Select Your Favourite Invention

Ky, kudos for putting all that together... and hitting the submit button. I've noted there are many great minds that pop up from time to time on here and hope that perhaps you have stimulated or stirred up the consortium. At this point I would encourage some participation although, minor submissions, I suspect, may be the case. Having been self employed most all my life, the details of a real business idea in the real world ultimately gets complicated with the complexities surrounding the details involved in these undertakings. As Ed Waldon pointed out to me about a patent I'm in the process with, suggested just making it public domain and thus know one can sue for intellectual property rights or other. Perhaps that isn't such a bad premise for some ideas. Specially with a group such as this. However if there is money involved, legal paper work is soon to follow. Allow me to digress; I also have experienced, with egos, greed, and power trips aside, great ideas that made it into the proper hands for a successful end result with all participants quite satisfied. I have plenty of ideas of my own that If people are willing on this CR4 site to donate input, can best be benefited by probably many people here. Due to the fact I have a full day tomorrow I will come back with a couple ideas that need some input related to a "thermal room" (for lack of a better description right now) that we're building (experimenting with). It's to maximize or make more efficient use of the usable heat in a room designed specifically for capturing heat to convert to some mechanical work as well as other uses. Operated from as little externally derived energy sources as possible. If the responses are ultimately negative to Ky's suggestion, I may reconsider or post separately anyway.

naturalextraction

Thank you for the reply.

This will not be a sprint but an endurance race. Time is something that one has when it is not needed. No rush Mate, at all .

Your Bio gives me a good idea of what your interests are. Thermal dynamics, what a coincidence. I am into Controlled Micro climates, very interesting. Middle eastern buildings and whole Cities used it way back then. Better than what we do now a days. This will change but it is going to be a long struggle to make the People understand and be willing to change.

A bit like: "A black President? Never!"

If you find the time later on, could you please let me know which of the inventions I have suggested would be of the most interest to you. Just to start the voting.

Thanks.

All the Best, Ky.

I read again through this today. Look at the date! We better get moving and continue. Only the well trained and committed will get there in the end Mate. See what we can do with the IC (Inventors Corner). I nearly got you there, didn't I?

See you soon, Ky.

Number 4 on your list is already being done using sound waves. Originally you sat in a tub of water, but now you lie down on a table and a special gel bag is placed under your back, below your kidneys. It blasts the stones into Small particles easily passed through urination. You can normally do it while awake, but if pain is too much they knock you out. Thankfully you are already prepped and need only to raise your hand and your out.

However, I like your idea of starting a brain trust. This could be very interesting.

charsley99:

I know, I had it done. They sounded a bit like you and said that I might experience a little pink urine after the procedure. They lied! I was urinating a black, tar like substance for 2 days and thought it was all over.

My stone was in the urinal tract and was stuck. It caused unbelievable pains. Even the morph they gave me hardly made a difference. I thought of the "technique" while under the influence and after I got better I built a little proto type. It worked on a larger scale and outside any ones body. Just to make the point I removed a marble from a glass tube with out tipping it out.

Not having trained as a Doctor I gave up pursuing it. I did not like the chances of an artist trying to apply for a medical procedure patent.

Would be interesting to talk to a surgeon about it but they are in a league of their own and are not willing to communicate with us mere mortals. I have tried.

I am convinced that my method could be done by any GP supplied with the device. It would not be a costly "tool" and any GP would have the other requirements in place to perform it.

I'm gonna remove my next one (God forbid) my self. No blood, no scaring.

Thanks for your comment and you are right, this could become very interesting. Ky.

Probably because it could be used by a general practitioner they could not charge big bucks for the procedure. Could be why they brushed you off.

It was never presented! They had no chance to brushing it off. I get your point though. It is not a conspiracy but the reality. Because this is a remote area I was on very strong painkillers for months. The procedure you mentioned could not be done due to some machine not working. They made a lot of money out of my painful situation and will be doing it in the future with others.

I would love to go to Harley Street and present it to some one. Need to jump the ropes first I suppose, Ky.

Very good indeed.

Although I think #2 and #10 can be the same thing.

As might #4 and #5.

Actually all of the above might be combined into one - and wouldn't that be interesting?

They are all combined! Inside my head!

Back in my High school years a fellow student had and idea for athletic shoes to make them customizable. I often wonder if those shoes with the pump inside them to make them fit better was his idea and if he made any money from them.

I'm not much of a new idea person but I can usually help with a feature or 2. So I will be keeping a close eye on this. Thanks for offering it.

Let me just add a suggestion for an invention. A universal battery and adapter for the various cordless tools on the market. It's similar to camera lens/adapter for various cameras.

Dear Guest

What you are suggesting is an innovation and not an invention. There is a little difference and not many people know. You innovate something when you combine existing things. You invent when you come up with something completely new.

In this case it would take a team of engineers to design it and then be sold by same smart promoters. I have plenty of cordless tools were either the tool or the recharger is buggered. They have gotten better over the years though.

Your idea is also a "disruptive technology". What are the manufacturers going to do that manufacture the existing standard units. It would be hard to convince them to stop making what they do.

Thank you for your suggestion. I had hoped for more from others by now but Rome was not built in a day. Take care, Ky.

What we need are some really innovative and profound new inventions that would just change the way we live.

Chris

CR4 Admin - Post Removed

The crazies are back, I'm gone from here and FAST!

Aurevoir mon amis.....

Dear Guest

It took 340 replies to receive one out of context comment. That must be a CR4 record. It was a good decision to arrive and leave in such a short time. Another record, I think. Your input here is less than needed, wanted, desired, original, intelligent, informed, constructive or even anticipated. It is not what I (or many others, I assume) were expecting.

Using the plural (are you a multiple personality?) and then feeding in some foreign language snippets shows that you are much more confused than many here. Ill guided maybe?

Please leave your revengeful outbursts were they belong, namely in that vacuum were it came from, would be best. It would not take much, just open that crevice and it will be sucked back in, no energy required. The whole process will have only created a negligible amount of friction and with that I will and can live in peace.

