That there is the PopNet, a collapsible fishing net with a flexible outer ring that the user can twist into a figure-eight and fold, reducing the diameter from 30″ to a conveniently carry-able 10″.
It was devised by Phillip Campbell, who observed fishermen struggling with packing away bulkier nets. Campbell, who works as a homebuilder but happens to have a Masters Degree in Industrial Design from North Carolina State University, got to work on a better design.
Ten years later, the product is on sale in stores and Campbell has sold the rights to fishing tackle manufacturer Frabill.
“You come to understand that it can take many attempts and prototypes to get an idea right,” said Campbell, whose PopNet patent is one of three he holds (it has 12 years left). “I went through a lot of trial and error to get this right.”
…”What I often see is inventors with a really good idea, but they’re just not able to add the horsepower to do the marketing and everything else,” [said Jeff Kolodzinski, Frabill’s vice president of marketing].
Read the tale of Campbell’s long journey to get a successful product to market here.
via news observer
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