I was putting on my makeup in my younger days (when I wore a lot of it) and had trouble with controlling the brush on the liquid eyeliner. Wouldn’t it be great if they packaged this… just like in a felt-tip pen? Eyeliner delivery in a felt-tip.
Yes. One summer afternoon I came up with the bright idea for a “disposable charcoal pack”, like to take to parks etc. A shallow alluminum tray filled with “Match-Lite” briquettes and a easy-tear-off top…went to Winn-Dixie a couple days and saw some for sale…maybe that was my inspiration
In 1966 or so, I invented ski brakes. I never built a working model, but had completely worked out the details in my head. They were in all respects identical to commercial ski brakes that came out in the late '70s.
Didn’t happen to me, but I read some time ago about a guy who had the idea of using edible packaging for meals for astronauts. So he worked out some details and took the idea into a patent attorney.
The attorney says, “Can’t patent this - it’s been done before”.
The year was 1994 and I was 12 years old. Our family didn’t even own a computer yet, I had never been on the internet and the only “mobile” phone I’d ever seen was used by Zach Morris. Even so I had the idea that it would be really convenient if you had a computer/phone that you could take with you anywhere. I even made a prototype out of legos.
Every time I look at my iPhone I think: “that could have been me.”
Gershon Legman in one of his books mentions that when he was a young man he thought he had invented the “69” position in sex. He was disappointed later when he found out that it had been around for a few years.
While playing with my Game Boy in the early 90s, I invented the idea of the eReader. According to Wikipedia, I actually invented them as the first eReaders weren’t released until 1998. Too bad I didn’t have the technical know-how when I was 10 to make it work.
I also invented a bicycle generator in my head a few years back, but it looks like they exist. Although I don’t think there’s a simple commercial kit you can buy. It’s all DIY still. So I’ve got hope for my millions yet.
Reminds me of something I had thought of for people who didn’t want to be bothered – a ‘Go Away’ mat for the front door. Then one day I saw one in a catalog.
One of the fake commercials on Saturday Night Live circa 1977 had Dan Aykroyd excitingy explaining the workings of a new, triple-blade razor.
I saw a stand-up comic about 25 years ago who said he had an idea. Every car should come with a car phone, and the license plate number should be the number of the car phone. That way you could call up the person in front of you and tell them to get the hell out of your way.
When I was 5 or 6, someone explained the concept of a rectal thermometer to me. I said “They should just figure out a way to put a thermometer in a pacifier so the poor sick babies don’t have to get a thermometer up their butts.” I got a chuckle and a pat on the head. Years later, they were everywhere.
Lots of times. I decided at one point to buy a pair of sport goggles and a cheap pair of corrective reading glasses with my prescription, so I could glue the latter to the former. Then I got to sporting goods store and saw I could buy corrective safety goggles right off the shelf. I’ve used them ever since.
I had a dream about how to build a 3D TV. I looked it up and found it had already been patented.
At work, I know of at least two cases where our solution to a particular problem was thought of by someone else about the same time as we did, or much earlier.
I’m not surprised. There are plenty of cases in history of multiple ndependent inventions (or simultaneous theories) – incandescent light bulbs, celluloid film. Even the simultanneous appearance of identical (and very modern) theories of the rainbow in Persia and France (and which were promptly forgotten again until re-discovered over 400 years later).
A VERY necessary product, because I don’t have 3 hands and neither does anyone else. And that’s kinda what you need in order to do anything effective with a blow dryer.
Way way back it was possible to buy an outboard motor boat with a steering console in the front part of the boat. Controlling the outboard was by means of cables attached to the steering wheel and throttle; those things were prone to failure and were difficult to service. I came up with a hydraulic system that did everything the cable system did. I made drawings of the thing and cooked up a tentative parts list. Unfortunately I lacked to means to build a prototype and a boat to try it on. My initial design wasn’t too different to those that are used today. I’m sure some of the big boys were working on the same thing, but I know mine was way ahead of its time. Oh, well, easy come and easy go.
Has anyone ever spread peanut butter on just toasted bread? Then you can thank me. After coming up with this many years ago, I told a few friends about it, they spread the word, and the rest is history.
About 60 years ago Skippy peanut butter had a series of TV commercials about putting peanut butter on toast. My familiy tried it and liked it and I’ve been doing it ever since.
Back in the mid-70s, I was in the military. Some of us were idly shooting the shit over coffee one morning, and one of the guys started talking about how he was going to make his fortune with an invention he had in mind. After some prodding, he finally told us about his idea for the “Key Light”. See, it would be this tiny flashlight that would double as a key holder so you could see your door lock in the dark.
I stared at him for a few seconds, then took mine out of my pocket and said: “You mean, something like this?” He was crushed.
Oh, please. That Skippy commercial went nowhere. The world in fact let out a collective yawn. Yes, technically it was Skippy who came first, but I invented it independently, in the mid-seventies, when the world was ripe for a new taste sensation and I maintain full credit, thank you.