Wish you were here mon amis, Ky.

How about Method for Transmitting or Storing Energy, US Patent Number 5,832,728.

Applicable to automotive xprize, utility load leveling, off-grid power systems, etc. Unlike batteries, no scarce or toxic materials required. Key concepts were experimentally demonstrated in 1930.

esbuck

Thanks for the suggestion.

This is a bit outside my field of expertise but maybe some one else in CR4 could jump on it. This was the reason I posted in the first place, to get people in the know to participate.

I think it was a bit long as an introduction and has scared members away. Maybe it would have helped not to post it on a day like this (Inauguration).

There are more interesting things going on than struggling inventors I suppose, Ky.

Oh my,

I quite like the concept of wet compressed air. I imagine that the injection of pure H2O into the pressure vessel (insulated?) before an external energy source drives the compressor motor to charge the system would, then convert to "low-pressure" steam during discharge and back
through the same motor that
compressed it? Is it economically
feasible to recycle the water
vapor or just vent it to
atmosphere? Would the same
carbon fiber, fiber glass tanks
used in shuttles and busses
(3K PSI) powered by compressed
natural gas be used to store this
none carbon energy? Any tests
to determine the
endurance/distance this system
could be expected to have in the
real world of personal or
mass-transit?

How industry intensive is it to
build the wet compressed fluid
system in comparison to, say,
such new start ups as the
Tata Motors compressed-air
taxi's in Calcutta which carry
their hybrid duel/fuel (gas or
electric cord powered)
engine/motor/compressor
onboard? I intuit that the big
drawback is building a service
infrastructure that has
pre-compressed air readily available all about town at an affordable price.

Infrastructure is the major hurdle every alternative transportation vehicle type is faced with in any country where ICE vehicles are king in my oppinion. That is the "secrete" to why alternative vehicles wither and die - decade after decade.

This Compressed Air Powered Taxi (with zero emissions rating) designed by french auto research
and design group MDI and licensed to Tata Motors of India is being released onto the streets of
heavily polluted cities in India.

Re: Wet compressed air (WCA)

One could inject water into the pressure tank, but the idea is to cool the compressor. One can inject water into the intake air, so, as the air is compressed, heat is absorbed vaporizing the water. Yes, of course, the heat of vaporization is used to reheat the air as it expands. Alternatively, one could heat the water in a compressor cooling jacket and store the water/steam separately, but then one has heat exchange problems reheating the expanding air.

The water can be exhausted, but it's fairly easy to filter it out and re-use it. It's distilled water, drinkable, so it is worth something, especially if you start with dirty water or seawater. In a "third world" environment, "free" drinking water might be significant.

Yes, existing tanks, composite or steel, are suitable. Since corrosion is an issue, composite is probably better, if they can handle 300C temperatures. 3K psi is OK, but a bit higher is nicer. Piping, etc. good to 10K is readily available.

Tests have not been done in terms of stand-alone vehicles, but a diesel-pneumatic railway locomotive using a compressor-steam engine was demonstrated to be more efficient than an electric generator-motor, as used in common railway locomotives.

The infrastructure is easier than for electric vehicles. For one thing, one need not build new mines and smelters for toxic metals, with opposition from environmentalists. If you wanted a million battery-powered trucks, neither the materials nor the battery factories exist now, and the cost would go up, not down, with larger numbers. One could, like the MDI air car, have an on-board compressor, plugged in to electricity in your garage. Better would be "gas stations", added on to existing petrol stations, where one could pull in and refill in a minute or two. The cost would be much less than wiring up thousands (millions?) of parking spots to recharge your electric car while you work. The fast recharge makes long distance travel practical. Given the time to recharge, a 200 mile drive in a battery car would be not much quicker than going by bicycle. Since the WCA can be stored, it can be compressed with inconstant energy sources, such as wind or off-peak electricity or, perhaps, solar energy, then stored until needed. One imagines a school with a wind turbine behind the football field to compress WCA, and a fleet of zero-emission school busses.

It would be easy to build a demonstrator vehicle, for the x-prize, for instance. Start with a crew cab diesel pick-up truck. The crew cab is to get the required 4 or 5 seats. The truck can accommodate the weight and volume of tanks without having to modify the suspension, as might be the case if one started with a small car. The diesel engine is easy to convert to running on WCA. Change the camshaft to get "two-stroke" operation and use an electriclly controlled common rail injection system for the WCA -- no fuel pump needed. The over-all cost would be much less than an equivalent battery powered vehicle. One would not need $200 K of batteries nor expensive copper electric motor and controller. Of course, something like the MDI could be built; it would be much more efficient using WCA. I imagine a car with a platform chassis, immensely strong, made up of WCA tanks, and a light, streamlined body on top. If Tata Motors is interested, I'd be happy to speak with them. They have not replied to my offer.

If anyone wants to continue this privately, my e-mail is esbuck@aol.com.

I feel silly asking this, but what is the advantage of wetting compressed air?

I thought compressed air lost pressure as it cooled so if you put water in the compressed air, wouldn't it cool it and lower the pressure?

Guest

Please, don't feel silly about any questions. Tinker is a dedicated fellow and he will reply accordingly (I said, and was indoctrinating other people . )

I have a bit of clearing up to do in that department my self, so I would like some clarification on the subject as well. There are some major/minor points that don't equate with my understanding. My difficulties are more in the plasma utilization and the cooling/condensation, evaporation aspects in such spheres, environments. Not just small matters but chemical and physical reactions all happening at the same time and all to be controlled. I shall be taught and will report.

It can be a bit like a different style of composing and writing music. If you hear it you know it. If you read it only, one can get things out of time and tune, context. Lack of true knowledge on the subject has never been easy to over come and only the good teachers can teach one a lesson!

Good you asked that question because I would not have dared asking. If I need to know something, usually, I will get to know it in the end, or, at best, in the right place and at the right time. Just like a sweet spot during ignition.

