Jeff Woolf
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Woolf OBE, born in Edgware
, Middlesex
, England on 17 September 1959, is an English inventor, businessman, journalist and innovation specialist. He is known as a lateral thinker and is a SFEDI Gold qualified innovation consultant.
He has a strong background in business and was twice awarded British Inventor of the year. He was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace
in 2000, for services to Innovation and Business. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA).
in Bristol
.Jeff now has a child called Lily who he adores!
His late Grandfather, Stanley Wagner, invented the Jif lemon and his late mother, Valerie, invented several interesting calendar and accounting systems.
Woolf started his inventing career in 1979, working with white light holography
. He attended the first world symposium on holography in 1980, in Boston
and studied holography at the New York
School of Holography. In the mid-1980s he worked with, Dan Wagner
, at MAID.
Woolf is a dyed-in-the-wool Arsenal fan.
outdoors, especially when exposed to the elements. It was first conceived as a piste map for use when skiing
. It consisted of credit-card sized miniaturised maps which fitted into the MicroMap viewer and were held in a precisely curved plane. The viewer had a moveable lens system which re-enlarged the MicroMap cards, allowing a user to have a clear view of the miniaturised information.
In order to save on assembly costs and handling difficulties, Woolf created an injection molded lens
that was moulded within its own hinged surround. This made assembly of the MicroMap viewer a far simpler process. He also developed systems to print miniaturised information on to credit cards at high resolutions
of more than 6 million randomly placed and sized dots per square inch.
MicroMap and Woolf were discussed during a debate
on innovation in the House of Commons. During this debate, a MicroMap viewer was handed around for Members of Parliament to use.
Woolf worked with Ron Hickman
, inventor of the Black and Decker Workmate
and designer of the Lotus Elan
car, to some extent, benefiting from his patent
experience before the final patent application was lodged. MicroMap was patented in many countries around the world.
There is a display on the development of MicroMap in the Science Museum
, MicroMap was featured in the Millennium Dome
and was awarded Millennium product status.
MicroMap cards were produced in conjunction with Ordnance Survey
, the Automobile Association
, USGS and Michelin
. MicroMap was used by the SAS
for bomb disposal and survival information.
British Innovation Awards, Sunday Times British Invention of the Year, Carlton/NatWest British Enterprise Awards, Brussels
Eureka, 50th Anniversary UNESCO
Award for Innovation, Medaille du Ministére de l'Intèrieur de France, 4 x Gold INPEX
awards (USA), Ordnance Survey
/British Cartographic Society
Award for Mapping Innovation & Design, 1st World Innovation Olympics, Millennium Product Status Award, Lord Mayor
of London
's "Best of the Best" Award. He was also awarder the Gold award from the Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers
.
Woolf has recently been working on some new inventions, namely Stackbuster (working title) and Morpher (a folding bicycle helmet). These have both won significant awards in the UK and at in Belgium. Stackbuster won the double gold prize and Morpher won the Platinum prize in the 2010 British Invention of the Year Awards in October. These two inventions also won Gold awards in the Brussels Eureka 2010 awards and Morpher was awarded a special award for best Transport product at Innova in November 2010.
He also has worked as a regular guest presenter on QVC
, and has represented many well known brands including Canon, Sony
, Panasonic
, JVC
, Samsung
, Sharp
, LG
, Belkin
, Lexmark
, Elonex
etc.
He was Chairman of the Judging panel for the 2008 British Invention of the Year in 2008 and was Chairman of the Judging Panel for the World Innovation Awards in October 2009 and 2010, which were held at the British innovation Show in London
. He is also Chairman of the Judging panel for this year's (2011/2012) World Innovation Awards. He was a judge on the Science Museum's Smart Toy Awards and was also one of three judges (the other two being Buzz Aldrin
and Edward de Bono
) at the Saatchi & Saatchi
World Innovation Awards.
Woolf spent much of the 1990s raising funds for his own companies. In 1998 he became responsible for running a £300m private equity fund, locating investment opportunities.
He has always been passionate about new technologies and has worked in the private sector as well as with The Government in all sorts of innovation matters. He has spoken on innovation at Cambridge University, The Institute of Directors
, Universiti Putra Malaysia
and many other venues and events.
He currently works as the Innovation Specialist Business Advisor for Business Link
in London and in this role he helps inventors and SMEs with all innovation matters. He regularly holds innovation surgeries at the British Library
in London.
Woolf is also a regular contributor to the media and is becoming increasingly well known as a journalist for his articles on world travel and innovation. He is a member of the National Union of Journalists NUJ
Edgware
Edgware is an area in London, situated north-northwest of Charing Cross. It forms part of both the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Harrow. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, England on 17 September 1959, is an English inventor, businessman, journalist and innovation specialist. He is known as a lateral thinker and is a SFEDI Gold qualified innovation consultant.
