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The United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted a patent for a new tapered drywall drill capable of streamlining the steps to replace damaged wall board material. For drywall and apartment maintenance professionals, telephone/cable technicians, electricians, plumbers, and insulation specialists who must cut into walls, the tool reduces the work of entering walls and repairing the drywall damaged during the work or sometimes caused accidentally. The tool is designed to create a hole perfectly matched to a circular tapered drywall plug which sits just below the surface of the wall. The area is left ready for a single skim coat of mud, sanding, and painting. The new patented process avoids the raised “mound” normally caused by drywall taping, leaving a flat, invisible repair compliant with applicable codes. Inventor Walter H. Trudeau was granted patent number 7,540, 122 for a “Drywall Repair Tool and Method.”
“It worked perfectly the first time we used it for a video to show potential licensees,” explained Scott Bechtel, CEO of AmiCOUR IP Group, an intellectual property consulting firm hired by Trudeau to commercialize the invention. “Initially, we envisioned selling this invention as home repair tool to repair accidental drywall damage but soon learned how insulation installers drill and later repair drywall hole damage every 16 inches to backfill wall insulation.” Bechtel described a recent visit to the Indianapolis Home Show where he spoke with insulation companies, electricians, satellite dish installers, and home security companies: “The professionals we talked with were universally enthusiastic the minute they saw our cross section of repaired drywall compared it with foam and wooden repair plug systems. When we showed them the tool, several wanted to buy it or become beta testers when the new tool comes on the market.”
Inventor “Wally” Trudeau designed the tool as likely to be useful for the majority of work related or accidental repairs, explaining,“Doorknob impacts are fairly common along with other impact damage. The four inch size covers over 90 percent of the most common types of damage, including the entry methods for wiring or insulation upgrades.” He revealed why he hired his intellectual property consultants, explaining,“I would like to see the tool or a kit with tool, plugs and drywall mud offered to consumers. Of course, we know installation professionals will want this, too, as well as building and apartment maintenance people. I want AmiCOUR to find a licensee with the manufacturing and distribution power to serve national consumer and professional markets.”
AmiCOUR reports strong interest from prospective licensees, including requests to test prototypes. “Our video is drawing quite a bit of attention from qualified manufacturers and we are confident their product engineering teams will duplicate our results. No tape is required, dust is less than anticipated, and the invisible repairs have nearly the same strength as undamaged wall board without using tape,” Bechtel reported. “The selected licensee will face a minimal tooling investment and enjoy high margins with strong demand for this product. Repair plugs which will sell for a premium price because of the labor savings and cosmetic and code compliance value of the repair. We plan to achieve national distribution before the year ends.”
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