See what happens, Good Luck, Ky.

Hi ky,

Here's a couple of threads from last year about compressed air:

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/23485/Air-Motors

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/9852/Nitrogen-powered-vehicles-Re-air-motors

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/288070/Re-Will-Batteries-Ever-Work

Enjoy

Thanks Mate, Ill read up on it tomorrow. Good your still here, say G'day, Ky.

I couldn't find the exact conversation I was looking for...

I seem to remember having a conversation with Esbuck about using low temp wet compressed air.

Garthh

I did so now and no content was suitable/appropriate for what I have plans for. I could not wait to find a solution so clicked the links. My lack of knowledge is not related to information that is available but to matters that I can't find information about on the net. "It" is far more complex but at the same time fully explainable. I will propose at some later stage.

Not some old, new stuff but new. I have a lot of explaining to do and will stick to plan A as long as I can. There is light at the end of the tunnel I just don't know how wide it is. It is dark if I look side ways!

Good to have you around, >>>>>>>>>>>>> :-)

Time will tell, Ky.

I tried to edit the >>> bit and it would not do it for me. I never wanted it there in the first place. Well things just happen I suppose.

You put water into the compressed air to cool it, cooling the compressor, but the pressure increases as the water changes to steam. This allows single stage compression without intercoolers which waste heat. As the air expands, it cools, but the steam condenses, reheating the air. So, start with ambient temperature air and water, compress to form "Wet compressed air", then expand back to ambient temperature air and distilled water. Heat loss is "zero", so efficiency approaches 100%, a more efficient transmission (and storage) of energy than a generator-electric motor or batteries-electric motor, as demonstrated 80 years ago with a diesel-pneumatic locomotive which was superior to a diesel-electric locomotive. It was apparently a trade secret and lost; sometimes the better idea doesn't win.

They use air motors in mines and sometimes use steam to warm it the air, so the exhaust isn't terribly cold.

Interesting, but they need also >>green<< energy to power compresor......

Very interesting ky,

I'm working on several designs and have a (very) little funding doing all my own work.

I've figured out that most companies don't want outside designs. That means you have to do the majority on your own. Once you are competition then they want to put you out of business even if it is by buying you out or merging.

The issue with drawing experts is getting them to not just observe when you can't let them know what is going on without some type of trust.

Right now my shop is to cold to work more than a little while so I wait for warmer weather. I build a new building this spring that I can heat with open flames. (refractory work)

Brad

U V

Invention #1 on my list would make it possible to work in your workshop. Can you send me a photo of what it looks like from the out side? I could then send you what it would look like after I have attached my invention. Just to give you an idea, no details revealed.

I am disappointed about the number of responses so far. Thanks for yours, Ky.

I am with you UV. I am a machinist by trade and have left that industry - so no longer have access to equipment.

I need some basic circuitry knowledge (which I'm working on).

I have a design/drafting degree so I draw and re-draw.

These are not earth shattering inventions just projects that are really fun and interesting as well as unique and modestly profitable.

Soooo, I save my pennies, network much and refine the concepts over and over and over and over and over and over.

I hope you get this message Brad. Life has moved on and your input could be needed for some R&D in the future. Rockets and propellants aaih? German blood here flowing through an Australian heart. Bear with me Mate, Ky.

Hello ky,

Starting to warm up here a little. Cold hard winter here. The spring honey do list is taking up my free time right now. That and working 12hr shifts. Soon I plan to be back in my shop.

My Great Grand ... Sire came over from Germany in 1750. Still work on rocket designs. Been working on a plasma rocket for about 15 years. NASA seems to be catching up lately. Some of my friends went to work there a few years ago, They had the general outline. If they worked out the particulars more power to them.

If you need some perspective or outright work done let me know. I can tell you after a little research what I can bring to the table.

Brad

That is very kind of you UV. I am working on it and will try to get there under my own steam, pun intended.

At some later stage I will need specific information about plasma reactions. Too complex for my maths and understanding at the moment. Early "conclusions" are not only the result of maths in this case. They are visible to my inner eye but hard to fathom. Like in a dream, were you find all that money and have no pockets to put it into. Yes, it is only a dream at this stage but the components are starting to crystallize and are falling into place.

I have a small proto type that I am dealing with and it is meant to be proof of concept. It is or could get quiet dangerous and that makes me stand still.

What I can read up on the net is relevant to what I am thinking about but not specific enough. I have my own little situation here and don't want to injure my self and rather do the maths theory first.

Depending on that out come, I, or maybe at that stage we/us, will get back to you. Nothing beats hands on experience, if they are still on, that is.

Good to know you might be able to help out. Thanks for that, Ky.

I'm always thinking of things, some new, some are improvements or variations of existing things.

The only one I given serious thought to is a tornado-proof anemometer. I've built and used a new design of a loop antenna. My most ambitious concept is a comprehensive drafting / imaging software package that covers everything from 2D drafting to 3D animation. One of my earliest was a device for reinstalling a spring in a Ruger six-shooter.

Unfortunately, developing most of these ideas is beyond my reach now. Maybe I can contribute a idea to this thread later on.

The original subject,how could Globalspec help to inventors,may be to their patented inventions,is a very interesting by itself:a good proposal must be dicussed first and offered o G's administration.Ky's inventions are very interestings by itself too.Both needs,two differents threads,my opinion.

ferquiza

Like I said, this post was sent to admin first and there was no reply which I assumed meant no objections. I think I will rephrase and try again later. Repelling others input was not the idea but combining them. Ky.

