Allie Hamon, My First Patent

It feels like I graduated from OU’s College of Engineering yesterday, but it’s been a little over two years. I started at Mastercard a few months after graduation, following my acceptance of a job offer at the Grace Hopper Women in Technology conference, which OU’s Computer Science department takes students to every year.

Within my first year of working at Mastercard, I had the opportunity to file my first patent along with a few colleagues on my team. Our patent focused on two variations of a transaction switching service, which would allow us to absorb coding impact on their behalf, as well as provide associated data analytics.

My experience was both easy and extremely rewarding, as Mastercard takes invention protection very seriously. I was able to participate in an ongoing Mastercard patent program, in which patent lawyers aid in research and patent filing, making the often long and tedious process much more painless.

Based on my first few years of working full time, I have a few tips for other young professionals:

1. Take Innovative Opportunities Seriously

Most companies have opportunities for both full-time employees and interns to innovate, whether through in-person innovation events, or virtual ideation challenges. These are the best way to make a good first impression (I remember participating in a challenge just two weeks into working) and they are also great for boosting your job performance and satisfaction throughout your career.

2. Don’t Let Lack of Experience be a Barrier

I haven’t been working very long, and I have submitted 6 patent idea forms, participated in 3 hack-a-thons, and submitted various ideas to our ongoing IdeaBox challenges. Once I got over my fear of being such a young professional, I realized that anyone can take initiative and have their voice heard. It doesn’t matter if you fail, in fact, I’ve only had a few successes, but the work ethic I have shown and experience gained is worth more than any award.

3. Innovation isn’t a One-Man or One-Woman Show

My first stab of innovation at Mastercard was by myself and was much less rewarding than other innovation activities I have participated in with other colleagues. Not only does the quality of the idea and associated materials improve, it also aids in rapidly growing your knowledge on the subject area.

I am still waiting on my patent to be decided upon by the US Patent Office, I am thrilled that Mastercard chose to invest in my idea. I remember seeing a framed patent in the office of a Vice President during an internship with Devon Energy during my years at OU, and that I aspired to have a patent of my own one day. I never thought that would be a real possibility, especially this early in my career. It turns out that when your employer takes innovation seriously, you find that you do as well. My experience at Mastercard so far has been Priceless.

Author: Allie Hamon (Soon-to-be Allie Kinghorn), Computer Science '16

Connect with Allie on Linkedin.