FEMALE INVENTOR OF THE YEAR 2001 CLARE NEWTON OWES AWARD SUCCESS TO ACCIDENT 

“So many people buy coffees when they’re laden down with bags and risk burning themselves, that I decided to find a solution,” Clare Newton

Invention idea springing from an accident has made a North London designer the British Female Inventor of the Year 2001.

Clare Newton beat other competitors at the event at the Café Royal to land first place in the British Female Inventor of the Year Award 2001 supported by The Patent Office and the Small Business Service. 

She invented the patented Cup Carrier two years ago after burning her left arm up to her elbow as she struggled to carry her bags and drink on the way to work from a café. 

To minimise the risk in the future, Clare set about creating a product that would make it easy to carry a hot drink if you were already carrying baggage. Her three-in-one design allows you to hold a cup in three different ways via a handle at either the side, the top or by forming a cradle to support a cup in a paper bag. 

The Cup Carrier is also registered as a design, and a top hotel chain has licensed it from her to distribute to all its overnight guests.

Clare who used her design registration to strike the deal sees intellectual property as a key aspect for all inventors to consider if they want to make a success of their product.

“Protecting my invention has given me extra clout in negotiations. The fact that you’ve taken the trouble to protect your invention sends a message to a potential licensee that you are serious about your product and that it is unique,” she says.