UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 6, Page 9
October 6, 1994
U.S. patent granted to three engineering alumni

     A U.S. patent has been issued on a jar-opening device developed
by three mechanical engineering graduates from the class of 1992.
     Ed Mahler, Craig Moore and Kevin Sartell developed the device as
their senior design project-a required, year-long design experience
for mechanical engineering undergraduates enrolled in the course,
Design and System Synthesis I/II.
     The device earned first prize in the 1992 senior design project
competition judged by the members of the Delaware section of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
     Mike Keefe, associate professor of mechanical engineering, who
now teaches the senior design course, said the patent guarantees that
the idea is uniquely different from all prior inventions and that the
idea is "creative and represents a new concept."
     "A patent," Keefe said, "represents an officially documented
recognition of creativity. It is a major accomplishment for any
engineer, and it is a significant accomplishment for a team of
undergraduates."
     It is not common for patents to be issued on student projects,
Keefe said, but over the years, several Delaware senior design
projects have qualified for patent protection. He said he is aware of
three issued and two others that had potential during the last six
years.
     The students' project, Keefe said, originated with Ed
Hatchadoorian, a retired DuPont Co. engineer who helps with the annual
senior design effort, and he brought the idea to faculty members
Robert Allen and Ralph Cope, who taught the course at the time.
     Hatchadoorian had been in contact with the Arthritis Foundation
in Wilmington, asking for ideas on what would benefit arthritis
sufferers. He was told that opening a jar is often impossible for
individuals with joint pain.
     The students' goal for their project was to allow afflicted or
disabled persons the ability to open container lids without difficulty
or pain.
     The alumni all live in the area. Mahler is an applications
consultant with Supply Chain Consultants in Newark; Sartell is a
project engineer with Kraft General Foods in Dover, Del.; and Moore,
who is living in Elkton, Md., is currently seeking employment.
     According to Mahler, the trio was not really surprised to receive
the patent since the attorney involved said they had an 80 percent
chance of success, given the device's unique feature-a circular base
that rotates and applies pressure to the top of the jar.
     Mahler said several manufacturers are currently evaluating their
work, and he and his co-inventors are awaiting their responses.
                                                         -Ed Okonowicz