Inventive Principles – Part 2
The 40 Principles of TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) are a set of guidelines derived from the analysis of thousands of patents across various industries. These principles serve as a systematic way to generate inventive solutions to engineering and technical problems. Here is a list of the 40 TRIZ principles: Segmentation, Taking Out, Local Quality, Asymmetry, Merging, Universality, “Nested Doll”, Anti-weight, Preliminary Anti-action, Preliminary Action, Beforehand Cushioning, Equipotentiality, ‘The Other Way Round’, Spheroidality, Dynamics, Partial or Excessive Action, Another Dimension, Mechanical Vibration, Periodic Action, Continuity of Useful Action, Skipping, ‘Blessing in Disguise’, Feedback, Intermediary, Self-Service, Copying, Cheap Short-Living Objects, Mechanics Substitution, Pneumatics and Hydraulics, Flexible Shells and Thin Films, Porous Materials, Color Changes, Homogeneity, Discarding and Recovering, Transformation of the Physical and Chemical State, Phase Transitions, Thermal Expansion, Strong Oxidants, Inert Environment and Composite Materials. Each principle provides a specific guideline for overcoming engineering contradictions and finding inventive solutions. Innovators use these principles in combination with other TRIZ tools to systematically analyze and solve complex problems. 1: SEGMENTATION (Assemble-Disassemble, Fragmentation, Decentralization) : (A) Divide an object (or system) into independent parts (to work in tandem or counterbalance each other), (B) Make an object (or system) be sectional (or modular), (C) Make an object (or system) easy to assemble (putting together) or disassemble (separating or taking apart), (D) Increase the degree of an object’s (or system’s) fragmentation or segmentation, (E) Use repetitive or multiple units of action if there are strict limits on increasing per unit function (or characteristics like size or weight etc) connected with an action, transit to micro-level. EXAMPLE: Modular Furniture, Centralization (e.g., Mainframe) versus Decentralization (e.g., Personal Computers), Multi-Pin Connector, Goal-oriented Team, Multi-Plane Window, Measurement Scale (with increased precision), Serrated Knives (to improve cutting performance), Multi-I/O operations in case of limited memory, Molecular Beam Epitaxy. Read More: SEGMENTATION 2: EXTRACTION (TAKING OUT, Extracting, Retrieving, Removing/Removal, Separating, Isolating, Zoning Out): (A) Extract the “redundant or disturbing or an interfering” part (or property) of an object (or system), (B) Extract only the “necessary or useful” part (or property) from an object (or system), (C) Extract only the desired (required or non-required) function (in terms of time or space or interaction or condition) from a multi-functional system or object. EXAMPLE: Separate Smoking Areas/Zones, Vacuum Cleaning, Chromatography, Flashlight, Automated Teller Machines, Split-ACs, Using Fiber Optics (& Frequency Based Separation or Extraction of Signals), Weeding Out, Film Editing. Read More: EXTRACTION 3: LOCAL QUALITY (Non-Uniform, Heterogenity, Diversity, Non-homogenous): (A) Change an object’s (or system’s) structure or property from uniform (or homogeneous) to non-uniform (or heterogeneous), (B) Change an object’s (or system’s) external environment from uniform (or homogeneous) to non-uniform (or heterogeneous), Make each (different) part of an object (or system) perform a different useful function, (C) Make a part of an object (or system) perform a direct opposite function (in time or space) or with respect to its other parts, (D) Make each part of a system to function in a locally optimized condition, Let each part of an object (or system) to be placed in conditions most suitable for its function/action. EXAMPLE: Grip support on tools, Bakelite holders in heating utensils, Aerodynamics protrusions, using water for sharpening or contouring glass edges, Corrosion Protection Coatings, Swiss-Army Knife, Color Box, Pencil with eraser, hammer with nail puller, Photo chromatic Lenses, Night-vision viewfinder, Refrigerated drugs or medicines. Lunch box with compartments optimized for different types of food (hot or cold, solid or liquid etc), Multifunction tools like screwdrivers (multi-head), Ultrasonic drills, Read More: LOCAL QUALITY 4: ASYMMETRY: (A) Change or replace symmetrical form (s) with asymmetrical form (s), (B) Vary the degree of asymmetry, if an object (or system) is already asymmetrical, change an object’s (or system’s) or property or form to suit the asymmetry in the external environment EXAMPLE: Electric furnace with asymmetrically placed electrodes, Encryption System, Key- Lock, Contact Lens or Multi-Focal Lens Spectacles, Bulb- Socket (Threads), Ergonomic Seat (Back-Support) or Pillow or Mouse, Dust Filters, Asymmetrical Cement Mixing Vessel. Read More: ASYMMETRY 5: CONSOLIDATION (MERGING, Combining, Joining Integrating): (A) Consolidate homogeneous (identical, related) objects in space or objects destined for contiguous operations or functions, (B) consolidate homogeneous (identical, related) or contiguous operations or functions in time (to action or performance together at the same time) EXAMPLE: Bifocal Lens, Networked Personal Computers, Microprocessors (IC) – Multiple Consolidated Circuits & Functions, Lawn Mover with Grass Collector, Venetian or Vertical Blinds – Vanes Operating in Parallel, Telephone Network (Data, Voice, Video), Medical Diagnositics – Simultaneous Multiple Diagnosis/Test Results. Read More: CONSOLIDATION 6: UNIVERSALITY (Multi-functionality, Universal, Standardization): (A) Make a part or object (or system) perform multiple (several different) functions; thereby eliminating the need for other parts (or elements) or objects (or systems) (B) Introduce or use commonly (widely or universally) acceptable standards. EXAMPLE: Sofa-cum-bed, Cycle-as-Wheelchair, Home-on-Wheels, Houseboat, Toothbrush (with inbuilt toothpaste disposal system in its handle), Child’s Car Safety Convertible into a Stroller, Internet Communication Protocols (HTML, XML, DHTML, HTTP) , Safety Standards Read More: UNIVERSALITY 7: NESTING (NESTED DOLL (Matrioshka) /STRUCTURES, Hierarchical, Multi-Level, Multi-Layer, Recursion, Loops): (A) Place (embed or position or put or insert) an object (or system) inside another object and so on in a recursive manner, (B) Pass an object (or system) through the cavity of another object (or system). EXAMPLE: Door-within-a-door, Stacked Chairs, Telescoping/Extendable Antenna, Suspended oil storage reservoir (that stores different products in a single unit), Nested Doll, Zoom Lens, Sewing Thread, Needle, Keyring, Lead Pencil, Capillary Action (e.g., in candles), Toilet Roll, Catheter is passed through sheath during angioplasty, Seat-Belt Retraction Mechanism, Retractable Aircraft landing Gear/Seat Belt, Mercury Thermometer, Measuring Cups, Folding Umbrella/Handle, Malls (shops within a shop), File Storage Structure (Folder Within A Folder). Read More : NESTING 8: COUNTERWEIGHT: (A) Compensate the weight of an object (or system) by combining or merging with another object (or system) that provides a lifting or counterbalancing or supporting forces, (B) Compensate for the weight of an object (or system), with the forces present in the external environment (e.g., use aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, buoyancy and other forces) to provide a lift or counterbalancing force. EXAMPLE: Advertising (hydrogen/helium filled) Air Balloons, Magnetic Levitation, Floating Paint Brush, Racing Cars with rear wing, Hydrofoils in Ships, Life Saving Floats, Using Foaming Agents (into a bundle of logs to make it float better) Read More : COUNTERWEIGHT 9: PRIOR COUNTERACTION (PRELIMINARY ANTI-ACTION, COUNTER-ACTION): (A) Perform additional

