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Diversified experience. Specialized expertise. |
K&M PRODUCTS
& diy products
Successful inventor teams up with SPARK for a series of market-winning DIY products — with more to come.
Printable Project Profile.
- A typical DIY dad, Mike Bucci (Richmond, VA) had a classic "ah-hah" moment in 2006. After painting multiple book shelves with great frustration at the time-honored method required, an idea popped into his head: a better way to paint stationery items that minimize touch points with the object. At the same time, he instinctively knew his business and engineering experience could successfully engage the design, marketing and legal experts to bring the product to market.
One year later, the Painter's Pyramid was born. In May 2007, the Painter's Pyramid was introduced at the National Hardware Show. Since then, five million have been sold and are now carried by such major retailers as Lowe's and Sherwin Williams.
Despite such success, K&M had a dilemma: their low cost, simple products were susceptible to being knocked-off, and their intellectual property (IP) protection needed to be strengthened.
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- After collaborating with K&M on the Painter's Pyramid, SPARK has worked closely with Mike to develop and execute new product ideas to maximize their value, performance and usability — and bolster their IP protection. Among the highlights of our relationship with K&M:
Intellectual Property Protection — Identified design issues to bolster K&M's IP. Conducted internal brainstorming sessions to identify ways to improve the patent-ability of product features to make "design-arounds" and knock-offs more difficult.
Painter's Pyramid — A simple yet ingenious product, the Pyramid is a versatile tool that securely elevates a home improvement project off the work surface to save time, save effort and improve results. SPARK also added snap-together and screw-down capability features.
Finishing Turntable — Collaborated with K&M to conceive, design and engineer the Finishing Turntable, an evolution of the Painter's Pyramid. The Turntable provides an elevated work surface that rotates and is adjustable — and can hold up to 100 lbs. Among it's accolades, the Finishing Turntable received a "Tested & Recommended" seal from the Creative Home Arts Club. The Finishing Turntable has now evolved into a second product, the Craft N' Spin, which won "Best New Product" at the 2010 Winter Craft & Hobby Association trade show.
Slide N' Pump — SPARK helped develop the hand-operated, mechanical configuration of the pump that removes or siphons water without the need for water or the danger of electricity, at one-third the cost of electrical pumps.
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- K&M, through the vision of Mike Bucci and the support of SPARK, has a very bright future. After inventing new product markets in mature industries with great success, K&M is poised to grow. They are now expanding their focus on innovations in new markets and continuing their dedication to clever, useful and unique ideas.
Learn more at www.painterspyramid.com.
