Inventor anxious to see first product on shelves
e-Lock Switch Guard
will lock a switch in
on or off position
By clare m. masi
Staff Writer

JERRY WOLKOWITZ Eric Wechsler of Freehold Township shows how the e-Lock Switch Guard, which he invented, works. The device, installed on top of a switchplate, locks a switch in place.

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Believ-ing in himself and not selling out are the things that have kept Eric Wechsler reaching for his dream.

Wechsler said he put his life on hold for three years to research, design and patent his new invention called the e-Lock Switch Guard. He said his switch guard is the solution to preventing the unwanted use of an electrical switch.

"It attaches to your existing wall plate and provides a positive lock to the switch in either an up or a down position.

His patience has paid off and Wechsler, 30, will finally reap the rewards of the years of dedication to his craft. His invention will soon be available on shelves in home improvement stores around the state.

Wechsler, a graduate of Freehold Township High School, said he knew he wanted to invent things when he was in his early teens.

"You know when you’re young, you look around and you wonder and ask questions? You want to know why this or that doesn’t exist and you think to yourself, ‘Why can’t someone create something to remedy this problem?’ I knew I wanted to be that someone," Wechsler said.

He remembered his first actual experience with inventing as a teen-ager. He recalled that he was working for a landscaping company and he managed to repair a carburetor using a leaf. He said his boss told him he should consider being an inventor.

"When he said that, it really stuck in my mind," Wechsler recalled.

A self-taught electrician by trade, Wechsler has worked in the field for years, learning the trade and using his knowledge to bring his dream closer to a reality.

Although he said he loves being an electrician, he admits to wanting to have a business of his own.

Wechsler said he turned toward inventing because he sees a need for certain things and he works toward creating them. He said working as an electrician was a means to an end. He loved his work, and it allowed him the financial resources he needed to develop the e-Lock Switch Guard.

Wechsler said his e-Lock Switch Guard allows a person to place the guard on a switchplate, push a button and leave the switch on or off in a locked position where it will remain until someone pushes the button again and releases the lock.

With the idea now planted in his head, he set about putting his idea into action.

"I left the field for a while to do odd jobs so I could have the time to make phone calls and do research for my product," he said.

He found a job that fit into his lifestyle by allowing him to have the flexibility to work on his invention. Working for a company called Job Energy America, Wechsler spent some time selling electricity, and along with that job, he received the inspiration and was able to secure enough money to actually begin his work.

Fate intervened and brought together Wechsler the inventor with Park Plastics Moldings. On a sales call to Park Plastics, Wechsler said that in addition to selling the owners electricity, he also sold them on his invention. The plastic company executives were interested enough to build his product.

"It started at my dining room table," Wechsler explained. "I made the prototype e-Lock Switch Guard out of paper."

Wechsler said he then drafted it, cut it, taped it up and what was once only an idea in his mind had now become something he could hold in the palm of his hand. It also became something he could take with him to show business owners and prospective customers who might be willing to help him.

Wechsler said an episode of Oprah Winfrey’s television show featuring young inventors was the impetus that moved him forward on his project by giving him the courage, fortitude and belief that he could do it and that he would be successful in his endeavor.

After perfecting his prototype in December 1998, Wechsler made a phone call and hit pay dirt.

Executives at a home improvement chain were interested in his idea and gave Wechsler the go-ahead to actually build the model.

The store accepted his model in September 2000 and, according to the young inventor, his e-Lock Switch Guard will be available by February or March.

(Editor’s note: The home improvement chain that is expected to carry the e-Lock Switch Guard would not allow its name to be used until the product is available.)