My name is Anwar Farooq and I am an engineer. At present I teach math at a high school near Los Angeles. The pencil sharpeners that are available in the market today are noisy and ineffective. About three years ago I noticed my student's daily frustration with such pencil sharpeners, where they would sometimes start with a new pencil trying to sharpen it but the pencil sharpener would sharpen it only on one side where the lead is exposed on one side and the other side is still covered with material. After repeated tries, the pencil would become smaller and smaller, until my students would give up. Other times it would frequently break the lead. Seeing this I decided to look at the pencil sharpener design from scratch. I noticed that the most effective way to sharpen a pencil is to use a pocket knife and just shave the pencil. I decided to invent a new kind of pencil sharpener that would shave rather than grind. I have just received a U.S. patent on 'A Silent and More Robust Pencil Sharpener'.
I have created a website www.quicknsilent.com that explains in detail how my pencil sharpener works. There is also an animation that depicts this simple device that is easy to manufacture. Unlike the pencil sharpeners of today that grind the wood body of a pencil with a metal blade noisily grinding it, my design uses six tiny blades that shave a pencil to a fine point in just one cycle, quickly and silently.
The market for a quick and silent pencil sharpener that effectively sharpens a pencil in a few seconds is huge in my estimation. Schools, businesses, military, general public, all could be potential customers. I have used up my savings in getting a patent, creating a website and having an animation done. To proceed further to have a prototype made and to bring the pencil sharpener to the market, I need the help from the FundaGeek community.
I need initial funding in the amount of $5,000 to have a complete set of CAD drawings made before a company can build a prototype. The CAD package would include the dimensions of each part along with the bill of materials in a 3-D file where every part would be drawn to fit and function as intended. After this initial investment, I will need extra funding to have a prototype made and then to go into limited production. You are donating for the first phase of a multiphase funding drive. The free QuicknSilent pencil sharpener that is promised for $50 or more donations, along with the 50% off retail price coupons will be honored when and if the QuicknSilent pencil sharpener goes into limited production.
My website (www.quicknsilent.com) will list every donor's name and the amount they donated and it will also list all the expenses for everyone to see. A certified CPA report will be issued at the end that will list all expenditures.
I will be honored if you feel that this project is worth your donation. Only you can make it happen as my resources are fixed and limited. Please visit my website and see the animation at: www.quicknsilent.com
You can also view the animation on youtube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgTxdGbgieA
For a donation of $10, a .jpg copy of the CAD drawing will be emailed, when completed. Your name and the amount donated will be listed on the website.
For a donation of $20, a 50% off the retail price of a Quicknsilent pencil sharpener coupon redeemable after the pencil sharpener goes into limited production will be issued and honored. A .jpg copy of the CAD drawing will be emailed, when completed, and the name and the amount donated will be listed on the website.
For a donation of $50, a coupon for a free manual QuicknSilent pencil sharpener along with two 50% off the retail price of Quicknsilent pencil sharpener coupons redeemable after the pencil sharpener goes into limited production will be issued and honored. A .jpg copy of the CAD drawing will be emailed, when completed, and the name and the amount donated will be listed on the website.
Kindly support if you find this project worthwhile. In the absence of funding here at FundaGeek, I'll have to put the project on a slow burner and try to look for other websites for funding that are less focused on inventions and technology. I believe that this will reduce my odds of ever bringing this product to the market.
Please click on the link below to read about my pencil sharpener mentioned on another website:
http://womentorz.blogspot.com/
Thank you for your support.
Find out more about me at: www.mrfarooq.com