Founder
  • Two Men Building a Robot

ABOUT KEN TARLOW, FOUNDER OF Tarlow Design LLC SAN RAFAEL, CA

A full member of the Industrial Designers Society of America and authored "Mind To Money," a 220-page book about the product development process. He founded Tarlow Design LLC in 1984 to help entrepreneurs, inventors, and corporations design, develop, manufacture, and license innovative consumer products. Contact Ken today at (415) 726-1354!


Ken Tarlow has 75 patents issued in his name as either a sole inventor or as a co-inventor. He is listed in "Who's Who of American Inventors."

14-year-old Ken (at right) and his friend Howard, with Harvey and Max, their walking, talking robots.

HERE'S KEN TARLOW'S STORY

I have been designing products all my life. At age 7, I designed a flying toy from a short, hollowed-out bamboo and an attached balloon. The toys were a hit at school, and I soon made and sold them for 20 cents each. At age 14, I built a walking talking robot and was featured in "Newsday," the local Long Island newspaper.

  • Stylish and Beautiful Water Heater

In January of 1970, I graduated from the University of Bridgeport with a B.S. from the School of Engineering in Industrial Design (product design). At the time, the University of Bridgeport had one of the best ID schools in the country. There were 100 students in my freshmen class. There were only seven in my graduating class.


After graduation, I was hired by the city of Bridgeport, CT, to design daycare centers that would do more than just house children from 8 AM to 5 PM. My centers came complete with amphitheaters, water play areas, and transparent walls to show the workings of HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems.


In 1973, I took a job with an international education company to design an improved video player because their 3/4-inch magnetic tape machines kept breaking down. It turned out to be the forerunner of today's ever-present DVD player. I continued my design career in 1977 by working for the Stansbury Company, a Beverly Hills Industrial Design firm. I started as a staff designer and became a senior project coordinator for clients such as Ronco, Mattel, and Sankin (Airform Dental Chair) three years later.

IN 1980, I BECAME HEAD OF DESIGN AND ENGINEERING FOR THE CASABLANCA FAN COMPANY

Casablanca generated 60 million dollars a year in revenue. Through engineering improvements and better sourcing, I could take three dollars out of the cost of each fan while improving the overall performance, resulting in a savings of 3 million dollars a year. I also was responsible for designing the world's first computerized ceiling fan, "Intellitouch." The fan was also the first consumer product in the world that could demonstrate itself in a showroom by setting the fan in "Demo" mode.


I started Tarlow Design LLC in 1984.

SINCE FOUNDING Tarlow Design LLC, I HAVE HELPED DESIGN OVER 1000 PRODUCTS WORTH ONE BILLION DOLLARS IN REtail SALES. INCLUDING:

  • Turbowash –10 million sold.
  • Fast track tie rack –2 million sold.
  • Airplane headset – 60 million sold.
  • Sharper image neck cooler – 500,000 sold.
  • Dough-nu-matic home doughnut maker is currently on sale.

I also founded T-2 Design Corp., a Santa Monica, CA-based design company, and America Invents LLC, a licensing company based in San Francisco. Both companies are still operating and use products I have designed as part of their marketing materials.


My work tends to be innovative; therefore, I have 75 patents issued in my name, either as a sole inventor or co-inventor.


I am listed in “Who’s Who of American Inventors,” a full member of the Industrial Designers Society of America, and author of “Mind to Money,” a 220-page book about the product development process.

ADDITIONAL PROJECTS INCLUDE:

  • Sound Memory – The world’s first digital audio “talking” picture frame licensed for $500,000.00
  • A guitar with interchangeable fingerboards, designed for Intonation Systems Inc., Allows a player to play in perfect Key by having a fingerboard specially designed for each Key.
  • A dermabrasion device for Aesthetic Solutions Inc., a Novato, CA corporation. I designed the machine from the ground up and helped put it into production; the product now sells well nationwide.
  • The world’s most advanced beverage-monitoring system for Beverage Metrics Inc., a Mill Valley, CA corporation. It includes the design of ultra-miniature components and the means to attach them to each bottle to transmit to a central computer every time a drink is poured, thereby saving bars and restaurants up to 20% of revenues otherwise lost to over-pours or free transactions.
  • QuikFresh is one of my own designs for a patented system to keep foods fresh for extended periods of time. It includes an electronically controlled pressure, vacuum pump, and unique food storage containers.


Needless to say, the large array of products that I have designed has also given me a hands-on education in almost every type of product category, including kitchen products, health and beauty items, sports and fitness items, organizing and storage products, toys, medical equipment, furniture, pet care products, garden related products, lighting products, baby care products and novelty items. By developing such a wide variety of products, I have also become well acquainted with many forms of manufacturing technologies and materials science. I also have extensive OEM manufacturing contacts. Over the years, I have learned how to develop a product quickly and at a fraction of the budget of standard engineering and design firms. Additionally, I have built an extensive list of support engineers with expertise in related fields such as electronics design, chemical engineering, and materials science.


After being on the front line of invention and entrepreneurship, I enjoy passing on the knowledge I have accumulated from my 30 years of professional experience. I am a frequent speaker at business events and have appeared on TV, radio, and print media. I also host an annual Invention Convention at a local elementary school where each fourth grader comes up with an invention complete with prototype, market research, and patent search!


Whether you are a beginning inventor or a seasoned entrepreneur, I look forward to working with you on your next innovative product idea.


Sincerely,

Ken Tarlow

President

Tarlow Design LLC

Contact Ken today at (415) 726-1354!

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