EASIER LIFE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 724, 27 December 1933, Page 3

EASIER LIFE

USEFUL INVENTIONS WIONDERFUL NEW DEVXCES DISPLAYED AT LONDON EXHIBITION SOME NOVEL IDEAS London, Nov. 17. If all the wonderful new devices /receflftily shown in London at the ninth International Exhibition of Inventions were in general use everywhere, what an easy life this would he for almost everyone. There ♦'were ahout 300 new inventions, hy fnemhers of the Institute of Patenteek' rang'ingi from a thimble which cuts and threads cotton to a gong which foils the car thi&f — something to simiplify every household ;task and to make for more efficiency in the office and worshop. Here are ■some of them: ' Garments of showerproof paper for sale in cases of emergency at football matches and other outdoor i meetings. A device which lifts the telephone to the ear when one steps on a pedal or presses the writing pad. ; Under shoes which give the pedes- I trian the equivaleinf of pneumatie tyres. | A shield for Yale locks which when lifted lights up and facilitates the finding of the keyhole in the dark. "| And there is a chemical process for the intensive growing of corn which enahles a crop to be produced in fourteen days. "Sensihle and Practical" This was demonstrated during the course of the exhibition, which was one of the most interesting and successful of the series held- during the last fourteen years. i "There has been a considerahle improvement in the quality of the inventions over that period," declared Mr. Drury Coleman, the general secretary of the institute. "The men and women who apply themselves to invention are .now much more sensible and practical in their ideas," he said, ",and far hetter informed in regard to patents and their market possibili- ( ties. 1 "This, I think, is the direct result of hetter seienti'fic education, the growth of technical colleges, and the immense volume of technical literature in books and journals. The iine library at the Patent Office has never been so extensively used as it to-day." Together with the inventions of individual members t'here were displayon nearly 70 trade stands the best i of the inventions placed on the market during the last year. , ; Trade Exhibits Among the most notable of these were naturally the new devices of a year ago which were awarded medals lat the previous Inventions Exhibition. j The 'holder of the 1932 Gold Medal is S-ouplex, Ltd., whose new patent "Comibless" safety razors, represent quite a unique design in safety raz- ! ors, the blade resting on rows of : safety cones in place of the usual "teeth." The cut hair and lather is j directed from the hlade edge by means of slots in the guard. The invention awarded the Silver , Medal last year is the Patent Cone J Cooker, which has since becom-e | widely popular for its efficiency and economie advantages. i The cone is placed over the food, which is then cooked on top of the stove. By this means the maximum heat is retained and there is no unneeessary wastage of the juices. Among this year's new introduc- j tions the "Moratome" open coal grate 'has heen awarded the Bronze Medal. This grate is so constructed that little or no heat escapes up the flue, but almost all the radiant heat is dis- , trihuted over the room, into which however, no fumes are able to escape. ' Sp ecial refractory tested hricks are used in the construction oif the fireplace. | Artificial flowers made of sea shells brought all the way from the Pacific ■ also attracted considerahle attention at the stand of Madame Marguerite (Mrs. Harcourt-Freeman, who has a splendid war-time record and works with the definite object of employing ex-Servicemen) . Among other specialities shown by Madame Marguerite was a new flexible paint for use on leather. Among the exhibits of a time-and-labour-saving nature, a most simple device, but one of appreciable worth to the housewife and cook, was the "Choppalotte." This foui^-bladed vegetable chopper, constructed of stainless steel, attracted considerahle attention on the stand of the Warren Gallery.