MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF

INNOVATION -
THE 1990S INVENTIVE STORY OF THE ZIP
DRIVE…
Fred Thomas
January 31, 2012
At Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA

Presented at the invitation of -

Innovation Programs
Context – This Evening’s Talk
• Your host – Fred Thomas (Bucknell Grad. – 82’ & 90’)
• Meeting the Challenges of Innovation
– The Zip Drive…
• Understanding the differences between
Innovation and Invention
– Provide a framework
• Provide some learned lessons regarding
invention as art & science
– Insights…
• Answer Questions
January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 2
Big I And little i
• Innovation and Invention
– Same family but not twins

• Innovation types –
– Disruptive innovation
Clayton Christensen
– Sustaining innovation

• Invention
– Can be innovation, but typically in a supporting role.

January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 3

Some Disruptive Innovations

iPod (Innovation by: Apple)

Compact Disk – Optical Recording

(Innovation by: Sony & Philips)

The Internet (Innovation by: Al Gore?)

January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 4

 Super Floppies of the 1990s
Bernoulli Box
20 to 230 MB Zip – 100 MB
(Iomega) (Iomega)
1983-1990 1995 - 2002

1.44 MB 1990

1987 $2500 for

40 MB Drive
Ouch!
8”, 5.25” & 3.5” Floppies HiFD – 200 MB
(1971-1991) Gov. / (Sony )
Enterprise Floptical /LS-120 1998
Consumer Removable 21 MB/120 MB
Removable Data Data Storage (Iomega, Insite, Maxell & 3M )
Storage before 1990 before 1990 1991 & 1996
January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 5
The Zip Disruptive Innovation Insight
Kim Edward – CEO Iomega
(1993- 1998)

Observed what Iomega

had in the market in
1994.

$379 $650
Evaluated what was coming 4 platter flexible disk cartridge
out of R&D. with ~ 400 MB @ ~ $500

Asked the Insightful Question:

What drive can Iomega bring
to market at a price point of
$199?

January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 6

Zip a Truly Disruptive Innovation

9%

Product Unit Sales as %

of Unit PC Sales
6%

3%

0%

January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 7

Still Makes Me Laugh!

Johnny Crash
(Zip Super Bowl Ad 1998)

January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 8

Disk Drive Technology Basics
• Capacity – How much
Data?
• Date Track width
• Linear Density
• Areal Density
• Transfer Rate – How
fast can I read/write the
data?
• Platter RPM
• Access time
• Linear Density

January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 9

Zip – Inventions Behind the Innovation

2
1 Head-to-Disk Interface
2 Disk Snap – New Physical 5
Phenomena Discovered 7
3 Watch Jewels in a Disk Drive
4 Stiction Thwarted
5 Gore-Tex® Everywhere
6 2¢ Little Part – Big Consequence
3 1
7 Cartridge Jewels – Industrial 6
4
Espionage

January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 10

Head-to-Disk Interface

Invention – Cross-cut on
convention hard drive slider Historic evolution of the Hard Drive slider
allows for high speed flexible (read/write head)
media application.
Some perspective on
magnetic drive HDI 4 mm ± 0.2mm
(nanosliders in 2002 @ 1µ”)

Invention Takeaway: A good invention can be a seed

enabler for disruptive innovation!
January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 11
Disk Snap - New Physical Phenomena
Discovered Invention – Mode-master
instrument invented to
understand phenomena.

Some example Disk modes.

Discovery – Very flexible spinning disks at high RPM and having a transverse load
(recording head) can snap instantaneously between different modes with change
in transverse load radial location.

Invention Takeaway: Inventions directed at

understanding the problem are sometimes needed.
Trade secret status may make sense.
January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 12
Watch Jewels in a Disk Drive
Historic
lubricant for
watch
jewels. Not
for Zip
Drives!

Zip actuator exploded view

Invention – Watch jewel bearings for

disk drive linear actuator bearing.

Invention Takeaway: Repurposed “old” technologies

are a good source for new invention… and
sometimes not!
January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 13
Stiction Thwarted

The phenomena Chemically etched gimbals

for Hard Drive

Zip actuator exploded view

Invention – Thin chemically

etched leaf springs. No bearing
stiction!

Invention Takeaway: Look for solutions from domains

with similar problems.
January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 14
2¢ Little Part – Big Consequence

Chemically etched gimbals

for Hard Drive

Invention – Tiny foam donut (2mm dia.)

crash stop. No patent filed. Proved
quite important (Class Action Suit Settle
in 2001)

Invention Takeaway: Disconnected communication

between R&D and manufacturing is not good.
January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 15
Gore-Tex® Everywhere
Invention – Teflon fiber
disk liner: lubricious, lower
disk lubricant wicking,
effective disk debris
removal, less drive power
consumption.

