The description of this phlegm thrower suffers a bit from machine-translation woes: “Suction Device and Usable Ejection for Care,” French patent application FR2889070A1, Michel Brun, filed July 27, 2005. The application says, sort of: “This apparatus comprises a hollow tubular body, a piston 3 slidably mounted and sealed in the body 2, and means 13 […]
“When a passenger rides behind an operator of a motorcycle, the only way to hold on is to wrap the passenger’s arms around the torso of the operator.” What could be done to improve the passenger’s grip? Californian inventor Dale Lafayette Marks has just been awarded a US patent for his Multi-rider vehicle retention apparel […]
The ever-expanding list of professions which might soon be replaced by hi-tech. solutions is still growing strong. Sony Interactive Entertainments Inc. (Tokyo) has just been granted a US patent for its Robot As Personal Trainer Embodiments of the present invention disclose methods and systems that are used to assist a user to perform an activity, […]
What might be the advantages of “square” cigarettes? In 1999, the US tobacco company R.J Reynolds employed the Opinion and Marketing Research firm Delta Research to investigate. Participants of two “Consumer Idea Generation” (CIG) focus groups from Indianapolis were paid $35 each (plus dinner) to list (amongst other things) possible advantages of “Square” cigarettes. The findings : […]
