Tag Archives: Invention

Smoke Detector

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Smoke Detector

Have you checked your smoke detector for working batteries recently?

  • Smoke detectors are an invention used to detect smoke, and particularly to warn of the danger of a fire, and in 2013, approximately 93% of households in the United States had the device in their home.
  • There are three main types of smoke detectors used to sense fire dangers, including those that use photoelectric or optical sensing; ionisation which uses radioactive elements; and air sampling known as ‘aspirating’ detectors or ASD.
  • Smoke detectors sometimes have a mix of two types of sensors – photoelectric and ionisation – as different sensors perform better during different stages of a fire, with the former being best during smouldering stages, and the latter during flaming stages.
  • Smoke detectors are often installed in both commercial and domestic buildings; and they are usually found in the centre of a ceiling, in hallways, on each building level, as well as in or near sleeping quarters.
  • Approximately 30% of smoke detectors in households will fail to function during an actual fire danger, primarily due to the detector malfunctioning because of age, battery removals and dead batteries.

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  • The size of a common disc-shaped smoke detector is usually around 15 centimetres (6 inches) in diameter and 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) deep, and they are generally encased in a plastic, cylindrical cover.
  • Americans Francis Upton, an acquaintance of Thomas Edison, and Fernando Dibble are widely recognised as the inventors of the first portable electric fire alarm, an early smoke detector which was patented in 1890, although other fire alarms were in existence at the time.
  • A heat-based detector was invented in 1902 by George Andrew Darby from England, while the birth of the ionised smoke detector occurred during the 1930s, and was accidentally discovered by Walter Jaeger, from Switzerland, after his unsuccessful gas detector reacted to cigarette smoke.
  • After decades of development, domestic smoke detectors became more readily available and more affordable in the 1970s, while a number of countries now have laws that require the device in all public buildings and private dwellings.
  • Smoke detectors primarily alert through noise, often around 85 decibels with a piercing alarm sound, although voice, lights, and futuristic ideas like vibrations can also be utilised.
Bibliography:
Types of Smoke Alarms, 2015, Department of Fire & Emergency Services, http://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/safetyinformation/fire/fireinthehome/Pages/typesofsmokealarms.aspx
Smoke Detector, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_detector

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Plate

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Plate

Have a plate for your bread and a plate for your roast.

  • Plates are an invention used to serve food in both a household and a commercial setting, both to increase presentation but also for practical purposes.
  • Plates are generally quite flat with a slight bowl or dip spreading from the centre, which is where food is generally served.
  • The three main sections that make up a plate are the rim, which is the outermost edge; the base, the underneath surface where the dishware rests; and the well, where the food is placed.
  • A variety of materials can be used to make plates including ceramics, metal, glass, cardboard, wood and plastic, while cardboard is generally used for those that are used once only and disposed of, and some plastic ones are also made with this purpose in mind.
  • Plates come in a wide variety of sizes, generally ranging from 10 to 36 centimetres (4 to 14 inches) in diameter, and the most common are usually between 25.5 to 30.5 centimetres (10 to 12 inches); and the size generally determines its use.

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  • Early plates were likely natural items such as large shells or big leaves, and old bread was also utilised, while wood, pewter, silver and clay items were later employed for this purpose, however they were designed for communal use, rather than as individual pieces.
  • Stereotypically, plates are of a round shape, although some cultures prefer a rectangular or ellipse shape, and square ones are not uncommon.
  • The Chinese created plates from porcelain through the ceramic process in the 7th century, and these were made available to Europeans from the 1300s, although it was not until the 1700s that Europeans started making the products themselves.
  • Some people collect plates as a hobby, although they are usually used to hold a wide variety of food, including main meals, entrees, buffets and bread; while a small one designed to hold a cup is known as a ‘saucer’.
  • In European countries, porcelain plates were originally reserved for those of wealthy status due to their expense and limited availability due to the product being made in China, however, they became affordable and readily available in the 1800s due to more efficient manufacturing processes.
Bibliography:
Carrol M, The History of Dinner Plates, 2015, eHow, http://www.ehow.com/facts_7728332_history-dinner-plates.html
The History Behind Your Plate, 2014, HubPages, http://nanlt.hubpages.com/hub/history-of-the-plate
Plate (dishware), 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_(dishware)

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Suitcase

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Suitcase

Do suitcases suit your travelling well?

