from the resume of:
Phillips V. Bradford, Sc.D.

Specific Achievements in Product Development and Introduction

My achievements in product development are primarily based on my experiences with Bell Telephone Laboratories, Ametek, Inc. and Phelps Dodge Industries.

Antenna products at Bell Telephone Labs

At Bell Labs, I was deeply involved in some of the highly technical aspects of satellite antenna feed design and development. Click this link to see some of the titles of the internal publications at BTL relating to this work. My work was to design a satellite antenna feed in the laboratory phase, including field testing at the antenna test facilities at the Crawford Hill Laboratory. The corporate discipline at Bell Labs involved a "handover" of the product from its laboratory phase to its manufacturing phase at a different location. I participated in the corporate training program designed to train young engineers on the flow path for product development within the Bell System. This was especially important because of the segmented approach to new product development, typical of large organizations.

Flat plate solar collectors at Ametek

At Ametek, Inc., I was primarily involved in the design and development of a flat plate solar collector. In this work, I conducted the market analysis, the manufacturing processes, and the distribution and sales aspects as well as the technical issues involved. I had then recently completed a seven year career on Wall Street, where I had mastered the skills involved in performing market analyses. This product was rated as the most efficient and cost effective flat plate solar collector in the industry and became a profit center for Ametek for several years. My work included designing and working in Ametek's trade show presentation booth. I also participated in product development teamwork efforts in several other product categories at Ametek, notably new materials development for photovoltaic cells, and remote meter reading, and data gathering products. Ametek asked me and John Bowen to produce the "Ametek Solar Energy Handbook" which became an industry-wide standard reference during the 1979-1985 period of high energy costs. An expanded 2nd Edition was published in 1984. I was also appointed to serve as a Subcommittee Chairman in the development of ASTM and ASHRAE standards for solar collector testing.

All-copper solar absorber plates at Phelps Dodge Industries

At Phelps Dodge Industries, Inc., I was employed to conduct a market analysis and recommend a strategy to its Board of Directors for the development, introduction and sale of an all-copper solar absorber plate for flat plate solar collectors. In this activity, I was part of a team that invented a new process for manufacturing the solar absorber plate (This work led to patent # 4,313,430 by Britner et. al.). I also participated in the design and construction of a manufacturing plant in Anaheim, CA where the plate was produced. I also developed a distribution plan for the plate using the corporate network for copper and brass plumbing components. This process gave me some direct selling experience at the wholesale level. To my knowledge, Phelps Dodge Industries was the only Fortune 500 company to make a profit from a solar energy product during the "energy crisis" years.

Patent related work

During my years at Phelps Dodge Industries, I studied to become a Registered Patent Agent, and passed the Patent Bar Exam. My Registration number is: 30,030. This allows me to prosecute patent applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Subsequently, I have been a valuable advisor to my employers on patent matters and other intellectual property issues regarding product development activities. I have rendered assistance to inventors seeking patent protection in my capacity as a Patent Agent and in the employ of corporate and governmental agencies. The following list of patents is representative of some for which I have written the specifications and claims:

In each of the patents listed above, the patent became an integral factor in the negiotiations for financing the corporate assignee (first two listed), obtaining a valuable franchise (3rd listed), determining the price for the sale of a subsidiary with an environmental problem (4th listed), and protecting a product from a competitor, who later purchased it (5th listed).

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