Flexible Disk Cartridge

exploded view
Invention Takeaways:
1) Enabling materials enable invention. Build a toolbox of
enablers.
2) Patent it. Invention in large part is the convergence of
knowledge, an exceptional insight with a problem. This in not
an exclusive domain.
January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 16
Cartridge Jewels - Industrial Espionage

Invention – Cartridge retro-

reflective and phosphorescent
markers. Utility and strategic
directed inventions.
Invention Takeaways:
1) The solution to a particular problem can be the opportunity
for strategic invention.
2) Just because you have valid patents doesn’t mean you can’t
be over-ridden by government
January 31, 2012
judicial fiat.
Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 17
 The Anatomy of a Disruptive
Innovation
Fusion 1 Technology 1
• Some Observations…
• Process to a Disruptive
Innovation is usually not
Invention 1 Invention 3
linear.
Core Unique
• The number of elements
Value
varies.
Proposition
• The sequence of their birth Invention 4 Technology 2
differs.

Invention 2
• Science of Chaos gives us some Fusion 2

guidance on Innovation
• Concept of a strange
attractors holds Ring of Enablement
• Concept of sensitivity to • Ring on enabling technology
initial conditions holds • Ring of enabling invention
• Ring of enabling insightful fusion
January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 18
Epilogue –
New Technology Displacement

1999 2003 Still going strong

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What is an Invention?
• No implicit economic value.
• It is the product of exceptional informed
insight.
• It is statutory.
– Utility
– Novel
– Unobvious

January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 20

Invention Skill Takeaways
• Informed insight
– Typically scientific or technical
– Create enabling tool bag
• Understand its statutory basis
– Claims
– Take a patent bar course
– Patent It Yourself - Pressman

January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 21

What is an Innovation?
• Implicit economic value.
• Its is the product of exceptional informed
insight.
• Bringing differentiated product to market.
• Insight is customer value centric.
• Innovation ideas without bulwark are call
fantasies.
• Implicit economic value.
• Ultimately it is disruptive to markets.

January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 22

Innovation Skill Takeaways
• Complicated
• Focused on the utility element of invention
but not necessarily invention.
– Exceptional utility at exceptional value is what
matters.
• Many sources
• Find problems worth solving… art
– Invent later… science

January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 23

A Final Thought on Invention

The greatest
American was an
1849 - Patent # 6469 inventor.
January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 24
 QUESTIONS?

January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 25

 THE END…

THANKS!

January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 26

Fred Thomas’ Bio:
Fred Thomas received a BS in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Physics (BA) as well as his MS in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University
in 1982 & 1990 respectively. His Master’s Degree work at Bucknell was directed at control systems and non-linear dynamics via the construction of a
Chaos Machine for his thesis.

Mr. Thomas has been employed at Hewlett-Packard (HP) for the past six years, initially as Principal Hardware Architect–MediaSmart Home Servers; and
since 2010, as Champion for Innovation Intent—PC Ecosystem and Responsiveness. Previously Fred Thomas was Iomega’s Chief Technologist in
Advanced Research and Development where he worked for 14 years. In addition, he was the owner/engineer of Prototype Devices, and an Electro-Optic
Systems Engineer at Texas Instruments for five years.

Fred Thomas’ technical interest is in the fusion of new technologies for the enhancement or creation of new products. With 50-plus issued and many
pending US patents, Fred has demonstrated his ability to deliver innovation to products that ship and are market successes. This creativity has been
demonstrated in several fields, including data storage, sensors, actuators, mechanisms, electro-optics, machine vision, nano-technology, data security,
network attached storage, and intellectual property. His work at Iomega Corporation was essential to the Zip, Jaz, Clik!, DCT, Floptical, Peerless and REV
removable storage products. His work on subwavelength optical data storage, which allows for multiple 10s of fold increase in the capacity of DVDs, is
embodied in two issued and one pending patents.

Mr. Thomas’ awards include the International Design Excellence Award in 2009, Industrial Forum Product Design Award in 2008, “Nano50 Award” for
“Subwavelength Optical Data Storage” in 2005, Lemelson-MIT “Inventor of the Week” Award in 2004, Iomega “Exceptional Invention Award” in 1999,
and Laser Focus World “Electro-Optic Application of the Year Award” in 1994.

January 31, 2012 Copyright 2012 Fred Thomas 27