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Invention May Keep Fingers Safe At Home

Tribune photo by JOHN CEBALLOS

John Doyle displays his invention, the Art Star Kraft Door Stop. The idea for the product first came to Doyle in 2003, when his daughter had to get nine stitches after slamming her fingers on a door. There is currently a patent pending.

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By JOHN CEBALLOS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 28, 2008

RIVERVIEW - John Doyle remembers the exact date he was first inspired to create a product he believes can help prevent serious injuries.

"It was June 8, 2003, and we were still living in Long Island," said Doyle, who moved to Riverview in August 2005. "My daughter, Christina, who was 11 at the time, was at a friend's house and she got her hand caught in a door.

"I remember because she had to get nine stitches."

Two years later, as Doyle babysat his grandson Darien, he noted the hard slamming of the door as the child entered and left the house.

"I have a clear recollection of thinking to myself that he's eventually going to wrap his fingers around the door," Doyle said.

That same evening Doyle and his son, John Jr., went to an area hardware store and bought the materials necessary to create the prototype they had been thinking about for two years.

"We knew how we wanted it to work right away, and we were able to build it," said Doyle, who has a background in home-repair services and is a commercial sales specialist for Lowes.

It resulted in the creation of the Art Star Kraft Door Stop.

Doyle has a patent pending on the product, and more than 5,000 have been manufactured.

"I spoke with a patent attorney, and he told me it usually takes two or three years to go from the concept stage to getting the product fully made and packaged," Doyle said. "We were able to do it in a little over a year."

The product is a portable, adjustable doorstop made from Delrin, the brand name for a lightweight, low-friction, wear-resistant plastic often used as a metal substitute.

The device is placed on top of the door, where children cannot tamper with it, and goes into safety mode every time the door is opened. The door may be completely shut by an adult by using the door stop's manual controls.

After developing the prototype, Doyle took his invention to Paul Kim and Howard Heintz, two of his Riverview neighbors.

"To my knowledge, all other door stops have to be removed in order to shut a door," Heintz said.

Kim eventually became Doyle's business partner and has helped him finance his invention, and Heintz has served in an advisory capacity.

"My orthopedic surgeon, Dr. John Okun, told me he sees a number of patients with serious hand injuries every year from accidents with doors," Heintz said. "He told me at least six people per year end up losing part of a finger."

In addition to preventing injury, the door stop can be used to prevent children or pets from locking themselves in or out of a room.

Doyle said the device retails for $19.95. Though they have come a long way in a relatively short period of time, Doyle and Heintz said they are eager to get the product in as many people's hands as possible.

"Right now, we're trying to figure out how to sell it and how to, sort of, push it to the next level," Doyle said. "This is a product that's very personal and that we really believe in."

For information, visit www.safetydoorstop.com.

Reporter John Ceballos can be reached at (813) 865-1555 or jceballos@tampatrib.com.

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