High School senior Andre Brooks, a 2007 Staples Invention Quest Kids national semifinalist, is waiting to hear back from the United States Patent and Trademark Office on his SmartMark bookmark.
Not only does Brooks’ version of the bookmark save your page, it saves which line you were on, too. There are two components that are connected by a string.
The idea hit him while he was in his 2006 history class. His teacher gave him a Post-It note to save his page; he simply tore it in half, using one half to save the page and the other to mark his spot on the page. The Smart Bookmark was born.
Brooks was one of 15 semifinalists out of 4,000 entries nationwide.
In March, he flew to Staples Headquarters in Massachusetts to present the SmartMark to the panel of judges.
Brooks thanked his parents for helping him pursue his dream of becoming an inventor. While he waits for a response from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, he’s starting an online business.
Photo by Special To The Times.
jaeda on September 8th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
congratulations to him, he done a good job at his young age.
cassy on September 8th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Yes, there are lots of young individuals now that become recognize because of their inventions.
Angela on September 8th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
That’s such a simple idea that anyone could have thought of, but yet bright enough to have gotten this young man somewhere. I think that’s great. He’s definitely got the mind of an inventor, hopefully he’ll continue coming up with nifty ideas. :)