Inventor Profile:
Mark Voves – PizzaFork

Mark Voves understands the key to successful inventing – finding a need and creating a product that delivers a solution. With Voves’ most successful invention to date, the PizzaFork, he combined the cutting power of a pizza cutter with the functionality of a fork to generate a product that provided a unique solution. Once Voves’ product began to come together he faced another challenge: How would he keep competitors from stealing his idea? That is when he decided to contact the Zarley Law Firm. Voves presented the idea to Zarley in 1999, and was ushered through the intellectual property law process by the seasoned staff at the firm. Together they secured Patent No. 6,591,503, a PIZZA CUTTING AND EATING TOOL – an invention Voves named the PizzaFork. Once his idea was protected, he set out to find a company interested in licensing and manufacturing the PizzaFork. With a patent secured, Voves was able to focus on marketing his protected product and design. He was able to establish contacts and build relationships with many companies. His big break came when he was able to secure a display opportunity at the 2002 International Housewares Show in Chicago. Thanks to that exposure, ABC, NBC and CBS Market Watch all gave media coverage to the device. Following that, the PizzaFork was also shown on an infomercial on HGTV. From that point, Voves focused on finding a specific audience that would especially benefit from his invention. Voves found his big licensing break – a partnership was established with a company who offers the fork/cutter combo as a device to aid physically challenged individuals, helping them regain some independence by enabling them to cut and eat their own food without the need of assistance. Voves then took the opportunity to cross-sell. The same company also picked up another of Voves’ patented inventions – the SuperTray – a lightweight tray that curves to fit around a person’s waist to avoid mess when eating. Voves has continued to build and maintain his relationships with companies, making friends and developing partnerships as he searches for new ways to market his ideas and invents new products. He has even been approached by other area inventors, looking for his assistance in marketing products that they have exclusive rights to.

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