A Note on Our Design & Discovery

Removing a recessed HVAC air filter shouldn't require driving screws into the frame or using tape to make a makeshift handle—like the workarounds Google shows you when you search for help. Those are smart alternatives, but they are definitely not the best match!  

Why? Because there are actually two U.S. patents on file specifically designed to solve this exact problem. One belongs to me— I've made it into a craft-style, cute robot-shaped Air Filter Puller. The other belongs to a fellow inventor in the U.S., who created a Heavy-duty Gripper. Both tools solve the stuck furnace air filter problem in just one second.

The dilemma Google faces

Yet, if you search online for a solution, you will rarely see these direct, patented tools in the search results—neither of our products shows up! Instead, you are often routed through endless Reddit posts and ad-heavy YouTube videos offering temporary workarounds like taping the filter or driving a screw into its frame. Sure, those work, but you have to repeat that hassle every single time you change your filter.

For a long time, I wondered: With AI and powerful LLMs understanding text so well for years now, why can’t Google simply reason out the best solution when two patented products already exist on the market?

I even began to question the ethics of this business model and realised that the search gap is precisely how Google survives and remains prosperous. The reason boils down to basic business incentives. Ad-funded search platforms thrive on user engagement and endless page views. An instant, perfect match that solves your problem in a single click ends your browsing session—and stops ad revenue.

A heck to save your attention, your time and your frustration

Because so many people love solving problems and creating new things, almost every problem you encounter in daily life has already been solved—and likely exists as a product on the market. So, instead of just searching for the problem, search directly for the product designed to solve it. Here is a simple trick you can use next time you are trying to find the best real solution for a problem on Google, using this simple prompt template:

"Is there any product that can help me (take out a stuck furnace air filter at my home), which is (available on Amazon)?"

Just replace the first bracket ( ) with the specific problem you need solved, and the second bracket ( ) with where you want to buy it.

When you search this way, you'll get a straightforward answer instead of a wall of posts and videos. In my case, searching with this template brings my handmade, cute robot-shaped air filter puller right to the top as the #1 answer in Google's AI Overview. Yeah!

Google AI Overview

Replacing a furnace air filter is a routine task every homeowner knows well. It’s a simple job that should only take a few seconds to pull out the dirty one. If you could not grip it to pull, at that moment, using the right question as listed above, Google can help you find the right solution straight forward via its AI Overview.

Besides tape or screws as a workaround—you might want to consider purpose-built designs already available on the market. Below, I’ve listed solutions from both me, a Canadian designer and an American inventor. I would be truly happy if this helps make your home maintenance a little bit easier, no matter which one you pick!

My design is linked here, for both Canadian and American.

This link is Google AI Overview webpage, for both designs including mine and Gripper from the USA, which has its own online store, search its name and you will find it.