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美国国家公共电台 NPR Brush Yourself Off And Try Again: An Invention Story

时间:2017-08-10 02:20来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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Brush Yourself Off And Try Again: An Invention Story

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Two inventors wanted to change the world of dental hygiene1 with a new kind of toothbrush. Everything was going great up until the moment their dream was about to become a reality. NPR science correspondent Joe Palca brings us this story as part of his summer series on inventing.

JOE PALCA, BYLINE2: Dental hygienist and toothbrush inventor Mike Davidson says when you brush your teeth properly, you know it.

MIKE DAVIDSON: And that's what this brush is designed to do. It's designed to show you what good brushing feels like.

PALCA: This brush is the MD Brush. The brush has a clever handle. When you pick it up, the handle positions the bristles3 at a 45 degree angle to the gumline, an angle many experts say is ideal for effective brushing. It took seven years to go from the idea for a new toothbrush to an actual product - seven years of designs, redesigns, re-redesigns, manufacturing obstacles.

But finally, in late 2014, Davidson was ready. A hundred thousand MD Brushes arrived at the Port of Long Beach in California. Then the problems started. There was a strike at the port and the brushes were trapped. Then, Davidson says, the credit card processing system went haywire.

DAVIDSON: This really is not the way you want to start a business.

PALCA: And then they ran smack4 into the dental industrial complex. Davidson's partner, Mike Smith, says one of the big toothbrush manufacturers filed suit against them, accusing them of patent infringement5.

MIKE SMITH: When that came in, when we were served, I don't know if we were overwhelmed by it. But, I mean, it was definitely a - you know, a gut6 check for both of us.

DAVIDSON: We could have fought them. And we were confident we would have won. But to get it in front of a judge to make a ruling on it would have cost us upwards7 of half a million dollars to do it.

PALCA: Davidson says they agreed to a settlement and threw away 65,000 unsold toothbrushes. He says it hurt. And the experience completed his transition from idealistic inventor to hardened businessman.

DAVIDSON: I'll put it to you this way, is that any time - if you've got an innovative8 product that's going to impinge upon a larger company's market share, get ready because they're going to come after you. And that's what happened with us.

PALCA: Davidson says he and Smith have now regrouped. They've redesigned the brush again to avoid the patent problem, and the first manufacturing run is complete.

DAVIDSON: We're ordering 10,000 this time instead of the 100,000.

PALCA: When I spoke9 with Davidson and Smith three years ago, I asked them whether they'd take the money if a big toothbrush manufacturer offered to buy them out as a way of eliminating them as a competitor.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)

SMITH: I think we've already talked about it. No. No. I mean, we've taken it this far. We're going to - we're going to continue to take it all the way.

DAVIDSON: It's not about money. It's about winning. And it's about beating these guys at their own game and showing them we can do something better.

PALCA: That was three years ago. I asked if they'd take the money now.

SMITH: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

SMITH: I didn't even have to blink at that question. If it was an eye-popping amount of money then yes, most definitely. Yes.

DAVIDSON: If it was a huge, eye-popping number, absolutely. Yeah.

PALCA: But then Davidson qualified10 that answer.

DAVIDSON: It would have to be a pretty substantial amount.

PALCA: Clearly he's still got some fight in him. The toothbrush wars aren't over yet. Joe Palca, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF STEPHANE WREMBEL'S "BIG BROTHER")


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 hygiene Kchzr     
n.健康法,卫生学 (a.hygienic)
参考例句:
  • Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
  • He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。
2 byline sSXyQ     
n.署名;v.署名
参考例句:
  • His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
  • We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。
3 bristles d40df625d0ab9008a3936dbd866fa2ec     
短而硬的毛发,刷子毛( bristle的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • the bristles on his chin 他下巴上的胡楂子
  • This job bristles with difficulties. 这项工作困难重重。
4 smack XEqzV     
vt.拍,打,掴;咂嘴;vi.含有…意味;n.拍
参考例句:
  • She gave him a smack on the face.她打了他一个嘴巴。
  • I gave the fly a smack with the magazine.我用杂志拍了一下苍蝇。
5 infringement nbvz3     
n.违反;侵权
参考例句:
  • Infringement of this regulation would automatically rule you out of the championship.违背这一规则会被自动取消参加锦标赛的资格。
  • The committee ruled that the US ban constituted an infringement of free trade.委员会裁定美国的禁令对自由贸易构成了侵犯
6 gut MezzP     
n.[pl.]胆量;内脏;adj.本能的;vt.取出内脏
参考例句:
  • It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
  • My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。
7 upwards lj5wR     
adv.向上,在更高处...以上
参考例句:
  • The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
  • The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。
8 innovative D6Vxq     
adj.革新的,新颖的,富有革新精神的
参考例句:
  • Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
  • He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。
9 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
10 qualified DCPyj     
adj.合格的,有资格的,胜任的,有限制的
参考例句:
  • He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
  • We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。
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TAG标签:   NPR  美国国家电台  英语听力
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