It’s time again to release another exciting “Dare to Invent” webisode.  This week, our creationeers are getting… well, a bit creepy!

The seventh in our innovative 13-episode series features Pennsylvania native, Julian Smith, inventor of “The Best Stink Bug Trap Ever!”  The new webisode is NOW crawling on YouTube and Davison.com!

Just like you and me, Julian was your average, everyday person; but, Julian’s home was filled with uninvited house guests… stink bugs!

Now, we all know there are plenty of bug repellents and traps on the market.  Unfortunately, existing products didn’t seem to “put the boot” to Julian’s smelly visitors!

So, he took matters into his own hands and even created a model stink bug trap out of a soda bottle.  He brought his idea and working trap to Davison.

Tim, a talented team of Inventionland Creationeers and one very cooperative “test-bug” began buzzing away to make Julian’s trap appealing to bug victims and a friendly-fit for companies’ product lines.  After some intense testing and even a feature on a local news channel, Julian’s “The Best Stink Bug Trap Ever” is ready for production and to see the light of store shelves!

Tune in NOW to see all of the hilarious details as Julian “Dares to Invent!”

We’ve also compiled a few photos to get your mind crawling!

A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.

The post “Dare to Invent” Creeps Up on Uninvited House Guests! appeared first on Davison.

That’s right, now pet owners can fill up their bone-shaped treat pan with Doggie D’Lites cake and frosting mixes.

These D-licious dog treat mixes come in three varieties:  Carob (similar to chocolate, but safe for dogs!), Peanut Butter and Banana!

According to our Vice President of Licensing, they’re a first for both Davison and for Hugs Pet Products.

“We are entering the consumable market with Hugs,” said our VP.

While we can’t say we’d love to sample the cakes (though, they do look tasty), we’d love to share them with our four-legged friends!

Congratulations to the entire team that has worked on Doggie D’Lites!  Stay tuned for more news on this and other exciting upcoming Davison-designed products!

This was a corporate product designed for Davison’s own profit.

The post Chew on This: Tasty Treats for Fido! appeared first on Davison.

Taking a walk on the wild side has paid off big-time for a couple Davison-designed spa-therapy products!  Less than a month ago, we informed you that the TheraPED, a product we designed in collaboration with our client, Lennell, that has been licensed by Health Enterprises, and the TheraTOES, which we also designed for Health Enterprises, had received a “face-lift” and were showing their true colors… which just so happen to be animal prints!

A couple days after that, we told you how the products, which provide hot and cold soothing relief for sore feet and toes, were also reviewed on several blogs, including  Dashing for Deals, Mommy Katie and Whom You Know.  We even found two other rave reviews at The Jolly Blogger and Autumn Blues Reviews!

Then, Health Enterprises President Brendan Leonard informed us that the TheraTOES and TheraPED was featured on look0nline.com’s Daily Fashion Report for New York’s Fashion Week on September 15th!

According to the post, TheraTOES and TheraPED “relieve tired achy feet” after “long days in high heels!”

Once again, the TheraPED and TheraToes have received some major exposure!  In the September 2011 edition of TOMI Magazine, a music, film, television and sports business publication that highlights small companies, the TheraPED and TheraTOES were featured in a two-page spread.

In the story, called “Happy Feet” in TOMI’s Business Health section, writer Tonisha L. Johnson highlights the health benefits of the TheraPED and TheraTOES for business-men and women who may be hard on their feet.

“Investing in your health invests in you and your business,” she says.

Johnson also talks with Health Enterprises Assistant Marketing Manager Megan Schmidt, who cites painful American Podiatric Medical Association evidence that consumers, particularly women, are in need of the products’ soothing relief.

“Consider that 87% of women report foot pain or problems as a result of painful footwear and 39% of women report wearing high heels every day despite the fact that 75% report shoe related foot pain and other symptoms,” says Schmidt.

Schmidt also lets even more awesome news surrounding the innovative products slip out.

“We have a number of exciting developments for the second half of 2011 and into 2012.  This includes new items to the THERA family as well as the TheraPED and TheraTOES, not to mention a very exciting celebrity development, which will be announced in the next 30 days,” says Schmidt.

Although we don’t have details on the celebrity involvement, we wont’ make you wait 30 days to find out about the latest addition to the THERA family!

We’ve recently been informed that Health Enterprises is to release the TheraCALM!  While we don’t have many details on the product yet, we do know it already has been presented to Bed Bath & Beyond and may be appearing on their shelves soon!  We can’t wait to see that familiar “D” pop up on a new product!

Congratulations to our client, to Health Enterprises and to everyone here who has helped make these products so successful!  Awesome work!

Read the entire TOMI Magazine article by clicking here!

Tune in for part 2 on Friday to find out what the TheraPED has in common with country crooners Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood!

The client has not made a net profit on this product. A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.

