Business executives generally don’t seek out primary school kids for product innovation.
Nine-year-old Eric Lee might help change their minds.
Some of his inventions to date include a magnetic fish detector, umbrella tripod, duct-tape wallet, purse and shoes. And he could be on his way to receiving his first patent.
The Irvine office of Miami-based Greenberg Traurig LLP is providing Lee with free legal services in an effort to patent his iWinder, a circular object people can wrap their earphone cord into to prevent it from getting tangled.
The law firm selected Lee’s invention in March following his participation in the Astounding Inventions competition and exhibition at Irvine Valley College, which features inventions from students in the Irvine and Tustin Unified school districts. Greenberg is a sponsor of the annual event, which was held in January.
Lee’s story underscores a maxim: Education feeds business. His work could do just that if the soon-to-be fourth-grader gets the invention patented.
A patent search was recently under way, according to Frank Ubell, office chair of the intellectual property practice at Greenberg Traurig in Irvine.
The next step in a years-long process—if things work out for Lee—would be to prepare and file an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
6 Versions
Lee has six versions of the iWinder, including one that can be pinned to clothing and another that is magnetic and can stick to refrigerators. He recently was informed about a similar product with an identical name, so a new product moniker might be needed. But his innovations still could prove patentable.
Lee, an Irvine resident, said he came up with the idea for the iWinder last December when he saw a roly-poly in the animated film Rango. The animal’s circular shape gave him the idea of what the form of the iWinder should be.
Other factors contributed to his idea.
“I wanted to have something for the invention contest,” said Lee, who first participated when he was 5 years old and has won several awards for his inventions. “There were a lot of like messy wires around the house and around other people’s houses too, and I wanted to fix that problem.”
Active Mind
Creating things doesn’t appear to be unusual for Lee, who seems to have a steady flow of curiosity.
“I don’t think Eric’s mind’s ever quiet,” said Sharon McCubbin, his third-grade teacher at Springbrook Elementary School in Irvine. “I think that he is taking information from every single thing that occurs around him. … Even the wind across his face, that could stimulate him to come up and say to me … ‘Where does the wind come from?’ ”
McCubbin said Lee would run ideas by her and leave math problems and “philosophical ideas” on her desk.
“Eric to me is like a Renaissance kid,” said McCubbin, who as a teacher has interacted with many students for nearly 40 years. “There’s nothing that he can’t do and can’t do well.”
Lee is a symbol of innovation being promoted and nurtured in at an early age, she said.
Creativity seems to be the fruit of Lee’s family tree, which includes several professors and artists.
His father, Michael Lee, is an engineer at Cupertino-based Apple Inc., and a role model to his son: He’s conceived several inventions himself, as has Eric Lee’s grandfather.
Eric Lee recently finished up a stint in the Education Program for Gifted Youth at Stanford University. His sister, 15-year-old Angela Lee, also was in the program, and in the third grade came up with 100 ideas for inventions. Their dad wants them to think unconventionally.
“I like my kids to think that way, kind of an out-of-box … [type of] thinking,” his father said.
They’re also given opportunities to solve problems.
“Whenever I have a problem … we say, ‘Eric, what do you think?’ Or, ‘Angela, what do you think?’ So they keep thinking all the time,” said Jenny Yen, their mother.
Montessori
Lee spent several years in the Montessori program at Springbrook Elementary, one of the few to be found at a public school in Southern California. The Montessori program encourages students to be creative, solve problems and be independent, among other things.
Lee will move on from the Montessori program at Springbrook to a program for academically advanced students at Santiago Hills Elementary School in Irvine when he starts the fourth grade in September.
The “Renaissance kid” is already thinking about an adult career choice.
“I wanna be a geologist,” said Lee, who also is considering making video games. “And if I can’t be a geologist, than any scientist would be fine, I guess.”
