Local inventors break into Housewares Show at McCormick Place
The Tabbit, LLC, a start-up from Buffalo Grove, Illinois, has announced the granting of a utility patent on its "Tabbit" tabbing tape dispenser.
Co-inventor, Jerry Chern, says, "It didn't take long for a major manufacturer of packaging equipment to snap up a license."
But that's just a fraction of the business he and his partner, engineer Detlef Schmidt, hope to generate, since the mechanism can be used in so many other applications, such as office, medical and painters' tape, not to mention labels. The clever device looks like an office stapler, but can dispense tape either with or without a tab, a feature that allows the tape to be easily removed from a surface at a later date. For decades, Chern and Schmidt had been folding the ends of tape into tabs themselves and wondering why this wasn't available in stores. Their patent search disclosed why: over thirty years of unsuccessful ideas - at least until theirs was submitted.
Chern and Schmidt have devoted over five years to developing the product. Between the grueling patent process and putting together sales projections, production costs and packaging quotes, their work never seemed to end. Although their consumer surveys were 86.5% favorable, there were times that the two retirees came close to throwing in the towel. Schmidt had devised the ingenious mechanism, building every prototype on the huge precision metal-working machinery in his own workshop. A stickler for perfection, he repeatedly came up with modifications and improvements. "We were both surprised and pleased that all 43 of the claims in our patent application were approved without change", said Schmidt, who has over twenty other patents and awards under his belt, earned during a long and successful engineering career. "We owe that patent not only to Detlef's great designs, but to our attorney, Stephen Scherrer, who really knows how to craft an application - a truly lucky find for us", Chern added.
Chern, whose background is in marketing, went through numerous iterations of the packaging, video production and website design.
"Because the field of contracts is also one of my longtime hobbies, it was less intimidating to navigate the patent and licensing documents", Chern says.
Between Chern's skills and Schmidt's gift for engineering, the two saved tens of thousand of dollars in professional fees. Now, they're at the juncture of deciding whether to go into manufacturing of The Tabbit or just license the patent to major manufacturers. They plan on exhibiting at the Home & Housewares Show at McCormick Place in Chicago in March of 2018. Although the first few manufacturers they spoke with weren't ready to partner yet, the executives all seemed to say, "…but I want to buy one".
Friends keep telling them to go on TV's Shark Tank, but they say they're not looking to raise money or "give the store away - although you never say never". The device and video can be viewed at www.thetabbit.com. Projected retail: 2019 at $9.95-$14.95.
The Tabbit, LLC
Buffalo Grove, IL
www.thetabbit.com
Home & Housewares Show
Booth N7664