Post by IAMCAPER on Jul 7, 2004 23:31:23 GMT -4
COXHEATH – A retired Cape Breton steelworker believes he’s come up with an invention that will have a major impact on the game of hockey.
Problem is, he has to keep it top secret — for now.
Sam Hardy, a 79-year-old resident of Coxheath, is the inventor behind the Hardy Goal Post, a concept he says will end the frustration caused by nets constantly being dislodged from their moorings.
“It’s a goal post that will stay on the goal line even when it’s hit by a player or if they try to knock it off intentionally,” said Hardy.
While being able to withstand the impact of a player, Hardy said there’s no risk of the player being injured because of the special design of the Hardy Goal Post.
The concept is tough to grasp and, to make matters worse, Hardy isn’t allowed to demonstrate or reveal any specific details of how the Hardy Goal Post works.
“He has made modifications to the existing hockey net to develop a net that will stay in place even when it’s impacted,” said Hardy’s son, Barry, 53, who is listed as co-inventor but confesses he had nothing to do with the product’s development.
Hardy has entered into an agreement with Invention Technologies Inc. of Coral Gables, Fla. and under terms of the agreement he is restricted from revealing any specifics about his invention while the company searches for a manufacturer willing to license and produce the Hardy Goal Post.
“According to the people at Invent-Tech, they’re working diligently and should have something done in the near future,” said Hardy, who has registered the Hardy Goal Post with the United States Patent Office.
“We attend different trade shows and we have different sources we explore to try to find a manufacturer who is capable of not only making the product but actually marketing it and distributing it,” said a spokesperson in the publicity department of Invent-Tech.
The Hardy Goal Post has been shown to numerous manufacturers at trade shows around the world. Invent-Tech has put together a six-minute video presentation to demonstrate the invention to manufacturers. Hardy has a copy of the video but is not allowed to show it to anyone.
Invent-Tech has also set up a Web site for the Hardy Goal Post but manufacturers must first sign a confidentiality agreement before being given a password to access the site.
“It is foolproof. It will work,” said Barry. “It’s a tremendous, brilliant, ingenious idea. If you saw the prototype you’d understand it immediately.”
Frustrated by constant delays in hockey games caused by dislodged nets, Hardy set out in July of 2003 to come up with a solution after hearing a commentator question why someone couldn’t come up with an idea to solve the problem.
Hardy spent countless hours of the past year drawing up plans while sitting at his kitchen table and then developing them in a barn in his backyard.
“I’d work on one idea and when it didn’t work I’d go back to the drawing board and try another idea,” said Hardy. “I couldn’t tell you how many hours I’ve been at it.”
He believes the prototype he’s developed is the solution.
Problem is, he has to keep it top secret — for now.
Sam Hardy, a 79-year-old resident of Coxheath, is the inventor behind the Hardy Goal Post, a concept he says will end the frustration caused by nets constantly being dislodged from their moorings.
“It’s a goal post that will stay on the goal line even when it’s hit by a player or if they try to knock it off intentionally,” said Hardy.
While being able to withstand the impact of a player, Hardy said there’s no risk of the player being injured because of the special design of the Hardy Goal Post.
The concept is tough to grasp and, to make matters worse, Hardy isn’t allowed to demonstrate or reveal any specific details of how the Hardy Goal Post works.
“He has made modifications to the existing hockey net to develop a net that will stay in place even when it’s impacted,” said Hardy’s son, Barry, 53, who is listed as co-inventor but confesses he had nothing to do with the product’s development.
Hardy has entered into an agreement with Invention Technologies Inc. of Coral Gables, Fla. and under terms of the agreement he is restricted from revealing any specifics about his invention while the company searches for a manufacturer willing to license and produce the Hardy Goal Post.
“According to the people at Invent-Tech, they’re working diligently and should have something done in the near future,” said Hardy, who has registered the Hardy Goal Post with the United States Patent Office.
“We attend different trade shows and we have different sources we explore to try to find a manufacturer who is capable of not only making the product but actually marketing it and distributing it,” said a spokesperson in the publicity department of Invent-Tech.
The Hardy Goal Post has been shown to numerous manufacturers at trade shows around the world. Invent-Tech has put together a six-minute video presentation to demonstrate the invention to manufacturers. Hardy has a copy of the video but is not allowed to show it to anyone.
Invent-Tech has also set up a Web site for the Hardy Goal Post but manufacturers must first sign a confidentiality agreement before being given a password to access the site.
“It is foolproof. It will work,” said Barry. “It’s a tremendous, brilliant, ingenious idea. If you saw the prototype you’d understand it immediately.”
Frustrated by constant delays in hockey games caused by dislodged nets, Hardy set out in July of 2003 to come up with a solution after hearing a commentator question why someone couldn’t come up with an idea to solve the problem.
Hardy spent countless hours of the past year drawing up plans while sitting at his kitchen table and then developing them in a barn in his backyard.
“I’d work on one idea and when it didn’t work I’d go back to the drawing board and try another idea,” said Hardy. “I couldn’t tell you how many hours I’ve been at it.”
He believes the prototype he’s developed is the solution.