The post TheraPED, TheraTOES and Thera…?! Magazine Shares Exciting News on Davison-designs! appeared first on Davison.

Hugs Pet Products, a pet company we frequently design products and packaging for, is introducing a new line of innovative items to enhance the lives of pets and the owners who love them!

What’s even more exciting about Hugs Pet Products’ new “Hugs Care” line is that the products are also showing some extra love to the environment!  The eco-friendly line is made of all-natural, reliable, must-have products that will make pets feel better, without making Mother Nature feel the effects!

We are even more excited to announce that we’ve had a hand in “D-veloping” the packaging for these awesome new products, which are to be out this fall!  The Hugs Care line includes:

Flea and Tick Multi-tool:  With this tool, nothing will be bugging your four-legged friends!  The multi-tool includes two stainless steel pin combs, a brush and tweezers.  It’s ideal for removing pesky ticks from any pet – short or long-haired!

Ear Wax Removal Syringe:  Straight from an office visit with the vet, this syringe provides a safe alternative to rubber bulb syringes.  With its flared design, tri-stream tip and exit portals, ear wax doesn’t stand a chance of disturbing your pet!

Eye Mist for Pets:  There won’t be a dry eye in the house, thanks to Hugs’ new Pet Eye Mist!  The 100% natural product is designed to safely relieve eye discomfort and instantly rehydrate tear film.

Natural Antiseptic for Pets:  Whether your pet is big or small, even the tiniest scrapes can hurt.  With this all-natural tea tree oil antiseptic, minor burns, cuts, scrapes, insect bites and stings just fade away!

Pet Cold Pack:  Sometimes, a little TLC involves a little tender, loving chill!  This instant and reusable cold pack helps soothe pets suffering from any swelling.  Plus, it remains flexible, even when frozen, so it’s convenient and easy to store!

Pet Pill Pack:  Even the busiest owners can keep their pet’s pills organized thanks to Hugs’ Pet Pill Pack!  The seven-day pet pill box includes individual compartments that can hold several pills and is conveniently labeled with the days of the week in both print and braille.

We can hardly wait to see Hugs’ new eco-friendly care line launch to success and we’ll keep you updated as they introduce more innovative Davison-designed products and packaging!

This corporate product was invented and licensed by Davison for its own benefit.

The post New Davison Designs Answer “D-mand” for Eco-Friendly Pet Care! appeared first on Davison.

Now, the products are selling in the online store of the world’s largest retailer! The innovative line is being sold as the “Helping Hand Car Cleaning Kit with Bucket Bench” on Walmart.com!

“It is great to see the product making new in-roads with a major retailer!” said Davison’s Vice President of Licensing. “I think they are trying to generate different sales platforms for retailers to try and generate new business.”

The complete kit includes the Wash Paddle, Extension Pole, Bristle Brush, Wringer Wash, Wheel Tuner, Interior Detail Tool, Detail Towel and the Bucket Bench. The latter is designed to hold and keep all the items handy, while giving the user a convenient and comfortable place to sit while cleaning and detailing a vehicle.

Davison’s creative coach of special operations and lead designer of the line said it was cool to see the products packaged together and selling online at Walmart.

“It’s very good news,” he said.  “It’s very exciting. I hope they sell [out] and order more!”

As do we! Congratulations to everyone who “had a hand” in developing this awesome product line!

This corporate product was invented and licensed by Davison for its own benefit.

The post Davison-Designed Car Cleaning Line Makes “In-Roads” with Another Major Retailer! appeared first on Davison.

“It’s great to see another client product hitting store shelves with XHP,” said Davison’s VP of Licensing. “We continue to strengthen our corporate partnerships with existing companies along with building new ones in each category!”

Our client, Robert, wanted a food storage container that would extend the life of produce in a refrigerator so it would not go bad as quickly, a common problem for anyone who buys produce. Our design team brainstormed the idea and came up with an awesome solution, which was perfected through the development process and input from XHP.

The Freshtainer helps keep produce fresh much longer than standard containers by getting rid of the gas that makes food rot. The lid of the specialized container has a vented hole covered by a removable cap.

Now, health conscious individuals will be able to keep produce fresher longer; that means being able to include more fresh produce in the diet, and less food, and money, going into the trash can. What a great product to help families that may be struggling through tough economic times!

Congratulations to our client and to XHP, and to the entire team who worked on this fantastic new product that proves, once again, the Davison Inventing Method turns ideas into reality.

The client has not made a net profit.

Great work, everyone!

The post Freshtainer by Davison Helps Keep Food Fresh appeared first on Davison.

“The Hardware Show was great; we met with a ton of companies,” said the VP. “The show was better (than last year) because we have more products to discuss, more companies to work with, more people to talk to and more opportunities with companies that work with us.”

