The Backup Pal: Revolutionary Accessory

GK

7349719. That’s the patent number of the inventive new technological device: the Backup Pal.

5. That is the number of awards it has won.

3. That is the number of young innovators involved.

0. This is the number of accessory based backup devices on the market today.

The product is a portable universal data storage device that includes a universal port adapter for connecting to a personal electronic device. It has the capacity to store up to 4000 names, phone numbers and email addresses. All by clicking one button.

The young talents behind this project are University of Southern California graduates Spartak Buniatyan, Armen Buniatyan, and Ravash Ram.

"I’ve loved technology since I was young," S. Buniatyan said, "and choosing USC Marshal School of Business has really helped in shaping my perspective of the real world and finding the right balance between business and technology."

Though the major launch is scheduled for April 1 of this year, but it has already racked up an impressive track record being named one of the "100 Best Innovations of the Year" and Consumer Electronics Show’s Top Ten Picks, to name a few. It has been featured on Good Morning America and other media including PC World, Wireless, and Home Magazines.

Even the "For Dummies" series recognized its potential. They made a move to select the product for its series "Cellular Phonebook Backup and Transfer for Dummies." Backup-Pal’s unique technology and intellectual property is the key that has made it possible to team up with such a recognize name as "For Dummies".

"It was a great opportunity, whenever you’re starting in an entrepreneurial venture, it helps to start with an established someone with a reputation," S. Buniatyan said of the choice to go with the For Dummies series.

The idea behind the device is that the data is safe inside this little piece of plastic, no matter what happens to the batteries, or what kind of cell phone you have to upload numbers from and into. The product comes with several detachable tips for connecting cell phones for the uploading process.

Manufacturing was done in China between eight factories. Spartak and his partners have been multiple times in setting up for sourcing and production.

The project initiative can be attributed to the inventor’s background and interest in technology. In fact, Spartak liked technology ventures so much that while attending USC he created the first email web-application at USC which allowed students to log onto to one page to check their university emails. This was at a time when sophisticated web-based email systems were easily available for private use.

Then in 1998, he created the first online results reporting system for HLC Laboratories, one of the largest private laboratories in California. Physicians working at the labs needed to print lab results, but instead of connecting a DSL line that can be a hassle, Spartak came up with the idea of connecting a printer to the wireless network using cell phone networks. It was while working on this concept that Spartak stumbled upon and realized the potential of the technology for Backup-Pal like product in the market.

When asked if anything can be wirelessly controlled, such as a toaster, for example, Spartak replied "absolutely."

As for his partner, Ravash Ram, "he is very business-savvy," according to Spartak, "I have been fortunate to have a good team by my side."

S. Buniatyan plans on getting his Executive MBA very soon at USC or the University of California, Los Angeles.

Right now the product is only for backing up phonebooks, later on they plan on backing up multimedia as well. It will be available at Radio Shack, Best Buy, and Brookstone by April.