  • Suitcases are a specific type of luggage that is, like all luggage, used to transport possessions and other items while travelling.
  • ‘Suitcases’ may also be referred to as ‘luggage’ or ‘baggage’, and when they were first used on a wide basis in the late 1800s, they were used primarily to carry actual suits.
  • Suitcases come in a variety of sizes, and those that are smaller in size and suitable for airplane cabin compartments are often known as ‘cabin’ or ‘carry-on’ baggage or luggage.
  • Sturdy materials are usually the common substances utilised to make suitcases, that can include plastic, wood, leather, and metal, although fabric may be used.
  • Generally suitcases are a rectangular shape that open in half, or open to reveal a main compartment and a lid, and sometimes they feature extra compartments or pockets.

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  • Suitcases ended up replacing trunks, which were quite rigid, heavy and bulky, making them quite difficult to transport; and they began being made from durable cardboard in the early 1900s, and plastic also became a popular material.
  • Suitcases usually feature a handle so that the item can be carried, and they typically have zips or latches to enable closing, though to prevent unwanted opening or tampering, a locking mechanism is often included.
  • Suitcases often have wheels attached at the base for greater ease in transporting, of which variants are sometimes called ‘trolley cases’ or ‘roll alongs’, and they frequently have an extendable handle that allows for easier movement.
  • Despite various ideas for wheeling luggage in the early 1900s, it wasn’t until Bernard Sadow attached four rollers to the base of a suitcase and patented the idea in 1970 as ‘rolling luggage’, that the world embraced the idea of a wheeled version, although initial uptake of the invention was slow.
  • Suitcases are sometimes personalised to highlight the piece among other baggage, particularly when bulk luggage is transported, and an identification tag with the owner’s name and other details is commonly attached to the handle.
Bibliography:
Gross D, The History of the Humble Suitcase, 2014, Smithsonian, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-humble-suitcase-180951376/?no-ist
Suitcase, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suitcase

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Buckle

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Buckle

Do you take the invention of the buckle for granted?

  • Buckles are inventions with the primary purpose of linking the ends of two objects, usually strips.
  • Buckles are commonly used in fashion either to decorate and/or fasten an item, like belts, sandals or other shoes, and bags, although they can be used to hold strings, strips or other items together, and are used on straps for safety purposes when restraining children in car seats, prams, shopping trolleys, and high chairs.
  • ‘Buckles’ are also known as ‘clasps’ and they are available in numerous designs, sizes and colours.
  • The term ‘buckle’ comes from the Latin word ‘buccula’, which translates as ‘cheek strap’, referring to helmet straps.
  • Buckles were used in Ancient Rome where soldiers utilised the item to fasten together armour, and knights from the Middle Ages also used this invention for a similar purpose.

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  • Originally buckles were reserved for soldiers or those with lots of money due to the expensive manufacturing process, until the 1400s when methods were created to make the process less expensive.
  • Traditional buckles are made of a chape to hold the invention in place on an object, a prong used to secure the opposite end of an object, and a frame and a bar used to support the said parts.
  • Buckles were originally made of a metal, normally bronze, while today they can also be made of shell, wood, plastic, and leather.
  • Before the invention of the zipper, buckles were one of the main ways to clasp an item together.
  • Many modern buckles typically made of plastic, have two ends that snap securely and snugly together, and are perhaps more common than the traditional version, and they are often known as ‘snap fit’ or ‘side release’.
Bibliography:
Buckle, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckle
History of belt buckles, 2013, Fort Tumbleweed, http://www.forttumbleweed.net/beltbucklehistory.html

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Spirit Level

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Spirit Level

Did you go for the laser level? Well, spirit levels will be with you in spirit.

