Window fitter’s patent application sees off copycat product and boosts sales

Edmonton-based window-fitter and inventor Daniel Cheddie realised the value of his patent – even before it had been granted.  When one of his customers returned a specialised window-fitting tool because it had parts missing, Daniel realised straight away that the product was an inferior copy of his Sashmate®  clamp-and-brace tool, for which he already had a registered trade mark and had recently applied for a patent.  Some detective work by Daniel’s patent attorney, Matt Dixon of IP21, quickly established where the counterfeit Sashmate®   had come from.

“The wholesaler and the supplier of the counterfeit product immediately acknowledged they were in the wrong,” Matt Dixon recounts.  “Not only have they now agreed to stop selling the inferior copy, but they have also offered to pay compensation and to place orders for a quantity of the real Sashmates®.  This is a really good illustration of how you can get commercial value from a patent – even before it’s granted – without having to go to expensive and time-consuming litigation.”

Like all the best inventions, Daniel Cheddie’s idea came when he was faced with a difficult task – removing a double-glazed window on his own.  “My father and I run a double glazing installation and repair business,” Daniel explains.  “As there are just two of us, we were often faced with a dilemma.  If we both went out on a job, there was nobody left to run the business and take orders.  If one of us went out on our own, we would find it difficult or impossible to remove a double-glazed sash, typically weighing up to 30kg.”

Daniel applied his ingenuity to the problem and came up with an idea for a device that would allow a single fitter to clamp and remove the sash, safely and easily.  He soon realised that his invention could also be useful for the other 16,000 double-glazing companies in the UK, not to mention the millions in the rest of he world.  An early consultation with a patent attorney suggested that the invention was sufficiently novel to merit a patent application and that a registered trade mark would help to establish the product in the market place.

Getting the product made was less straightforward.  Daniel found a UK-based fabricator who built the first prototype, out of steel.  Although the material was readily available and cheap, it was too heavy and the product didn’t work.  A rethink led Daniel to a precision engineering company that made equipment for submarines.  The next prototype was lighter, better engineered and actually worked, which was a great relief as Daniel had booked space at the Glassex exhibition, to demonstrate the Sashmate®   and gauge market reactions.

The response from the trade was overwhelmingly positive.  “This was the first device on the market that would allow a single fitter to do what was previously a two-man job – and at the same time make the job safer,” claims Daniel. “Glazing companies were quick to appreciate the savings in labour costs that they could make.  At less than £300, the Sashmate®   pays for itself in labour savings alone in less than a week. And because with the Sashmate®   you can do the whole job from inside, you don’t need expensive scaffolding or potentially dangerous ladders if you’re working above ground-floor level.”

The market response encouraged Daniel to go into mass production, initially in the UK, using an engineering company he had met at Glassex.  As sales started to increase, he looked at ways of reducing the cost and took the decision to transfer manufacturing to China.  The next step is to find a global company interested in taking a licence to manufacture and distribute the Sashmate, so that Daniel can concentrate on developing other ideas he has for new products.

“When I first thought of the Sashmate®  , I was only 23 and was quite nervous and intimidated by the idea of applying for a patent,” Daniel recalls.  “Now that I’ve been through the process, and have found a patent attorney I can work with, I won’t hesitate in the future to apply for as much IP protection as I can get.  My experience in seeing off a counterfeiter has already proved that it’s worth it.”
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About the Sashmate® 
The Sashmate®  is a lightweight, sturdy clamp-and-brace tool.  A single fitter can use it to remove a double-glazed sash, weighing in the region of 30kg, easily and safely.  The device is fully adjustable to accommodate most standard window sizes. 

The Sashmate®  can also be used to secure and partially remove the sash from the frame when hinges or other components need to be removed and repaired or replaced.

Written by Peter Prowse for the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys.

For more information, contact:

Peter Prowse, CIPA:  01372 271234

Institute manager: Nicholas Pope, tel: 020 7405 9450

Daniel Cheddie, Glazesafe Tel: 07973 613519 or 01992 302133 daniel@glazesafe.com, or

Matt Dixon, IP 21  Tel: 020 7645 8250, mattdixon@ip21.co.uk