THE PRINCIPLE

Sometimes simplifying is the key to unlocking riches

Have you ever used a combination lock and forgotten the numbers? It has happened to most of us, and that’s what gave inventor Todd Basche the idea for his ‘Wordlock’. As the name suggests, it’s a combination lock that uses letters instead of numbers. Instead of the numbers 54710, for instance, the lock could spell ‘beach’ – which would you find easier to remember?

It’s an invention that made Basche the winner of the Staples 2004 Invention Quest Contest. The prize was $25,000 plus the agreement to sell the Wordlock at all Staples stores and on their website. Since then the line has expanded to include luggage locks, bicycle locks, padlocks and cable locks for computers.

Like many breakthroughs, this is one of those ‘why didn’t anybody think of this before?’ ideas. As the website (www.wordlock.com) points out, it ‘creates an amazing innovation to a category that hasn’t seen a significant change since the 1800s’.

What product or service in your arena could be made simpler or easier to use?