THEIR CAREERS BEGAN WITH THE SAME ZEN MASTER
Zen Master, Kobun Chino was an interesting man. Especially for young Silicon Valley whiz kids. Steve Jobs Story is well known; however, Robert Ferrand’s Story has been well hidden for decades. Back in the day, when Crosby, Stills and Nash were really hot, their road manager was Mac Holbert. Mac and Robert grew up together, over the hill in Santa Cruz. Mac’s father, Dr. Duncan Holbert, by then, had been in an Iron Lung for over 25 years. David suggested that a more esthetic respirator could be buil and the band would provide it.
David and Graham had contacted Stanford Rehabilitation Engineering to see if they could build something for Mac’s father. At the time, Stanford was building a mechanical bed sore prevention device with plywood triangles and skateboard wheels. Not high tech.
In a parallel universe, Robert was studying boat building, specifically cold-molded boat building. One day, Robert stops by to see Dr. Holbert and shows him his yacht designs. Upon review, Mac’s father, famously said, “Well, the boys in the band are interested in providing me a new respirator”.
Since Robert had been hanging around David’s wooden schooner, Mayan, in Sausalito, he understood David’s love of wooden objects. Robert proposed a cold molded wooden respirator. David and Graham donated $8,200 to the Portola Institute (Whole Earth Catalogue) to produce a feasibility study. Robert was lead investigator.
The idea of an oscillating air mattress is obvious, what is not so obvious is how to actually do it. First. Where do you get the air? The old iron lung diaphragm is push/pull. That will not Work. The good news is you do not need high pressure. “Non-Invasive” Respirators produce a slight vacuum and use atmospheric pressure of 14 lbs. per in to do the work.
The breakthrough invention, at the time, was the use of a “turbine blower” with a computercontrolled “low pressure air valve manifold” to control many different pressures in different location. This was Breakthrough for “Non-Invasive” respiration and is the Heart of this Proposal. (original feasibility study available upon request) This important discovery was the link between respirators and bedsores.
However, Steve and Robert’s cross paths, for the first time, with the Zen Master, Kobus Chino. Because Robert was studying with Kobun, Robert was somewhat aware of what Steve was doing in the “garage”. When the Apple II computer was released, Robert immediately incorporated the Apple II into the respirator design creating a “Voice Actuated Turbo Charged Superlight Wooden Lung with Intelligence”. (YouTube “Wooden Lung”)
David and Graham lost interest in the project. Robert did not. Robert began focusing on “NonInvasive” Respiration, because “Invasive” Respiration is so deadly. Robert began carving different shapes for “Non-Invasive” respirators.
He summarized that Research is “An Historic Perspective of Respirators”. This 40-year-old document provides the IKEA Directions how Apple can build a Non-Invasive Respirator and own the Intensive Care Unit Market around the world
One of those respirator designs was for a “Zazen Machine” whereby the subject could sit in Lotus position inside of a “Non-Invasive” respirator and be taught Zen meditation. Their mutual Zen master, Kobun Chino, went nuts on the idea of a computercontrolled Zen meditation machine.
So, Kobun reveals to Robert his friendship with Steve and asks if he can show these models to Steve. So, Robert gives the models to Kobun. The models disappear for weeks and then return. Quick on the draw, Robert asks Steve for a computer. Steve says “Buzz Off” or words to that effect.
Somewhere in the archive is a signed letter by Steve, on original Apple stationary saying words to that effect. More interesting would be to find Ferrand’s reply.
Robert, then, t hit the stacks at Stanford Lane Medical Library to understand the origins of bedsores. There he discovers the “Market Takedown Strategy”. He learns the “Science” is different than the Marketing. He uncovered the 32mmhg Capillary Closure Myth that is the foundation justification for the billion dollar Specialty hospital bed market. But he had no way do anything with that knowledge. (#8 Scientific Takedown Strategy)
To make a living Robert had built a yacht restoration business, (why he was on David’s boat) and commercial film and photography business in San Francisco.
Here is where the pieces come together. Robert was producing a brochure for a shipyard in San Francisco, where he sees an aircraft elevator on a Navy Assault Aircraft Carrier and instantly saw a totally different way to build a hospital bed, using articulation sections connected by hydraulic pistons.
Robert immediately goes to work on the scale model. (Scale Model Available Upon Request) Robert then begins that long process of making 145 patent drawing with 150 Claims. (Patents Available Upon Requests) Great, but how do you pay to build it?
Right on cue, Steve, releases the Original 512 Macintosh. This computer with Excel permitted Robert to build the Proforma Financials to prove to investors that the invention can actually make money. Without the MAC it would have been difficult to get this idea funded.
