Jennifer loved exploring her mother's sewing box to see if she could invent new uses for the items she found there. One day she saw a hoop and loop fastener and wrapped it around a few of her toys. She then wrapped it around a book and then a few pages in the book. Jennifer taped an arrow to the hoop and loop fastener, thinking it would make a cool bookmark because she could mark the page and the last word she read in the book.

Jennifer shared her bookmark idea with her brother Brian, and the siblings worked to improve the design. Brian noticed the bookmark's arrow was fragile and suggested replacing it with a clear window so readers could mark the page and see the final word they read. Jennifer and Brian filed a patent application for their bookmark in June 2019 and were granted U.S. Patent 10,857,827 in December 2020.

Jennifer and Brian served as panelists at the 2021 National Summer Teacher Institute and the 2021 USPTO Invention-Con.

Learn more about Jennifer’s invention journey and explore ideas for creating your own inventions at EquIP HQ.

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