In my personal case i have many doubts because i'm an inventor too and i made many mistakes in while i looked for the patent of invention until i got:Inventors of differents countries should know they have just one year since the moment of official solicitation in their countries to do the same in the others countries they are interested...If their invention was already published or exposed before in some way they could have problems too...If your invention is improved by others participants they could complain...If you publish the invention as it was improved by yourself after years since the original patent, i don't know... Some people (specialists) says the patent is the last thing you should do,first: the partners ,because your wrights get dead in 20 years after your solicitation of patent date, so 5 years to get a patent,a long time to get a partner,some extra time for prototype... How to solve all this Ky? I'm tired trying thru years..

ferquiza

There have been endless discussions about this subject in CR4. It all ends up in splitting hairs and not taking action. Involving Partners first or last is not so much the problem but only a part of it.

My conclusion to all this is to have a team work on it. Like I suggested in my starting post. Choose one idea (from any body), build a team, pull it off, make and share the earnings if successful or loose the investment, in this case only the time spent with the team of decision makers.

For example, if you have invented "The Mousetrap" then you need to know were to sell them. Well, it would be there were the most mice are. If you could now convince the importer/exporter of said mousetraps that your product is 1/3 better in any of its properties than the existing product, you could be in business. Could, that is, because you have not covered your basis but have relied on your self only. A big problem for inventors to find like minded and critical people.

My point is that if you don't know the son in law of the mousetrap dealer or the Man himself, you can not get it done. You would be mad to have manufactured say 100.000 of these traps with out knowing who is going to buy them or sell them. With a letter of intent your chances are much better, but still not guarantied.

What I was expecting of the CR4 community was to fill these gaps. Tell the participants what is needed were, how many, at what price etc. If, as a bonus, some one knows the "son in law" or the "Man", he/she would have a very important link to offer to the project. The horse trading could begin, with all parties in place. Legally confirmed as a CR4 sponsored project by just confirming the correspondence of said parties and making it harder or morally binding not to cheat.

Like I said, there are some very interesting comments regarding Patents on CR4. They helped me in some way but were not the missing link.

Without a committed team the chances are very, very low. I'll work on revising my post and see what happens. All the best, Ky.

O.K.I read again all your proposal and i found out something else:may help in the action line of an inventor must take since the table in your proposal indicates by itself you may not have a patent or legal assistance,etc.O.K.I feel you should keep thinking about how to do this in Globalspec with its own window in the banners:for example i don't like use the questions, discussions threads for this and don't seem for a good and serious site use the "good answers" to vote the idea,(in fact,possible anyone with any idea may have wishes to expose and contact for his thinking but is a different matter,i don't know you thought more than me about this).Something else:Innocentive ask inventions even without already patented ideas and everybody feels safe that site :You mean, no ask, offer inventions in similar way.Globalspec should take your idea,i believe to remember they asked for enhancement of this site couple years ago.I back up you (is not much but..).keep on!

Some family members and I had discussed quite some time ago, making a shop available to rent - by the hour/day/week - to struggling designers. We would further make available our services of networking proper parties further resolve.

We would have our own equip - machine tools, automotive, electronics, weld etc. An individual could work on his own project or pay us to help. For an added value we could teach too. (disclaimers, liability insurance and assurances and NDA's of course)

I bring it up because our original ideology was very much what I perceive here - a grass roots consortium focused firstly on promotion rather than profit. Really just as a means to finance our own endeavors.

We have not given up the notion though it has got very little attention from us recently. I truly love the spirit of your notino (this thread) and hope to further validate the spirit of it by reassuring you that you are not alone in recognizing a need for colaberation.

Hi Charley

Just what I was talking about. Support in any way shape or form. I'll hang in there as long as I can or want or need to.

What worries me more at the moment, and makes my problems insignificant, is the state of the over all world wide economy. Six months from now my whining will be of no importance what so ever. Not being a doomsayer by nature, the overall perspective/prognosis is not looking good. Well, we all know that and all feel the pinch. What is needed is an invention that can bring back true values and honesty as well as decency and humbleness. Greed, waste and overindulgence are at a cross roads and I hope they take the wrong turn. The one that leads to nowhere! I am really struggling but am still better off than 90% of world population.

I have been negotiating with some companies for months (regarding two of my inventions) and they (understandably) have pulled out. Murphy, the bloody bastard, has done it again.

We have a Cyclone hovering off the coast and we are preparing for a big one. Mother nature still rules and she puts our expectations and needs into perspective. We'll ride this one out, like we did the others. The same goes for inventions. If they are not good enough, they will not become part of the gene pool. If we can't ride them out and they brake before we get there, they were just not good enough, or, as in this case, presented at the wrong time.

A pity we will be with out power for some time and I can't get onto CR4 and find encouraging comments. Thank you for that!

May the force stay with us, Ky.

Texas Charlie- Your rental shop is a fantastic idea- I have seen same for automotive hobbyists, and, in the military there were machine shops, photo labs, etc. on many larger bases, for hobbyists. I have often been frustrated by a lack of machine shop facilities capable of anything more than CNC- not sufficient when doing a one-off prototype. I personally have a small hobby level shop- mini mill/lathe combo, electronics breadboarding, some pretty nice test and measurement capabilities, all put together because I could not find anyone that would do what I wanted to try. I'm not an "expert" with most of this, but I get my projects done. By the way, I am more than willing to let others use my facilities if they have a need (and are willing to absolve me of any liabilities!). The only problem is, the shop is located in Panama...

Temporary Labor Service utilizing questionaire form about the lousy job to spur R&D department to advance the systems, and or tool application or invention to the work. -Don't tell anybody.

P.S. can't believe I hit submit.

GA. Just whats needed. Have you noticed that cusomer service is becomming more friendly now that we are in a depression?

I have several inventions, some patented, some not, which have never been put into production. Here's sampling, in no particular order.

A robust gridded cathode for vacuum tubes.

An simple optical computer used as correlator. It will detect and identify, in real time, any of thousands of distinct million-bit signals, tremedous processing gain. Useful for covert radars with no range ambiguities or covert communications.

A missile seeker which finds and homes in on large vertical surfaces, such as ship hulls, petroleum storage tanks, hangarette doors, etc.

A compact, perfectly balanced lightweight IC engine with "low speed" output.