Back to Santa Cruz, one of Robert’s Classmates, Sandra Leanza, father Robert Voris, knew Robert, and saw the vision to build this revolutionary hospital bed. Robert Voris sold his apartments on Beach Hill above the Boardwalk and invested $350,000 into American Life Support Technology.
It should be noted that this transaction was handled by Mark Bertelsen and James Strawbridge from Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich and Rosati
With cash in hand, Robert setup shop in Burlingame, and bought the very first Apple II for the office. Then, he built the Alpha Unit Prototype out of UHMW plastic using MSDOS computers. The sea change occurred when Robert contacted General Electric Plastics. The GE corporation understood the vision and provided free industrial design and engineering. New ball game.
With GE support Robert secured $4,500,000 from Allstate Insurance, Hambrecht and Quist, Montgomery Medical, Humana Hospitals, and Vencor Hospitals. With serious Venture Capital support Robert moved the company to Menlo Park.
Steve and Robert cross paths, a third time. At that time, Steve, had just retired from Apple to found Next Computers in Redwood City. Steve had acquired significantly more space than he needed. As the company grew, Robert needed more Space. Steve and Robert path cross again, when American Life Support Technology rents 10,000 sq ft of office space from Next Computers at $1 a sq.ft. when Steve was paying $3. How did that happen?
Talk about Prophetic. The Specialty Hospital Bed that is the subject of this Proposal was built in that very office. The “Source Code” provided by Next Computers Revolutionized Apple. The “Ferrand Source Code” was created at the same time and in the same office complex. The “Ferrand Source Code” could Revolutionize Apple, again. Just saying.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, literally, Robert moved to Woodside in a cute little cottage across the trail from Larry Ellison. With Management team in place at ALST, Robert bought a yearling Stud Colt Horse and began developing the world’s first Computer Saddle Fitting System.
With Strong investors and management in place at ALST, Robert retired with 1,000,000 shares of stock and a Golden Parachute to build a spin off “Saddletech”. Got it made, in the shade. Living the Silicon Valley Dream.
Now, the surprise from the Computer Saddle Fitting System was: virtually none of the saddles fit. Why? So, Robert invented a Saddletech Gauge that measured the three-dimensional shape of the horses back and corresponding saddle. That is the good news.
The bad news is Robert discovered that the reason the saddles do not fit, is the saddle makers forgot about gravity, because their traditional methods of measurement could not detect that deflection in the animals back. (YouTube “Protecting Horses from Saddles”)
Robert remained on the ALST Board while Hill-Rom offered $50,000,000 for the company. Then their competitor, Kinetic Concepts, offered $75,000,000 to license Ferrand patents. Robert thought that was the ticket. However, since the investors had such deep pockets, (Review who the Investors are) the Board declined those offers, because they knew they had “Real Disruptive Technology”. ALST had a “Scientific Takedown Strategy”, for the oligopoly and they knew it, because....
The Airlogic Specialty Hospital Bed was so HOT that Hill-Rom’s VP of Marketing for the Low Air Loss Bed was so impressed with Airlogic 20X Specialty Bed that she left Hill-Rom to become VP Marketing for ALST. Equally, the Director for Research and Development for Hill-Rom was so impressed, he also joined ALST and replaced Robert as Director of Research and Development.
As ALST investors and management took greater control of the company, Robert retired from the Board of Directors to develop “Saddletech”. Bad move.
Shortly thereafter, Kingsbury Capital invested $750,000 and secured a Board seat. The first act of the new investor was to bring in a new CFO, who, despite the deep pockets of the investors, took out a $1,000,000 loan, “Collateralized” by Ferrand’s Patents, all without Robert’s knowledge.
Robert was literally horsing around, promoting the Saddletech Computer Saddle Fitting System, when the company begins to ship the first 100 Airlogic Specialty Hospital Beds to ALST investors, Vencor and Columbia Hospitals. In a blink of the eye, ALST is in voluntary bankruptcy. What? Why? This does not make sense. What the hell is going on?
In bankruptcy court, Robert learns about the “Collateralized Loan” against his Patents. Robert is very upset. Robert immediately petitions the Justice Dept to evoke the “Clayton Act” to prevent Hill-Rom or KCI to over bid. That letter is attached and details the “Market Opportunity” then and is equally valid today because Hill-Rom suppressed the most advance hospital bed ever built for 35 years, so far. And no one has stepped up to design anything better.
The Justice Dept. failed to act. Ferrand’s Patents were sold in bankruptcy for $650,000 to Hill-Rom. Kinetic Concepts, the oligopoly partner, who had offered $75,000,000 to license the technology, failed to counter bid. Robert could not raise money. After $20,000,000 invested. The oligopoly had destroyed the only threat to their, then, $750,000,000 annual rental market for Specialty Hospital Beds: The Oligopoly suppressed Ferrand’s Patents and never used them. Direct Evidence of Real Disruptive Technology.
