NEVADA INVENTORS ASSOCIATION
"Education, Assistance, and
Networking for the Inventor"
The
Nevada Inventor
Newsletter of the Nevada Inventors' Association, Inc.
Post Office Box 11008, Reno, NV 89510-1008 http://www.nevadainventors.org
September, 2000
John Whitney, Itronics founder,
To Speak at the NIA
September 23 Meeting
The Nevada Inventors will have the opportunity to hear first hand from John Whitney the extensive creative process
that was necessary to turn photochemical waste, polluting the Truckee Meadow waters into a useable, concentrated
Lawn fertilizer. In 1986, Whitney's metallurgical company was asked by Reno and Sparks to work on the problem of
excess silver coming out of the sewage treatment plant. The silver in the water was found to be from used photochemicals.
Whitney recovered the silver and researched applications for the remainder of the waste chemicals. Through researching
patent literature he found uses for the chemicals in plant nutrition.
Whitney developed a fertilizer and tested it out on his lawn - It Stank! But it worked. For the next 7 years Whitney
worked on making a useable, concentrated form of the fertilizer. Itronics now has a 35,000 square foot plant in
Stead. Whitney sells his Gold'n Gro fertilizer to more than 100 golf courses. You may buy Gold'n Gro in 2 quart
packages over the internet for $14.95. Whitney, named Nevada Inventor of the Year 2000, will be honored by the
Nevada Technological Council on October 25th in Reno.
Adapted from the Reno Gazette Journal 6/6/2000
President: Randy Slogan, 747-3711
Vice-President Alex Prokop, 373-1972
Secretary/Treasurer: Tony Patti, 677-4824
Membership Kehl LeSourd, 853-0441
Web Page: Vince Chemist, 677-0123
Program Director. Charles Ketcham 323-5654
Newsletter Editors Margaret Stewart 787-0314
Meeting Schedule
Fall 2000
New members and students are encouraged. bring a friend! Anyone interested in inventing or who has a service that
might benefit inventors is welcome. Remember the meeting is a protected place and everyone is expected to sign
a confidentiality agreement at the meeting entrance.
Regular meetings scheduled on the 4th Saturday of each month. They are held at the Washoe Medical Center, room
101 from 9am to noon.
September 23
9am to noon, WMC Room 101
Scheduled speaker: John Whirney,
Nevada Inventor of the year 2000.
Annual Club Picnic
1 pm after meeting at
Whitaker Park.
October 28
9am to noons WMC room l0l
Is Everybody Ready for a Robot Rumble?
All Inventors with a sense of the absurd and a destructively creative spirit need to know about what is being called
the "most promising new cable TV show this season," BATTLEBOTS.
Battlebots is a WWF style rumble to the death with battery power homemade robots of incredible ingenuity and the
power to hurt. Whirling dervishes that swing a spike ball on a chain, machines that jab chain saws at each other,
robots with sledge hammers for arms, all battle for bragging rights and the chance to win a little money. The favorite
to win in our household is VLAD, THE IMPALER. The show was filmed at the Battlebot Main Event last year in San
Francisco. It will be shown over l3 weekly episodes on the Comedy Central Channel,
PICTURE NOT GOOD FOR SCAN>>>>[Mauler: Built by Charles Tilford and the South Bay Robo Warr Team from
Portola CA weapons: Rotary impact spiked steel flails and attack chisels.]
Wednesday evenings at 10:30PM. This year's Battlebot Event takes place in Las Vegas in November. If you arc game
to try out your own robot, check out the rules and get more information from www.battlebot.com.
Editor's Note
Do you have a problem or question regarding your invention, its patent, and marketing? In a new monthly column,
Randy Sloan. NIA President, will try to answer one question of interest to our readers.
President's Forum. You may also bring a typed copy to the meeting for inclusion in the next edition of the newsletter.
Editor reserves the right to edit stories for grammar and length.
UNITED INVENTORS OF AMERICA
Bulletin
UIA Chat room is up and running. All UIA members are invited to use this "room" for formal meetings,
friendly chats, brainstorming or whatever the creative minds of our members can create. The site address is www.InventNet.com.
You will have to register your screen name and create a password to participate in this free chat room.
New Products Reminder: UIA members may post their invention for
free at http://www.uiausa.org/InventionsNeedHelp.htm.
NIA HAS INTERESTING SPEAKERS AVAILABLE FOR YOUR GROUP
The Nevada inventor's Association members are rarely at a loss for words.
We have a panel of speakers who are eager to spread the word about the fun
and pitfalls of inventing to your service group, classroom, or youth group.
Please call Tony Patty or Randy Sloan 4 to 6 weeks a prior to your meeting date.
Events of Interest to Inventors
October 5-7, 2000
USPTO's 5th Annual Independent Inventors Conference
University of Maryland, College Park Campus
http://wwnv.uspto.gov/go/iic2000/
October 13-14, 2000
6th Annual Yankee Invention Exposition
Waterbury CT (203) 575-8322
www.yankeeinventionexpo.org
November 18, 2000
"Inventing in the New Millennium"
Olive Branch, Mississippi,
at Whispering Woods Hotel and Conference Center
12 separate workshops will be conducted
by experts including USPTO Personnel.
and Andy Gibbs of Patent Cafe.
Seminars about product licensing, grant writing,
commercialization, TV Infomercials, and
Toy and Game Developing will be held.
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/mssbdc/invent.html
NEW Internet Links
To find some of the very best science and technology sites on the Internet just pick tlp the October 2000 issue
of Popular Science. You can browse through their annual 50 Best of The Web list.
Science for the Millennium,
wnr.ncsa.uiuc.edu/cyberia/expo
"Exhibits on everything from biosphere modeling to star formation to metaconnputing deftly weave text, images,
movies, and sound into a dazzling tour of the universe."
About.com's Inventors
www.about.com/science/inventors/science/body.htm
"What are the most bizarre inventions? How can you tell an invention from a scam? How do you fund your research?
This site distinguishes itself by covering inventions from a seemingly limitless number of angles"
Delphon Intellectual Property Network
www.patents.ibis.com
"Boasting an extraordinary rich collection of patents from around the world, this site lets you search by
patent number, Boolean texts and a variety of specific terms." Try looking for a patent for a motorized ice-cream
cone or a jet powered surfboard. You will find them here.
Resource Directory
the Following companies are aggressively seeking inventions that are Patented or patent pending:
12 - Volt, RV and Automotive Products, ready to go with existing tooling, patents preferred:
WirthCO Engineering, Inc., New Products Dept., 6519 Cecilia Cr., Minneapolis, MN 55439
Auto Aftermarket: Kraco Enterprises, Brad Kraines
505 E. Euclid Ave. Compton, CA 90224
(310) 639-0666. Fax (310) 603-2260.
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Page done by Vince Chemist.
Created on Sept 24 2000
Updated on November 29, 2005