Dust Busters Duo Invent Device to Stop Buildup in Applainces
Faced with his usual enemy, dust, clogging a customer's domestic appliance, Shane K. decided he'd had enough. "There ought to be a way to fix this," Mr. K, who handles service calls for Superior Gas thought. So he and colleague Tracy C. created "Dust Stoppers," a device that promises to stop the buildup of dust in appliances and save gas and propane users some $75 dollars annually in service calls. "It's a very expensive little thing for the customers," Mr. C. a driver for Superior Gas, said of dust. "It makes my job a lot harder" Mr. K added. Dust Stoppers will cost around $20 and will work for all gas and propane-fueled domestic appliances, Mr. K said.
The gadget is currently under the control of an invention company, which is seeking a manufacturer. "It's going to have to go through research and production," said a representative of Invention Technologies Inc. He said he could not say when Dust Stoppers will hit the market. Because a manufacturer has yet to be licensed, Mr. K and Mr. C said they could not give out details of how the product looks or works. But it is about 99 percent effective, Mr. C. said. And it will cater to a huge market. In 2003, there were 61,857,913 residential and 5,510,925 commercial natural gas consumers in the United States, according to the Energy Information Administration. Mr. K said there are about 8 million propane users.
The idea hit the two inventors during a routine service call, a 30 second task for Mr. K that cost the consumer 40 dollars. "We was out on a call," Mr. C. explained. "I was helping him one day." "It was like a light bulb went off. We were both standing there talking about it." Mr. K explained. The two, who have been friends and colleagues for a number of years, started burning midnight oil at the long, wooden table in the back room of Superior Gas. They fiddled with several designs, striving to find one that would work with all appliances. It took a few days, but Dust Stoppers was born. A patent search revealed no similar product exists, Mr. K said. "There's nothing," he said, and they both burst out laughing. So, what happens if the big bucks start streaming in? Mr. C. shrugs off a suggestion of an opulent lifestyle. "We're simple country boys," he said. "This could turn into something huge for our families." Both he and Mr. K are dreaming of spending their potential cash on kids and sports. "There's a lot of kids out there that don't have things," Mr. C said. Mr. K's 6-year-old son requested a new house with a ball field in the back, K said. Any thoughts of leaving (their town) for a more glamorous destination? "This is home," Mr. C said. "I wouldn't leave for nothing." Mr. K added.