product ideas

Following on from Chris's message. . .

Quoted message said:

I am in the final year of a technology education degree course, part of
which involves designing a product and manufacturing it to prototype stage.
The product has to be original, or better designed, than any similar product
on the market. I am posting this message to a number of newsgroups in the
hope that someone will have a problem with a product they use, or can't find
a product to suit their requirements in the market place. I would appreciate
any (sensible) suggestions.

An _emergency_ rain suit.

--
PETER FOX Not the same since the statuette business went bust.
[email hidden]
2 Tees Close, Witham, Essex.
Gravity beer in Essex <http://www.eminent.demon.co.uk>

mae <jon_AT_restlesslemon_DOTco_DOT_uk> wedi ysgrifennu:

Quoted message said:

Nathaniel Porter [email hidden] opined the following...

Quoted message said:

How about an effective means of delivering courtesy messages to
other road users? (i.e. I'm am ceading my priority, thank you and so
on.)

Mostly needed on motor vehicles (other users can use hand signals to
much the same effect), but could be developed for use on other
vehicles if demand is there.

Would help make using the road easier and more pleasant.

On some occasions I have felt the need for a large sign across the
back window which could display messages to other drivers, such as
"Sorry, being a [censored] there!".

"Sorry I drove into you while concentrating on typing out this message."

--
Rob

Please keep conversations in the newsgroup so that all may contribute
and benefit.

"Sarennah" wrote

Quoted message said:

Possible market: approx one half the population.

Err no actually, some of us have mastered the art of using simple tools and
would sooner die than buy a girlie tool set!

What I would like though is a gadget that pops the tyres of cars that
overtake within an inch of my horse and something to frighten the life out
of cyclists who whoosh up behind us silently and then overtake frightening
the life out of said horse. Only kidding by the way :-))

Cath Fleetwood said:

Err no actually, some of us have mastered the art of using simple tools and
would sooner die than buy a girlie tool set!

And some of us are bigger and stronger than a lot of men anyway :-)

Roos

"SteveH" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Please point to the law / section of the Highway Code that outlaws
'undertaking'.

It's acceptable to "undertake" if the traffic stream in your lane is moving
faster than the traffic streams in others.

If the knobs on the Brum section of the M6 want to sit bumper-to-bumper, and
get sunburnt by flashing brakelights that's their choice - me? I prefer
sitting in that "empty tract" of an inside lane at a pleasant 55mph (rather
than an erratic 20 - 65 in the other lanes) until I'm well clear of the West
Mids.

To the original poster: perhaps we need some sort of device that shoots farm
silage from bonnet mounted cannons at anyone on a mobile phone while
driving? Or, a little sticker (or anal cattle prod) reminding drivers that
the use of indicators is mandatory, not optional.

--
Ken Davidson
DocDelete

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"Ambrose Nankivell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In news:[email hidden],
Cardinal Fang <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Pete Biggs said:

Chris wrote:

> I am in the final year of a technology education degree course, part
> of which involves designing a product and manufacturing it to
> prototype stage. The product has to be original, or better designed,
> than any similar product on the market. I am posting this message
> to a number of newsgroups in the hope that someone will have a
> problem with a product they use, or can't find a product to suit
> their requirements in the market place. I would appreciate any
> (sensible) suggestions.

The holy grail of bicycle accessories: A strong, secure yet
*lightweight* lock. I want one! Get cracking please :-)

A plasma torus. Weighs almost nothing and will melt anyone trying to
nick the bike. (Battery not included.)

Just need a portable nuclear reactor,

The torus is the reactor, but the containment system is a bit weighty.

Quoted message said:

and not only do you have your
lightweight lock, it's also even lighter after you've locked the bike for a
while. And if you need to fuel it with something, I believe supermarket
bikes are made of pure uranium.

Depleted uranium, probably. Which is why you should not take a file to them.

Quoted message said:

It *is* the densest element, isn't it?

