Invention, Intellectual Property, and Income

Dissemination Plan

Objective: Share the inventory management system with the Head of Department, Chief Technician of Mechanical Energy and Industrial Engineering at BIUST, and Fab Academy community to demonstrate functionality, protect intellectual property, and enable tool/equipment tracking by June 23, 2025.

Invention

The system automates tool and equipment tracking using RFID (RP2040 with RC522), Tkinter GUI for desktop, and HTML interface for web access. Developed iteratively to address storeroom inefficiencies, it integrates with BIUST’s workflows and supports accessibility for diverse technicians.

Intellectual Property

Differentiation of IP Types:

Type	Description	Relevance to Project	Pros	Cons
Patents	Protect novel inventions (e.g., utility for RFID scanning method). Last 20 years from filing. Require filing, examination, and fees (~$10k–$100k).	Could protect RFID integration with RP2040.	Exclusive rights, investor appeal.	Costly, time-intensive, public disclosure required, infeasible by June 23.
Copyrights	Protect original works (code, documentation) upon creation. Lasts lifetime + 70 years. Open-source licenses (e.g., MIT, GPL) enable sharing.	Applies to Python, HTML, and documentation.	Automatic, low-cost, supports open-source ethos.	Limits protection to expression, not function.
Trademarks	Protect brand identifiers (logos, names). Established via use or registration.	Could apply to project name if commercialized.	Protects brand identity.	Irrelevant for non-commercial academic project.

Chosen IP: MIT Open-Source License (Copyright)

Implementation: Add MIT License to Fab Academy GitLab repository. Include © 2025 Tshepho Keipopele in code and documentation.

• I Visisted the creative commons wensite





• Share your Work




• Choose a licenceCreative commons protects creative works such as photos, videos, essays, documentation and presentations



• Print work or media



• Webpage



• html



• Registed for the MIT licence which will protect protect software, code, scripts, hardware design files, machine control files

Income

Motivations: Social impact (improve BIUST storeroom efficiency) and educational goals (Fab Academy completion).

Sources: Non-commercial focus, with potential for training services for BIUST technicians or future Fab Lab kits.

Model: Bootstrap with Fab Lab resources; explore BIUST grants post-course.

Dissemination Methods

Target Audience:

• Chief Technician, Head of Department, Technicians at BIUST
• Fab Academy instructors and peers

Methods:

• Live Demo: Presented to Fab Academy on June 13, 2025;
• I Plan to demo for BIUST Mechanical Engineering Department on June 23, 2025, using RFID and Tkinter/HTML GUI
• Fab Academy GitLab: Shared code and documentation at GitLab Repository under MIT License.
• Written Report: Submit to instructors via course platform.

Timeline:

• 

Resources:

• GitLab Repository.
• Presentation Slide:
  
• Demo setup (laptop, RFID readers):
  

Project Progress Tracking

Completed Tasks

• 

Ongoing Tasks

• Testing the project:
  
• Prepare BIUST demo and report

What’s Working

• RFID readers scan and log items.
• Tkinter GUI supports CRUD operations.
• HTML interface allows adding/removing items.

What’s Not Working

• Transactions log immediately after borrower registers, so post-scan transactions fail.
• RP2040 with RC522 displays "RP2040 triggered" on LCD but shows no transactions.

Questions to Resolve

• Can I reorder code tasks to fix transaction logging?
• Will testing RP2040 on Thonny confirm standalone scanning?
  

Lessons Learned

• RFID setup requires precise configuration.
• Time management is critical for tight deadlines.
• MIT License simplifies IP management for open-source dissemination.