You've heard the old canard about building a better mousetrap and getting rich? That's what one company in Britain is doing and it's already raised nearly Cdn$20 million to make it happen. Except this isn't exactly a mousetrap. Instead, it's chewing gum.

How could they possibly improve on a product that's said to have been around since the ancient Greeks? It turns out the firm, called Revolmyer Ltd., didn't look at the taste or the flavour, but instead concentrated on something you might not have thought about - the residue.

They've created a gum that won't stick to the bottom of your shoe, adhere to the underside of a school desk or be there when you accidentally feel below a movie theatre seat. Clean Gum is one of those 'why-didn't-I-think-of-that?' products.

How does it work?

Most gum made today is manufactured out of synthetic latex, making it stick like glue once it's been used. But this confection has a special polymer added that modifies its properties and makes it less adhesive and easier to remove.

It could be a boon for janitors, teachers and the average pedestrian. But first the company needed the money to actually make it.

Enter financial backers IP Group, which chewed over the idea and decided there was cash in those chiclets. It contributed more than a million and a half bucks to the firm, which added to other already substantial investments, may give the entity enough backing to actually turn the concept into a reality.

The discovery of this removable breakthrough came at the University of Bristol, which was doing research into polymers in 2005.

It's not the first time business has been probing one thing and found a way to market another product no one ever expected. When the U.S. government asked General Electric to come up with a substitute for rubber during a WWII shortage, an engineer experimenting with boric acid and silicone gel created a substance that didn't seem to meet any real need.

James Wright was about to give up on his accidental invention when a toy store owner decided to sell it as a novelty - and it took off. The item is still around today and you probably used it when you were growing up. Its name: Silly Putty.

It was a similar accident that created yet another childhood icon. A man looking to make a product that would clean wallpaper didn't quite know what to do with the stuff he created. But kids did. It eventually became known as Play-doh.

There's no word yet on when the new gum might hit the market.

Find more about the product and how it works here.