Housewife Sells Sticky Tape ‘End Finder’ Invention
It’s an age old problem, trying to find the end of sticky tape.
But one Norfolk housewife has invented a DIY device to help solve the common frustration – and little did she know it could earn her a small fortune.
For 10 years, Sarah Thorp, 48, has been using a baby wipes box to find the end of sticky tape.
She has sold her idea to the makers of Sellotape, after her husband Clive who owns a property development company spent ‘tens of thousands of pounds’ on getting the idea patented and prototypes made.
Her faith in her plastic dispensing system has now been rewarded – it is being sold by Sellotape under the product name EasyStart.
Under a licensing agreement, the mother-of-two receives a royalty payment for each of the £1.99 products sold in Britain and Ireland.
The design works in a similar way to a traditional Sellotape dispenser, which are familiar on desks in offices, and allows users to tear off as much tape as they need.
But in contrast, Thorp’s invention fits around a three-inch diameter roll of tape so it is completely portable and can be kept in a drawer.
The tape is fed through the dispenser and rests on two edges with a gap underneath so it can easily be lifted up by a finger and torn off.
Thorp first came up with her idea at Christmas time when she was wrapping presents for her sons Daniel and Ashley, now aged 20 and 16.
She said: ‘As usual I was having a nightmare by losing the end of the tape as it was sticking to the reel.
‘I just decided to make my own contraption to fit around the roll and travel round it while giving something for the tape to rest on so I could tear it off when I needed it.
Photo by Daily Mail Reporter.
Alexis on September 2nd, 2008 12:07 pm
I really wish I knew about this when was moving, over the weekend!
Angela on September 2nd, 2008 3:14 pm
That looks basically like what Duct tape has for their packing tape, but better. :) I could have used one of these more than once during our move or when put together a package to mail!
jaeda on September 2nd, 2008 4:03 pm
yes, my mother have problem by losing the end of the tape.. want to but one for her.
Buz Cook on September 2nd, 2008 8:12 pm
It’s a great idea! Glad to know about it for the up coming holiday season. I’ll bet she makes a fortune on it….Good for her!!
cassy on September 2nd, 2008 8:29 pm
Yes! this is a nice idea especially holiday season is come approaching. It so irritated if you have lots of gift to wrap then you can’t easily find the end of the tape.
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