Frustrated inventor needs some advice

[D1gger]

I'll give an example of an invention that, as far as I know, no one has ever thought of before. I'm sure if someone did, someone out here will point it out asap.

OK, most inventions are created to solve a problem, here's the problem: Picture some kids playing on a frozen lake. The ice breaks, they fall in. Someone calls 911, help arrives, and rescue workers have to risk their lives getting out on the thin ice to rescue the kids. You see this on the news every year.

Here's something I came up with about 15 years ago. I'll do my best to explain it, you'll have to use your imagination. First, picture a human spine, all the vertebrae linked up to each other. Now imagine instead of the size of the vertebrae changing, they are all the same size, about half as big, and the spine is 100 feet long. Where the spinal cord is in a human, there is a cable with wires inside, running the length of the spine. On either side of each vertebrae are two holes with a wire running through each hole from one end to the other. The spine can bend like a human spine, one way it is very flexible, the other not so much, and it can flex to a certain point on either side.

Now, cover this spine with a heavy foam tube, so it looks like a rope. Attach it to a winch on the front of a vehicle, and attach the wires on either side to one motor each. The cable running through the rope that is closest to the vehicle would have wires coming out that would be attached to a joystick type device. At the far end of the rope, you could attach any number of devices. For the ice rescue scenario, it would be something that sits on ice skate blades, with a gripper at the front. With the rope wound onto the winch, as it is let out, the wires on either side could be pulled one way or the other to steer the rope. When the device at the end reaches the victim, the gripper at the front could be used to grasp some clothing, and then the victim could be winched in.

Any number of devices could be attached to the front of the rope. If the victim is in water, it could have some floats on the bottom instead of the ice skate blades. And there are any number of things you could mount onto the device at the end of the rope that would be useful in many scenarios, just use your imagination.

This idea has several flaws, one of the main ones being the cost to build it, and the fact that there are very few companies (mainly rescue agencies in cold weather areas) who would use one. But, it's an idea that I've never seen anywhere else.

If it is flexible enough to be wound onto a reel (I assume this is how the rescue company would carry it) then it would be too flexible to push very far out into the lake. It would either get caught up in the snow and start to bend in it's one very flexible direction, or the friction would overcome it's ability to push and it would begin to bend.

 

[feralkid]

the latest one I've come up with is very unique.

'Unique' is an absolute modifier. There is no 'very'.

 

[herm0016]

Do you happen to know if there is help for Veterans? That's something I haven't thought to look up.

From what I've found, you are correct, patents cost a lot, and take forever. Google actually has a patent search tool, I've gone through it for countless hours, and scoured the internet, haven't found anything even close to what I've thought up.

Were there companies at the conference who said they would help you patent your inventions? I've been warned to watch out for these companies, as it's hard to find one that is legit, they are liable to steal your idea and patent it under their own name. Once they have the patent, there's nothing you can do. The way it was described to me, it's like letting someone else sign the back of your winning lottery ticket, they can keep the money and you don't have a leg to stand on.

when i get a bit of time i will find my folder from the conference.