An IC (or perhaps external combustion) engine which accomplishes a four-stroke cycle with only ports (as in two-stroke engines) for valves. Can be built as a toy (sunlight power) or scaled up for ships, etc.

A helicopter or wind turbine rotor with variable twist blades to optimize efficiency.

A variable pitch propeller which optimizes the thrust to torque ratio.

The patents must have all expired by now.

Excellent. This is what I had envisaged when I first posted. People showing what they have and then choose were to collaborate.

A compact, perfectly balanced lightweight IC engine with "low speed" output.

This would be of some interest to me and I wonder if you could give some more explanations. Just some basic information. I am working on something that could benefit your concept, just need to know a bit more.

Good luck, Ky.

The US Navy asked for a 50 hp. engine weighing no more than 1 lb. per hp. and burning JP4 fuel. It was intended for small unmanned aerial vehicles but would be useful for things like portable fire pumps. (The navy hates to carry gasoline, and fire pumps have been known to catch fire themselves)

JP4 suggested a diesel engine. (Turbines would be way too much for the small business I worked for) I found that 7 lb/hp was common for diesels, so I tried to figure a way to "simplicate and add lightness". What are the heavy parts? Big block, crankshaft, cylinder head and valve train. Get rid of them. The resultant engine, about the size of a roll of paper towels and, at first cut, 53 lb., had 10 main parts: two opposed pistons, a cylinder which rotated, doubling as output shaft and rotary valve, and an overly complicated housing with cams (could be reduced to two pieces). As the cylinder/shaft rotated, the cams moved the pistons (with integral extensions through slots in the cylinder) through two sinusoids; that is four strokes per rev. for one power stroke per revolution (four-stroke) or two for a two-stroke. The effort was rushed, with the result that the fuel system was excessively crude and the compression was spoiled by chips in the oil scoring the cylinder. We never got a "full power" run on the dynomometer, but the basic design was sound. We learned how to do it better, but funds ran out. A second engine, built as a student project, used spark ignition and propane fuel, but the flame front propagation, from the side, was poor. With a bit of work, one could put a spark plug in the center of the piston. There was a patent ("modular power unit", as they could be joined end to end to double the power)

esbuck

It will take some time to get my head around it. Very interesting. I will get back to you once I have evaluated your concept more in detail. To early to say if I have the missing link.

I can just imagine they eyes of the Patent Attorneys lighting up with dollar signs when you enter their office. It's heartning to see that you are still at it. I feel encouraged and I thank you for that, Ky.

I like the concept but I am more visual than abstract. Even at large magnification I could not make out the drawing so did not understand how it works completely.

A function diagram would be nice but only if you have the time.

Brad

Engineer Nikola Tesla has patented motor that has required weight in proportion to HP, and one man from Kenya have written to me he built 260 Hp/60kg engine.

Since Tesla's patent expired long ago, it is Public property. Just search for >>Tesla motor<< or >>Tesla engine<< and you shall find it. It is extremely easy to build and should be at least 80% efficient also.

Tell us more about the solar powered "external combustion" powered engine. Please.

It is in fact very easy:

The principle of the external combustion engine (ECE) is that the heat is generated outside the energy conversion fluid.

In a traditional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) the heat generation process is happening inside the fluid: the air-gas/petrol mixture is ignited, oil is injected and consumes the oxygen, ....

The fluid is than thrown out and replaced by fresh fluid so that the cycle can happen again.

The traditional ECE does not exchange it's working fluid, but the fluid is alternatively heated and cooled. the expansion/ contraction which are a result of this heating/cooling are translated into mechanical energy which can be translated into electrical.

Traditionally the heat source is a flame. But there is no restriction in this sources. A solar concentrator will work very fine. NASA has done quite some work is this field. (they even have a nuclear powered Stirling engine)

But to be honest: even Stirling himself has patented the idea of using the sun as heat source. Sorry to have to tell you this.

It's very simple in its basic form. There is a cylinder with two opposed pistons, pushed along by a cam-follower engaging a cardioid-shaped track on the flywheel. (It loks like one of those topy oscillating steam engines, with a cam instead of a crank) One end of the cylinder has ports, the other has a heat exchanger, probably a brush of fine tubes. When the cardioid cam revolves, a piston following it will move and dwell. With two pistons, the following happens:

A retreats from the port, sucking in cold air and staying for a while at the closed end of the cylinder.

B advances to meet it, compressing the air in the cylinder and driving it into the fine tubes, which are heated by sunlight, burning dung, whatever.

The heated air, now at higher pressure, drives B toward the exhaust port, where the warm air escapes.

B stays still while A advances, pushing the residual warm air out and being ready to start the cycle over again.

That is the "toy" version. For a more robust version, the cam and cam followers are different, there are separate ports for exhaust and intake, and the heat can be supplied from a separate combustion chamber or other concentrated heat source, or it can be conventional IC. It is suitable for large engines (as in ships), simple and easy to maintain. As I recall, the patent was "Two Plus Two Stroke Engine", inventor Erik S. Buck.

Thanks for still being here esbuck

I wonder how many of the participants in this thread are still receiving it? Your response was in the true spirit of this thread which was: "Assist each other".

Very interesting what you mention here. May I suggest you have a look at this thread

What Happens to the Balloon?

which, if one can think abstract, has a lot to do with what your invention "Two Plus Two Stroke Engine" is about. If you find that there is a link to your thoughts let me know and we could clarify this. I will Private Mail you about this a bit later.

The update on this thread is that two of my inventions, it does not matter which, are being processed and teams have been formed by some members of CR4. Who they are is not important but what is important is that all of them are contributing in their fields of expertise.

No NDA's have been entered into and positions of the participants are not disputed nor are they going to be. Every one is kept up to date and good will has triumphed over adversity and jealousy. Even if the people involved have logged out of this thread they will know who they are. In this way I would like to announce my gratitude toward them and their input.

