Local Inventor Capitalizes on a Rainy Day Idea

"It's really unique for people who are coming in and out of their homes if it's raining, to get you out of the weather," says Moore of his latest invention.

The Robeson County inventor nicknamed his gadget the "get you out of the rain thing." It is officially called the "Porch-A-Matic," made just for mobile homes.

The Porch-A-Matic can hold up in 50 to 60 mile per hour winds and heavy snow. Moore did a lot of research to make sure the aluminum and vinyl would be the right materials.

"And you don't have to have any bolts in any of the aluminum frame supports, everything just joins together. You just tap it in the joints," he explains.

Want a little privacy? Just slide it closed and velcro it shut. And just like a mobile home, the Porch-A-Matic is portable too.

"By having a porch, you have something you can take down and take with you, like if you get ready to move your mobile home and go to another area," Moore says. "You can easily take it down and carry it right with you."

Moore is not an engineer; he drives a forklift for a living. His creativity drives his passion for inventions.

Moore is not a boater or a fisherman either, but his first patent was for a retractable top on a pontoon boat.

"Things, ideas just come into my head and I just visualize them and next thing you know, I've got a piece of paper and try to put it together," says Moore.

He customized a clock to scroll a message as well as tell time. And you might see another of his inventions in stores by the end of the year: a Christmas tree with bulbs built in to the branches.

Plumbers will thank Moore for inventing a tub drain remover. His goal is to simply make people's lives easier.

"Boy, that's an overwhelming feeling, knowing that you came up with an idea and then you see it and say,'Hey, this is what I thought of!"

The Porch-A-Matic costs about $2,000. Moore hopes mobile home dealers will like the idea enough to buy it and add it to a new home package.