From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An inventor is a person who creates or discovers new methods, means, or devices for performing a task. The word "inventor" comes form the latin verb invenire, invent-, to find.^[1][2] Though most commonly used to specifically describe those who have been granted a patent (see inventor (patent)), casual usage generally encompases those performing creative acts in categories well beyond those recognized by governments in the grant of exclusionary rights.

An example of the formal patenting of an artist method/process is the patent by Yves Klein on a particular shade of blue.^[3][4] This blue color is known as "Kleinian Blue" or International Klein Blue. Whether or not artistic invention in the general sense is formally recognizable, invention is an active part of the artist's vocabulary. An example is actor Paul Newman's statement of his reasons for retiring from acting, "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me." ^[5]

Inventions in mathematics may be indelibly associated with a given person, such as Stirling's formula associated with James Stirling. Some philosophers of mathematics dispute the notion that mathematical objects may be "invented". They propose that mathematical objects exist independently of mathematicians as abstract objects, so that mathematicians can only "discover" them. In that sense, Stirling is the discoverer of the eponymous formula, not its inventor.

The association of a given artistic or mathematical product with a person (its "inventor") can be distinguished from discoveries which are recognizably typical or characteristic of the person's creations. Such characteristics are more similar to the formal concept of trademark than the formal concept of invention. This loose concept may be indicated by appending the person's name with the suffix "esque", e.g. "Rubenesque Woman Has Picassoesque Face".^[6] The distinction between the "-esque" characteristic and trademark on an artist's name is subtle and has been litigated.

Inventorship is a key determination in establishing patent rights. The system of patents was established by to encourage inventors by granting limited-term, limited monopoly on inventions determined to be sufficiently novel, non-obvious, and useful. In the U.S. the intellectual property clause of the Constitution permits (but does not mandate) laws to be passed establishing patent and other intellectual property rights.

• Creativity techniques
• List of inventors
• List of engineers
• List of scientists
• History of Science and Technology
• Inventor's notebook
• Inventorship
• Inventor's Day
• Industrial design
• Creativity

• A collection of patents for pioneering electrical engineering technologies, including some by the inventors listed above
• Inventors Assistance League (Non-profit organization operating since 1963)
• Associations of inventors
  • Inventor's Day (official site)
  • Association of Hungarian Inventors (MAFE) (Hungary)
  • The Swedish Inventors' Association (Sweden)
  • Wessex Round Table of Inventors (Wessex Round Table of Inventors) (United Kingdom)
  • Inventors Association of St. Louis (IASL) (United States)
  • Young Inventors International (Non-profit organization helping inventors and innovators under the age of 35)
  • Inventor Spot.com Website for independent inventors with forums. Articles and advice related to inventing and the creative process
  • East London Inventors Club (ELIC) (United Kingdom)