That would be Osmium, with a specific gravity of about 22, according to my
memory.
--
Mark South
Citizen of the World, Denizen of the Net
<<Tiens! Ce poulet a une grenade!>>

"Sarennah" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

OT - general tools suitable for women-sized hands and designed to give
extra leverage where necessary to compensate for the typical
difference in strength, and particularly hand strength, between men
and women. Egs, screwdriver, electric drill.

That's surely down to the physical strength of the *individual* not their
sex or size. I know many blokes who have extreme difficulty even picking up
a screwdriver or drill, let alone using it.

--
Ken Davidson
DocDelete

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"Roos Eisma" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Cath Fleetwood said:

Err no actually, some of us have mastered the art of using simple tools and
would sooner die than buy a girlie tool set!

And some of us are bigger and stronger than a lot of men anyway :-)

We're back to Dutch culture again, aren't we? :-) :-)

But think of the fashion benefits. And the manufacturers could sell owners a
new tool set every season, like the wheel manufacturers do now.

On the practical side, I would suggest a functional bottom bracket gearing
system that is robust, weighs the same as a medium quality cartridge BB, costs
about £20, and provides 3 to 5 speeds.

This would transform the world of folding bikes and enable city bikes to be
built with maximal cleanliness and hub brakes etc etc.
--
Mark South
Citizen of the World, Denizen of the Net
<<Tiens! Ce poulet a une grenade!>>

Quoted message said:

Following on from Chris's message. . .

Quoted message said:

I am in the final year of a technology education degree course, part of
which involves designing a product and manufacturing it to prototype

stage.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The product has to be original, or better designed, than any similar

product

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

on the market. I am posting this message to a number of newsgroups in

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

hope that someone will have a problem with a product they use, or can't

find

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

a product to suit their requirements in the market place. I would

appreciate

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

any (sensible) suggestions.

A low cost, easy to operate, and ever handy device of blocking views of
accidents, broken down cars or other incidents. This is accomplished by an
accident shield device unit installed in the boot of official vehicles which
can be assembled by a single person in a few minutes. The unit consists of a
screen which is large enough to prevent most passersby (motorists or
pedestrians) from viewing the scene. As a result, this device aids in
maintaining traffic flow and safety by preserving the natural momentum of
traffic and keeping other drivers focused on traffic conditions, rather than
the accident scene or stricken vehicle.

- this is from an American's patent:

http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=US6036249

- I invented it too about the same time but he patented it first - ah,
well... I was really excited by the idea though and I've never seen one used
in the UK. Think of all the traffic jams on the motorway you've been in that
have been caused by an incident on the other carriageway; you get to the
front of the queue and damn, you've done it too - the road in front is
clear!

Or, what about an in car imobiliser system that when a thief imobilises me
by stealing my car, imobilises he/she by chopping their legs off? I expect
you'd have to put warning stickers on the windows and mention if to vallet
parking attendents...

Or, come up with a method of manufacturing a low cost Jaguar E-Type bonnet.

Jon.

<snip>

Quoted message said:

How about an effective means of delivering courtesy messages to other road
users? (i.e. I'm am ceading my priority, thank you and so on.)

The Police have these. I saw Range Rover with an LED display board like you
see in doctor's waiting rooms displaying messages like "turn your fog lamps
off" or "put your seat belts on", perhaps also "pull over, you're nicked"
:-)

Jon.

Cath Fleetwood said:

What I would like though is a gadget that pops the tyres of cars that
overtake within an inch of my horse and something to frighten the
life out of cyclists who whoosh up behind us silently and then
overtake frightening the life out of said horse. Only kidding by
the way :-))

No kidding, really. I am very careful around horses - they really hate my
bike. An inexperienced horse can get badly spooked. I always talk to the
riders as I approach (another advantage of not being in a tin box!)

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

Victory is ours! Down with Eric the Half A Brain!

Jonathan Halsall said:

A low cost, easy to operate, and ever handy device of blocking views
of accidents, broken down cars or other incidents.

Aha! An SEP field generator!

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

Victory is ours! Down with Eric the Half A Brain!

In article <[email hidden]>,

Just zis Guy said:

I always talk to the
riders as I approach (another advantage of not being in a tin box!)

Same here. I find "Get off the [censored] road and use a bridle path" works
best.

