A dying phone battery and no access to a charger is no problem for carriers of the Everpurse, the latest recipient of the Proto Labs Cool Idea! Award.
From the outside, Everpurse looks like a stylish purse. However, built into its inner wall is a wireless charging dock, which allows the user to attach their phone for a convenient charge.
A coil in the charging mat sends low-frequency magnetic waves, which are picked up by another coil inside the Everpurse, and that system is connected to several chips that take the low-frequency magnetic waves and turn them back into an electrical current which charges the internal battery of the Everypurse, which then manages the power to charge smart phones.
Everpurse also comes with an inductive charging mat, which charges the purse wirelessly. Simply place the purse on the mat, and after six hours it holds enough power to recharge a dead smart phone twice.
“Everpurse has a hallmark characteristic of a Cool Idea! Award winner,” said Larry Lukis, founder and chairman of Proto Labs. “It solves a problem. In this case, it was able to integrate design ingenuity into an everyday item and make charging technology fit a woman’s lifestyle, instead of the other way around.” (For more on the development of the Everpurse and the role of Proto Labs, listen to the podcast below.)
The purses, which come in leather, crocodile and fabric options, are designed exclusively for Everpurse by two Chicago-based fashion designers, and are assembled there as well. With Proto Labs manufacturing the parts for the charging mats and docks, the majority of Everpurse is made in the United States.
“One of our goals was to produce as much of the Everpurse system as possible in the U.S., and using Proto Labs for manufacturing has been key,” said Dan Salcedo, co-founder and chief technology officer at Everpurse. “The best part about working with Proto Labs, in addition to the Cool Idea! Award, is the availability of its customer service team. We really appreciated that Proto Labs’ staff took the time to educate us on the manufacturing process, which ultimately led to an improved end product.”
Proto Labs launched the Cool Idea! Award in 2011, which gives a total of $250,000 each year to entrepreneurs developing new products in the United States and Europe. Unlike other product awards that recognize products after they’re in mass production and on store shelves, the Cool Idea! Award is meant to help cool ideas come to life and into real products.
Everpurse
www.Everpurse.com
Proto Labs
www.protolabs.com
