WHEN Graham Renny saw his wife was having trouble shifting horse manure from a paddock, he told her: "You shouldn't be doing that, dear. It's too hard work for a woman."

So he went in the house and invented a gadget to make it easier for her. Now, realising his lifting device has international market potential, Mr Renny has managed to get it pushed through the patent system in a record-breaking 11 months. It's being made in the West Midlands, it's selling well and, armed with his patents, he can see off any copycat products that may appear.

Inspiration came to the retired engineer from Boden-ham, near Leominster, when he noticed how hard his wife was having to work shovelling up horse muck. He said: "I could see what an effort it was. Clearing up after horses can be back-breaking work, so I set to thinking what I could do to make the job easier for her.

"After a few hours in the workshop, I came up with a prototype that could pick up and lift manure, leaves or general garden rubbish, without her having to bend down. It will make life easier for Susan and for millions of people who enjoy gardening or keeping animals, but who want to avoid getting backache."

According to Mrs Renny, her husband's invention - now called the Grab-O-Saurus - will be as liberating for outdoor work as vacuum cleaners and washing mach-ines have been for housework and because they have had the foresight to patent the product, the couple are confident the market won't be flooded with inferior imitations.

For most inventors, the initial idea is the easy bit. The real challenge is to come up with a detailed design that can be economically manufactured, then find the funds to market the product and, if it is successful, fend off the copycats.
Graham and Susan Renny are fortunate in having two sons who work for a high-tech electronics company and who saw the invention's market potential. They also knew the importance of registering and protecting intellectual property and their first piece of advice was to use the services of a patent attorney, Paul Derry at Venner Shipley, who had previously acted for the company they both work for.

Mr Renny said: "Although I've got an engineering background, I had never patented anything before, and the world of marketing and product development was completely new to me. Our patent attorney was very helpful in explaining how online patent databases can help you to find out if anybody else has already developed a similar idea. He also guided us through the complexities of the different systems in the UK, Europe and the USA."

Mr Derry prepared a full patent specification and submitted it to the UK Intellectual Property Office with a special request for the application to be given accelerated status.

According to him, Graham Renny's status as a non-corporate inventor helped speed up the process.

He said: "Small companies and individuals can be more vulnerable than big companies when it comes to possible illicit copying of their inventions. The UK IPO will take this into account and accelerate applications that meet certain conditions."
Mr and Mrs Renny also approached their regional development agency, Advantage West Midlands, who encouraged them to apply for grants available to inventors and small businesses. As a result, they have had about £5,000 worth of computer-aided design services from Wolverhampton University, a grant of £15,000 from Innovations Network and a further £14,000 from the Prograta fund.

Advantage West Midlands also helped the Rennys to find MPC Plastics, of Redditch, to develop the prototype and manufacture it.

The Grab-O-Saurus works on the same principle as eagles' claws, with opposing paddles on long handles. One handle has a row of stub-ended teeth which target the waste matter for collection as the sister paddle clamps it into position.

It can easily be lifted and released wherever the user wishes, in one easy movement - without having to bend. It's made from lightweight, durable polypropylene, which is easy to wipe clean.

Mr and Mrs Renny have appointed Smarter Products as distributors for online sales (www.smarterproducts.co. uk) and also hope to sell in the horticultural and gardening markets.

Said Mrs Renny: "We're now looking forward to growing international sales, including finding distributors for the American market. Graham's invention has certainly changed our lives."