Drillcraft Tools Corporation unveiled the Tru-Miter, a client product that we developed and licensed to the company. The tool, which measures angles for a table saw, is unique because of its simplicity and its appeal to contractors as well as do-it-yourselfers. The factory prototypes received good feedback from buyers, including a big player in the tool industry. The client has not received a profit.

“We have a major corporation interested in this item, so that is a big plus,” the VP said. He expects Drillcraft will “start to tool up” in the near future, as they wait for the final go-ahead from the corporation.

The Tru-Miter was initially turned down by another company, but once again, the Licensing Department’s motto “We Try Longer,” has held true.

The productive meeting with Drillcraft also included discussion on several drill cases we are working on for them, as well as their plans to expand into power tools and lawnmowers, as the company begins to diversify.

“We will be providing them with new products to help them expand those lines,” said the VP. No doubt our designers will power up and help the company extend their reach!

While at the Hardware Show, our team also had great meetings with Metro Design and All Star Marketing, with whom we have established relationships. A Metro stepladder for which we did the packaging received good feedback. In addition, Metro is going to be branching off into toys, which gave the VP more good news to report: “We will be opening up discussions to help further their new product development in the toy category.” Our designers surely have many playful ideas to share!

New corporations that we are working with include Blacktop 360 and SportCraft, for which we are working on a new Frisbee design. They received the design while at the show which “looks good,” but needs a little tweaking, so stay tuned to see how that project soars!

Our team also opened up discussions with Grime Boss, which makes heavy duty hand cleaning wipes. They demonstrated how the wipes instantly clean hands of paint, glue or other sticky, icky substances.

“We talked about new product development, to see if there is anything else we can add to their line.” Surely we’ll find something that sticks!

All this relationship building will inevitably lead to more product design and building. But the VP of Licensing is confident that our tool-savvy guys and gals are up to the task.

“The corporate team will definitely feel the push with the workload coming through; but they’ve done a great job handling it so far, and I would expect nothing less in the future.”

While no client should expect that his idea will be presented at a trade show, Davison’s presence at trade shows is invaluable in building contacts and keeping in touch with companies that are looking for new or improved products

The post Davison Hammers out New Products at Hardware Show appeared first on Davison.

“The numbers are almost overwhelming,” said Davison’s Vice President of Licensing, when counting up all the products we designed at the 2011 International Home + Housewares Show. There were more than 60 finished products and over 40 prototypes with the Davison “D” on display.

“The show was very busy and extremely productive,” said the executive. “It was better this year because we had more of our products on display and more client products selling in the stores.”

As a result of great feedback at the show, Chicago Metallic has picked up the line of Davison-designed silicone bakeware, and the firm is moving into the production of more holiday-themed spin-offs! The pans, which should be on store shelves in time for the 2011 holiday season, came out of the collaboration between Davison and Xtraordinary Home Products; both XHP and Chicago Metallic are divisions of Focus Products Group.

“The evolution of the Silicone Dessert Pans continues to grow positively with both the new Chicago Metallic versions and new holiday silicone pans, all of which are some of the most appealing new bakeware items in the company,” said the president of XHP.
“Across the board, all products that we developed with Davison were received by the retailers extremely well,” he added. “The Bread-It Ultimate Breading Station was a huge success, as was the Fill ‘N Grill. We expect very strong placement on both products.”

Other Davison designs for XHP that were well-received include the Swingers by Swing Away line of folding kitchen utensils — 19 utensils that open and close via a hidden locking mechanism, taking up less storage space. The Swingers are being tested in select Bed, Bath & Beyond stores and likely will appear on a major shopping network this year. It will be the 7th Davison-designed product / line to appear in the past two years!

“Davison has done a great job of collaborating and providing XHP with innovative new products it needs to attract the buyers’ attention,” said the Davison VP.

XHP’s president agreed: “Overall, the (IHA) show has positioned us in a very strong position to further grow our overall product positioning at retail with Davison / XHP created programs.”

CEO George Davison said the Davison / XHP collaboration is “a testament of how great things come from teamwork and strong partnerships.”

We can’t wait to see what new innovations will be next to come from our great collaboration!

The post “Overwhelming” number of Davison designs at International Home + Housewares Show! appeared first on Davison.

Inventor’s Story:
Joseph has always loved brownies with a chewy edge, so much so that he used to slice a pan of brownies before it was finished baking so all the squares would have edges. His wife did not appreciate that and told him so. “She yelled at me,” he recalls, laughing.

The EMS pilot wondered if he could invent an “all edge” brownie pan to keep peace in the family and give him a whole pan full of chewy brownies. He first came up with the idea about 20 years ago when he was a helicopter pilot in the Marine Corps. A fellow Marine and friend had spent a “huge amount of money” patenting a new product idea, however, so Joseph didn’t think developing his was an option. He thought that was just the way it was done.

