Falkofske makes Designer Sling: woman working on patent for an arm sling she created
Having a broken shoulder was bad enough. Mary F. figured the sling she wore afterward didn't need to be uncomfortable, too. "I know how to sew, so I got out my sewing kit," Mary said about the origin of her recent invention, the Designer Sling. Last fall, she turned over the invention to an agency, which started the patent process and is seeking a company to license and market it. She's not showing the sling to the general public until the patent and manufacturer are finalized. Mary said she was dissatisfied with the gray, cumbersome sling she'd been given following her workplace fall last August. She slipped at her job, where she'd worked for for 13 years. Initially, she didn't realize the mishap was serious. She broke an AC joint," she said.
She had surgery on her right shoulder the day after a doctor diagnosed the injury. She was off work for six weeks. The old sling with its stiff webbing didn't help her disposition when she was regularly asked, "What happened to you?" she said. Convinced the arrangement could be improved, she started with a couple pieces of cotton material. She ended up including a pocket for sorting pens, keys, wallets and other items. "It's difficult to get to those things otherwise when you're in a sling," she said, nothing her arm hurt if she lifted it the slightest bit. Mary experimented with her creation. Her first effort, which took an hour-and-a-half to make, had apple appliquÈs on denim. She made another, featuring a fish motif, for her mother, Gloria H., who'd also had shoulder surgery. As the daughter has refined the sling, the time she needs to make it was reduced to around 45 minutes. Her doctor was impressed when she wore the sling on a return visit, she said. That encouraged her to pursue patenting it. "The doctor especially liked the fact it doesn't move.it moves with you," she said. Its simplicity plus ease in getting on and off was praised as well.
Because design was an integral part of her invention, she chose the name Designer Sling. She found Invent-Tech, a Florida company, on the Internet as a potential representative. Three months elapsed before she acted on marketing it. "I was scared they might try to take me for what little I'm worth," she said. When the company finally called her, she reluctantly agreed to send them a drawing of the sling. A panel of a half-dozen people didn't discuss it very long before determining it would sell. The firm conducted a patent search; other slings were identified, but none similar. The next step was to survey potential buyers.
The item has since been taken to trade shows in Florida and Dallas. If a medical products firm accepts her sling, more issues must be decided, she said. The type of material has to chosen. One size doesn't necessarily fit all, so making it adaptable might be considered. "Whatever happens, it was quite an investment to start," she said, hoping to get a return on that.