INVENTIVE MINDS GIVE US USEFUL PRODUCTS

Necessity is said to be the mother of invention.

But inventors take necessity a step further into the realm of "what if." Their vision has brought about many common conveniences and breakthroughs that most of us take for granted, from the microprocessor in our computers to the microwave oven used to fix dinner.

Many of these inventors seek patents on their creations. The U.S. Patent Office has issued more than 2 million patents in the past quarter-century -- an amazing tribute to American ingenuity.

Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois folks are among those acquiring and seeking patents. In fact, more than 60 patents have been issued to Cape Girardeau residents alone during the past two decades. They have ranged from a remote-control alarm clock to a device for performing delicate operations on the back of the human eye, from spatulas to bibs, from cat litter additives to fire-resistant insulating compounds.

Most inventors, as you might suspect, create innovative breakthroughs or shortcuts in their professions. But not always.

A Jackson man, Robert Foulk, has a patent pending for a wheelchair with increased mobility. A family member spurred the creation of this all-terrain mobility unit for handicapped people.

A Cape Girardeau eye surgeon, Charles Cozean Jr., holds three patents on surgical tools to be used in eye operations. His device that makes cataract repair safer was patented this year.

A Goreville, Ill., man devised "HitchHand" to help balance such long loads as plumbing pipe, lumber and carpet in a pickup truck. This invention recently won the inventor, Brian Johnson, an award at the National Inventors Expo at Walt Disney World. It was one of just three patents recognized from more than 60 at the Expo.

The Manufacturing Technology Resource Center at Southeast Missouri State University has aided a number of small businesses seeking that better mousetrap. Its services include a machine that quickly makes plastic prototypes for new products.

The impressive list of local creations goes on and on.

For a closer look at American ingenuity, more than 2 million U.S. patents can be searched online at patent.womplex.ibm.com

Of course, with the true ingenuity comes some wacky ideas. Individuals have obtained patents for such items as an earthquake sensor that doubles as a night light, a hat that looks like a fried egg, a programmable Christmas tree and much more. A gallery of obscure patents can be found at the Web site as well.

Even the obscure patents demonstrate good, old-fashioned ingenuity at work. If at first your don't succeed, try, try again.

All in all, a review of U.S. patents both nationally and locally gets the creative juices flowing. Most people have observed a better way to do things. Inventors take those thoughts a step farther and turn "what ifs" into innovation and discovery.