TeeNote - public communication system

Jill is staying after school to help with the upcoming Junior High dance. When she is done she needs her mom to pick her up. There is no more payphones, and they are never coming back. Her parents can’t afford a cell phone for her. Jill is forced to find a passing teacher and ask to use their phone. Now the teacher feels obligated to remain in the front of the school until Jill’s parent arrives. What is needed is a modern public communication option.

 

The public education technology division of ETI is proud to announce the TeeNote. This public communication system consists of a station for sending a text and a larger screen for displaying the text response. The student would enter a code into the station. Then TeeNote would offer them 2-5 options of phone numbers to text that the parents have preapproved. After sending the message the student would wait by the response screen for an answer. If needed the student could reply again.

This is a $500,000 Idea. The market is limited to schools. The TeeNote system would cost almost $10,000 to buy and install. The upkeep cost would average $200 a month. The value is also restricted because it is not far out of the concept stage. As electronics and programming are required, an outside service would be needed during the development process. This does have a chance at a non-profit company with a corporate sponsor. If it could be sold to Verizon, Best Buy, Apple as public service opportunity, it would have a better chance.

 The TeeNote system is the reinvention of the payphone. It will allow every student to communicate with someone without having to have a school employee monitor the system.

Warning – Soap Box Diatribe - I believe this is needed because parents, students, and schools have lost the ability to plan ahead. Is this because we don’t want to be held accountable for being someplace on time? Jill and her mom could have arranged a time and a place. That is what everyone did  for 100's of years. But those days are gone with the payphone, and they are never coming back.  

Until next time - Keep Thinking

Eric the Invenmtor

LighTote - purse with integrated illumination

On Friday, Sandy is walking out to her car after an evening talking to friends. She can’t find her keys in her purse. It’s too dark. On Saturday, Sandy pauses before going into the movie theater with her boyfriend. She can’t find her ChapStick® in her purse. It’s too dark. On Sunday, Sandy is in church and wants to take notes. She can’t find her pen in her purse. It’s too dark. Sandy wishes there was a better way.

 

The ETI LighTote is the world’s best purse with integrated illumination. The purse contains a switched hinge in the purse’s joint. This feature contains a battery and a switch. When the LighTote is opened it turns on two strings of LEDs that are strung around the lower walls of the purse. This indirect light allows the user to find the needed item without dilating their pupils and losing night vision.

The LighTote is an easy $750,000 idea. It is easy to manufacture as a $4 cost of goods (COG) upgrade to any existing purse and could add $15 of value. There are a million options for distribution. The market is huge. It is an item that 50% of the public purchases once a year.

Hurdles:

·         Patent Issues – It might be difficult to write a patent with enough protection. So every other company will have a version in 1 year.

·         Battery Life – If the purse is left open it will drain eventually. A timer in switch would help.

·         Ignorance – Ladies might not want to see what is on the bottom of their purse.

This concept is long overdue and leads into several new concepts; phone chargers, exterior flash light, fiber optic exterior luminescent designs. Men might be the most excited about the LighTote. We love putting LEDs on everything and we hate waiting outside movie theaters while the girlfriend looks through her black hole of a purse for lip gloss. This probably means she plans to interrupt my Jet Li movie with kissing. There will be plenty of time for making out after Jet Li has restored honor to his family.  

Until Next Time – Keep Inventing

Eric the Inventor