The ProClean Dish Washing Aid is an all-in-one sprayer, soap dispenser, and power scrubber that attaches to a kitchen sink like a standard spray nozzle. It has interchangeable snap-on sponge, scouring pad, and brush attachments that hold dish soap for easier cleaning of any cook- or dish-ware. The tool has two trigger valves, one that powers the scrubbing attachment and another to power the spray attachment.

Hailing from Seattle, Washington, Moriarty, Carter, and Uhl developed this simple and unique product to solve a common household problem. The ProClean Dish Washing Aid has rubberized grips to ensure dish-washers a steady hold, and is designed to operate with standard household water pressure.

The four additional category winners include:

• Baking Pan with Hinged Fold-Down Sides. Aneela Rajusth of Schaumburg, IL, was named winner in the Utilitarian Home and Garden category. The invention is a square baking pan with hinged sides that fold down to allow easy removal of food.
• Powered Garden Tool. Michele Davis of Bandon, MS, was awarded in the Personal Electronics category. The tool has a battery-powered blade that automatically digs round holes for planting.
• Multi-Purpose Chair. G. Daniel Pedemonte of Chicago, IL, won top prize in the Recreation category for his adjustable lounge chair that compacts to a backpack or a suitcase, and that has built-in storage.
• First Escape. James Acevedo of Freeport, NY, was named winner in the Personal Care category. His invention is a smoke detector that transmits an alarm to a bedside receiver when the detector is set off in another part of the home.

Hammacher Schlemmer and Patentcafe.com presented Brian Moriarty, Brett Carter, and Ed Uhl with $6,000 in cash and prizes for the grand prize winning invention. Additionally, the company awarded the four category winners cash and prizes in the amount of $1,500 each. The five winning inventions will be displayed at the Hammacher Schlemmer Chicago store at 445 N. Michigan Ave.

Currently in its 10th 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 350 entries. Hammacher Schlemmer's Institute, an independent product testing organization, narrowed the field to 20 semifinalist inventions in early September, from which the five competition winners were chosen. Semifinalist inventions included such unique products as a backpack messaging device that allows instant parent/teacher communication to students, a garment for motorcyclists that illuminates to indicate left and right turns and braking, indoor/outdoor lighting that changes color for different holidays, and a combination snowmobile and boat that can be driven back to solid ground if it falls through thin ice.

A panel of four respected invention and consumer products experts chose this year's winners. This year's panel included:

• Ed Curran, CBS 2 Chicago & creator of Technogadgets
• Danielle Serino, Consumer Reporter for Fox News Chicago
• Cory Greenberg, Tech Editor for The NBC Today Show
• Dr. Natalie Petouhoff, Consumer Product and Marketing Expert, Author, Inventor and Behavioral Scientist

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 annual competition is to support the tradition of invention in this country and afford all inventors the opportunity to showcase their creations," said Bill Booth, president of Hammacher Schlemmer. "This year's group of winners displays the same style and imagination for which Hammacher Schlemmer has been known for more than 156 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 tradition continues with the recent introduction of the World's First Wearable TV Wristwatch.

Hammacher Schlemmer is the nation's longest continuously published catalog, and has nurtured 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 .

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