For John Parlapiano, the aha moment came during a 1991 episode of Seinfeld. In his monologue, Jerry Seinfeld joked about the security measures beachgoers use to hide their belongings, like stuffing wallets deep into the toes of shoes.
The bit prompted Parlapiano, now a 53-year-old financial services consultant from Montclair, to invent the Umbrella Locking Object Beach Safe, a hard plastic container designed to store valuables securely. The doughnut-shaped safe swings open to receive small items and clasps shut around the shaft of a beach umbrella near the top, out of view of potential thieves.
“The people who are looking to steal things on a beach are looking to be inconspicuous,” Parlapiano says. Swiping an iPod might seem easy—but not when it’s locked in a box attached to a cumbersome umbrella.
Parlapiano’s U.L.O. Beach Safe is white, like the underside of most beach umbrellas, so it blends in easily. A thumbscrew tightens the container into place, and a combination lock secures it until you need access to your valuables. At 9 inches in diameter and 4 inches deep, the safe can fit cell phones, cameras, wallets, MP3 players, and keys, with room to spare.
The U.L.O. Beach Safe is manufactured in the Garden State, and can be purchased for $24.95 at amazon.com and montclairbeachproducts.com.