  • Spirit levels are an invention typically used to determine if either a vertical or horizontal platform is exactly aligned.
  • ‘Spirit levels’ are also known as ‘bubble levels’, ‘levels’ and ‘spirits’, and they are commonly used in the construction industry.
  • Spirit levels are typically made of a tube and a holder, and the tube is generally made of glass or plastic, while the holder is commonly made of plastic, wood, aluminium or other metal.
  • Typically, the tube containing the liquid in a spirit level is cylindrical, rectangular or crescent-shaped, and is marked with a central point and/or into sections, and the tube is deliberately filled with a small air space which creates a bubble.
  • When the bubble inside a spirit level sits centrally, rather than off-centre, the platform or object sitting parallel to the spirit will be level, or if it is sitting perpendicular to the spirit, it will be aligned vertically.
Spirit Level
Spirit Level
Image courtesy of David Jones/Flickr
  • The coloured liquid used in spirit levels is generally alcoholic, hence the level’s name, which is commonly ethanol dyed green or yellow; and alcohol is used instead of water as the latter freezes more easily and provides more friction, preventing smooth bubble movement.
  • To establish the accuracy of a spirit level, the bubble should have an increment from the centre, equal to when the level is rotated 180° on the same surface.
  • The spirit level is said to have been invented in the mid 1600s by the wealthy Frenchman Melchisedech Thevenot, who had studied science duruing his life; however they did not become popular until the 1700s.
  • Spirit levels are said to have replaced water bottles that were used for similar purposes, and these levels are being slowly replaced by laser-based levels that are generally more accurate and can measure in three dimensions.
  • The accuracy of a spirit level depends on the liquid container’s shape, the bubble size and liquid type, as these all contribute to a level’s sensitivity.
Bibliography:
Spirit Level, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_level
Spirit Level, 2015, WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-spirit-level.htm#
Spirit Level Information, 2015, Johnson, http://www.johnsonlevel.com/News/SpiritLevelInformation

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Drinking Straw

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Drinking Straw

Slurping loudly with a drinking straw is half the fun.

  • A drinking straw is a thin, hollow tube used primarily to move a liquid from a container into one’s mouth using suction principles, and they are typically disposable, although reusable straws are available.
  • Drinking straws work by sucking in air using the mouth, and as a result lower the air pressure, which in turn pulls the liquid through the tube.
  • The shape of drinking straws range widely in diameter and length, although they are typically cylindrical, however some straws have crazy, twisted shapes primarily to entertain, or they may have an adjustable, bendy top, while others contain flavouring ingredients, and yet others include a spoon shaped end to generally scoop crushed ice into one’s mouth.
  • The earliest known drinking straw, dating back to 2000 to 3000 BC, was found in a tomb belonging to Sumerians, located in modern day Iraq in the Middle East, and was made of gold and precious stone, while a seal found in the same tomb depicts straws used to drink a beverage, most likely beer.
  • The 1800s saw the escalating use of drinking straws, in the form of rye grass, that notoriously disintegrated and left a rye residue and therefore a grassy taste in the beverage.

Drinking Straw, Assortment, Colourful, Plastic, Paper, Variety, Invention, Ten Random Facts

  • Modern drinking straws were invented by Marvin Chester Stone from Ohio in the United States, who is said to have created a glued paper tube in the 1880s after drinking a beverage unpleasantly tainted with rye residue, and eventually patented his idea in 1888 after refining it.
  • Drinking straws with an adjustable upper bend, known as ‘bendy straws’, ‘articulated straws’, or ‘flexi straws’, made their appearance in the 1930s, created and patented in 1937 by American Joseph Friedman after his young daughter had difficulty drinking through a straight straw in her milkshake.
  • Plastic drinking straws started infiltrating the market in the 1960s and became so popular that by the 1970s they had made paper straws redundant, however they are not environmentally friendly, taking years to break down, hence paper straws have made a small comeback, although in a reinvented sturdier version than the original.
  • In America, large quantities of drinking straws are used daily, numbering around 500 million, and while they are typically made from plastic; metal, glass and paper are also used; and in some instances they are used for craft purposes, while in Uganda they are recycled to make useful woven items like bags.
  • Drinking straws are said to lower the incidence of tooth decay caused by acids in beverages such as carbonated drinks, as they channel the drink more directly into the throat, bypassing more teeth.
Bibliography:
Drinking Straw, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking_straw
Hollander C, A Brief History of the Straw, 2014, Bon Appétit, http://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/article/history-of-the-straw
Thompson B, The Amazing History and the Strange Invention of the Bendy Straw, 2011, The Atlantic, http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/11/the-amazing-history-and-the-strange-invention-of-the-bendy-straw/248923/

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