PITTSBURGH - An inventor from West Valley City, Utah, who is also a woodworking enthusiats was trying to construct a segmented travel mug out of geometric wood shape.

InventHelp, aPittsburgh firm that helps individuals develop and market such inventions, says his design called for the lines to run vertically rather than horizontally.

The inventor determined that all geometric shapes with an even number of sides would fit within a circle; and that they also had a straight line running through their centers. So he applies this to his design for a special wood piece-clamping aid, and he created a prototype.

The Segment Clamping System enables a user to glue and clamp multiple pieces of wood in order to construct a geometric shape. It avoids visible seams and wasted materials, as well as ensures a superior bond. Overall, it saves time and effort. This device is useful for professional and hobbyist woodworkers, says InventHelp.

InventHelp cites an example of a product that started similarly, and is now being manufactured and sold: the Lenart Trim/Molding Puller. It is now produced by Partsmaster, a division of NCH Corporation, which licensed it through InventHelp.

The Lenart Trim/Molding Puller reduces the time required to remove trim and molding from walls and windows. The inventor, a design engineer, was inspired by his own personal experience. “I was working on my house, replacing the trim and molding, and I found that using chisels and pry bars was too difficult and time-consuming,” he said. “I set out to design a tool to make the job easier; a tool that does the work for me.”

For the Segment Clamping System, the original design was submitted to the Salt Lake City office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 14-STU-2056, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300