Tag Archives: patents

Squeezies

I’m working out the details of my next invention, and I think it’s going to be a big one, with serious benefits for humanity. I thought I’d mention it here in case anyone wants to pitch in some venture funding for its development.

As it becomes commonplace, future generations will know the technology by a friendly, easily-pronounceable name that weaves itself into everyday language — maybe ”Squeezies” — and it’s only by looking it up on Wikipedia that you’ll discover the origins of the name in the original acronym SQSCZs – Sir Quentin’s Self-Closing Zips.

The idea is simple: Squeezies are just like normal zip fasteners except that a few minutes after you unzip them, they slowly and gently zip themselves back up again. This will be done using some terribly cunning micro-motors and very small batteries or, more probably, some clever nanomaterials; I’m still working on the details.

Squeezies will be fitted to travel clothing to thwart the pickpockets in the Paris metro and Naples railway stations. They will be fitted to gentlemen’s trousers to reduce embarrassing sartorial lapses. And they will be fitted to rucksack compartments to avoid, say, losing the keys to your Grasmere B&B yesterday halfway up the highest mountain in England and not realising until many hours later (just to pick a hypothetical example).

To every day turn, turn, turn

From our ‘Things we could patent but probably won’t’ department…

Here’s something I’d like, which should not be too hard to create: a satellite navigation system that understood, when it gave you a direction, the consequences of your failing to do so.

If it’s telling me to take a motorway exit which, if I miss it, will involve driving 10 miles further on before I can even turn round, I’d like it to notify me of that in no uncertain terms. It can flash red and yell at me if necessary, especially if I don’t seem to be slowing down and changing lane. It can do so even if I normally have the audio turned off. And it can do so if the route it previously suggested is no longer appropriate, because there’s been an accident resulting in a three-mile tailback.

If, on the other hand, it wants me to turn left but there are several other left turns ahead, any of which will do, and none of which will add more than a minute or two to my journey, then it can inform me in a much more relaxed way.

What do you think? Am I on to something here?

smart-satnav

Who should really be suing Apple?

Dickon’s comment on my last post reminded me of another post from four years ago.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, they say, but it can also be the most expensive.

Dear Apple, a billion dollars would be nice, but I think the Broadband Phone team would probably settle for some nice new MacBook Pros…

🙂

Exbiblio RIP and IP

I haven’t been able to talk about it before now, but thanks to the USPTO it appears to be public knowledge that the Exbiblio patent portfolio was recently acquired by Google. (The company basically closed down after Martin King passed away last year.)

As is so often the case with my exploits, by the time they actually make any money I no longer have any financial stake in them! But it’s encouraging to think that the weeks and months that I and others put into writing those patents did at least produce something that others found valuable enough to pay reasonably substantial sums for them.

Congrats to all concerned!

© Copyright Quentin Stafford-Fraser