Guyanese patent multi-million US$ tyre change invention
Stabroek News
July 9, 2002

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Guyanese, Samuel Hoppie and Edgar Henry, recently acquired a United States (US) patent for the invention of a device geared to revolutionise changing a flat tyre.

The device, called a ‘hydraulic car jack and lug wrench’, is an integrated jacking system that could be permanently affixed to the underside of vehicles, a press release on the product said. It stated that the product entails four hydraulic jacks, one for each wheel, a control box fitted onto the dashboard or any other convenient area of the vehicle, a set of switches and a lug wrench.

Detailing how it worked, the release said, the device would provide an invaluable tool for lifting the entire back of a vehicle to change a muffler or the entire front for an oil change.

Speaking with Stabroek News last week, Henry explained that while the invention, Hoppie’s brainchild, would serve to eliminate the difficulty of removing lugs manually when changing a flat, the jacking system is simply superb as it operates to lift the entire vehicle off the ground at the same time.

The owner and manager of Caribbean Vision Centre in New York, Henry has been responsible for "fine tuning and handling the business aspect" of all transactions relative to the product. He said that the patent was obtained through Advent Product Development Corporation, and lasts for 20 years.

According to Henry, manufacturing and selling the product would not be handled by the inventors, rather by a private manufacturer who would then purchase a licence to carry out production. He indicated that there are two markets for the product, which could see them earning between US$50 million to US$100 million initially.

Offers from manufacturers would be dealt with through Advent, and payments can be taken in a ‘lump sum’ or in monthly installments on a quarterly basis.

"The device can be marketed as part of a vehicle or a separate functional component for those individuals who already own vehicles," Hoppie said. He added that the invention was also safe and convenient for emergency vehicles like ambulances.

Meanwhile, Hoppie describes the invention as, "A dream come through," and advises other persons, particularly Guyanese, with bright ideas to remain focused and maintain a positive attitude. "It is important to keep your idea under wraps until everything is in place," he cautioned. He offered support, encouraging those with ideas "to go right ahead and do your thing."

Both Hoppie and Henry attended the Beterverwagting (BV) Government school in the village of their birth, and migrated to the US in 1973. The men are members of a group known as the Baronians comprising Guyanese residents from the BV community who reside in the US.

The Baronians have been involved in a number of philanthropic activities, including the provision of five scholarships to the University of Guyana.