Faced with competition from new devices that were either quieter or more portablethan their eight-pound, wall-current-operated SCD Response, Kendall sought toprotect their market-leading position by introducing a dramatically cleaner and moreconvenient leg compression system that would still deliver Kendall's best-in-classtherapy. These systems use a pneumatic sleeve on the leg or foot that is alternatelyinflated and deflated by the controller to promote circulation and prevent clotformation.

My work on the system began with userresearch visits to hospitals andconsultation during the industrial designphases. Once engineering began, Iworked on sourcing internal componentsand assisting with componentconfiguration, then implemented thecomplete design in SolidWorks. Therewas extensive cooperation withelectronics design groups as well as withKendall's testing, regulatory,manufacturing, and sleeve designgroups. There were three rounds of fullyfunctional prototypes, which I assembledin Insight's shop, and ongoing liaison with the toolmakers when the design wasreleased for production. I also produced all of the tooling and manufacturingdrawings.

The new system, now christened SCD Express, runs for eight hours on chargedbatteries, is half the size and weight of itspredecessor, is far easier to manufacture, andhas been shown to be up to 10% moreeffective at increasing blood flow in the legs.

Kendall SCD Express

Peter Stokes b Engineering for Innovation b (617) 354-2462 b stokesp@earthlink.net

This project began as the design of Keurig's first consumer brewer, to extend Keurig'ssuccessful office coffee franchise into the home. The carefully controlled brewingprocedure of their commercial brewer hadto be exactly replicated in a new machinethat would cost a tenth as much to make,but still be manufactured in the US.

I was a principal contributor in theconceptual phases, when twenty differentbrewing systems were considered andevaluated. Breadboard systems were builtand tested for three concepts, as well asworking models of potential subsystemssuch as gang valves and an optical bubble sensor.Prototype testing was automated where possibleusing LabVIEW computer control.

The internals of the B100 consumer brewer were thenrepackaged to become a basic commercial model, theB1000, to which I contributed some work on thePro/ENGINEER database.

20,000 at-home brewers were sold in the first six months after launch, all by directsales, with the only publicity targeting existing office users through the commercialdistributor network. Subsequently, a new project was launched to design an even lessexpensive system, the B50, to go against several new low-cost competitors in massmarket retail. I conducted thorough reverse engineering ofthe competitive brewers and headed up several conceptualengineering efforts related to the new design, to buildbreadboard brewers and develop new operating mechanisms.

Peter Stokes b Engineering for Innovation b (617) 354-2462 b stokesp@earthlink.net

Keurig B50/B100/B1000 Coffee Brewers

Acme Packet's family of products are carrier-class equipment for network providers tohelp manage voice-over-IP, video, and other streaming media sessions. Acme'sapproach to their first product was not only to define a niche with the product'stechnical capability, but also to make an impact in anindustry not known for style-consciousness with a sleek,compact unit whose design telegraphs both reliability andleading-edge capability. Acme's fully custom electropolishedstainless steel 1U (1.75") high enclosures are built tostringent NEBS standards for reliability, fire safety, and EMIshielding.

When I implemented this design, uniqueapproaches to card ejection, bezel fastening, andEMI gasketing were required to stay faithful tothe designers' intent while trying to leave roomfor adequate ventilation when nearly the entireperimeter of the box was taken up with displaysor connectors. Close cooperation with Acme'sin-house electronic design team allowedmechanical and electronic development to occursmoothly and in parallel.

Sophisticated use of Pro/ENGINEER allowed me to manage the design of manydifferent configurations efficiently in a single CAD database. It also generated all thenecessary documentation for the large prototype builds, six alphas and twenty-fourbetas, that I did in Insight's shop. Acme continued to rely on me for productionsupport and engineering documentation while they grew to have their own productionstaff. Acme Packet is now a billion-dollar public company with over half of thesession border controller market they created.

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Peter Stokes b Engineering for Innovation b (617) 354-2462 b stokesp@earthlink.net

Acme Packet Session Border Controllers

Already a dominant supplier in the hockey market with their high-tech sticks andblades, Easton sought to complete their offering with a line of innovative protectivegear. I was part of the team at Artisent they turned to for a helmet design, with ourexperience creating the Brine Triumph for lacrosse, the CCM Vector for hockey, andEaston's own new batter's helmet.

After analyzing anthropometric data to determineoptimal size points and adjustment ranges, Iengineered the simplified temple hardware,adjustable length fitband, and the new single-levertool-less length adjustment mechanism that are allcore features of the new helmet. Care was taken toavoid existing patents, including my own on theCCM design.

There was alsoinnovation on theinside. Novel use ofultrasonic welding was made to fasten the Mono-Lockadjustment straps to the shell, and new uses oftraditional materials were developed to produce themolded temple pad with integrated hardware. This aswell as the complex molds for the plastic shells and foamliners demanded careful coordination with themanufacturer throughout tooling and pre-production.

In a market from which Nike recently retreated, not able to get traction with its brandof innovation in the fickle and conservative hockey culture, Easton has garneredaccolades for their helmet's look, safety, andfunction. Star users like Dany Heatley, Zach Parise,and Henrik Zetterberg have helped drive this newhelmet into the hockey mainstream.

Easton Stealth S7/S9/S17 Hockey Helmets

Peter Stokes b Engineering for Innovation b (617) 354-2462 b stokesp@earthlink.net

After the B100 inaugurated their at-home coffeebusiness, Keurig went on to develop theirtremendously successful Asian-produced B30, B50,and B70 brewer lines. For a next-generationpremium platform, Keurig sought a new look thatstill echoed the now-ubiquitous earlier designs.They also wanted to increase the brewer's capacity,add more brew process options, shrink itssize, and engineer out a clogging problemthat was dogging high-altitude users.

I led conceptual engineering efforts to solvethe clogging problem as part of preliminarywork on the B50, but these were not carriedthrough into the ultimate implementation ofthe B50 design. The B80 development,coming four years later, offered anopportunity to revisit the problem with thebenefit of the experience gained in theinterim with several further generations ofhome and commercial brewers.

I directed the development of a new brewheadmechanism that stages the punctures, releasing pressurein the K-cup portion pack without allowing coffee toblow into water lines. The mechanism requires lessvertical clearance than the prior design, to fit undercabinets more easily, and has a controlled and positivefeel.

I also implemented the rest of the exterior designof the B80, allowing for a largerwater tank, touchscreencontrols, and a milk frother ina machine roughly the sameoverall size as earlier brewers.

Besides producing the B80design (planned for launch inlate 2010), the developmentprocess spun out othermechanism concepts implemented in the B31 MiniPlus brewer, and informed work onnext-generation systems.

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Peter Stokes b Engineering for Innovation b (617) 354-2462 b stokesp@earthlink.net

Keurig B80/B85 Coffee Brewers