According to its inventors, the Pigtail Fastener could change forever the way ropes and lines are connected and used. It "overcomes all the well known shortcomings of traditional knots," including the challenge of learning to tie them, the stress created when a line crosses over itself, and the difficulty of untying knots. The Pigtail Fastener consists of a simple metal shaft tipped by a rounded eye at its other end-the line is passed through the eye, wrapped around the shaft and threaded through an opening in the spiral loop. The operation takes only four seconds and can be executed with a single hand.

Hailing from Stillwater, Minnesota, Kuslich and Peterson developed the idea for their invention after noting that the technology for securing cords and lines to objects and to each other had remained virtually unchanged for more than 10,000 years.

The four additional category winners include:

• Battery-Powered Remotely Controlled Floating Pool Fountain and Light Device, Noorolah Nader Beidokhti of Fountain Valley, CA was chosen the winner in the Personal Electronics category. The invention is a remote-controlled portable battery-operated fountain with multiple spray and light patterns.

• Method for Preparing Infant Formula with Dispensing and Filtering Means, Danny J Roberson of Euless, TX was named winner in the Personal Care category. It is an appliance that dispenses filtered water for preparing baby formula without boiling.

• Multipurpose Adjustable Single Sheet Container, Richard, Bobby, Susie and Debra Kim of Aurora, CO. Taking the honors in the Utilitarian Home and Garden category, this is a single box that lets users change its size and shape for a custom-sized fit for the contents.

• Portable Athletic Field Boundaries (Port-A-Field) John Fredrick of Nacogdoches, TX took the prize in the Recreation category. It is a portable and retractable boundary line for field sports that quickly and clearly marks pre-measured dimensions without the mess of chalk.

Hammacher Schlemmer and Patentcafe.com presented Kuslich and Peterson with a $3,500 in cash and prizes for the grand prize winning invention. Additionally, the company awarded the four category winners cash & prizes in the amount of $500 each. The five winning inventions will be displayed at the Hammacher Schlemmer Chicago store at 445 N. Michigan Ave.

Currently in its ninth year, SEARCH FOR INVENTION® is the premier event of its kind, consistently attracting the nation's brightest inventors of innovative consumer products. This year's competition featured more than 200 entries. The company partnered with Patentcafe.com, one of the nations most highly renowned resources to the inventors community, to recruit this year's inventors. Hammacher recognizes PatentCafe.com's ability to network and share outstanding resources to new inventors, for it is a mission shared by Hammacher Schlemmer. Hammacher Schlemmer's independent product testing organization narrowed the field to 20 semifinalist inventions in early October, from which the five competition winners were chosen. Semifinalist inventions included such unique products as an apparatus designed to safely restrain a cat during bathing, combination binoculars and radio, a system that transfers heat removed from a home's central air conditioning to warm swimming pool water, and a collapsible wooden Christmas tree suspended in mid-air.

This year's winners were chosen by a panel of seven respected invention & consumer products experts. This year's panel will include:

• Ed Curran, NBC 5 Chicago & creator of Technogadgets
• Carol Rehtmeyer, Creator of the Toy & Game Inventor's Forum
• Cory Greenberg, Tech Editor for The NBC Today Show
• Danielle Serino, Consumer Reporter for Fox News Chicago
• John Picone, Inventor & Engineer
• Sara Fiedelholtz, Assistant Editor/ Features Chicago Sun-Times & Trendscout for WGN Morning News
• Carolyn Murray, Consumer Reporter for CBS 2 Chicago

In selecting the five winning inventions, the panel searched for consumer products that uniquely addressed an existing lifestyle challenge. Selected entries must also have been patented at the time of submission with an actual prototype available.

"The objective of this competition is to recognize the contribution that inventors make to our society, to encourage and support those individuals who take huge risks in order to turn their invention into a reality, and to help the inventor community showcase their wonderful inventions," said Bill Booth, President of Hammacher Schlemmer. "This year's group of semifinalists displays the same ingenuity and imagination for which Hammacher Schlemmer has been known for more than 150 years."

Since 1848, Hammacher Schlemmer has built a reputation for introducing Americans to original products that fill consumer needs so well that they become household necessities. It was on the pages of the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog that consumers were first introduced to such staples of the American lifestyle as the pop-up toaster (1930), steam iron (1948) and microwave oven (1968). The catalog also offers the first robotic sweeper-vac, just introduced in September 2002.

Several SEARCH FOR INVENTION® winners have been introduced to the marketplace through the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog. The Child Emergency Locator "Herbie the Hydrant", by inventor Mike Lucas and the TV Pedaler, by inventor David Delman were both featured in the company's Summer 2002 catalog. Additionally, the Electrically Adjustable Wrench, by inventor John Picone, 1999 Grand Prize Winner, will be introduced in the catalog in early 2003.

Hammacher Schlemmer is the nation's longest continuously published catalog in the United States, nurturing the spirit of invention for more than 150 years. The company publishes seasonal catalogs throughout the year and operates retail stores in New York City and Chicago. Hammacher Schlemmer can be found on the Internet at www.hammacher.com.