He has a strong background in business and was twice awarded British Inventor of the year. He was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
in 2000, for services to Innovation and Business. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA).
Biography
Woolf is the middle child with an older and younger sister. He was educated at Clifton CollegeClifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.Jeff now has a child called Lily who he adores!
His late Grandfather, Stanley Wagner, invented the Jif lemon and his late mother, Valerie, invented several interesting calendar and accounting systems.
Woolf started his inventing career in 1979, working with white light holography
Holography
Holography is a technique that allows the light scattered from an object to be recorded and later reconstructed so that when an imaging system is placed in the reconstructed beam, an image of the object will be seen even when the object is no longer present...
. He attended the first world symposium on holography in 1980, in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and studied holography at the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
School of Holography. In the mid-1980s he worked with, Dan Wagner
Dan Wagner
Dan Wagner is an English entrepreneur and businessman. He was one of the first British-based Internet entrepreneurs, having founded M.A.I.D in 1984, a company which provided online information services...
, at MAID.
Woolf is a dyed-in-the-wool Arsenal fan.
MicroMap
In 1993 he developed the MicroMap System and oversaw the design and manufacture of this invention. MicroMap was invented in order to overcome the problems associated with handling large paper mapsMAPS
Maps is the plural of map, a visual representation of an area.As an acronym, MAPS may refer to:* Mail Abuse Prevention System, an organisation that provides anti-spam support...
outdoors, especially when exposed to the elements. It was first conceived as a piste map for use when skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
. It consisted of credit-card sized miniaturised maps which fitted into the MicroMap viewer and were held in a precisely curved plane. The viewer had a moveable lens system which re-enlarged the MicroMap cards, allowing a user to have a clear view of the miniaturised information.
In order to save on assembly costs and handling difficulties, Woolf created an injection molded lens
Lens (optics)
A lens is an optical device with perfect or approximate axial symmetry which transmits and refracts light, converging or diverging the beam. A simple lens consists of a single optical element...
that was moulded within its own hinged surround. This made assembly of the MicroMap viewer a far simpler process. He also developed systems to print miniaturised information on to credit cards at high resolutions
Dots per inch
Dots per inch is a measure of spatial printing or video dot density, in particular the number of individual dots that can be placed in a line within the span of 1 inch . The DPI value tends to correlate with image resolution, but is related only indirectly.- DPI measurement in monitor...
of more than 6 million randomly placed and sized dots per square inch.
MicroMap and Woolf were discussed during a debate
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
on innovation in the House of Commons. During this debate, a MicroMap viewer was handed around for Members of Parliament to use.
Woolf worked with Ron Hickman
Ron Hickman
Ronald Price Hickman OBE was a South African born, Jersey based car designer and inventor who designed the original Lotus Elan, the Lotus Elan +2 and the Lotus Europa, as well as the Black & Decker Workmate....
, inventor of the Black and Decker Workmate
Workbench
A workbench is sturdy table at which manual work is done. They range from simple flat surfaces to very complex designs that may be considered tools in themselves. Workbenches vary in size from tiny jewelers benches to the huge benches used by staircase makers...
and designer of the Lotus Elan
Lotus Elan
Lotus Elan is the name of two convertible cars and one fixed head coupé produced by Lotus Cars. The original Type 26, 26R Racing version , 36R Racing version , 36 Fixed Head Coupe, 45 Drop Head Coupe, and the "Type 50" +2 Coupe, circa 1962 to 1975, are commonly known as the '60s Elans...
car, to some extent, benefiting from his patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
experience before the final patent application was lodged. MicroMap was patented in many countries around the world.
There is a display on the development of MicroMap in the Science Museum
Science museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
, MicroMap was featured in the Millennium Dome
Millennium Dome
The Millennium Dome, colloquially referred to simply as The Dome or even The O2 Arena, is the original name of a large dome-shaped building, originally used to house the Millennium Experience, a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium...
and was awarded Millennium product status.
MicroMap cards were produced in conjunction with Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
, the Automobile Association
The Automobile Association
The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services...
, USGS and Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
. MicroMap was used by the SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
for bomb disposal and survival information.
Awards
Woolf has been the recipient of a large number of innovation / invention awards, including the HoneywellHoneywell
Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
British Innovation Awards, Sunday Times British Invention of the Year, Carlton/NatWest British Enterprise Awards, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
Eureka, 50th Anniversary UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Award for Innovation, Medaille du Ministére de l'Intèrieur de France, 4 x Gold INPEX
Inpex
is a Japanese oil company established in 1966 as North Sumatra Offshore Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd.In 2006, INPEX acquired Japanese oil company Teikoku Oil.- Projects :...
awards (USA), Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
/British Cartographic Society
British Cartographic Society
The British Cartographic Society is an association of individuals and organisations dedicated to exploring and developing the world of maps. It is a registered charity...
