| Andrew Voykin,
of Brandon, Florida, has been a semi-professional ice hockey player and
the manager of a par-three golf course and skating
rink. Now, he is also a patented inventor. His patent, specifically US Patent Number 4,143,437,
is for a device that looks like a steel hula hoop criss-crossed with
thin steel wire and springs. But when the odd-looking contraption
is in place on top of a buoy or aid in a shipping channel, it keeps
pesky sea birds from landing on the devices. And that can mean a
lot to ship pilots trying not to run aground.
"When a bird lands on a buoy at night," Voykin said,
"the captain can't see if the lights are blinking or not - he can run
aground." Birds on sea buoys can cause other
problems, too. "Guano, which collects on the
buoys, corrodes paint and accounts for a large amount of tax money spent
each year on cleaning and painting the markers" added Voykin.
That's fine, but how does an
ex-hockey player get interested in keeping birds off buoys?
Well, Voykin used to live in
Chicago and one of his friends there manufactured a harmless, spray-on
bird repellant.
"When I moved to Brandon six
years ago, I ran into some people with bird problems. I called my friend
and we were in business."
Voykin founded his own
company - Gulfshore Bird-A-Way Service Corp. - and started selling the
repellant for use at state universities, the federal courthouse, the
county health building, and the Hillsborough County school system
"mostly to keep pigeons and sparrows away."
Four years ago, he received
a call from the U.S. Coast Guard office in Miami asking to test his
repellant for use on buoys.
"I knew it wouldn't work
because of the sea water," he said, "but I was out fishing one day, saw
the buoys, and got the idea for the invention."
|
Andrew Voykin of Brandon
displays his invention to keep sea birds from
roosting on buoys. Voykin said he
hopes he can sell the device to private ports
internationally.
(Photo by Greg Fight) |
|
The first model was too
rigid, he said, so he modified it with springs to make it safe for both
birds and men working on the buoy.
After two years and some
help fro Patent Attorney Art Fisher of Tampa, Voykin finally received a
patent for his invention.
The patent is dated Mar. 13,
1978 - the day Voykin turned 43.
Voykin has received praise
from some members of the coast guard for his invention, and one retired
officer said it was the only device he had seen in 24 years that worked.
But the official word from
Washington was that the coast guard has a similar device and was not
that interested in Voykin's invention.
But Voykin, who estimates
the coast guards will save $323 per buoy over six years in just painting
and cleaning, appealed to U.S. Sen Richard Stone (D) Fla. and has been
notified that the coast guard will test the device a second time.
Voykin, however, said that
the coast guard is not the only agency that can use the device, and he
plans to sell it to private harbors and foreign countries.
"Some kind of international
aid to navigation society has already said they are interested," he
said, "and right now, I'm trying to get literature together so I can
market the thing."
Once the device gets into
production, Voykin said different sizes of the anti-roost device can be
sold for an average of $35 apiece.
This patent is Voykin's
first, but he said he has some ideas for the future.
"And if this
one makes enough money, maybe I can retire and go fishing every day." he
commented.
Gulfshore Bird-A-Way is proud to offer a complete line of safe,
effective and environmentally friendly products for DO-IT-YOURSELF bird
and critter control!
1-877-865-7752
|
