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Run by the United Inventors Association and co-sponsored by
Inventors' Digest magazine, Proctor & Gamble and the Academy of
Applied Science, the New Invention Hunt had nearly 400 inventors
submit their patented and patent-pending inventions to compete for
prize money, prizes and media exposure. Here are four inventions
that I thought were especially interesting, and you'll probably
see these on the market soon:
The Invisible Writer
Michael Hall of northern California invented a pen with
invisible ink. The ink remains invisible except when viewed under
the light source contained in the pen. Other types of invisible ink become visible only when viewed
under an ultraviolet light, or else a chemical must be applied in
order to view the ink. The problem with the ink is that it can't
become invisible again -- it stays visible once the chemical is
applied. The Invisible Writer, on the other hand, uses LEDs
similar to the numbers on your microwave or VCR, and the ink
remains invisible except when viewed under the pen's light source.
The Invisible Writer is the same size as a regular pen and is much
cheaper than other invisible inks, which require a chemical.
The Parkinson Glove
This clever invention comes from 16-year-old Michael Schuman of
Fort Myers, Fla. The Parkinson Glove helps stabilize hand and arm
tremors in Parkinson and essential tremor patients. Inspired by an
idea his grandfather had told him about, young Mr. Schuman made the
glove out of spare parts from knee and elbow skating guards and had
his mother and grandmother sew it together for him. When he tested
it, he noticed a 63 percent improvement in Parkinson patients and a
58 percent improvement in essential tremor patients, and it won
first place in a previous invention contest. He is currently
contacting companies about manufacturing it.
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second column in this article]
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The Hydristor
Thomas Kasmer of Binghampton, N.Y., invented and patented the "Hydristor,"
which he claims will double the gas mileage of SUVs. The name of his
invention comes from the words "hydraulic" and "transistor." It is
currently being tested with a couple of large manufacturers. If all
goes according to plan, SUVs will experience a doubling of fuel
economy by slowing the engine to an idle at highway cruising speeds,
and it will cut the acceleration time in half. Kasmer has two
patents on the Hydristor and two more are pending.
Extension Cord Spacesaver
Can't find an extension cord when you need one? Richard Harper
of Mesquite, Nev., has created a way to store a spring-loaded
extension cord into an electrical outlet. He currently has a
prototype of the invention and, when it's finished, the cord will
be stored inside the wall and will re-coil back into the wall when
finished. The Extension Cord Spacesaver is patent-pending with a
copyright. Now why didn't you think of that!
These four inventions are all under consideration in the New
Invention Hunt, and the winners will be chosen within a couple of
weeks. Other notable inventions include an early detection system
for colon cancer, a possible treatment of arthritis and an
arm-powered three-wheeled cycle that you row like a boat. To see
pictures of the four inventions featured above BEFORE they find
their way onto the market, go to
www.InventionMysteries.com.
[Paul
Niemann]
Paul Niemann is a contributing author
to Inventors' Digest magazine, and he also runs
MarketLaunchers.com,
building websites for inventors. He can be reached at
niemann7@aol.com.
Copyright Paul Niemann 2003
Last week's
column in LDN:
"Australia -- birthplace of boomerangs,
sport utility vehicles and 'black box' flight recorders"
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