ISHADE:IT CAN BE frustrating and sometimes virtually impossible to read a phone screen in bright sunlight. But Corkman Peter Scanlan believes he has solved the problem with his invention, the iShade. Scanlan came up the idea following a trip abroad where he was trying to read a lengthy text on his mobile in the sun.
“The glare from the sun meant I was nearly doing cartwheels to try and read the text,” he says. “Then I was on the bus one day and became aware that the person beside me was able to see my screen as I was texting. This gave me the basic outline for the iShade and having comprehensively researched the market I realised there was a vast choice of screen protectors, phone covers and anti-glare film available, but nothing that would incorporate all three. The iShade tackles glare, privacy and screen protection in one go.
Scanlan wanted the device to be as user friendly as possible and it works in landscape and portrait modes. The side walls of the iShade are like wings and support the back of the phone cover when in use. There is potential for the cover to be customised with corporate logos or product brand names. Scanlan says the shade will work with all sorts of different portable mobile devices which opens up significant growth potential for the product. This is reflected in the patent which is registered as an anti-glare visor for a portable visual display unit.
Scanlan spent about six months and several thousand euro developing his idea and then took it to patent attorneys, FR Kelly, for advice on protecting his invention and its IP. The iShade is now fully protected under patent law. Scanlan's "day job" is in finance and he is not interested in getting involved in the manufacturing process. His plan is to sell the patent or licence the technology and he has set up a website called www.bestphonecover.comto help him do so. "I don't have a background in manufacturing and having worked in finance for a long time I am aware of what's involved in creating a manufacturing process and it's not something that would be of interest to me. I am much more into design," he says. "I emailed Nokia and Apple to see if they would be interested in my invention but they don't take unsolicited emails so I'm going to put the idea into the public domain and see who bites."
