Inventor

A C$10,000 feasibility study, C$50,000 worth of design and construction on your prototype, and up to C$10,000 liability protection will go to the winner of the second annual Canadian Invention Competition, co-sponsored by Canadian Business Magazine and Nytric, a Canadian innovation engineering and consulting company.

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Animal Toy

My recent investigations into the mysteries of the United States Patent Office, well not so mysterious as it is undiscerning and undiscriminating, has unearthed a whole host of opportunistic patents. That is, the patenting of stuff we've all been doing, independent of the patent process, for centuries. And United States patent 6360693 is perhaps the best (worst?) example of this practice. read more »

Comb Hair to Conceal Baldness

Today dear readers, I am turning my blog over to you. That's because I'm stumped. Is United States Patent 4022227 worthy of a patent? Do you consider this an invention? An innovation? Or did Frank and Donald Smith the "inventors" merely lay claim to something men have been doing for centuries? You decide; then let me know what you think. read more »

Cure for Hiccups?

 

We've all heard that a good fright is one way to cure a bout of the hiccups. Admittedly, that's never worked for me, but I'm not the kind of girl who scares easily. (The nutrition label on a bag of Cheetos notwithstanding.) Well it seems back in 2003, Philip Ehlinger, Jr., in the style of a pre-Discovery Channel MythBuster, or an obstinate inventor, you decide, felt this urban legend was worth validating, so he came up with United States patent 7062320 . read more »

You want to stick that where?

As many of you know, cow gas, or bovine flatulence (farts) and eructation (burps), is suspect when determining the factors that contribute to global warming. Why? The reason is simple: cow gas emits methane gas and according to environmentalists like EarthSave, methane is by far the most important non-CO2 greenhouse gas floating around the atmosphere and threatening the ozone layer. read more »

A Dangerous Habit?

If you're anything like me, you spend an inordinate amount of time typing away at your computer. You do so knowing every keystroke brings you one step closer to a carpal tunnel disease diagnosis; every glance at the screen teases your vision with astigmatism. So you buy an ergonomic keypad and mouse pad and you force yourself to look away from the screen every 20 minutes or so. Great! But now there is something else to worry about, something that threatens the great American pastime of television viewing: B.T.N.D. or Button Thumbing Numbness Disorder. Luckily, the cure is not worse than the disease. read more »

Toilet Bowl with Bull's-eye Target

I'm afraid a quick glance at my articles might give some readers the wrong impression: that I have an affinity for anything relating to bodily functions. In particular, anything people do in the bathroom. Well, those readers are wrong. That being said, today I bring you United States patent 4044405, the toilet bowl bull's-eye! read more »

Piggy You Diet Doll

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and that means that once again you are confronted with a holiday that is likely to put a little extra meat on your bones. The irony of all this is that that extra meat on your bones often greatly decreases your chances of being someone's Valentine! So, what will you do if you've resolved not to eat any chocolates this coming Thursday? How about looking to the United States Patent Office for a couple of incentives to help you with your resolve? read more »

Effective Alarm Clock

I've read that some of the most successful inventions are those that respond to an everyday need. If that's the case, then Samuel S. Applegate holds the patent for what could be the most effective alarm clock ever. read more »

Musical Condom

In my previous blog, A Big, Long D*ck for Valentine's Day, I alerted you to a patent that could help you realize your manly potential. But I'm here to tell you it's not all fun and games. Today, more than ever, sexual prowess cannot occur free of responsibility. So if you love your partner, or even if you don't and you only love yourself, you owe it to yourself to practice safe sex. That's why today I am providing you with a patent that reconciles safety with fun. read more »

Read my blog to find out why Herbert Jochum is smiling.

The apparatus is not unfamiliar in that it resembles other sexual aids already on the market and available at your local sex shop. Not sure where the nearest sex shop to your home is located? Just look for where 20-somethings hang out after 1 a.m. on Saturday night, or wait until Sunday morning and look for a group of your neighbors picketing an otherwise unremarkable storefront. read more »

Looking for great invention advice?

Ever wish you had a seasoned inventor that could walk you through the invention process and be your personal mentor? InventorSpot.com can't offer you that, but we can provide the next best thing. read more »

Mechanical Shower

As many of you already know, conservationists espouse the use of car washes because the facilities recycle the water used to get your vehicle looking its squeaky-clean best. Sounds like a good idea, right? But why should such a practical idea, like recycling water, be limited to cars? After all, we don't generally wash our cars everyday. We do, however, bathe our bods (I hope) everyday. Presumably then, washing ourselves is far more wasteful of a precious natural resource - one that some people argue will be the world's next "oil" - than the occasional washing of our cars. read more »

Bigger, better, and a lot more complicated than the Information Age, success in the Age of Connectivity depends more on our capacity to learn what is needed for tomorrow, than what we know today. As soon as information is available, our computers, hand-helds, and cell-phones make it accessible. We need to retrieve it and act on it; that is critical to our livelihoods and to our lives. read more »

Strap-on Pacifier

Technology has transformed the baby raising landscape in some ingenious ways. Who knows? If the following three inventions had been available a few years ago my home office might today be covered in Disney motif wallpaper, and all the electrical outlets plugged up with child safety protectors. read more »

Airplanes have a long history in Japan, even predating the 1903 first manned flight by the Wright brothers. Over a decade earlier, Japanese aeronautical pioneer Chuhachi Ninomiya first launched his "Crow" unmanned airplane - models of the plane are still available for sale today! read more »

The results of the "Dining in 2015" contest hosted by designboom are in and my, oh my, are there some fascinating finds. Over four thousand aspiring designers from ninety-eight countries participated, and I must say we humans really are a creative bunch, especially when it comes to food and the partaking thereof. But don't let me convince you -- check out these noteworthy picks for yourself. read more »

 

The Innovate or Die contest for the most creative, most energy saving, and best design of a bicycle-powered energy saving invention, is over. And the Grand Prize, announced this morning, goes to the invention pictured above.. The Aquaduct, the entry from a team of five California designers, addresses the needs of 1.1 million people in the world who don't have access to clean drinking water.

 

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What a great way to reward and inspire creativity!

Wham-O, the company that brought us Hula Hoop, Slip N Slide, Frisbee, SuperBall and Hacky Sack products, is having a big 60th year birthday bash and, to celebrate, Wham-O is inviting all kids between the ages of 6 and 17, U.S. residents only, to submit their unique toy inventions to the Kid Inventor Contest.The winner will receive $2000 and, possibly, three percent of sales! read more »

Everyday Edisons, a nationally televised PBS reality series chronicling modern inventors and the development of their inventions, is kicking off its Season Three casting calls with an Atlanta audition. read more »