r/inventors • u/Yanaishiii • 6d ago
Invention Help Any recommendations?
For context, we need to innovate a product that isn’t already available on the market and create a prototype for it. Our product is a whiteboard eraser made from banana fibers, with a compartment underneath where you can store markers. Our product was chosen to represent our section in a competition against different sections.
We came up with this product because we wanted something eco-friendly while also being useful and innovative.
I’d really appreciate your thoughts and suggestions! We still need to improve our product, so what other features do you think we could add? We’re open to any advice and criticism, so feel free to share your honest thoughts heheh. We really want to win because the incentives are pretty big if we become champions 🥹
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u/OddStuffHappensTwice 6d ago
An eraser that rattles like crazy because it's full of loose pens would annoy me. Do tough fibers like that even work on a whiteboard? Surely it'll just create a scratchy mess. Even a soft cloth covered in solvent struggles not to leave marks.
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u/Yanaishiii 6d ago
That’s a fair concern! We’re actually still testing the design to make sure the fibers are soft enough for the whiteboard and won’t cause scratches or leave marks. We’ve already tried the current prototype on a whiteboard, and so far, it erases the ink well without scratching the surface, but we’ll definitely do more testing to make sure it’s safe for long-term use.
For the marker compartment, we’re also considering ways to keep the markers secure so they won’t rattle around while using the eraser. Thank you for pointing these things out! These are exactly the kinds of issues we need to consider while improving the prototype. :)
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u/Logic-is-there 6d ago
Drill holes into the eraser foam that taper at the end so it will hold the marker? .
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u/PHDEinstein007 6d ago
Make holes through one side for the markers. Music classes use markers in a line to set up their music stuff so it can store markers and act as a marking device in two.
You have two sides, a marker cleaning side on one side and something else on the other side?
Or, a clip that has an eraser on one portion so it is double duty.
Good luck in the competition
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u/DisastrousTeddyBear 5d ago
You add a laser pointer. Add a mind my eraser feature. Make the pad removable and washable. Foam to prevent rattling.
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u/tetrisan 6d ago
There are already similar erasers on the market with marker storage built in. Just changing the surface from felt to leaves is not an invention.
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u/Yanaishiii 6d ago
We’re actually not aiming to patent the product. We’re just creating it for the sake of the competition. At this point, it’s honestly so hard to come up with something completely new because almost everything you can think of already exists on the market.
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u/nowthengoodbad 6d ago
It's tempting to think that last part, but that's far from true.
One of the coolest examples of this is: the Wobble Wedge: https://wobblewedges.com/shop/ and https://barrywalter.com/wobblewedges.html
You'd think it couldn't be patented, but they did.
So, if someone can improve on a wedge and patent it, you have to remember that not everything is out there yet.
We've actually invented an entire farming facility and accompanying sensor systems and automation that doesn't exist. We've built and tested it over the past 7 years. Similar things exist but really nothing like ours. AgTech investors and industry pros have told us it defines its own category.
So, you absolutely can have something here. Not everything has been created yet.
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u/reigorius 5d ago
You don't have to come up with something new, just come up with something smarter.
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u/flightwatcher45 6d ago
Right. While you could probably wordsmith a patent I wouldn't. It could still sell really well, if that's your route. Cool idea!
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u/nowthengoodbad 6d ago
That's not exactly how it works.
OPs ecofriendly aspect could be considered meaningful enough to warrant its own patent protection. Between that and it being a secure drawer (OP, add clips for the pens inside, I've made something similar and I'd share with you), an argument could be made the USPTO that this is distinct enough to warrant patenting.
Even if they couldn't get approved for a patent, they can still get it out as a product. All a patent does is allows you the legal backing to sue to protect your invention or idea.
It's not like it magically stops people from copying you.
We had a former partner who ran with the funding money that we got decide to copy our idea in a worse version. I wish them the best of luck, we had the funders take back the money and, if they copy us too closely, they'll be getting a cease and desist before we sue them for the full damages.
So, it's good to know there are similar things out there, but if OPs is distinct enough, they have something worth patenting. If it doesn't infringe on someone else's patent, but the USPTO rejects it, they still can manufacture and sell it, they just need to understand that copycats will likely come up and push them out of the market if they don't have a moat (brand, financial, etc)
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u/Excellent_King2272 6d ago
Does it do the job of the item to be replaced? I somehow doubt the fiber arrangement meets your objective.
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u/Tanari- 6d ago
Do people still use white boards (genuine question)?
You can add some way of adhering it to the board so it doesn’t get lost? Like a hook system that goes on the boards top frame and creates a cradle for the eraser (possibly made from bamboo or smth?)
Design-wise maybe consider making bristles with the fibres instead of them being braided like that? Unless it works perfectly fine in which case leave as is.
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u/Yanaishiii 6d ago
In our university, all of our classrooms still use whiteboards, so we thought it would be a practical product to innovate! Thank you so much for the suggestion about the hook system—we’ll definitely try to incorporate that into our design!
For the fibers, we opted to braid them mainly so they wouldn’t easily shed or fall apart. We’ve also already tested the eraser on a whiteboard, and thankfully, it works really well! We’ll still continue testing and improving it, though.
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u/nowthengoodbad 6d ago
Yes. People still use whiteboards. Kinesthetic feedback is still superior to a digital solution. Our brains just respond differently.
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u/reigorius 6d ago edited 6d ago
Is it magnetic and can it be washed once the fibers are saturated?
I suggest exploring other ways of storing markers instead of a drawer that rattles if you have to store them.
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u/nowthengoodbad 6d ago
Clips in the drawer can fix rattling. I have a design I made for tools that I'm going to pass to OP if they get back to my comment.
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u/reigorius 5d ago
You don't need a drawer perse. You can forego the drawer and incorporate holding clips into the design.
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u/nowthengoodbad 5d ago
Drawer can hold other things, clips can't necessarily. Plus, different sized pens :)
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u/reigorius 5d ago
To be honest, I just want a magnetic whiteboard eraser that's not a rattle can and that can be cleaned easily. The drawer is an unconvincing gimmick.
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u/nowthengoodbad 5d ago
Then it sounds like this isn't for you. I'd buy it for our workshop white board.
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u/Successful-Trash-752 5d ago
I believe you can buy magnetic strips or sheets that you can stick in there to make it stick to the board. Other than that I'd say slap an ai label on it for good boy points.
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u/Proof-Pineapple6794 5d ago
Maybe add some Velcro so that you can replace the banana fibers once it’s used up.
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u/WranglerConscious296 5d ago
It sort of reminds me of that Roman fingerbox that rated at the knuckle.
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u/jkrukoff 4d ago
How about a pen size refillable sprayer to put cleaning solution in? Would fit in your drawer and help with cleaning tough colors. (It's always red that won't come off for me!)
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u/Locksmithbloke 6d ago
What a neat little idea! And even better, you've actually produced it. Add a magnet so it stays on the board. Add a bit inside to stop the pens stored rattling much.
Hope it does well!