introductions. Developed marketing and product plans that allowed for the shift from market trailer to market leader within 1-2 years of product roll out. Helped to cultivate aculture of growth through innovation and expansion. Currently named on 1/3 of Kolcraft’s total patents (29). |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1993 to 1995 | Employer: Today's Kids | Title: Senior Designer | Department: Product Development |
Responsibilities:Designed, developed and oversaw the implementation of several new toys which won both local and national recognition as top toys of the year, while increasing both margins and overall profits. This is where Expert refined his skills at rapidly developing and implementing innovative products. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1989 to 1993 | Employer: Century Products Co. | Title: Staff Designer | Department: Product Development |
Responsibilities:Established his foundation in the juvenile products industry and grew a significant knowledge base to build on. Broke into several new categories and reshaped the booster car seat landscape with a groundbreaking new direction. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1988 to 1989 | Employer: Dunne Plastics Co. | Title: Design Coordinator | Department: Design/Customer Support |
Responsibilities:This was a great opportunity to get Expert's feet wet in the plastics industry. |
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International Experience
| Years | Country / Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Years: 2000 to Present | Country / Region: China | Summary: Ongoing work with consumer product factories in China, including an average of four trips per year to visit and work over the last 20 years. |
| Years: 2011 to 2015 | Country / Region: Australia | Summary: Worked with Australian brand to distribute goods into US market |
| Years: 2005 to Present | Country / Region: UK, Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada | Summary: Work with all regions to sell and distribute consumer goods, source and manufacture consumer goods and co-develop consumer goods with various groups. |
Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| -Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA): Member -American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM): Member of various compliance committees and test forces in the juvenile product industry -Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC): Member of various compliance committees and test forces in the juvenile product industry -Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association (JPMA): Member at various times |
| Licenses / Certifications |
|---|
| Product Safety Management Course, Spring 2020 Richard A Chaifetz School of Business, Center for Supply Chain Excellence St. Louis University |
| Awards / Recognition |
|---|
| Industrial Design Society of America: Design of the Decade Award for the time period Industrial Design Excellence Award Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association Innovation Award (2 years) |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| Has been named on more than 40 US patents to date. These patent are in a ratio of about 2/3 utility and 1/3 design patents. Most of this work it within the toy and juvenile product market of baby goods. Expert has also applied for patents in China. |
Additional Experience
| Expert Witness Experience |
|---|
| Retained on 8 cases. Author of 12 Expert reports, including infringement, validity and various replies. Deposed 8 times. Testified in trial 6 times over 4 trials. |
| Training / Seminars |
|---|
| Product Safety Management Course, Spring 2020 Richard A Chaifetz School of Business, Center for Supply Chain Excellence St. Louis University |
| Marketing Experience |
|---|
| Established and ran marketing programs for companies he had started (two in total). |
| Other Relevant Experience |
|---|
| Business ownership has given Expert a holistic view of consumer products which allows him to go beyond the typical technical expert and offer opinions on a patent's impact on all aspects of a companies business. |
Fields of Expertise
juvenile furniture, toy, toy safety, baby safety, baby stroller, baby personal care product, child passenger safety, child product safety, child restraint system, child transportation, child-resistant packaging, Childrens products, product compliance, ASTM Testing, consumer product, consumer product design, consumer product labeling, consumer product safety, consumer product safety improvement act, consumer products consulting, consumer testing, consumer toy, new consumer product development, claim (patent), computer-aided design patent figure, patent, patent cases, patent application, patent claim chart, patent claim construction, patent infringement, patentability evaluation, patent invalidity, Baby Car seat, high chair, baby walker, baby carrier, bassinet, playard, validity, patent anticipation, patent obviousness