The Eyes Have It at the December Meeting
Dr. Bill Torch, inventor of the Eye Com, will be the featured speaker Saturday at
thc NlA meeting. Torch and his invention, which measures the length of time between a persons eye blinks, was featured
in a cover article about the Nevada Inventor's Association in the December 7, 2000 issue of the Reno News and Review.
Dr. Torch will chronicle the inventing processes for the E Cm I, II, III, and IV. During this process the eye com
became smaller and quicker. Torch's creative mind found new applications for the device and it is now being refined
as a tool to measure and warn a driver or pilot of sleepiness. The Eye Com was featured at the NIA State Fair Booth
and has generated interest from the military and commercial airline and trucking industries.
Dr. Torch has been an active member of the NIA and is deeply involved with the planning of the association's Children's
Science and Technology Museum. He will speak to the group on the latest developments regarding the museum. This
topic has spurred much interest and a flurry of conversation and ideas at past meetings.
| President | Randy Sloan | 747-3711 |
| Vice-President | Alex Prokop | 323-1972 |
| Secretary/Treasurer | Tony Patti | 677-4824 |
| Membership | Kehl LeSourd | 853-0441 |
| Web Pag;e | Vince Chemist | 677-0123 |
| Program Director | Charles ketcham | 323-5654 |
| Newsletter Editor | Margaret Stewart | 787-0314 |
Excerpted from The Costco Connection, December 2000
The National Governors' Association (NGA) has published Nurturing Entrepreneurial Growth in State Economies. The
report advises strategies to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship which include improving access to capital, providing
technical assistance, improving state tax environments and reaching out to entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurs:
• Develop innovative products and services that improve quality of life.
• Provide most new employment opportunities.
• Create wealth that is reinvested in new enterprises and in new Communities.
Learn more about this publication online at: www.nga.org.
Frequently Asked Questions About Patents
Answered by Randy Sloan NIA President
Q. May I write to the Patent and Trademark Office Directly about my application after it is filed?
A. Thc office will answer an applicant's inquires as to the status of the application, and inform you whether your
patent has been rejected, allowed, or is awaiting action. However, if you have a patent attorney or agent of record
in the application file, the Office will not Correspond with both you and the attorney/agent concerning the merits
of your application. All comments Concerning your application should be forwarded through your attorney or agent.
Q. Is it necessary to go to the Patent and Trademark Office to transact business concerning patent matters?
A. No, most business with the Office is Conducted by correspondence. Interviews regarding pending applications
can be arranged with examiners if necessary, however, and are often helpful.
Female Inventors to Be Featured
Inventors Digest will feature female inventors who have products on the market in its March/April 2001 issue. Please
send ID's assistant editor, Robin Harned, detailed information, including product specifications and professional-quality
photographs. Mail to Inventor's Digest, 30-31 Union Wharf, Boston, MA 02109
Follow the Sun
With the dramatic increase in heating fuel prices this highly creative idea may appeal to our members.
Follow the Sun (taken in its entirety from Invelltor's Digest Nov/Dec. 2000)
The shortest day of the year is fast approaching but one man in New Zealand has found a perfect way of getting
as much SUN as he can while it shines. According to a Reuters report, Auckland-based inventor Don Dunick has built
a house that revolves to face the sun, if that's what he wants. If the shade is what he's seeking, he can turn
his house in that direction. He was quoted as saying, "The house call sense the temperature in any room and
will automatically revolve to make use of the SUN or shade, or to avoid wind or bad weather." Fifteen years
in the planning and building, he plans a Commercial launch.
Christmas Gift Idea for Those Interested in Inventing
The Discovery Channel Catalog offers an overview of the timeline of inventions. Connections II explains how inventions
and discoveries are connected through twists and turns in history 500 minutes. The set of 5 VHS cassettes sells
for $99.95
Find out more about this and other great technology videos at www.Discovery.com.
William Lear, holder of more than 75 patents in radio and electromechanical devices, as well as the well known,
Lear Jet.
Carl Parise, founder of Thermax in Stead, inventor of steam cleaner and the OMAC airplane.
Learn more about these men and the other members of the Nevada Inventor's Hall of Fame at www.leipper.org/headquarters/inventors.
Reno News and Review - December 2000
See our disclaimer here.
Page done by Vince Chemist.
Created on January 12 2001.
Updated on November 29, 2005