So, Robert and Sandra Leanza, ALST seed investor, rallied the Bankruptcy Trustee to Join with Plaintiffs’ attorneys and file suit against Hill-Rom. Thereby, all of ALST documents were put under court numerical document control, including the “Source Code”.
During “Discovery” Robert discovers that ALST investor Kingsbury Capital was funded by $10,000,000 from Hillenbrand Industries, parent company of Hill-Rom. Robert was very upset.
Robert was tasked by the attorneys to go through all the boxes to find relevant documents. Robert found the “Source Code”, but no one ever asked about any tapes.
So, after all the lawsuits were over Robert petitioned the Court and was awarded the ALST documents that included the “Source Code”, by court order. That is why the inventor has not only the Patents, but the “Source Code”, to build those patents.
The World Market for hospitals is reaching a Trillion dollars. Baxter bought Hill-Rom Hospital Bed Company for 10 billion dollars in 2021. Despite Hill-Rom securing Ferrand’s Patents through treachery, HillRom did not develop the “Patient Support System”, because the design was so advanced, even then, that it would have destroyed their Billion Dollar Specialty Bed Market. When you have the patents and don’t use them - it is Real Disruptive Technology.
Real Disruptive Technology. is exactly want Apple wants. Well, here it is.
There is money to be made in this market with a superior Specialty Hospital Bed design
But there is more money to be made by creating new class of medical device –a Specialty Hospital Bed with Non-Invasive Respiratory Support.
Invasive respirators save lives. However, Invasive Respirators are also damn dangerous, because jamming a tube down someone’s throat or worse slitting their throat for the Tractotomy tube, has consequences, some deadly.
The survival rate for mechanically ventilated patients depends on a number of factors, including the length of time they are ventilated and their age: However,
One-year survival rate
For patients who were discharged after prolonged mechanical ventilation, the one-year survival rate was 50.3%.
Five-year survival rate
For patients who were discharged after prolonged mechanical ventilation, the five-year survival rate was 32.6%.
In-hospital mortality
For mechanically ventilated patients, 43.3% died in the hospital. The mortality rate was at least 27.6% for patients aged 18–59, and up to 59.0% for patients over 80.
Robert proposed a safer non-invasive respirator 50 years ago. Non-Invasive respirators have been around for a hundreds years. These designs, however, well-meaning are mediocre at best. No one has been able to crack the code because the key is a computer-controlled “low pressure air valve manifold” to control many different pressures in different locations
Without such control all the seals on previous respirators, except Iron Lungs, leaked because that could not make a functional seal What is required is a robust engineering effort that has never before accomplished. That respirator must be build on the pressure relieving bed or bedsores will quickly occur. The Wooden Lung Project made the link between Respiration and Bedsores and proposed a solution....decades ago.
Scientific Takedown Strategy: If rather than claiming 510K “substantial equivalence”, which is what every other company does, if Apple were to take a “Non-Invasive Respirator” through FDA Premarket Approval Class 3 against Invasive Respirators, the danger of Invasive Respirators would be highlighted. “Non-Invasive Respirator” against “Invasive Respirator” the “Non-Invasive Respirator” will always win because there is less trauma to the patient.
This is a bet that Apple could not loose. Thereby, by securing FDA Premarket Approval Class 3. With FDA Premarket Approval Class 3 You do not need Patents.
Game Over, Apple owns the ICU.
Do the FDA Premarket Approval Class 3 with the “Zero Pressure” Mattress and Hill-Rom’s business is waning.
Game Over, Apple owns the Hospital, Nursing Home and Homecare Markets
Thought Experiment: Imagine finding yourself alone in the hospital bed. However, as you awake up, you also you find your familiar Apple Ecosystem surrounding you in the bed. I would certainly feel better, even if I were feeling sorry for myself.
If Apple Corp was thinking of building a car, building a Game Changing Apple Specialty Hospital Bed would be a walk in the park, because Robert can give Apple a leg up, with the Ferrand Patents and “Engineered Source Code” to build those Patents.
Every Intensive Care Unit in the World would want one..
Fulfilling the Apple Vision to Revolutionize Healthcare.
Humanity needs Apple to Step Up to this Challenge. This isn’t sugar water. This is life and death.
Imagine an Apple Specialty Hospital Bed with Non-invasive Respirator
Multi Axis Hydraulic Frame
Articulating Hip Pivot Zero Pressure
Lateral Rotation
Full Stand Up