Bottom line: This CR4 experiment was a huge success although no final out come has been achieved, we are on the right track. Its been just over a year now. It will take time and more dedication but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting larger.

Another very important thing that has happened is that references to CR4 and its members have helped involving third parties and thereby giving the projects more credence. That was an unexpected out come, like many others.

Thanks again for your contribution esbuck. We can only know what is around the next corner if we make that move.

Talk to you soon, Ky.

I'm still here. I actually started working on that software project I posted about early on this thread. (and a few other projects, as you know.)

Maybe it is time to start another 'invention' thread.. just to add more fuel to the fire?

Chris

Community blog anyone?

I think I can fairly say I have at least an hour a day to contribute, and sometimes more, so yes. I'm in. I would especially be interested if we could have that voting feature implemented.

Chris

Yeah, for some reason that landed in the too hard basket. Lets do a couple of minutes of "pick on admin". Maybe they can come up with something. I know you tried the other day regarding a different matter and I did participate, for good or for bad I don't know.

Gotta go ,Ky.

Fantastic thinking Ky!

I think that you could make this a User Group, and have a confidentiality agreement signed by each user (traceable by CR4 to their IP address and User Profile, full name etc) who selects a given thread, dealing with a certain specific invention. (one invention, one agreement)

I think there is benefit for emotional participants to consult, but they have give in order to get. That is the basis of trust. They will have to give their identification to the user to be able to participate. Its only fair, as the OP/Inventor is trusting with the invention. That will make a short list of subscribers for each thread than normal, but certainly a quality list.

If an inventor has an invention that they are willing to donate to the public domain, but still want the professional guidance of the CR4 participants, then agreements would not be necessary.

Chris

You and esbuck have made my day and I would like to reply directly, but.........

We are experiencing some unpleasant weather at the moment and power comes and goes. I will respond to both of you once things have settled, which could be a few days, if it gets any worse. Living remotely has its benefits but you can't have it all, can we? Hope your coping with the cold and snow like we will with this cyclone. She is not big but its the rain that has been coming down since days now.

Talk to you soon, Ky.

You wrote "2. Defensive weapon for Police force, Army and body guards"

There is no such thing as a defensive weapon. It is a fantasy of the first order. All weapons can be used to remove choice, even those you call defensive, such as walls, etc.

If a river exists that an animal can not cross, but has been there its whole life, then that is nature, and is part of the natural environment. However, If I've always been able to travel from A to B, and then you (police or whoever) put a wall, barricade, freeway, etc in my way, then you have removed my choice. You have offensively changed conditions in my life. So even the great wall of China is an offensive weapon. It is wrongly called defensive. It can only truly be called static. A weapon is a weapon.

Any tool of Persuasion can be used in a fearful manner, so that is out. If you alter or remove choice by fear, that is a weapon. If you invent a time machine and go back in time, and create your wall before I'm born...and call it nature, then maybe.. but then you are God. otherwise, police will have to accept the fact that they are using force to make society conform to their or someone elses ideas.

What you are looking for is gentler and more efficient weapons, where the people are persuaded to obey with less force, and less cost.

Chris.

chrisg288

I agree, the wording of the title was a bit confusing. Never the less my idea is not based on attacking or hurting an opponent but to protect from him. Once my protection device is in "working position" the attacker will soon understand that any further attack is just a waste of time and will consider retreat. He could be attacking with gun, knife, spray or others. While protected the attacked has more time to react and from there make a choice of repelling the attacker by stronger means. Using the apparatus would take a days training for the uninitiated. Nothing like a shooting range though.

I am no friend of aggressive behavior and abhor violence. This idea just came up , out of the blue. 3 days later I had a proto type (proof of concept) and decided it could work. No harm done but protection delivered.

Good to see some feed back finally. Hope all is well, Ky.

Ky

Coming from a land with horrendous crime statistics (especially against women) any non-lethal defense or deterrent system has to be high on my list of priorities. (The day that I decide that I need to own a gun for personal defence is the day that I will leave my country).

Thanks for a great thread, I hope that it gets the responses that it deserves from some of the very smart people out there. I have come to realise that I am no inventor, but rather a developer of other peoples original ideas. I will follow this discussion with great interest.

"I have come to realise that I am no inventor, but rather a developer of other peoples original ideas."

Thats what an inventor is.. There are so few originators, they can almost be counted on one hand. Everyone builds on the work of someone else.. The only originals were the ancient gods, and maybe not even then. Most admit this freely. Invention is a work of synthesis. I get fresh ideas daily, but a little research shows I'm not the original. Nikola Tesla was obsessed with tracking down the 'inputs' to his visions and ideas, even when his mother appeared to him at the moment of her death.. he traced it to a painting of similar image he had seen, and proposed that his subconscious had manufactured an image that with which to communicate a timely message to him.

Then there are those inventors who borrow, but do not admit.. like Edison.

Chris

Hi Chris

You are describing the difference between an innovation and an invention. I think the Prof is referring to the dealing/realization of inventions and you are right, even that activity has and includes inventive steps.

If I could only show what I have come up with, you would be surprised how defensive it is. It is clearly an innovation (combining existing technologies). This thread is now getting there were I wanted it to be. I have already a better idea of what to touch or what to leave. Maybe after a few hundred more responses I shall know with what to proceed or what to disregard.

Your responses so far have been very critical and analytic and precise. Precision in all areas is very crucial for correct evaluation of any innovation/invention. If one leaves the wording, although it is known to be misleading or wrong, one would only do half the job. Thank you for the input, Ky.

The Prof

As I have explained to Chris it is not the Idea of this thread to make inventions public. I can tell you that the "implement" is:

1. light weight (estimated. 1,5kg)

2. reusable

3. easy to use

4. Size of a larger torch

5. Price around US $ 500

6. Could be fitted with extras ( Full on retaliation if need be) [sorry Chris]

7. Is harmless in the hands of the aggressor if captured.

Like I said, I have a proof of concept proto type and further R+D is required. Six months at full speed ahead and it could be introduced to interested parties. This is the everlasting optimist in me talking, so don't nail me down on the time frame.

