Manual labor has always been a physically stressful job. One of the most painful aspects of manual labor comes from shoveling. There are many different types of shovels and many different uses for them, but all shovels create the same problem. No matter what the task, regular shovels cause undo stress to the wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints.

Michael Kelemen has come up with a solution to this problem by creating a shovel with a shock-absorbing handle. Designed by a worker for a worker, Impact Eliminator™ absorbs the shock that would be ordinarily transferred to the users wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints during repetitive movements. Utilizing a unique rubber disc design which produces an instant rebound, this shovel prevents the shock from traveling up the entire arm without affecting efficiency. The shock-absorbing handle can be easily removed from one shovel to another allowing the user to benefit from the shock-absorbing handle. After a hard day's work, one may feel less joint pain in the areas specified above.

Michael Kelemen's shovel can improve all kinds of tasks. The Impact Eliminator™ is designed to be sturdy for all types of jobs and has been tested to withstand considerable force. This innovation will work with sand, gravel, snow and virtually any type of matter that must be shoveled. The Impact Eliminator™ can save the consumer valuable time and therefore valuable money!

According to OSHA, "work-related musculoskeletal disorders [MSDs] currently account for one-third of all occupational injuries and illnesses reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by employers every year. These disorders constitute the largest job-related injury and illness problem in the U.S. today. In 1997, employers reported a total of 626,000 lost workday MSDs to the BLS, and these disorders accounted for $1 of every $3 spent for workers' compensation in that year. Employers pay more than $15-$20 billion in workers' compensation costs for these disorders every year, and other expenses associated with MSDs may increase this total to $45-$54 billion a year. Workers with severe MSDs can face permanent disability that prevents them from returning to their jobs or handling simple, everyday tasks like combing their hair, picking up a baby, or pushing a shopping cart."

Congratulations. This examination has revealed that your product ideas appear to have merit. In fact, it is among the fewer than 20% of proposals we review which receive a positive result. Although success cannot be assured, we feel that this project warrants further development and may serve as the basis for a new business. The various well-established Critical Factor criteria are rated in the first eleven pages of the report. Then, our Analysis describes the specific strengths and weaknesses that we anticipate would ultimately affect the innovation's success.

The report also includes a list of recommendations that we expect you can undertake on your own. However, your invention has attracted our interest and we would be pleased to offer further guidance. Please contact us if you wish to discuss our market research, product engineering or licensing consulting services.

We enclose a certificate as a small token of esteem to those who submit promising innovations to the Inventor's Assistance Program. Thank you for using the services of the Inventor's Assistance Program. We wish you success in bringing this idea to a profitable conclusion, and look forward to evaluating another of your innovations.