Business of Company

We are engaged in the business of developing, manufacturing, and selling mechanical chalkboard erasers with built-in micro vacuums specifically for office and school supply retailers and teachers in the Philippines and other Asian countries as end users. Such a product will allow teachers to efficiently and thoroughly clean chalkboards without the detrimental health effects that often result from breathing chalk dust propelled into the air and lungs by chalkboard erasers presently in use in the Asian market. We are currently in the process of designing and developing our Product, and we are continually refining this design through experiments, testing different engine speeds and brush lengths in order to determine optimum features for maximum cleaning performance and chalk-dust absorption. When we are satisfied that our Product will compete effectively in the School Supply Industry by being the most practical and effective chalkboard eraser, we will begin the manufacture and distribution of the Product to stationery retailers.

Our offices are located at 137 4th Street, Riverside Vill. Sta Lucia, Pasig City, the Philippines.

Chalkboards and Erasers

Chalkboards have long been a standard school supply in the Asian educational system, and they are also used in many establishments as a form of advertising upcoming events and menus. Chalkboard erasers are important supplements to chalkboards. They make chalkboards reusable and provide an easy means of cleaning up writings made on the board.

Chalkboard erasers typically consist of a block of wood covered by a felt pad, or felt strips that are bound together with sticky paper or cardboard that also serves as a handle. The felt strips are used to wipe off chalk dust. However, chalkboard erasers get dirty very quickly, and once this happens they no longer remove chalk from a board. They require high maintenance to prevent too much accumulation of dust particles that prevent them from working and can make allergies and breathing a problem. The most common way of cleaning traditional chalkboard erasers is by repeatedly pounding the eraser against a metal filter or the side of a wall, a process that forces the chalk dust into the surrounding air.

 

Chalk Dust Hazards

Chalk dust is the natural by-product of using a chalk crayon on a chalkboard. As the chalk is scraped across the rough surface of the chalkboard or erased with a traditional eraser, particles of chalk dust are sent out into the surrounding air. Some of this chalk dust settles to the ground or is ventilated outside, but much of it falls on clothing, furniture, electronic equipment and shelves. Teachers and students also inhale a portion of this chalk dust, which usually becomes trapped in the mucus layers of the throat and upper lungs.

While the main ingredients of chalk dust are considered to be non-toxic , which simply means they do not pose a threat when ingested, chalk dust can and does accumulate in the human respiratory system and can create long-term health problems due to overexposure.  So while swallowing a piece of white chalkboard chalk won't kill you, breathing in chalk dust for a number of years can create or trigger respiratory problems.  A small amount of inhaled chalk dust is not considered harmful. Those with healthy respiratory systems can expel the chalk dust through coughing, and the remaining material should be absorbed safely into the body. For those with allergies and chronic breathing issues such as asthma, however, exposure to chalk dust can trigger a reaction. In fact, many school systems strongly urge teachers to move students with respiratory problems away from the chalkboard area. Chalkboards, trays and erasers filled with chalk dust should also be cleaned regularly.

Standard chalk for classroom use is generally made from gypsum or calcium carbonate, a processed form of natural limestone. The traditional method of creating white chalk was to form a clay-like paste with the calcium carbonate and allow it to cure in chalk-shaped molds. This chalk worked well with slate chalkboards, but it also generated a significant amount of chalk dust that floated into the surrounding air. Teachers who used traditional chalk for a number of years often developed respiratory problems, although they were not generally considered severe.

There is now a product called dustless chalk , designed to address the chalk dust issue. Instead of forming chalk crayons through individual molds, the new chalk mixture is extruded into ropes, then cut to size and allowed to dry. This dustless chalk does generate a form of chalk dust, but the particles are much heavier and tend to fall directly to the floor instead of floating in the air. Exposure to airborne chalk dust has been reduced, but the accumulation of chalk dust elsewhere is still problematic.

Beyond the human health aspects of chalk dust exposure, there are also potential electronic hazards. Devices such as computers and digital versatile disc (DVD) players stored inside classrooms can suffer damage from accumulated chalk dust. As the dust particles circulate throughout the room, cooling fans may draw them into the computers' inner workings. As dust builds up on the motherboard and other heat-sensitive parts, the risk of overheating increases. Chalk dust can also cause severe damage to sensitive electronics, such as the laser reader of a DVD player or the playback heads of a video cassette recorder (VCR).

Chalk dust is considered an irritant and an occupational hazard by a number of occupational safety organizations around the world. Many safety experts suggest using a filtered mask over the mouth and nose and taking a number of breaks in a fresh air environment for those who work around chalk dust for extended periods of time.

 

While some chalkboards have been replaced by whiteboards, there are many advantages to using the chalkboard. Whiteboards produce their own kind of "dust": particles of the dried marker fluid. This dust is much darker in color than chalk dust and is heavier, so it doesn't travel as far, but it stains the walls and floors underneath the whiteboards. Expensive solvents may remove some but not all stains. Erasers and chalk trays are obviously intended to capture and confine dust. While essential, they do not solve the entire problem. Chalk in bulk costs less than five cents a stick; marker pens are ten times as expensive. Chalk is seldom stolen; marker pens are frequently taken from classrooms. Chalk breaks if you drop it, but marker pens dry out quickly if left uncapped. You can look at a piece of chalk and see how much of it is left. Looking at a marker pen reveals nothing. Marker pens can be a budget drain for a school or university.  Chalkboards can still work fine after 30-50 years of use, while whiteboards require solvents to return them to their like-new condition as they age. Solvent is expensive and the cleaning process is laborious. Thus, financial constraints often lead to chalkboards being utilized over whiteboards in the Philippines and other Asian countries.

Our Product

The rising demand in the Philippines and other Asian countries for chalkboards and chalkboard erasers in conjunction with an increasing awareness of the detrimental effects of chalk dust have resulted in what we anticipate will be a highly receptive potential market for our Product.  Teachers and students are seeking a product that will efficiently and thoroughly clean a chalkboard without the negative effects of propelled chalk dust. The health risks of inhaling chalk dust in addition to the damage it inflicts on electronic equipment in the classroom highlight the necessity of a chalkboard eraser that cleans effectively and absorbs chalk dust instead of forcing it into the air.

We are in the process of developing a chalkboard eraser (see figure 1 below) that contains a micro-engine system that works like a vacuum to collect the chalk dust as it cleans the chalkboard. Our Product is designed specifically for school and office supply retailers and teachers as end users in the Philippines and other Asian countries. Our product is operated by a simple on/off switch (1), which activates the micro engine (2). As the brush (3) wipes the chalk from the chalkboard, the vacuum created by the micro engine draws the chalk dust through the powder vents (4) located in parallel with the brush sections and into the powder collecting room (5). The micro engine is powered by two replaceable AA batteries (6), and there is a removable cover (7) to allow the disposal of the powder collected.

 

Figure 1

We are in the process of refining the design for our Product, which will be integral to its success. We are designing and developing our Product by conducting experiments to improve on quality and cost. These experiments include testing different engine speeds and brush lengths in order to determine optimum features for maximum cleaning performance and chalk-dust absorption. We are also experimenting with our Product’s use near electronic devices, including the examination of these devices to determine if any chalk dust accumulates on them following the use of our Product.  We are searching for the lowest priced components available in the market in our efforts to reduce cost. We are researching the benefits of adding more components to further improve our Product. We are also improving our Product's essential qualities, such as cleaning ability, chalk-dust absorption, and endurance over time with repeated use. Refining these qualities will ensure that our Product is practicable, affordable, and beneficial.