Jackson Walker Partner, Bob Klinger, has been practicing Intellectual Property law for 17 years. His concentration is primarily on U.S. and International patent prosecution, licensing, and patent litigation. He has represented high tech clients such as Texas Instruments and entrepreneurs such as Scott Olson, founder of Roller Blades. Because of his unique skills and experience, three years ago, Bob was presented with an interesting proposition: a chance to represent the winner of an invention contest, a nine year-old inventor from Plano, TX.

As a participant in the third-grade Invention Convention, Ryan Landis had invented a collapsible hanger. His assignment was to look around the house for a product he wanted to improve; then, create a prototype, an explanation, a cost sheet, and a poster. Ryan began to take notice of all the broken hangers in his closet. These hangers were broken because Ryan pulls on the bottom of his shirts to get them off the hanger. Ryan's solution was to create a hanger that folds down, thus allowing shirts to come off the hanger with ease. During the Convention, Ryan's invention captured the interest of the president of Plaid Pockets, whose company sold products to Wal-Mart. She immediately encouraged Ryan's parents to find a patent attorney.

Not knowing any patent attorneys, Ryan's mother, Cheryl Landis, called a friend that worked at Jackson Walker. Cheryl soon discovered that Bob Klinger was the person to call. "The size and scope of the projects Bob works on are so much bigger than this that I was afraid he would not want to help us," she stated. However, this was not the case; Bob welcomed this opportunity. "I was impressed with the creativity of a child, and his desire to do something about a common problem," Bob says. Likewise, the Landises were impressed by Bob's fervor for supporting Ryan's invention. Cheryl states, "Bob has a passion for supporting the Invention Convention. Going beyond his expert legal advice, [Bob's] input and encouragement have really kept us moving forward with this project."

The project was a lengthy one. There was a great deal that had to be done, including filing for a patent and trademark, forming a corporation, redesigning the product, and developing prototypes. Bob referred Ryan to a friend for the prototypes, and handled the patent and trademark work for a nominal cost. Approximately a year into the development process, the Landises got the opportunity to present the HangEase™ to Wal-Mart. Ryan, donned in a coat and tie, even participated in the sales meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas. "The buyer loved the product. This was a great experience to have at ten years of age," Cheryl states.

Wal-Mart's interest in piloting HangEase™ started phase two: the production process. "We've had great fun (and a few setbacks) in getting the product into production and ready to go. It's been a great experience for Ryan to see his ideas come to life. Ryan is currently in the 6th grade which shows that this process does not happen overnight!" Cheryl states.

On January 23, 2006, Cheryl received an exciting call. HangEase™ had been seen in Wal-Mart! Currently, the product is in a few hundred stores throughout the nation, including Alaska. Moreover, the NBC Early Show aired a live broadcast from Ryan's bedroom on March 3. The Landises are currently presenting HangEase™ to other retailers, and have received great interest from them as well.