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Making My List, and Checking it Twice

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Michael Eby, Editor-in-Chief

I love the holiday season. It's a time to celebrate faith and spend time with my family and friends. It's time for me to take a little break from the normal hectic work schedule and use up those remaining vacation days. It's also the time of year for me to see how many Christmas lights I can string on my house and how many decorations I can place in my yard without tripping all of my circuit breakers.

But what I most enjoy about this time of year is sitting down and making my Christmas list. I typically don't get most of what I place on this list because my wife thinks I have enough tools and gadgets as it is. But man I enjoy walking through the aisles of the local hardware stores and Home Depot checking out the latest goodies they have to offer.

So in keeping with the spirit of list making, I decided it might be fun to generate a list of products you may or may not see on the shelves this holiday season. I developed this list from a pile of press releases I've received over the past few years from the communications department of InventHelp.com, an inventor services company in Pittsburgh, Pa. They don't give you a lot of detail in the press summaries, but they do pique my interest. Some of them actually make me scratch my head a little. Hopefully, they'll do the same for you.

Brit Outlet — a portable AC electric power supply designed to eliminate the need for extension cords. The inventor came up with the idea for the invention during Christmas. Now, that's the holiday spirit! Here's a quote. “I was working with light strands and needed an electrical outlet in the middle of the room. I wanted to create a way to supply power to the lights without using an unsightly extension cord.” So is this a wireless power delivery system?

Lively Lights — would provide an easy way to “dress up” a building's exterior for any holiday. This invention could be produced in themes for all holidays, and it could add a fun, festive look to the backyard. Hmm, I could start to decorate the house more than one time per year. Very interesting.

Sleeve Strap — a fitting that offers a more convenient means of running wires or pipes through a wall. Here's a quote from one of the inventors. “Working as an electrician, I constantly see sleeves falling out of walls, disrupting wire installation.” I wasn't aware this was a problem, were you?

Alarming Outlet — a device that would monitor a 120V electrical circuit and alert a home or business owner when a circuit disrupts or fails. The device would not need to be professionally installed or require maintenance. The inventor “thought of this after losing a freezer full of food because a circuit shorted, and the freezer lost power.” How does it alert you? Maybe it can call me on my cell phone.

Floggerbanger — a device that would speed up the process of installing an electrical ground rod, and reduce the amount of effort required to drive it in. The tool could also help a user extract ground rods that have jammed in the ground after hitting large rocks. I'd buy one based on the name alone!

So just in case you're wondering what to do with all of that gift money you received this holiday, remember this, these products may still be available for licensing or sale. But you'd better act fast!

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© 2012 Penton Business Media, Inc.

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