Henrico woman’s invention provides clearer thermometer reads

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Where do ideas for inventions come from?

For Henrico County resident Casaundra L. Pugh, the eureka moment came during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ms. Pugh, a health aide, was stationed at a drive-through clinic aiming a digital thermometer at drivers and passengers who wanted to know if they had a fever, a sign they might be infected with COVID-19.

It was a hot sunny day in June 2020, and the glare of the sun made it difficult to read the results on the small screen, said the 55-year-old Newark, N.J., native.

“I found a piece of tape and put it over the top of the thermometer, and sure enough it provided a shield from the glare,” she said. “It worked. I tested it again the next day just to make sure.”

Now she and her daughter, Younniaa I.J. Williams, have taken the idea and gained a U.S. patent for an attachable, glare-reduction shield for digital thermometers.

Ms. Williams, 35, is familiar with the process. She has spent her career working in public relations for pharmaceutical companies, including being involved in the process of commercializing new products and inventions.

When her mother called to ask for help, Ms. Williams knew what to do. They went through a company called InventHelp, which has a Richmond area office, to navigate the patent process and secure help with the design of a prototype.

Ms. Williams said she then contacted an overseas manufacturer she has worked with in commercializing products for companies who employed her to research how to transform the prototype design into an actual product.

She said she is reaching out to retailers who sell thermometers and also is seeking one or more investors who may help bring it to the market as a useful and saleable improvement.

Ms. Pugh, who also cares for elderly people with terminal illnesses in her home, said her fingers are crossed that her invention will become more than a prototype.

She said that she has had other creative ideas, but never acted on them, only to see others successfully bring them to market.

“I vowed that if I came up with something else, I was going to act on it,” she said. “Hopefully, it will work out.”