All materials and parts could be assembled from off the shelf products/materials/parts. The casing would need injection molding but is straight forward.

See what happens and thanks for your input, Ky.

4. Size of a larger torch

7. Is harmless in the hands of the aggressor if captured.

Not to burst your bubble but a Marshmallow the size of a large flashlight can be used to cause death. More accurate statement may be "is not activatable if lost to aggressor" or something similar.

Having had training on how to use a torch/flashlight as a weapon as well as chopsticks. I have come to the conclusion anything, especially tools can be used as weapons. The mind foremost.

Best defensive weapon is National Geographic mags, as improvised body armor. The high quality paper stops knives and many small caliber bullets. Lacquering the pages makes a fair trauma plate. Very low cost when others discard them.

Brad

Hi Brad

Yes, being an amateur writer I will keep me running into being corrected. I take your point. This "tool" is to be used by people like body guards who not only have to protect them selves but others. If, as a security guard or policeman or soldier you are fired at and you are forced to take cover behind a car door or something similar useless you would be happy to use my invention (innovation).

In no time at all you would be protected and colleges, or mission members would have more time to react, knowing that you will be OK and then being able to react to the aggressor, himself (the threatened) still taking an active part.

If I hear in the movies, that there is an officer down it could have been avoided in most cases. Lack of cover is usually the cause. I am treading into deep water here so I better take a deep breath and think about how to explain it a bit better. Later.

I can't send a photo or video of the proto types ( there are two) but will try to take all advice and suggestions on board. Critical input is what development is all about. The yasayers have never been of great help in any kind of project.

Thank you for the response, Ky.

You are welcome, I'll try to give advice when I shoot something full of holes.

Brad

Yep, they think in practical terms. What would she want a new kind of dog food for or a method to remove kidney stones from the urinal tract? She wants a toaster that does it faster, cleaner, more energy efficient at the same price that others sell "normal toasters" for.

This toaster is much faster, 1/4 of the time. It also keeps the toast hot for longer, if one would wish to do so. One other advantage is that it will not fill up with crumbs that have to be shaken out once in a while. Can be messy, ask the loved one!

She'll have one if I could only find a large electrical appliance manufacturer who would even answer my emails. They put me on their mailing list and inform me about some other products they have in there overstocked ware houses, but that is about all. I wonder if management has even seen my proposal. I suppose I will have to turn up on there turf with a team of lawyers, so to be taken seriously.

The problem is that it is not an invention but an innovation. All they would have to do is use their existing parts and modify them a little bit. Well the housing will have to be changed but so what?

How could one even start to secure IP rights. Yes, with a legal firm but they charge like wounded bulls. All way out of my league.

Once on the market it (the principle of the toaster) would replace all existing toasters. At the same price, who would by the older models still available. This company could make a fortune and so would I, if sufficiently protected.

Hotel breakfasts will not be a waiting game anymore. I have seen metal conveyor belts transporting the bread through an oven. You put your toast in and go to the other end to wait for it to come out. You must have had these breakfasts your self. Annoying, is it not?

Tell your missus that she is the sweetest honey bun ever baked and that this guy from some pacific island will do his best to get her one. One never knows what is around the next corner!

Toast any one?

Talk to you soon, Ky.

One can buy a can of wasp spray, which is used to kill wasps from a distance of about 25 feet. It is effective for self-defense against people too.

As compared to a machine gun, a revolver is a defensive weapon. Sure enough a weapon is a weapon. Still it is not up to you to have control of the meanings of words. I do not accept your arrogance. I believe Aristotle was right to say that no argument can be resolved if the root meanings of the words are changeable. Intent has some bearing. I've defended myself against a knife with a gun, for instance. If I was defending myself with a knife against an attacker with a gun, it would be obvious to you that I had only a defensive weapon. In a fist fight without any weapons there are offensive moves, and defensive moves. Walking down the street and I am attacked by fists, and if I defend myself with my fists, my fists are used defensively. Of other sites besides CR4 I am fond of Yale Avalon Law Project.

"Still it is not up to you to have control of the meanings of words. I do not accept your arrogance."

So many hard words for such a soft interpretation of the issue at hand. I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt any feelings here. He just needed some clarification and he received it. Back to work Ky!

I am fond of Yale Avalon Law Project.

At last, someone who knows assault is the believed threat and battery is the physical action.

I find Yahoo tips and tricks quite enlightening and study Common and business law when I can.

Brad

Chris,

The great trick in life, and it doesn't matter ones age or experience, is to adjudicate the correct amount of force of will, intellect, brute or otherwise, to get the job done and not one iota more than that. Otherwise one is considered at best, arrogant, at worst a tyrant if one uses too much; and a wuss if one uses too little.

Hi Chris

Remind me of this one day and we shall see. I'm on the case but not bored, let me tell you.

Hope all is well, Ky.

To All

I can't believe that you are all happy with the toasters you are using (#10). They stink, waste energy and are time consuming and irritating. The time seems to be standing still when one is waiting. If you have more than your usual amount of guests toasting becomes a major issue. "Is it ready yet?" and "I'll have a couple thanks", can be very demanding on the missus, unless I have to do the deed, as usual.

Forget about protecting Presidents, give us toast and plenty of it and make it snappy. I can't believe no one has wanted one. Well what ever your evaluation it will be done! All in its own time!

Thanks to all, Ky.

I'm not unhappy with MY toaster. It's made of an old cardboard box; lined inside with some left over wall insulation; inside is another smaller cardboard box bevel cut so that the bottom is a third smaller than the top. The former large box's top leaves are folded out a bit more than straight up and held in place with silver duct tape the whole mess is lined with as wrinkle free as can be hand installed aluminum foil to concentrate a bit more sun into the the bottom center of the box. On the bottom (which is also lined with aluminum foil to create some back reflection) is a little grill on stilts. I put four slices of bread on it, then slide a couple boarder bricks under one side of the bottom to angle it toward the sun; if the wind is up I place a piece of 1/8th inch glass over the opening. My toaster only bakes the bread a light tan if it's cloudy out. Otherwise, in 10-fifteen minutes I'm handing toast to my wife to put on our plates, who's been cooking up breakfast.