“I really didn’t have any desire (to pursue it) because of what I perceived about the cost,” he said. Several years later, however, he submitted his idea to Davison, and the work began. “They did some modifications to my pan design which I actually thought was an improvement.”

In October, his product will air on QVC, the nation’s most popular home shopping network. In addition, the manufacturer is expanding the product to an entire line of silicone bakeware for holiday-themed treats, including pans for Valentine’s Day and Easter, which will hit the stores in early 2011! Variations for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are also in the works.

During the design process, the product evolved from a metal pan to silicone bakeware that remains cool to the touch and bends for easy removal of items after baking; a rigid frame molded into the perimeter makes the pan safe to carry. The 12 candy-bar shaped molds can be filled with brownie batter, Rice Krispie treats, cookie dough, and more – and all the treats come out with four chewy edges.

It took about three years to find a manufacturer, but the first-time inventor decided to keep going, despite the setbacks. 

“It is an emotional roller coaster; up and down,” said Joseph, who can’t wait to see his product on national TV.

“Joseph had his share of struggles along the way, but he never gave up,” said George Davison. “We couldn’t be happier for him and his family.”

Joseph’s father, also a Marine veteran, thought he was a bit foolish for pursuing and investing in his idea over the years; then his son gave him a box from Davison with his packaged product inside.

Joseph recalls, “When he saw the pan and after I told him it would be in stores and on QVC he was quite surprised, and he did change his tone!”

 The client has not realized a net profit on his product.

The post Client’s Bakeware Invention on the Market and Headed to QVC! appeared first on Davison.

The Summer Licensing meeting and party was full of great news: In the last quarter, 10 new products are on the market or on their way, and 5 new packaging solutions also have hit the store shelves!

We created packaging for the Comfort Me Spa Sets (4 pc, 3 pc, 2 pc), and the 5 Motor Massage Mat with Heat for Comfort Products – all of which are being tested on Walmart.com before being placed in the stores. We also did the packaging for Metro’s Flocked Hanger Set, which is on its way to Big Lots. With our rebranding of the Relaxzen logo, we gave Comfort Products a whole new look that has enabled them to take the products to market.

“The company continues to take over space on Walmart’s shelves by updating and refreshing their packaging, and all that packaging is coming from Davison. It goes to show the power of great packaging,” said Davison’s VP of Licensing.

Of the 10 new products we designed, two are the first ones we have going to market for Honey Can Do. The Folding Garment Rack and the Shoe Tubes soon will be selling online and then in a variety of retailers. Both are great examples of adding a new twist to an old product that makes it unique and attractive to buyers and consumers.

There is “nothing else out there” like the Shoe Tubes, which is great for kids and dorm rooms, said the VP. “The corporation saw it and they loved it.” The Garment Rack folds twice, thereby reducing the needed box size by half, which is very valuable to retailers. Both products were designed to ship and store very flat so retailers can get more products on the shelf.

“Where one product fit before, now they can put two; that’s huge,” he said. “They can double the amount of product in the same space.”

Mr. Davison further explained why it is invaluable to build in shelf requirements from the beginning. “There’s a lot of value in reinventing things out there already on the market because retailers already have shelf space set aside for them … When you build into the manufacturer’s line and build into the retailer’s line, you get a better design all the way around.”

The much anticipated Hydro Bone that we created for Hugs Pet Products in now selling in three sizes at Dr. Foster’s and Smith. Dr. Foster’s website includes an awesome video of the product.

[media id=3 width=480 height=320]

We have received samples of the Bucket Bench from Faucet Queen and it soon will be on the company’s website. This “very unique and cool product” got great feedback from everyone it has been shown to, said the VP. “It’s another win for the company.”

“Another very nice item,” the Therapod, is on the market in a variety of smaller drug stores and also is under review by several large chains. The heating / cooling therapy wrap is the result of many months of development on the corporate design team.

The VP also reported that the Shopping Organizer, which we originally created for a client 14 years ago, was licensed and is now selling at Limited Commodities where, although not profitable, it is earning royalties on two products – the organizer and the replacement packs. The success of the older project is attributed to the “We Try Longer” motto of the Licensing Department. Frequently, clients walk away from their projects if they are not successful after a couple of years. “This is a great example of why you should never do that,” he said.

Everyone got a nice surprise at the end of the meeting when all received a Silicone Dessert Bar Pan, which is already selling in a few stores and is headed for a big airing on QVC this fall. This client product has not earned a net profit. The pans were handed out by the people in Sales, Design and Licensing who worked on the client product from start to finish. In addition to being fun and informative, the Royalty Party is very meaningful because it’s a reminder that it takes a team of people working together to fulfill all the tasks necessary to bring an invention to the market, said Mr. Davison.

“The Licensing meeting is a great experience because we’re able to enjoy one another’s company while reflecting on our accomplishments.”

The post Davison Summer Royalty Party Sizzles appeared first on Davison.