INVENTIONS OF 1913.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1998, 4 March 1914, Page 3

INVENTIONS OF 1913.

NEW* AERONAUTICAL PATENTS LIFE SAVIWC AT SEA. ; During the year 1913 there- was no striking progress, as far as tlie number of applications .for patents filed , in theUnited Kingdom is coupe-rued. From information supplied by' Messrs: Hughes ami Young, patent agents,. Cbniicwy Lane, London, it .appears . thai SO,] 02 applications for jiatests- Were nuido during 11)18, This is praotieajly the same as the previous -year .and slightly in -excess oi* 1911. During rc- . c't-nfc years, the lowest figures recorded i wore for 1988, wi»e» t.bft iiHmtar.'dicf not j reach i! 9.00(); while tho high-water »ark J was touched_in tin? succeeding year with applications approaching 31,000.

I'pon investigating tins nature of tile various inveiitions which niado their debnt in 1813, it appears that a v-ery prominent po&itie-u is occupied by aermiantire, as one would nattirally oxpftct in a, year which has I)ecn'largol,v devoted te tlso couqnost of tlie air, 500 inventions in this diiwtiou waving bow brought jorward. One of the snost intcrestiiig devices of tho kind in qites* tioii is pneumatic vrearitig apparel for aviators. Tins eonsiste of ft 'helmet, a breaiit-plafei and hip and leg coverings Mntainißj? a jiumbor of small balls in* Haiti with air, The object of ths invention is to protect airmen against bleiva from tho propeSfer blades, or other MH-eli.ijnstti, in Case. of. falls or viokmt landings. , • However, although aerauautfes bu3k so largely, locomotion on tenw firma is still found in the foremast place, over 2000 applications having boon filed for patents relating to railways a.iul motor and other roar! vehicles. Included in tlic list are cfintrivaiicfis for the pj'cveivtio'n of railway accidents, which the frightful <'atastraßh.es of last year have stimulated inventors to ctevist, .

Pt eventing oatast]fppl»s, A profomid philosopher has said t "There- is not tmmitigatod- ill in tiro sharpest-of this world's sorrows." And tire trntii of this greet -thought 3). as liecii atoply demonstrated in the in-ventions-of 1913. For instance, appaV ■ling wining"disasters liavo moywl invc-n----fiirs to .focus their attention upon menus of preventing fatalities duo to. ctekejdamp, \ 'Bio most interesting appliance of 'tliis. kilts] is a. whistio which the state ol.ihxs atmosphere ca-tises atitomniiealh, to warn miners of impending danger> 'Catastrophes at sea, such.as tliat of the Voltunio, have likcwiso j , ©* stilted in a. crop of iuvcnticuis (soMee-ming iife-sayiug devices. ' One of these is an SBvcijtioii by a princess, who is alrcwty is:oll kiiOH'li as a siiecossfuJl <lovkel v of murine enntrivaMes;' This relates to tliG davits, which ,are tisecl on the ship for tho inirpose of lowering" boats. 'Fμ davits Her Higlinoss has invented are so eon-' Eti'itctcd that tho Ijdiits siring quite dear of the vosspL This ivili |>rovent the desti-iictiou of tlio boats wli'icb is so. oftai caused by a wmgh sea dash* iiss them against tlio side, of tlio vessel. Another feature of the Princess' itivciw tieii is that, wkai sivimg out over tho •sick' of tho rosso], the dariis em be matlo to iorja a-i eentinuoHs'rail, by' iiiosins'of which the, boats ''way bo'rapidly aliifted to any.part of the vessel that circumstances ncoessitatp. 'flic usefniness of this arrangement is. obvious; for those boats wlrieh are on the windward side of Uio vessel can in a "few'mhmtcs fee brought to the lee-iva-ftt, .whicii, owing .td its slieitcreft positioiv. is wstiatly more favourable for the launching of boats. : Inveiitors have devoted consider-ftiile atfcontion to the of ships-, aild α-devko has been patented by wans of which tho wliofe-of the bulk" head dwirs can be controlled from the bridge, a'ud, in cases of cnjergpircy, closiKf with .remarkable qxpoditiou. A i>late departure also in the ißicttad of ii-rapdtiiig' vessels- lias been intrjsdnwd! .the finnciple is Hwt of drawing :«. sttsid of driving, the naoving foree being m front, and not behind tho v«sse.-l s m hitherto. . Both methods, hawoi , , may he i-isfcd siraultaiiooilsty, ,- * . .Since the early-.(lay*, when t-Jie campstool Was iin-euted, litany eollaps-iMp 95--tfcks have 'been jjatoirted.,- a»d dnri-is 1013 new- {Jc-vicDs Witetlyiilg "this :di;J h-are be-ra in s-vi-dontc. i%- iustance, a oolkpsiblo mcat-sgfe Iras appaai-eil oii the sicono, iti addition to a cijj'lapsibte sidii-car; «-hilc that most' aec<Rfltaßdal> iiifi artidc ef fttrniturc—-a coli.-vpsibio bwlsteatl—is not .missing from tho list. The fijost interesting invei.rtian of t'h-is description is an autimiatie cdlfepsiblo escape-ladder, which, in the case of disaster at sea, p*ovides a rapid, eontiimous, and saftt mentis of tnmsfe.rrii.rg passeiig«sfs and crow from the vessel to boats or rafts, t \

