From Fear to Innovation: Abigail Belding’s Journey Toward a Life-Saving Patent

Abigail poses with her invention prototype and display board at Invention Convention U.S. Nationals 2019. Photo courtesy of Connecticut Invention Convention.

Abigail Belding, a youth inventor with the Connecticut Invention Convention, wanted to create a solution to ease her childhood fear of getting stuck in a house fire. Her invention, the EZ Exit is a unit that bolts onto an existing window allowing easier and faster escape via a second-story window in case of a fire. In 2024 Abigail was issued U.S. Patent No. 11,725,450-B2 for her life-saving and fear-conquering invention and hopes that families can use her invention in the future!

In 2019 Abigail invented the EZ Exit after learning about what to do in case of a house fire. Learning about fire safety led Abigail to create an emergency plan with her family, but she was still constantly worried. “We never really had an answer for how I'd get out of a window if I was stuck in my bedroom,” Abigail said. Through her participation in the Connecticut Invention Convention, Abigail felt empowered to find a solution to her fear.

While working on her invention, Abigail realized that her device could solve multiple problems: getting a window unlocked and open, alerting first responders and safely lowering a person out of the house. “It was a good flow because I first focused on opening the window, then I focused on how to get people out of the window, how to get down to the ground,” Abigail explained. “And it just kind of flowed like that until it became the finished product.”

Abigail competed with the EZ Exit at Connecticut Invention Convention 2019. She then advanced to Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, where she earned a Patent Application Award, presented by WilmerHale Law Firm. When she started working with the patent attorneys, her biggest challenge was learning to effectively communicate the features of her invention. “I had this whole image in my head of my invention … I struggled to figure out what [the patent attorney] would understand, how I could explain this fully, and what diagrams I could show him.” However, going through the Invention Convention process made Abigail feel more confident about her communication skills. “Having experience with spieling to a bunch of judges helped because I was able to fall back on those skills that I had from Invention Convention. Those skills led me to figure out how to talk to the patent lawyer and catch him up with what I wanted,” she said.

Abigail poses with her invention prototype and display board at Connecticut Invention Convention State Finals 2019. Photo from Colchester Public Schools social media.

After four years of collaboration with the WilmerHale patent attorneys, Abigail was issued U.S. Patent No. 11,725,450-B2 on August 15, 2023. “I remember the moment when it came in the mail,” she recalled. “The most exciting part about it was just the experience of feeling what it's like to go through this. I did that. I'm proud of myself. That's awesome.” Through this process, Abigail learned the value of invention, patents and intellectual property ownership. “Everything around us, someone invented, someone put a patent on it and they own it. And now, I'm a part of that. It's just so crazy cool to think about that, to think that I have the power to make something that could change people's lives. That’s something not many kids feel,” she said. “It's awesome and powerful. It makes me feel like I have a voice and I can change the world.”

Reflecting on her patent experience, Abigail recommends that other students follow their passions when they invent. “I think [your invention should] be something you’re very invested in. So with me, the invention arose from my fear of being stuck in a house during a fire. And that's why I stuck with it because I sensed it was important.”

Abigail is thankful that she participated in Invention Convention when she was so young. “The fact that Invention Convention gave me that opportunity to apply for a patent is amazing because I learned so much from going through that process at a time when I also had my parents there as my safety net,” she shared. “I've learned so much on how to carry myself and how to talk to other people about what I want. It was cool to figure that out at such a young age.”

Looking towards her future, Abigail says, “I want to keep improving my invention and maybe even get it to a point where I can start selling it and having it in people's houses.”

Invention Convention Worldwide continues to be inspired by the youth inventors who participate in the program. Stories like Abigail’s are a testament to the power of invention education and the value of the skills learned through the Invention Convention program. Learn how you can bring Invention Convention to your classroom or learning setting by visiting inventionconvention.org. And hear more stories of impact here.