After enduring many mammograms four years ago when doctors feared she might have breast cancer, Ann Harrington wanted to find a way to make the examinations more comfortable.
She got her idea the morning before having surgery and hopes her simple invention will encourage more women to get into the examination room.
For now, the invention is under wraps -- on advice from her patent attorney. She'll unveil a prototype of it next month at a meeting for radiological technicians in Duluth.
For her efforts, Harrington, a former speech pathologist, was honored as one of five moms with a brilliant idea by Whirlpool. She won $7,000, three home appliances and a trip to company offices in Benton Harbor, Mich., for a business boot camp.
"From the very beginning, Ann's (idea) stood out," said Audrey Reed-Granger, public relations director for Whirlpool Corp. "One of the (judge's) statements was, 'Why didn't someone think of this sooner?' She's every bit as innovative as we are."
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"It's very easy to get an idea," said Harrington, who called research experts and learned mammography techniques after her surgery. "(But) it's taken quite awhile to get to this point."
She hopes her invention encourages women -- and the occasional man -- to get breast exams. Discomfort experienced during a mammography dissuades some women from returning for regular checkups, she said.
"Anything we can do to make it more comfortable for women and some men ... will result in more people staying healthy," she said.
The contest -- the Whirlpool Mother of Invention award -- drew 1,700 entries in its second year. It recognizes an emerging "mom-trepreneur" trend, Reed-Granger said.
But the company doesn't take the ideas for itself.
"We recognize them, give them seed money and leave them alone," Reed-Granger said.
Mary Anne Amato of Lido Beach, N.Y., won the contest's grand prize for the Quick Change Crib, which allows parents to change crib sheets without lifting the mattress or removing the bumpers, according to a company news release.
More information on the contest can be found at www.whirlpool.com /moms.
