1. Brandon Sowinski, Nick Nekola, Kenny Malekian

2. Agenda Team Roles Problem Statement and Statement of Purpose Justification Problem Statement Matrix Patent Summaries Research Summaries Market Information Market Research

3. Team Roles Brandon Sowinski – Team Leader Nick Nekola – Time Keeper Kenny Malekian – Coordinator

4. Problem Statement & Statement of Purpose Americans’ coat zippers easily become stuck on other clothes or materials. Ever since the modern zipper was invented in 1913, the zipper getting stuck has irritated countless people because the zipper becomes difficult to maneuver. 4 out of 5 people on various blogs and forums have described this as being a frustrating problem with no easy solutions. Prevent the zipper from catching and becoming stuck on various articles of clothing located near the zipper region.

5. Justification 80% of people have gotten their zipper stuck and believe it’s a problem Many people ask for help fixing this without damaging the zipper Only ways to fix it can be difficult and damaging

6. Problem Statement Matrix Criteria Weight BrandonKennyNick The problem can be accomplished in the given time.2 444 The problem can be solved with the available resources.2 334 Initial research indicates that others also believe the problem exists.1 555 The solution is likely to meet a specific need and/or be marketable.1 555 The problem is interesting enough to keep the team interested.1 554 The problem has multiple solutions possible.1 554 Initial research shows there are no existing solutions or are solutions that are inadequate1 555 1 Total Score 39

7. Patent Summaries Patent 0102729 – The type of material can cause complications Patent 0209169 – Having a specific design for each element can be a good idea

8. Research Summaries whiteblaze.net/forums/showthread.php?11116-amp-!!- zipper-always-gets-stuck. “I just bought a fairly expensive down Big Agnes Lost Ranger and it got stuck right off the bat.” “I don't want to damage it.”

9. Major Competitors Existing zipper companies – dominated industry for many years Button companies – widely used as clothes fasteners, doesn’t get stuck Snap companies – widely used as clothes fasteners, doesn’t get stuck Velcro – easy to use, doesn’t get stuck. Rarely used alone on clothes, lose effectiveness

10. Users and Buyers Production Facility Clothes Manufacturer Retailer Clothes Manufacturer General Public User and Buyer Buyer End-user Product created and is shipped to clothes manufacturers Mount product on clothes Sell created product to consumers Consumer purchases and uses clothes

11. Market Consumer characteristics: Age: ~14+ Income: All incomes Education level: All education levels Geographic location: Everywhere in the U.S 2010 census = ~245,267,292 people over the age of 14 in the U.S.

12. Reasons to Produce Large potential market Product is not overly complicated Product does not have many small parts

13. Market Research Plan Surveys – provide quick answers that give us almost immediate information to analyze about target consumer Casual Interviews – provide in-depth analysis of consumer opinions

14. Market Research Results

15. Original Prototypes

16. Prototype Decision Matrix

17. Original Drawings

18. CAD Drawings

19. Build Process

20. Final Prototype

21. Tests and Test Procedures

22. Test Results

23. Refinements

24. Recap Team Roles Problem Statement and Statement of Purpose Justification Problem Statement Matrix Patent Summaries Research Summaries Market Information Market Research