--
*How many roads must a man travel down before he admits he is lost? *

Dave Plowman [email hidden] London SW 12
RIP Acorn

"Terry D" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:3w9tc.1$74.0@newsfe4-win...

Quoted message said:

Pete Biggs said:

The holy grail of bicycle accessories: A strong, secure yet

*lightweight*

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

lock. I want one! Get cracking please :-)

~PB

I'll second that one. Took both of my locks out with me yesterday so
that I could secure my good bike in an al fresco location (it normally
stays indoors at home or in the workshop) Together the locks weigh
almost as much as the bike! Makes buying a lightweight bike pointless if
you have to cart things like that about all the time.

Perhaps a built in device like the steering lock on a car. Stealing a bike
with the front wheel on full lock must be difficult, unless the thievery is
of the bung it in the back of a van variety. It may also make the bike more
trouble than it's worth. (to the thieves I mean)

Steve

shazzbat said:

Perhaps a built in device like the steering lock on a car. Stealing a
bike
with the front wheel on full lock must be difficult, unless the thievery
is
of the bung it in the back of a van variety. It may also make the bike
more
trouble than it's worth. (to the thieves I mean)

Not quite a steering lock but you can get locks called 'nurses locks'
these attach to the frame (on the brake lugs) and lock around the wheel
when necessary. They tend to be not as good as U-locks but an Abus one did
well in recent test. Their big benefit for a hack bike is that they are
never forgotten.

Colin

Mark South said:

On the practical side, I would suggest a functional bottom bracket gearing
system that is robust, weighs the same as a medium quality cartridge BB, costs
about £20, and provides 3 to 5 speeds.

Doesn't Sturmy Archer fall into this category????

Kirsty (who don't know nuffin' bout bikes.....)

Dave Plowman said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Just zis Guy said:

I always talk to the
riders as I approach (another advantage of not being in a tin box!)

Same here. I find "Get off the [censored] road and use a bridle path" works
best.

Oh great! Just so as idiot off-road cyclists can scare your horse
instead? Of course that's assuming that there actually *is* a
bridlepath within 50 miles.....

Kirsty (who wonders what response she would get if she opened her car
window to shout "Get off the [censored] road and use a cyclepath" if she
met Mr Plowman on his bike)

KirstyH said:

Quoted message said:

On the practical side, I would suggest a functional bottom bracket=20
gearing
system that is robust, weighs the same as a medium quality cartridge=20
BB, costs
about =A320, and provides 3 to 5 speeds.

Doesn't Sturmy Archer fall into this category????

Sturmeys are built into the rear wheel's hub, not the bottom bracket=20
(where the cranks go round).

The only BB gears I know offhand are the Schlumpf range, but they=20
provide 2 speeds[1] and cost =A3245.

Pete.

[1] a lot of money for two speeds? Well, yes, but the general idea is=20
you double up your existing gear setup rather than replace it.
--=20
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Dave Plowman said:

Quoted message said:

I always talk to the
riders as I approach (another advantage of not being in a tin box!)

Quoted message said:

Same here. I find "Get off the [censored] road and use a bridle path"
works best.

Two possibilities:

1. You missed the smiley, or
2. You are an [censored].

Answers on a postcard, please...

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

Victory is ours! Down with Eric the Half A Brain!

KirstyH said:

Dave Plowman said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Just zis Guy said:

I always talk to the
riders as I approach (another advantage of not being in a tin box!)

Same here. I find "Get off the [censored] road and use a bridle path"
works
best.

Oh great! Just so as idiot off-road cyclists can scare your horse
instead? Of course that's assuming that there actually *is* a
bridlepath within 50 miles.....

Kirsty (who wonders what response she would get if she opened her car
window to shout "Get off the [censored] road and use a cyclepath" if she
met Mr Plowman on his bike)

I don't think Mr Plowman is a cyclist, though I could be wrong. His reply
may have been that of a classic car enthusiast, a gardener or a sea angler
as his reply was crossposted to more than the two currently. The response
would be an odd one froma gardener or angler so I expect he is in his car
when he says this. He probably says something similar to cyclists

Colin