I don't know how much money this is going to generate, but dag nab it, I wish I had thought of it first.
It's the Junior Shark Guiding Wheel for $5.99.
Who knew that Jill Wylie, a stay-at-home mother in Northville Township, would turn out to be an inventor?
But after some research and ingenuity, she now has a billiards-related product on the market - the Junior Shark Guiding Wheel.
The small, white, plastic device's use has two uses: It helps protect pool table felt from scrapes and tears and assists beginners by guiding their use of the cue stick.
She's even created her own limited liability corporation, the Wylie Group LLC, and has a Web site for the product, www.juniorshark.com.
"I am really excited about the Junior Shark Guiding Wheel," she says on her site. "This idea came to me when I saw how much kids really wanted to play pool and how nervous this made the owners of the pool tables."
If a pool table's felt is ripped, it cannot be patched or repaired because that will leave an uneven surface. Thus, the entire pool table cover must be replaced at a cost of several hundred dollars.
"The biggest worry with novice players or children playing pool is the risk of scratching and tearing the felt," Wylie said. But, with Wylie's new device, there are no worries.
"It's a happy coincidence that it also assists novice players by guiding their stroke," she said. "It is a win-win for everyone."
She adds that children under age 3 should not be allowed to handle the guiding wheels because they might choke on them.
The Junior Shark Guiding Wheel is placed on top of the cue stick and pushed down to where the ferrule (the white tape-looking part) joins the taper of the cue stick shaft. The wheel can be used on any size cue stick.
Wylie can attest to the fact that the device does work.
"We've been trying it out with our friends' little kids, and it's working great," she said.
The product is available at Dunham's sporting goods stores and at Allstate Billiards & Patio in Novi, Livonia and other locations.
This cue stick guiding wheel was Wylie's first adventure as an inventor. The Wylies purchased a pool table a few years ago, and they have three children - Michael, 15, a sophomore at Northville High School; Joseph, 13, an eighth-grader at Meads Mill Middle School; and Rachel, 10, a fifth-grader at Winchester Elementary School. The table is located in the Wylies' basement.
"My husband, Chris, is the one who really wanted a pool table," Wylie said. "But, once we brought it downstairs, we were really nervous about the kids damaging the table felt."
The product was born when Jill took a broom clip holder that one might use on a the wall of a garage or storeroom and a model airplane wheel and duct-taped, wired them together and attached the apparatus to a cue stick.
Wylie said she was thrilled her children took her idea seriously.
"My son came home from his Spanish class, and he wrote (in Spanish) that his dad was an accountant and his mother was an inventor," she said.
That inspired her. The next day, she made calls to firms that manufactured plastic injection moldings.
"My husband brought home books about trademarking, patenting and copywriting," she said. "It was a great learning experience. It was neat to have the kids see the thing come to life. It's doing well so far."
Dunham's asked for 1,200, and the Junior Shark retails for $5.99. Also, billiards.com said it was one of the best new products of 2009. "That was very cool," she said.
On the Junior Shark Web site, Wylie encourages others who have the itch to be an inventor to go for it.
"For all of you who have great ideas, but have not thought it possible - do it! It is such a great feeling seeing an idea come to life!"
Article source: http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20081225/NEWS12/812250393
Dag nab it, why didn't I think of that! Here's wishing Wylie a prosperous New Year! Leave it to a woman to figure out how to make pool lucrative!
It's the Junior Shark Guiding Wheel for $5.99.
Who knew that Jill Wylie, a stay-at-home mother in Northville Township, would turn out to be an inventor?
But after some research and ingenuity, she now has a billiards-related product on the market - the Junior Shark Guiding Wheel.
The small, white, plastic device's use has two uses: It helps protect pool table felt from scrapes and tears and assists beginners by guiding their use of the cue stick.
She's even created her own limited liability corporation, the Wylie Group LLC, and has a Web site for the product, www.juniorshark.com.
"I am really excited about the Junior Shark Guiding Wheel," she says on her site. "This idea came to me when I saw how much kids really wanted to play pool and how nervous this made the owners of the pool tables."
If a pool table's felt is ripped, it cannot be patched or repaired because that will leave an uneven surface. Thus, the entire pool table cover must be replaced at a cost of several hundred dollars.
"The biggest worry with novice players or children playing pool is the risk of scratching and tearing the felt," Wylie said. But, with Wylie's new device, there are no worries.
"It's a happy coincidence that it also assists novice players by guiding their stroke," she said. "It is a win-win for everyone."
She adds that children under age 3 should not be allowed to handle the guiding wheels because they might choke on them.
The Junior Shark Guiding Wheel is placed on top of the cue stick and pushed down to where the ferrule (the white tape-looking part) joins the taper of the cue stick shaft. The wheel can be used on any size cue stick.
Wylie can attest to the fact that the device does work.
"We've been trying it out with our friends' little kids, and it's working great," she said.
The product is available at Dunham's sporting goods stores and at Allstate Billiards & Patio in Novi, Livonia and other locations.
This cue stick guiding wheel was Wylie's first adventure as an inventor. The Wylies purchased a pool table a few years ago, and they have three children - Michael, 15, a sophomore at Northville High School; Joseph, 13, an eighth-grader at Meads Mill Middle School; and Rachel, 10, a fifth-grader at Winchester Elementary School. The table is located in the Wylies' basement.
"My husband, Chris, is the one who really wanted a pool table," Wylie said. "But, once we brought it downstairs, we were really nervous about the kids damaging the table felt."
The product was born when Jill took a broom clip holder that one might use on a the wall of a garage or storeroom and a model airplane wheel and duct-taped, wired them together and attached the apparatus to a cue stick.
Wylie said she was thrilled her children took her idea seriously.
"My son came home from his Spanish class, and he wrote (in Spanish) that his dad was an accountant and his mother was an inventor," she said.
That inspired her. The next day, she made calls to firms that manufactured plastic injection moldings.
"My husband brought home books about trademarking, patenting and copywriting," she said. "It was a great learning experience. It was neat to have the kids see the thing come to life. It's doing well so far."
Dunham's asked for 1,200, and the Junior Shark retails for $5.99. Also, billiards.com said it was one of the best new products of 2009. "That was very cool," she said.
On the Junior Shark Web site, Wylie encourages others who have the itch to be an inventor to go for it.
"For all of you who have great ideas, but have not thought it possible - do it! It is such a great feeling seeing an idea come to life!"
Article source: http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20081225/NEWS12/812250393
Dag nab it, why didn't I think of that! Here's wishing Wylie a prosperous New Year! Leave it to a woman to figure out how to make pool lucrative!
Attachments
![bilde[1].jpg](/data/attachments/60/60285-353e6e2e89436fc10232bc2265cbe5f2.jpg?hash=NT5uLolDb8)
Last edited:
![bilde[1].jpg](/data/attachments/60/60286-b836fe56b1da62d1de354e8f712b0dc7.jpg?hash=uDb-VrHaYt)
![sharkinventor003_edited_cudh[1].jpg](/data/attachments/60/60288-b90300385789876ba7490845315af4bb.jpg?hash=uQMAOFeJh2)
