Cheers to a Litter-free New Year!

CleanTrek Newsletter - January 1, 2025

Dear Subscriber First Name,

Happy New Year! CleanTrek is starting off 2025 with some exciting updates! Some highlights include:

Kickstarter plans for late February 2025
New Collector pouch design
Assembly tools designed
On track for patent protection
LLC formation and trademarks in January 2025
Marketing updates

1. Kickstarter

We’re still on track for a Kickstarter at the end of February 2025! I’ve been working with manufacturers to get quotes on manufacturing (including injection molding and 3D printing), assembly, and packaging. By mid-January, I expect to know how many units I need to sell, and at what price, to have a successful crowdfunding campaign.

In the meantime, I’ll be building my Kickstarter campaign page! You’ll be the first to know when it’s ready to be shared!

2. New Collector Pouch Design

While you probably won’t notice much of a difference, I’ve completely redesigned the Collector’s fabric pouch. Why? Because the old design was too difficult to sew, which was a concern for manufacturing on a larger scale.

The previous design had two seams that run up the front of the pouch. These seams are tricky to sew, and any error can lead to a misshaping of the pouch’s opening.

The new design has no seams on the front, eliminating the aforementioned issues and also providing a cleaner look (which is easier to brand with a logo, too). This pouch looks and functions nearly the same as the previous design, while being much easier to make.

3. Assembly Tools Designed

Something that’s often overlooked in product design is how you’ll actually assemble the hardware. I’ve spent the last couple months figuring out how to assemble CleanTrek’s products efficiently, which, in some cases, involves custom tools.

One example is a torsion spring installation tool I designed for the Grabber. It basically helps rotate the torsion springs into place during assembly, which is really difficult to do by hand! Below is a demonstration of the installation tool (held in my right hand) in action.

4. On track for patent protection

I’m happy to announce that I’ve been working with a pro bono patent attorney to protect my inventions! I’ll be submitting a US nonprovisional utility patent application by the end of February 2025. My application will be examined by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and if all goes according to plan, it will eventually lead to multiple US patents, which will give me exclusive rights to make and sell my inventions for the next 20 years.

I also plan to file a PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) application by the end of February 2025. The PCT application will keep the door open for international patents for another 18 months, which will give me time to raise money and determine whether it’s worth the investment. Right now, I’m especially considering international patents in Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.

But wait, weren’t your products already patent-pending? Yes, they are, but only with provisional patent applications, which are basically an affordable (~$60) way to secure your invention concepts for 1 year. Before the 1-year mark though, it must be followed up with a nonprovisonal or PCT application. Rest assured, we’re taking all the right steps to get the best protection!

5. LLC formation and trademarks in January 2025

The paperwork is all ready to form an LLC in January 2025!

I’m also on track to get my name and logo trademarked! My goal is to have the logo trademark application filed before the Kickstarter, so that I can use it freely in my Kickstarter campaign. I’m excited for you all to finally see the logo!

6. Marketing updates

Since launching the website back in May 2024, I’ve been amazed by how many supporters have reached out to offer help in making this project happen. Thanks to supporters like you, I think we’ll be able to rely on mostly low-cost, organic advertising for the Kickstarter campaign! Here are a few examples:

1. A few months ago, I made friends with Lorie, who found me on Google (all the way from Portugal!) while hiking the Camino de Santiago! Since then, I’ve been providing her with CleanTrek prototypes in preparation for her upcoming journey (Summer 2025) to hike the Camino de Santiago while picking up every piece of litter she finds! She has also offered to help promote CleanTrek throughout the process. You can follow her journey on Instagram via her account @caminolimpiocorazoncontento and her hashtag #EveryPieceISee. Thanks for keeping the Camino clean, Lorie!

2. Back in November, the Times of San Diego published an article about us! This garnered a lot of traffic to CleanTrek’s website, which led to our next update…

3. The news article was seen by a prominent YouTuber in the hiking space who wants to help spread the word about CleanTrek! We’ll be making a couple of videos together early this year, and I can’t wait to share them with you!

I’m hopeful that our support will continue to snowball as the word gets out! Please keep spreading the word to your friends and family. It may not seem like much, but it could make all the difference for this Kickstarter! Thank you for all your support :)

In conclusion…

2025 is shaping up to be a great year for CleanTrek! I’m starting the new year feeling optimistic that this Kickstarter will be a huge success, allowing this project to continue flourishing. I’m so excited to for you to finally try out these products in person and to feel more confident picking up the litter that pollutes our natural spaces.

Wishing you the best for the new year!

Sincerely,

John McShane
Inventor and Founder of CleanTrek
clean-trek.com