THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 24, 1996 TAG: 9607230116
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: EARNING A LIVING IN VIRGINIA BEACH
SOURCE: BY LORI A. DENNEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 79 lines
A REALLY GOOD IDEA is one you could have thought of yourself.
That's how Owen M. Davis classifies the worth of an invention, his own invention in fact.
``Things that are self-explanatory and make sense sell,'' said Davis, who has spent the better part of 2 1/2 years working to see his invention manufactured, marketed and sold.
Davis, 50, invented a light-weight two-person lounger that's gone from a drawing on paper to finally being marketed and sold nationwide this month.
Davis invented the Recreational Lounger. The idea is simple - take a 6-foot square of foam and add backs (that look like chair backs) made of PVC pipe and canvas. You have a 4-pound lounger that seats two people comfortably, folds up for handy storage and light lifting and even holds towels and other beach paraphernalia inside.
The lounger also has two cut-out areas for drinks. The dual backs recline for sunbathing or sleeping or stay upright for sitting. The foam doesn't let sand seep through and allows for easy cleanup.
Davis says his uphill struggle to get a patent, find financial backing, a good marketing group and two production companies is finally paying off. Orders for his product began coming in last week from Florida, the site of the product's test market.
The first week in August, the lounger will be available for purchase for $34.95, plus shipping and handling, through an 800 phone number, in 10 to 15 major cities, including Virginia Beach, said Davis.
Next spring, Davis hopes to have a second version out and within two years, a total of four loungers on the market - the solo lounger, double lounger, sportsman and executive model. He doesn't want to say what they'll be like because he's still getting patents.
``I'll tell you, it's pure simplicity,'' said Davis, who lives in Kempsville with his wife, Rebecca, and 6-year-old daughter, Danielle. ``This works for everybody. At picnics, concerts, on the beach or in the den eating popcorn. It's just a very practical item.''
Davis came up with the idea for the lounger after he and his wife took their daughter on a beach vacation.
``We had to cross a busy road and I had buckets and shovels, towels, and beach chairs in my hand and then I had to try and hold my daughter's hand,'' said Davis, a Norfolk native. ``I thought then surely there was a better way.''
After the vacation, Davis went home and pulled out a measuring tape.
``The idea was in my head, I just had to figure out the particulars.''
Once he had an exact idea of what he wanted, he approached a patent agent. In April 1994, the Recreational Lounger was patented. Davis and longtime friend Dave Harper took the invention to the 1995 National Inventors Expo in Florida, where they received enthusiastic response from folks attending the show and other inventors, they said.
Davis' first inclination was to sell the patent and let someone else manufacture and sell the product, but after the hearty response the product received, he decided instead to offer a limited partnership in his company, 3D Inc. of Virginia Beach.
He and Harper, who is on the board of directors, began looking for investors to have the product made. The men estimated that they'd need $510,000 to produce it. When the limited partnership did not attract investors as they'd hoped, the men began searching for companies that were willing to be paid after the product was assembled and sold.
``We were very fortunate,'' said Davis. ``When one door closed another would open.''
Manufacturers in Alabama and Kentucky agreed to assemble the product for a small down payment, which Davis took out of his personal savings.
Once assembled, the product is sent to a Kansas marketing firm that takes the orders and ships directly to the company.
Neither Davis nor his board of directors has collected a paycheck yet. But, he said, after two long years and a lot of ups and downs just seeing the product on the market has made it all worthwhile. MEMO: To order The Recreational Lounger, call 1-800-798-8857. To reach
3D Inc. of Virginia Beach, call 497-3403. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Dave Harper, a member of the 3D Inc. board, relaxes on the
Recreational Lounger, invented by Owen M. Davis. by CNB