On that voyage from concept to marketplace of which Susan Harrington speaks, even the best idea for a new product can get becalmed.

        Mrs. Harrington and her husband Rick help inventors evaluate their ideas, guiding those that show promise and scuttling others that have little chance of success.

        “Most inventors have identified some problem,” Mrs. Harrington said. “Usually, it's a personal situation for which they have created a solution.”

Susan and Rick Harrington hold some of the products they have developed for inventors who brought ideas to the couple's office in Bond Hill. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

        While Harrington Product Development Center is equipped to handle prototype design and fabrication, a client is encouraged to start with that company's companion venture, Idealine. Idealine, started in 1997, helps an inventor take a hard look at the new concept from a variety of perspectives.

        “The first thing we do at Idealine is to look at a market analysis,” said Mrs. Harrington, who heads the company.

        “That includes competition and pricing structure. We also have an alliance with the Home Shopping Network and can produce infomercials.”

        Recently, Idealine worked with an Ohio inventor who had formulated a spray sanitizer, SaniGuard, but was having trouble getting it onto the market.

        “He had worked on it for years before coming to us,” she said. “It's more powerful than an anti-bacterial cleaner; it's registered as a disinfectant with the EPA.”

        Mrs. Harrington and the Idealine board of advisers researched SaniGuard to see what was unique about it. Their findings?

        “It kills germs such as staph, strep and E. coli in 45 seconds and dries almost instantly,” Mrs. Harrington said. “Comparable spray disinfectants take much longer to dry. So the "quick-dry' aspect was what we focused on. Our market analysis also suggested that this is not a cleaner — it is a personal-care product.”

        Having determined that SaniGuard was attractive as a portable sanitizer for use in places such as public bathrooms and offices, Idealine advisers thought that the large spray can might be less saleable than a purse and pocket-sized container.

        “The inventor came out with a smaller size, and that's really what got him going,” Mrs. Harrington said.

        With that boost from Idealine, SaniGuard is now available in Wal-Mart and travel stores such as Travel 2000 and airport stores. A similar product from the inventor, called Kootie Killers, is designed for children and is sold at Walgreen's, Drug Emporium and convenience stores.

        Getting spray sanitizer on the shelves is very different from producing injection molds for action figures and Christmas ornaments, but that's how the Harringtons began in 1985. Their business originally was called Harrington Reproductions.

        “It was initially a service for the toy industry,” Mr. Harrington said.

        As the couple's expertise grew, their client base and prototypes became more diverse. They moved out of the basement of their home to a commercial location in Bond Hill and began to hire engineers to help with design. Customers range from individual inventors to large corporations.

        Said Mrs. Harrington: “Our commitment is to develop the kind of relationship that lets us be involved in the project at the beginning of the development cycle, understand how our client's organization operates, and become an extension of their organization. By getting involved early in the design/engineering process we can provide the best solutions for each project.”

        “Procter & Gamble is our largest client,” Mr. Harrington said. “We also do automotive products, consumer electronics, gas masks and fire-safety products.”

        With the product-development center to design a product and its packaging, and Idealine to provide marketing advice and product promotion, the Harringtons say they are a full-service product development center. While corporations may be interested only in the design and prototyping segments of their services, individuals can benefit from the Harringtons' knowledge of the invention process.

        “There are scam artists out there who will take advantage of inventors,” Mr. Harrington said.

        Some types of patents don't really protect inventors against knock-offs, he said, but inventors often don't learn that until competitors have produced look-alike items.

        Some product ideas may sound wonderful but won't find a large enough market to merit manufacture. Others may be too costly to produce. The Harringtons say they try to discourage inventors from pursuing an idea that won't provide a good return on investment.

        “We want to hit them over the head with reality,” Mr. Harrington said.

        “First, you have to be an educated consumer,” Mrs. Harrington said. “You have to understand the process of getting your idea produced and onto the market, and then ask yourself, "How does my idea stand up to this?'”

        Even though many inventions don't pass the Harringtons' reality test, the couple say it is a privilege to work with the creative folks who generate those ideas. And they are convinced there's still plenty of room for new products.

        “Energy saving is a huge deal, along with health and beauty and personal care,” Mrs. Harrington said. “What makes this country great is that spirit of innovation.”
       

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