(Troy, MI; June 7, 2003)
Christine Moss isn't sure who coined the term "necessity
is the mother of invention" but she believes "motherhood"
was the necessity she needed for a really good idea.
Encouraged by family and friends, the Troy, Michigan
resident responded to the "Dr. Phil" show's call for
inventors to submit their "million-dollar" ideas.
According to show producers, thousands
of ideas were submitted from across the U.S.. After
initial submissions were narrowed to about 100 finalists,
the producers used industry experts to select 5 products
to be featured on the show. Ms. Moss was informed she
had been selected late on a Saturday afternoon and
traveled to Hollywood, California the following Tuesday
morning to participate in the taping of the
show.
When she decided to leave her career
as a manager for an environmental company some years ago
to start a family with her husband, she did not realize
how much she would miss her job. Like many women, she
quickly realized she had traded a demanding 9-to-5 job
for a 24-hour on-call assignment servicing the
requirements, whims and fancy of a cute, lovable, but
more demanding boss than she ever imagined. "Motherhood
is a wonderful, life-changing experience, but at times it
can be more demanding than any job I had," says
Moss.
Raising her first daughter, she
constantly strived to make things more efficient and
convenient. "It is incredible how time-consuming being a
mother can be," says Moss. "Dressing, feeding, bathing,
washing, cooking, and cleaning constantly leaves very
little time for yourself. When we had our second
daughter 18 months later, I knew two things and promised
myself a third: (1) My 'job' just got twice as
complicated, (2) I had to get better and more efficient
quickly, and (3) I was going to learn from my experience
raising my first daughter." Caring for a newborn while
her older daughter learned to feed herself was especially
challenging to Moss. This problem led her to design a
solution that allows toddlers to feed themselves while
minimizing accidental spills. She calls her solution the
"Snack-Trap™."
The "Snack-Trap" consists of a
tip-resistant, handled cup that allows toddlers to grasp
and hold the cup themselves. Her unique, patent-pending
lid allows toddlers to see and retrieve food with ease
themselves. The lid automatically closes when the
toddlers remove their hand. The "Snack-Trap" allows
toddlers to feed themselves while helping to prevent
spills when the cup is knocked, dropped, or thrown (yes,
toddlers have tempers). Moss says another major
convenience is that the "Snack-Trap" is portable and
useful at home, outdoors, or in the car, matching the
active lifestyle of most families.
Immediately prior to the taping of the
show, Moss learned that her invention along with the
others would be discussed by Dr. Phil and a product
expert, and then voted on by the audience. Each member
of the studio audience had been provided a green paddle
to indicate "good idea, go forward" and a red paddle to
indicate "stop, bad idea, don't go forward." This twist
took Moss and the other inventors by surprise. "It
certainly provided me with an adrenaline rush," says
Moss, "One I am not sure I needed."
In discussing the product, Dr. Phil
and the product expert commented that it solved a daily
problem, tested its effectiveness through a
demonstration, and concluded it had great market
potential. "The comments by Dr. Phil and the product
expert were great, but what meant the most to me was
hearing Dr. Phil say 'I'm seeing a sea of green' when the
audience was asked to vote," comments Moss.
"Being on the Dr. Phil show has only
deepened my resolve to see my idea make it to the
marketplace," says Moss. The show is scheduled to air
nationally on FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2003. "I am anxious to
see where this adventure takes me," concludes
Moss.
According to recent ratings, the "Dr.
Phil" show is shown on 185 TV stations daily reaching
approximately 5.1 million viewers (it's the number
2-ranked television talk show).
Moss is currently finalizing her
production run of the product and marketing it to
specialty shops, grocery stores, and retail stores. In
the meantime, one can get a "Snack-Trap" by calling
248-828-7460 or via the Internet at www.snacktrap.com.