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What is a fidget spinner and why did the inventor fail to make millions?
According to Wikipedia (never trust this website for an absolute definition) A fidget spinner is a toy that consists of a ball bearing in the center of a multi-lobed (typically two or three) flat structure made from metal or plastic designed to spin along its axis with pressure. Fidget spinners became trending toys in 2017, although similar devices had been invented as early as 1993.
The toy has been promoted as helping people who have trouble focusing or those who may need to fidget to relieve nervous energy, anxiety, or
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psychological stress. There are claims that a fidget spinner can help calm down people who have anxiety or neurodivergences. However, as of May 2017, there is no scientific evidence that they are effective as a treatment for ADHD.
Catherine Hettinger, a chemical engineer by training, was initially credited by some news stories as having been the inventor of the fidget spinner, including by media outlets such as The Guardian, The New York Times, and the New York Post. Hettinger filed a patent application for a “spinning toy”[29] in 1993 and a patent was issued, but Hettinger allowed the patent to lapse in 2005 after she could not find a commercial partner.
What could Catherine Hettinger have done to keep her patent from lapsing? Why can’t she claim that the other companies that make fidget spinners, stole her idea and cashed in on it? What would you have done differently?
