Having experienced a traditional research and development environment, we wanted to create a company model which solved the problems we found within those traditional structures.

IDS started as a project as much as any project within IDS. We began for the purpose of innovation and invention to help people solve problems and build ideas. The idea was to create a think-tank network to serve as a design nursery.

We needed a steady flow of projects so dry times don't strain the company. By having a dynamic portfolio of work-in-process, we shall always have projects in each stage of completion and so everyone will always have something to do. We can't risk having associates and resource idle.

Structured functions [Legal, Accounting, Engineering ....] are kept away from creative functions. They conflict with each other, in that the creative process can often be short-circuited by the structured functions.

Our purpose is to easily help thoughts .... become ideas .... become reality within a structure that helps develop ideas in an atmosphere where brainstorming can be natural, free-flowing, yet secure.

The IDS-Research project is to provide online invention brainstorming within the framework of the Internet. This provides the flexible mind-to-mind associations, that makes sharing and brainstorming more natural.

The IDS-Research process is done without profit, and often without pay. Most members offer talent, equipment or funds for a choice of future equity or a direct payback ratio. Although IDS-Research is non-profit, the purpose of each project is to become it's own profit-center thru IDS-Development.

A successful technology should not impose itself upon people, but instead work comfortably, quietly and seamlessly at people's side.

A successful technology should accomplish its goals using as few parts, especially moving parts, as possible and should be simple and intuitive to assemble, disassemble and maintain even by the user.

1. A new project first goes thru a probationary period where its feasibility is determined.

2. If secrecy is not required, it then proceeds to the "open phase" in which members of IDS-Research may contribute talent, funds or equipment in general or toward individual projects.

3. If secrecy is essential, the project may remain closed and thus internal to IDS-Research.

4. Some projects are outside .... consultation projects are rarely available for contributions because talent, equipment and funding is most often provided by the client. If aspects are jobbed out, they may be available to members.

• thought and idea origination

We suggest that all ideas submitted be first documented and sent to the DDP [Disclosure Document Program] at the US Patent Office. This establishes origination.

• secure sharing of thoughts and ideas

Once the ideas are secured, they can be shared thru an encrypted email system used for our brainstorming. Because our work is primarily via the Web and email, we work privately and securely .... mind-to-mind and so do not deal with any of the personality politics of working face-to-face. IDS serves as the hub and filter between contributors.

•* objective compensation to be resolved

If Andy comes in with a 2/3 finished idea then John, Mary and Larry contributed important pieces, but Susan comes up with that final, keystone piece that makes all the difference.

.... What can serve as a simple mechanism to determine compensations? At the present, this is a manual operation requiring a final judgement by the director .... We welcome your input on this topic.

1. Graphic 3D objects and animations .... (great for the movies)

2. 3D Toy objects .... (proven but not yet prototyped in a real world appplication)

3. Technologically functional devices .... (reasonable and do-able)

(We provide initial design solutions for Clients.)

• handle entire projects at a design level.
• extra input toward existing projects.
• provide initial design solutions.
• set solution directions for new projects.
• Refine existing designs.

Link: IDS-Consulting page

We were ready for the sacrifices that we had to make to launch a Think-Tank. For 15 years, 18 hours a day ..... and the marathon continues. We could not have done this much production had it not been for the intensity, concentration and determination of that choice.

Link: IDS-Research page

Fifteen years later and literally hundreds of projects later [dozens close to release], we have the war-chest needed to confidently enter the commercialization phase thru IDS-Development. (see "Project List")

We were planning to go commercial and offer investment in September 1999. The Security Commision's rules blocked us because IDS-Development needed a track record of sales and earnings in order to be allowed to "go public", yet we needed capital infusions in order to take the technologies from IDS-Research and transfer them to IDS-Development for the tech transfer/marketing phase. They also wouldn't let us offer private investment to anyone who wasn't "wealthy" .... They call it Regulation-D.

Link: S.E.C. Regulation-D

Link: Reg-D parts

Regular people, not the wealthy, supported our work all those many years and we were not about to betray their efforts. It took quite a while to figure a way to involve those kind of people, without breaking the rules.

We had to make a project out of it, which has led to our introducing a new way of investing in what we call a "Fractional Fund" [an inside-out mutual fund]. It is a structure that enables members who contribute either talent, equipment or funding to invest in parts of a company, such as individual project(s) and/or a product(s) either thru a ratioed payback or a choice of future shares.

Link: IDS-Investment Editorial