From Radio Waves to Digital Organizers: How Geoff Harrison Built the Multi-Screen Menu App

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On this week’s Bold Inventor Show, hosts J.D. Houvener (patent attorney) and Matt Kulseth (trademark attorney) open with fresh Q&A from inventors and entrepreneurs before sitting down with a guest who has turned decades of media experience into a tech solution for our cluttered digital age.

The show kicks off with JD and Matt answering real-world questions:

• Can you legally resell and restore old patented products, like fishing lures?
• How do expired patents open opportunities for innovators?
• What happens when trademarks, trade dress, and design patents collide?
• Is it trademark infringement to use real names or character-inspired names in creative works?

Their legal insights, explained in plain English, help demystify the overlapping worlds of patents, trademarks, and copyrights.

Then, from Amsterdam, Geoff Harrison joins the conversation to share his entrepreneurial journey. A veteran of professional radio and journalism, Jeffrey was first introduced to email at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer — a moment that inspired him to think ahead about how technology would transform everyday life. By 1996, he was envisioning what became the Multi-Screen Menu, a mobile filing cabinet designed to simplify how we store, organize, and access documents.

Fast forward to today, and Harrison has brought that vision to life:

• 18 customizable boxes to organize everything from travel papers to pet records.
• Offline access to critical documents, especially useful for travelers and in natural disasters.
• Encrypted storage, offering security at the same level as WhatsApp.
• Real-world use cases from airport check-ins to emergency evacuations, where seconds matter.

But building an app is only the start. Harrison reveals the uphill battle of getting listed on app stores, why 2.8 million apps were rejected in 2024, and why his strategy focuses on licensing deals with phone manufacturers instead of fighting for visibility in a sea of millions of apps.

From surviving rejection, pitching investors, and navigating IP strategy, this episode is a masterclass for anyone looking to transform a simple idea into a real-world solution.

📌 Key Takeaways

• 🎣 Expired patents open doors — innovators can legally improve old products.
• ⚖️ Trademark vs. trade dress vs. copyright — why knowing the difference matters.
• 📱 Multi-Screen Menu app organizes your life into 18 simple boxes.
• 🌍 Perfect for travelers, students, parents, and professionals.
• 🔒 Fully encrypted — even the app creator can’t see your data.
• 🛠️ Building an app is just step one — marketing and licensing are the real hurdles.
• 💡 Inventors should think beyond the app store and toward device-level partnerships.
• 🚀 Entrepreneurial wisdom: keep it lean, stay persistent, and focus on solving real problems.

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DISCLAIMER
Everything discussed on this podcast is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice.