Act of forgetfulness leads to Lion Latch invention

By Richard Zowie

The Highlander

Many of the world’s great inventions, such as champagne, penicillin, and Teflon were discovered by accident.

Add to those inventions the Lion Latch.

Marble Falls High School art teacher Lerin Lockwood recalled a few years ago, when she was coaching high school softball, she caught a softball while wearing her engagement ring.

“The ball and the momentum pushed the engagement ring into my finger and knocked out a diamond,” she said. “I couldn’t find it. Since I’m so last minute when it comes to remembering to take off my ring, I should have put the ring some place to keep on my keys.”

In her search to create a product, Lockwood realized she needed something that would not come unscrewed.

“Originally, I printed a product on a 3D printer around January 2015 for myself,” she said. “Soon, so many people wanted one that I went to Kickstarter that October and raised $14,000 to have it manufactured in Dallas.”

The Lion Latch, named after her favorite animal and her love for alliteration, doesn’t become unscrewed on its own and can be used to store small items and keep them on a set of keys.

“You have to physically remove the carabiner in order to pull the lid off,” Lockwood said. “Then you can put your ring or other items inside and then lid goes on and stays on. Once you latch the carabiner on, you can’t pull the lid off..

Lockwood noticed that she noticed some people would use tiny pill bottles, but she found they wouldn't fit her ring or would become unscrewed by themselves.”

A patent is currently pending on the Lion Latch.

“I haven’t seen anything like this. Everything else is like a pill bottle,” Lockwood said, saying that unless a person feels comfortable writing the patent themselves, they should go through a patent attorney.

The Lion Latch is sold at The Spa on Par 3 in Horseshoe Bay and in Marble Falls as Numinous Coffee. She sees a sizeable market among high school students, medical professionals, along with those who go boating or go to the beach.

“Lion Latch reminds you to take off your rings before you lose them in the water,” she said. “You can put them onto a key or secure it in a bag. Women often lose things in their purse, so this would be a good thing to have. It’s also great for medical professionals since they often forget to take off their rings when they go to work.”

Lockwood recently auditioned on Shark Tank to further her invention, but waiting to hear back.

“Lion Latches are convenient,” she said. “Since jewelry is sentimental, taking it off and keeping it somewhere safe can be hard to do. I made the Lion Latch to wear. It’s small enough to have anywhere and affordable so you can have one on your key ring, gym bag, boat bag, etc. It’s convenient since when you do remember, you grab and put rings inside and latch it on somewhere.”

One of Lockwood’s customers was the insurance company who got her ring repaired. They bought Lion Latches with their company logo imprinted on the lid.

For more information on Lockwood's invention, go online to: www.lionlatch.com