Award for Mapping Innovation & Design, 1st World Innovation Olympics, Millennium Product Status Award, Lord Mayor
Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.-Commonwealth of Nations:* In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's "Best of the Best" Award. He was also awarder the Gold award from the Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers
Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers
The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The organisation, which engaged in not only tallow candle making but also in the trade of oils, received a Royal Charter in 1462...
.
Woolf has recently been working on some new inventions, namely Stackbuster (working title) and Morpher (a folding bicycle helmet). These have both won significant awards in the UK and at in Belgium. Stackbuster won the double gold prize and Morpher won the Platinum prize in the 2010 British Invention of the Year Awards in October. These two inventions also won Gold awards in the Brussels Eureka 2010 awards and Morpher was awarded a special award for best Transport product at Innova in November 2010.
Additional information
Woolf has been involved in many fields as an inventor since the early 1980s, including home security and children's safety devices.He also has worked as a regular guest presenter on QVC
QVC
QVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...
, and has represented many well known brands including Canon, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
, JVC
JVC
, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
, Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
, Sharp
Sharp Corporation
is a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Headquartered in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, Sharp employs more than 55,580 people worldwide as of June 2011. The company was founded in September 1912 and takes its name from one of its founder's first...
, LG
LG
LG may refer to:*LG Corp., a South Korean electronics and petrochemicals conglomerate*LG Electronics, an affiliate of the South Korean LG Group which produces electronic products* Lawrence Graham, a London headquartered firm of business lawyers...
, Belkin
Belkin
Belkin International, Inc., is a Californian manufacturer of computer hardware that specializes in connectivity devices, headquartered in Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California...
, Lexmark
Lexmark
Lexmark International, Inc. is an American corporation which develops and manufactures printing and imaging products, including laser and inkjet printers, multifunction products, printing supplies, and services for business and individual consumers...
, Elonex
Elonex
Elonex is a computer hardware and related IT services company based in Birmingham, UK, that develops eBook Readers, Android eTouch Tablets, and other consumer electronics.The Elonex brand was founded in 1986, in London....
etc.
He was Chairman of the Judging panel for the 2008 British Invention of the Year in 2008 and was Chairman of the Judging Panel for the World Innovation Awards in October 2009 and 2010, which were held at the British innovation Show in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He is also Chairman of the Judging panel for this year's (2011/2012) World Innovation Awards. He was a judge on the Science Museum's Smart Toy Awards and was also one of three judges (the other two being Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...
and Edward de Bono
Edward de Bono
Edward de Bono is a physician, author, inventor, and consultant. He originated the term lateral thinking, wrote a best selling book Six Thinking Hats and is a proponent of the deliberate teaching of thinking as a subject in schools.- Biography :Edward Charles Francis Publius de Bono was born to...
) at the Saatchi & Saatchi
Saatchi & Saatchi
Saatchi & Saatchi is a global advertising agency network with 140 offices in 80 countries and over 6,500 staff. It was founded in London in 1970 but now headquartered in New York. The parent company of the agency group was known as Saatchi & Saatchi PLC from 1976 to 1994, was listed on the London...
World Innovation Awards.
Woolf spent much of the 1990s raising funds for his own companies. In 1998 he became responsible for running a £300m private equity fund, locating investment opportunities.
He has always been passionate about new technologies and has worked in the private sector as well as with The Government in all sorts of innovation matters. He has spoken on innovation at Cambridge University, The Institute of Directors
Institute of Directors
The Institute of Directors is a UK-based organisation, established in 1903 and incorporated by royal charter in 1906 to support, represent and set standards for company directors...
, Universiti Putra Malaysia
Universiti Putra Malaysia
Universiti Putra Malaysia , or UPM, is a leading research intensive public university located in central Peninsular Malaysia, close to the capital city, Kuala Lumpur. It was formerly known as Universiti Pertanian Malaysia or Agricultural University of Malaysia...
and many other venues and events.
He currently works as the Innovation Specialist Business Advisor for Business Link
Business Link
Business Link is a government-funded business advice and guidance service in England. It consists of an online portal managed by HMRC, local/regional advisors and a national helpline.-History:...
in London and in this role he helps inventors and SMEs with all innovation matters. He regularly holds innovation surgeries at the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
in London.
Woolf is also a regular contributor to the media and is becoming increasingly well known as a journalist for his articles on world travel and innovation. He is a member of the National Union of Journalists NUJ