Ideas jn Furnitufe, As regards li<nise-ftjniiUi«j, a number of ideas hiivo been .materialised, toiikin;* lor tlie. comfort and csuvclifeite of tbo jjofflfl. Limited spate mate convertible ' jj-rtiolos ivele&nje. .Among those atieamiiiodating eoirtrivaftccs \re note an easy chair lvliicli can bo transformix! into, a cradle, siifi a .boaktiase ttet jjiay bii ffletaMorpJiosed into a bed. tjlia lioiiseholder who Is foarftjl of tJij6 übiquitaus microbej which at present i'M» firosses- the attention of the medical teeuß.Y, may nosv be provided with ftifiiftur* which offers not the least Jjsspitali'ty to the disqasc>di;sscmiHati!i.g Kerm, The t'ljrniture in Question is stamped out of compressed steel, and ■there is ho stuffing to hartoitr the timidly bacillus. An im'cniigjj spsci* ally designed l : or flats or apaf timarts m one love], is.a revolving grato; emise((BciitJy, a Kro which dn'rhnjg tlici cveiiiug lias wai'med a sitting-Moiii" sna.y, by '•« (Hiick viglit-about tvtra,.nTa4e to •nrcsctU its gcninl ghv . ta.aj)' odjoiMng bed* won.). •'' '

Alisons; the mfedfflpli'citted .inventiMts is a. paper wardrobe consisting of an in-tight bag made of paper, i.tt which wearing gpparel may ho enclosed. Tlw waggish reader will bo tempted to remarie that such a conlm-aircn would tend to-Biflto one's trousers "baggy." An armisMnwt device, consists of 4 huge cushion, the inflation mil deflation of which causes'an Mndtihting sarfaoß like the \vaves of IJio sea, Upon ■ this siufaco smell vessels wil! ritlftj gning passengers ,1 realistic i& of the briny oocau, and also, proljabS.v, of ni;ji do ltter.- '■ Anotlice eontrivance vrlarcli prodijires RTMit excitement is a Rwiteishack■■ railway, with vftfintiniis in. tlte silirttso of apjjn.rejtfi obstacles wliicili tteatett the cars witli imwifioiit cjastws, tint we at ihb last moment safely avoideiL Inventors hnra likewise turaed tlioir attentiou to .labonr-sayiag ilmUces. An ingenious indention is a vim-km&Vf, tinw-reoortWng is-:«dii)ir; with which is incorporated a thuml-pfMit armiiaeiiveiit. that enables eacb'worliitiiui to bo'ideiitilietl l''or Tiattis-aHsts, tivre lias Ijf.pii tTcsti's«l a flfwdiil frii-iJ-ittsting I)QX of s«ch n. naltire tJiat elie mi\r obsoh'ft tti«' hithits nf birds wiMjsnur disUiAing ilspm, In the sewmcJ tleqaile of ibe. vaunted twentieth f-iiinr.v ojms vsupots all things to advance by leaps and boniitls; it is natural, thcrei'orp. tn inquire why the number of pntonts dnps net iiuiltjplv at a cWYcspoiwlitijsly prOKVdssivc rate. A fpasiWc conk-p'hiro wlvirji ttiny acciiWiil; parity at Ipast fer Ihn stasnairt ■:-iiiulit,ioii of iilvoivtitvn. is Jvlsnt lftsit ion- yoais havo liciui Uwps «( pivispesity, HiirJ. roiisffjtivnily. inaJitifiirtniws bWnj; very Imsy. h:»vt». been less uliafiysfjl to witiM'tiiin Hkv pranosals a!' iivrtnt«i'-. j