Winners Announced on March
23rd
The
MicroID™ Collar Wins Idea Fetch 2006!
Jonathan Warren, a 24 year-old
Floridian develops electronic identification collar to win first
Idea Fetch Contest.
5,000 ideas and thousands of
votes later, the inaugural PetSafe Idea Fetch pet product invention
contest finishes. The winning pet invention, The MicroID™ Collar,
developed by Jonathan Warren, will provide a way for pet lovers to
place an electronic journal on a pet’s collar to store pet and owner
data including name, address, phone number, vet visits, medications,
etc. and will be sold nationally at PETCO stores later this year.
The MicroID™ Collar, is for cats and dogs that like to get out and
explore the world. It works by incorporating a flash card memory
device into the pet’s collar. The device has an electronic journal
for storing all pet and owner information. To enter pet data onto
the card, simply insert the card into a computer and follow the
step-by-step instructions. The device is protected within a
waterproof housing that easily slides into the collar and houses the
pet data. The advantage for a person finding a pet with the PetSafe
MicroID™ Collar is that they can instantly know multiple points of
contact for the owner, any medical concerns if treatment is
necessary and other specific pet care needs.
IDEAFETCH TOP 10 WINNING
IDEAS
IdeaFetch Winner –
Jonathan Warren, West Palm Beach,
Florida
The
MicroID ™ Collar
• The winning idea, The
MicroID™ Collar, is for cats and dogs that like to get
out and explore the world. It
works by incorporating a flash card memory device into the pet’s collar. The device has an
electronic journal for storing pet and owner information. To enter pet data onto the card,
simply insert the card into a computer and follow the step-bystep instructions. The device is
protected within a waterproof housing that easily slides into the collar and houses the pet
data. The advantage for a person finding a pet with the PetSafe MicroID™
Collar is that they can instantly find owner
contact information, learn about
any medical conditions if treatment is necessary and other specific
pet care needs. The
MicroID™ Collar is the first
of its kind in many ways. Product FIRSTS include: pet identification solution with a lifetime
warranty, USB pet identification collar, identification solution to solve all issues with micro
chipping and the first pet identification collar to contain all veterinarian records, contact
information AND pet photos. The collar provides a non-invasive solution, is easily accessible
through any computer and is concealed within the collar for protection from environmental
conditions.
2 nd Place –
Gail Eicken, Tinton Falls, New Jersey
The Pet Fire Alert
Collar ™, The Pet Fire Alert
Collar™, second place, was designed by Gail Eicken, a
former New Jersey volunteer EMT,
to provide a way for firefighters to locate hiding pets during a house fire or heavy smoke
condition. The Pet Fire Alert Collar™ works in conjunction with
any standard home smoke detector. When a
household smoke detector alarm sounds, the Collar activates and produces a series of
flashing lights and an audible sound. Gail and her husband Gary, a former volunteer
firefighter, invented the collar with lights and sound to alert pet owners and firefighters of
the pet’s location. The lights and sound will not stop until a button on the collar is reset.
Gail’s husband has been a volunteer fireman for 25 years and noticed how pets are often
lost because they run and hide during a fire. She says this invention is worth her time and
effort if it saves just one pet.
3 rd Place –
Brenda Cole, Reisterstown, Maryland
The Home-Alone Pet Fire
Escape ™ Brenda wanted
to provide a way for pets to escape in the event of a house fire and
created the Home-Alone Pet Fire
Escape™. Her worst nightmare was a
catastrophic fire while away, in
which her cats and dogs had no chance to escape the house. The Home-
Alone Pet Fire
Escape™ works with any standard smoke
detector, to create a pet fire release system. Cole’s idea proposes the
placement of the wireless device on pet doors, crates, or gate doors that would unlock and
open the doors in the event a smoke detector sounds. There is no guarantee the pet would be
able to escape the fire, but they would at least have a fighting chance if they weren’t
locked up.
4 th Place –
Kimm Kozera, Palatine, Illinois
Collar Activated Pet Dish
• Kimm Kozera, owns an older cat
that requires a special kidney diet and a kitten that needs kitten food. Therefore, she invented a
Collar Activated Pet Dish that would remain closed until a pet with the corresponding
collar came near (similar to the collars that activate pet doors). The pet dish recognizes
the signal from the collar and then opens so the pet may eat.
5 th Place –
Stacy Mantle, Scottsdale, Arizona
GPS Tracking Unit for Pets - Want to see the original idea? Click
here!
Since
there are so many problems with microchipping pets, Stacy decided it
might be better to use GPS. Her
GPS Tracking Unit for Pets allows owners to track their pets through a computer. A small GPS
unit would attach to a pet’s collar and could easily be transferred from one pet to another-- something
that can't be done with Microchips. If the pet wanders off, the owner logs onto a computer
to find their location, without assistance from animal control officers or the Humane
Society.
Finalist – Joy Feighner,
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Hotel Kitty for the Cat on the Go
Before Joy and her fiancé moved in
together she would have to haul her cat and its amenities to his apartment every weekend. It
was very inconvenient so she came up with an idea for an all-in-one cat carrier. The
design would be similar to a regular plastic cat carrier, but the bottom (where kitty is
sitting) would be a plastic panel that can slide out when you arrive at your destination to reveal a
built-in litter pan underneath; you can fill it up before you even leave. The top portion of
the crate (where handle is located) would unlatch to reveal a small storage compartment
with travel dishes (included) and room for food, small toys, etc. This would be helpful
not only for those who travel with their pet, but to keep on hand in case of an emergency or
natural disaster.
Finalist – Susie Harriett,
Sanford, Florida
"WinDoGuard" - Vehicle Window Safety
Device
Most
dogs love to hang their head out of an automobile window, so they
can feel the "wind", and smell the
"smells" of the outdoors. But, as you know, this can be very dangerous, since their eyes could
be injured, or they could jump out, or fall out, which Susie’s dog did, but thankfully survived! So,
she came up with an idea for a device with a very "fine" screen that would fit into an open
automobile window that would not stick out any further than the rear view mirror. This
would allow the dog to safely look out the vehicle’s window.
Finalist – Geri Soukup,
Centennial, Colorado
Support Shorts
Geri’s
13-year old Blue Heeler injured her back leg and suffered something
similar to a human ACL tear; the
vets all told her that surgery was the only cure. There were no external appliances to help and
all of the bandages slid down the leg. Geri designed and constructed Support Shorts that
her dog wore for three months and regained full use of all four legs. The shorts allow
elimination, are easy to put on, as well as assisting animals with arthritic
joints.
Finalist, RoseAnna L.
Lener, Huron, Ohio
Disposable Belly Bands
RoseAnna is a dog rescuer, and takes in many
incontinent older male dogs and traditional "leg lifters." One of her rescue
friends makes absorbent belly bands from fabric with an absorbent middle and Velcro fasteners.
They work well, but the problem is that each time the dog urinates, the belly band has
to be washed. So, RoseAnna thought of Disposable Belly Bands, like a diaper. They’re
a rectangular, multi-layered piece of fabric that is placed under a dog’s urinary outlet and
held in place around the lower abdomen with bands that fasten over the dog’s back. The
size would be adjustable for different size dogs.
Finalist – Timothy
Dombrowski, Middleboro, Massachusetts
Solar Powered Doghouse Blanket
The
Solar Powered Doghouse Blanket provides warmth to dogs living in
cold climates. A door-mat sized
electrical blanket (similar to the kind people use) is created with
reduced electrical draw/amperage.
A solar panel is then affixed on a dog house roof. The sun charges the blanket’s battery and
thus provides power to heat the blanket and provide a little extra comfort for outdoor
pets.
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