AbsolutelyNew Awards National Invention Winner; NY Dad Takes Top Prize for Child Safety Device

June 18, 2009 - PRLog -- AbsolutelyNew, Inc., the consumer goods company that partners with inventors to launch innovative products, today announced Thomas Stojanowski of Staten Island, NY has won the first National Invention Competition in partnership with the not-for-profit United Inventors Association (UIA).

Stojanowski’s winning invention: a patented seatbelt alarm designed to attach easily to most seatbelts and issue an audible alert whenever a child unfastens his or her belt. The ingenious device will now go on to receive AbsolutelyNew’s professional product development and marketing services valued at $20,000.

He could also earn millions in royalties if AbsolutelyNew licenses his invention and it becomes a marketplace winner—a real possibility with companies increasingly cutting their internal R&D spending in favor of seeking externally developed, patented ideas that they can acquire and sell.

"I'm very excited about winning this contest, and I’m excited to work with AbsolutelyNew to get my invention out there,” said Stojanowski.

A panel of AbsolutelyNew experts chose Stojanowski’s invention from a large pool of entrants based on its originality, manufacturability and market potential.

“Safety matters. And safety sells,” said Richard Donat, AbsolutelyNew’s CEO. “We see this simple but inventive device as having the potential to safeguard millions of children—our most precious passengers—and to sell millions of units along the way. This is precisely what motivates us to help inventors.”

Patrick Raymond, Executive Director of the UIA and member of AbsolutelyNew’s board of advisors, expressed broader delight at the number of submissions.

“In a time of economic uncertainty, people are turning to inventing as one way to express their belief in the future. It is heartening to see UIA-Certified Professional Members such as AbsolutelyNew support independent inventors with a trustworthy way to submit ideas,” he said.

Competition background facts:

• Participation was open to all members of the UIA. (UIA information can be found at www.uiausa.org).
• Submissions were accepted from April thru May 31, 2009.
• Entries are 100% safeguarded—all entrants’ ideas remain protected under a strict agreement of confidentiality.

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AbsolutelyNew is the consumer goods company that partners with inventors to launch innovative products into stores, catalogs, websites and TV shopping channels. The company’s Science+Technology Division also helps innovators launch advanced new devices and technologies into businesses, medical facilities and factories. Headquartered in San Francisco, AbsolutelyNew is privately held, with venture capital backing from Artiman Ventures.