THE WORLD'S ADVANCE 



245 



An Electric Floor Polisher 



To a Missouri inventor credit is due for a cleyer 

 floor polisher, operated by electricity, and on \yhich 

 he has been successful in obtaining patent rights. 

 Briefly, the floor polisher consists of an electric mo- 

 tor driving a polishing member through suitable gear- 

 ing, the entire equipment being mounted on a small 

 truck. 



Novel Door Lock 



A new type of door lock somewhat different from 

 the thousands that have gone before it, has secured 

 patent rights for a Michigan inventor. The new 

 lock is of the sliding type, and is fundamentally 

 simple in design and operation. Two curved, piv- 

 oted arms whose outer ends drop into slots on a 

 bolt, which is screwed to the opposite door jamb, 

 are manipulated by a key, or knob, which turns 

 from the outside. When the door is closed it must 

 be a door of the sliding type the two curved rods 

 slip up over the tapering bolt and drop into the 

 slots, and the door is locked. 



Shade and Curtain Pole Hanger 



The handy-man-about-the-house will appreciate a 

 combined curtain pole and shade hanger which has 

 been devised by an inventor in Pennsylvania to alle- 

 viate a considerable portion of his labors. The hooks 

 which support the curtain-pole and the bearing sup- 

 porting the ends of the shade roller are made in one 

 piece, so that a couple of nails or screws will do for 

 both. The shade roller supports are adjustable. They 

 fit into small grooves with notches along the bottoms, 

 so that by advancing the support forward or back- 

 ward shortens or lengthens the distance between the 

 roller tips. 



Hand Bag and Dress Protector 

 Combined 



Amidst the outpouring of new ideas in vanity 

 cases, hand bags and other feminine requisites, 

 comes an invention from a young woman in Phila- 

 delphia which is genuinely refreshing. It consists 

 of a hand bag which can be unfolded to form a 

 seat. The two sides of the bag are hinged at the 

 ends, and they are provided with light but strong 

 braces, the purpose of which is to stiffen the folding- 

 in sides of the bag, thereby forming the sides of a 

 seat which will prevent dirt and dust from coming 

 in contact with the dainty dress of the shopper. 



A Detachable Handle 



A new idea in detachable handles for lifting hot 

 cooking pans with a minimum of trouble and a 

 maximum of safety has been patented by a man in 

 New Jersey. His invention consists of a pair of han- 

 dles which hold the pan-grasping mechanism in a 

 tight spring. The stiff iron wire around which the 

 top of the pan is rolled is turned downward in the 

 shape of a narrow "U." Members at the end of 

 the handles clutch this U-shaped projection so that 

 a heavy pan can be lifted without difficulty. 



Ingenious Cigarette Case 



A cigarette case, which ejects one cigarette at a 

 time from an opening in the side of the case, has 

 been patented by a man in Kansas. The cigarettes 

 are placed side by side in the box, held against one 

 side by a spring, and ejected one at a time through 

 a little opening in one side near the end. The ciga- 

 rettes are fed upward and through this hole almost 

 automatically, the only effort on the part of the user 

 being to press a little thumb plate. An ingenious 

 arrangement of springs does the work. 



Fire Alarm on Telephones 



To dispense with the ordinary costly and compli- 

 cated fire alarm system, an inventor in New Jersey 

 has brought out a small device which is intended 

 to be attached to a desk telephone. The telephone 

 receiver is suspended from the hook by a wire and 

 clamp. In the wire is an element which melts in 

 the presence of abnormal heat. This releases the 

 receiver, the hook flies up, warning the central sta- 

 tion operator or an operator at a factory or office 

 switchboard that a fire is in progress in the imme- 

 diate vicinity of the particular telephone. 



Breathing Mask for Divers 



A compact breathing apparatus for pearl divers 

 and others who do not wish to go to the expense 

 of equipping themselves with the usual costly diver's 

 gear, is the subject of a patent recently issued to 

 an Ohio inventor. A flexible mask stretches from 

 the ears around the mouth and nose. In its fore 

 part two hose connections are provided, one opposite 

 the nose and the other in front of the mouth. In- 

 haled air passes through the upper tube; exhaled 

 air through the lower. 



