Faculty Fellow Michelle Gross and the students of the Lisa Foundation Patent Law Clinic are working to keep your bathtub drain clog free!
Actually, ASU Alumnus Justin Hillsten and current ASU economics major Holly Hillsten are the sibling inventors and entrepreneurs behind DrainFunnel. The simple device that can slip into existing drains and act as a waterside for hair and debris. When the duo showed the DrainFunnel to Gross, she know it was a good fit for the patent clinic.
“Justin was a young entrepreneur with a novel, yet easy to manufacture product that fills a gap in the industry by solving a common problem,” Gross said in an interview with ASU Now. “It’s these types of projects that students get excited about working on because they can see the commercial viability and how they’re actually able to create value for an inventor by securing patent protection.”
The Lisa Foundation Patent Law Clinic provides law students with hands-on experience helping real clients file and prosecute patents. As a member of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)’s Law School Clinic Certification Program, students get to represent clients directly before the USPTO.