PatentCafe® is a network of information, e-learning, proprietary data, online retail, community and enterprise software solutions for the Intellectual Property community. Since the launch of its first property in 1996, it has expanded to become the Web's most comprehensive provider of Web distributed software, IP related news, information, products and services. Recognized worldwide, each month PatentCafe services nearly 3/4 million inventors, patent attorneys, corporate counsel, intellectual property managers, academia, and R&D labs through 7 Web properties. "Patentcafe can be found on the Internet at www.PatentCafe.com

SEARCH FOR INVENTION® 2002 Semifinalists

PERSONAL ELECTRONICS

• Door Answering Machine

  Inventor: Donald A. Merte, Poughkeepsie, NY

  A door mounted recording device that lets you leave personal outgoing messages as well as receive private incoming messages from visitors when you are not home.

• Battery-Powered Remotely Controlled Floating Pool Fountain and Light Device

  Inventor: Noorolah Nader Beidokhti, Fountain Valley, CA

  A remote-controlled portable battery operated fountain with multiple spray and light patterns.

• Pet Locator

  Inventors: Jennifer Durst, Eugene Fowler, Joseph McAlexander, Dallas, TX

  A device that allows an owner to locate a lost pet using a Global Positioning System (GPS) that notifies the owner directly of their pet's whereabouts without a third party service.

• Sports Binocular Assembly

  Inventor: Tristam W. Himmele, Lake Worth, FL

  A hands-free combination binocular and radio that is worn around the head.

• Stroller Including a Motorized Wheel ("My P.A.L" Power Assisted Laborer)

  Inventor: Wayne Davidson, Valhalla, NY

  A stroller that can be pushed in a normal way or, by pressing a foot control can be motorized for help with hills and long distances.

PERSONAL CARE

• Knee Protector

  Inventor: Patrick J. Ferriter, New York, NY

  A knee protector that has the ability to reduce knee discomfort by cradling the knee cap in a soft, resilient "cup" as well as permit the user mobility when moving about while kneeling.

• Seat Suspended Between Crutches (J-Sling)

  Inventor: John E. Smith, Frederick, MD

  The J-Sling is a seat that is attached between 2 crutches that allows and injured user a place to rest.

• Multi-Purpose Cosmetic Applicator "Glamourstick"

  Inventor: Glenn E Hunsberger, New Hyde Park, NY

  An all-in-one compact cosmetic applicator of lipstick, eyeliner, and brushes.

• Cat Restrainer

  Inventor: Ruby Y Young, Kerrville, TX

  An apparatus designed to restrain a cat during bathing and transport.

• Method for Preparing Infant Formula with Dispensing and Filtering Means

  Inventor: Danny J Roberson, Euless, TX

  An appliance that dispenses filtered water for preparing baby formula without boiling that helps to eliminate lead in drinking water.

UTILITARIAN HOME AND GARDEN

• Multipurpose Adjustable Single Sheet Container

  Inventors: Richard, Bobby, Susie and Debra Kim, Aurora, CO

  A single box that lets users change its size and shape in order to better fit the contents.

• Pigtail Fastener

  Inventor: James Kocian, Stillwater, MN

  The Pigtail Fastener is a device that eliminates having to tie and untie knots in any kind of rope or line, without sacrificing the security for what needs to be tied.

• EZ Pour Bucket

  Inventor: David Babcock, Blue Springs, MO

  A bucket with a unique handle mechanism that allows the user to automatically pour the contents of the bucket with an easy squeeze of the handle.

• Angle Adjustable Retaining Wall and Fencing System (#6,293,523 B1)

  Inventor: Larry R Fendler, St. Louis, MO

  A system that allows that gardening enthusiast to build an adjustable fence that can also be transformed into a box or planter.

• Combination Air Conditioning System & Water Heater (Volcano Pool Heating System)

  Inventors: Mary Ellen Schad, Jay & Abe Schwartz, West Palm Beach, FL

  A system that transfers the heat removed from a home's central air conditioning to warm the water in a swimming pool.

RECREATION

• Portable Athletic Field Boundaries (Port-A-Field)

  Inventor: John Fredrick, Nacogdoches, TX

  A portable and retractable boundary line for field sports that quickly and clearly marks pre-measured dimensions without the mess of chalk.

• Suspended Christmas Tree

  Inventor: Richard D. Babcock, Sioux Falls, SD

  A collapsible wooden Christmas tree designed to be suspended in mid-air from overhead.

• Modified Wheels for Ice "Ice Wheels"

  Inventor: Richard L Alderman, Sun Prairie, WI

  In-line skate wheels specifically designed for skating on ice.

• Cooler Device w/Integrated Solar Power and Stereo System ("Solar Polar Rock-N-Roller")

  Inventor: Dwight J Sloan, Riverside, CA

  A portable cooler with wheels that also has a built-in audio system powered by a solar panel.

• Electrical Switch for a Wagon ("Power Wagon")

  Inventor: Michael Garrett, Orland Park, IL

  A battery motor-powered children's wagon that can be steered and driven using the handle, or used by adults to pull heavy loads.