The author is a partner in Herbst Produkt, Santa Cruz, CA, which has won more design awards in the US, per employee, and has been honored by the Edison Foundation every year for the last 13 years. He holds 124 US patents in housewares, hardware, medical, and commercial products. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the recipient of the "Distinguished Professor" award from Northwestern University where he founded the Master of Product Design and Development Management program. Additionally, the author has served as an expert for the UN World Intellectual Property Organization, presenting his winning methods for the design and development of products both at the UN in Geneva as well as to individual organizations representing developing countries. He received his undergraduate degree in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois, his MBA from Northwestern's, Kellogg School of Management, and his PhD from Coventry University.