I'm told by "kind" voluntary legal advisors that it will never be anything but a tool for third world home makers and nut jobs who have nothing better to do but tinker all day. I'm cool with that; the average African home maker only uses 43 joules of energy compared to my average 246.

The upside? Well, my grandson is taking an interest in science both in school and in the scouts; and he blames it all on his grandfather the absent minded weird science inventor of solar toasters and junk yard scrap into wind turbines. He's also the only kid I know of that lets The World Community Grid co-crunch on his computer at home while he's away at school or otherwise. And he has more project and science badges than his grandpa to prove it.

Meanwhile, I await the sun coming up so I can make some more toast on my item #10. And: Thank you for inquiring.

You're lucky to live in an area where you can expect sun.

I build the unit you explained and will now wait some months till the sun wil have sufficient power to toast.

Tinker65

If I would have started making toast when you started explaining your "bread heater"all of us could be munching away by now and that is even considering second serves.

Using less energy to make more and to do it faster is the basic idea. Not only for my toaster but for many appliances that we use. Waste not, want not.

Yes, the Grandson's and there attraction to tinkering. It is a joy to witness real fascination in their eyes and see them jump up and down when things work. If it doesn't they are the first to say "Lets try again". If I could only start over and have that same resilience.

Got to go, toast is ready. Greetings, Ky.

One of my favorite inventions that is supposedly around for lease is the HAL exoskeleton which I would apply for the last stage of sheetrock delivery.

There you go Trans, we do think of you. Sheetrock anywhere you like, Ky.

I'm willing to take a gamble on all of who wish to collaborate on the following project.. let me know.

ps.. wish I knew how to make these images bigger, but legible too. every time I stretch it, it gets fuzzier.

Another note.. the last company I worked for was on their second ERP system, and had purchased a large ERP system from a vendor in Australia, and had spend 1 million dollars on the system in the last 3 years.. and were still just getting started. They were missing an Engineering Manager, and design criteria and compliance for any job were in the heads of a just a couple of people for each job, and turnover was high.. so you know the information will be lost.

Hi Chris

You are making me a happy man with what you have proposed and how you propose it. This way of presenting is just great! I hope some more people would come out of the closet.

Your proposal is not in my field of expertise but I am sure you will have responses from the ones in the know. I wonder if this post could be restarted to get a bigger audience. The day I posted was the day Obama became President. Not good timing at all. Do you know if it could be done? Starting again and including the the posts already in it?

Wishing you all the best, and I mean it, Ky.

Hi Ky,

Thank you. I'm grateful.

I was thinking that people who want to participate can just email me from the system.

or chrisg288@hotmail.com. That way your thread can continue to act as the lead in. otherwise we would have to ask Chris Leonard if it is possible to restart/rewrite, and I could include a link to your thread so it maintains its link to its spark plug (you)

btw.. I love it when an OP stays actively involved in hosting their thread. GOOD JOB to you for all this. (GA)

Chris.

Good idea with the private email. One could start up preliminary contacts at CR4 mail box if people want to stay anonymous.

I only started very recently with computers and it has been a steep learning curve. I lack savvyness and would still call myself a novice regarding the possibilities of this new medium. I suppose some one with more knowledge in this area (like your self) would have approached this endeavor in a more efficient/other way. Like links and hyperlinks and so forth. Was hard enough for me to get into CAD drafting. I started with an Apple and that took some time to get over. They seem to be better now a day's. As if I could tell, anyway.

Give me a couple more years and I should be alright. By then things will have changed again but the Hamster will be running the wheel.

Now that you have reacted to this idea of networking with more people who "Know each other", I would like to see you do whatever you think will make this a long and successful thread.

Regarding your idea, some one might inform you that another program does just what yours does. Wouldn't that be great. I mean it. You would then know that investing further time in it does not ad up. If someone tells me that there is a better toaster (mouse trap) and it works just as good as the one I suggested I would be happy! It will take a couple of minutes to get over it but I would be relieved of the responsibility of having to go all the way with the idea. Compulsive, that's what inventors are. What a relief.

Hope this gets us some where, Ky.

I've stumbled across another company that makes similar software. awesomely powerful stuff.

Suggest you compare your work to standard Maintenance Logs and Protocols for Aviation applications. Typically you will find that for either National or International standardizations of Forms, they are the best. Your presented work reminded me of them as I have seen when working on airplanes. I am not aware and familiar with some of the Acronyms. For instance I don't know what ERP actually means. One time worked on an Industrial Film about what was called an Applied Learning Device. (Something like that.) -maybe Applied Learning Appliance. Was a job at SAS where I was doing Lighting. Thought it was a good idea. -Advanced Learning Appliance. -Was supposed to be a school tool that worked for students regardless of hardware and software, from my remember. Thing about Aviation Protocols and Systems that is nice is that they are pushed by the nature of the work, that when failing results in the machine crashing, in a more than irritating way. Just a suggestion. P.S. Acronym glossary would help me judge this sort of writing. Layout and lines caused me to give some input. Hope it is helpful. SAS is a Software company that is local and has done well.

Thank you Transcendian,

I did a quick search for logs and protocols, but didn't find anything similar to what I am proposing. can you provide me with a link please? I'm not quite catching the Specifications aspect?

Glossary

ERP Enterprise Resource Planning

QMS Quality Management System

ISO International Standards Organization

API American Petroleum Institute

ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials

ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers

ANSI American National Standards Institute

DNV Det Norske Veritas

You might ask these guys

http://search.ittoolbox.com/?r=Search+ITtoolbox

I think it be done with microsoft data base MDB also know as access