Patent: Personal Cooling Device For Motorcycles - Joke? from Bikes in the Fast Lane

Custom Search

Patent: Personal Cooling Device For Motorcycles - Joke?

June
2011

  File under Entertainment Funny Ideas
  Author: Mike Werner
  Location: Normandy, France

Reading this patent application just made me laugh. My first thought was that it was some elaborate prank or joke, but filing a patent is expensive, and even though lawyers will accept your money, I don't think they'll do it easily for a joke.

Here's a patent filed in January 2011 by Allen Spurlin for a personal cooling system for motorcycles. That caught my attention, since as we all known the planet is overheating, and it can only get hotter and hotter. Cooling down the rider during extreme temperatures is a good thing.

The drawing filed with the application gave it away at first glance. Usually drawings attached to patents are technical, structured and often complex. This drawing is anything but....

Then when you read the description for the patent, it consists of a bottle of water (which BTW can be used to drink from as well... and added bonus), an electric pump using the 12V system from the motorcycle, several nozzles and a button.

The nozzles are fixed to the motorcycle handlebar, and when the rider is riding his/her motorcycle/scooter during a heat wave, and wants to cool down, they press the button. Water is then pumped from the bottle to the nozzles and a fine spray is sent over the biker, bring instant relieve....

Hmmmmm... interesting concept. First, if you're riding with a helmet, like most, your head will not only never be cooled down, but if you've got a visor, you'll need windscreen wipers.

So riding with gear is not going to make you cool, just your gear is going to be wet.

Secondly, most bikers ride ATGATT. Spraying a fine mist of water will only work if you're riding bare chested (ahum... specially females), and then if you are riding almost in the nude in a heat wave, you'll be dead of a sunstroke, or at the very least colored lobster red, before you get hit by heat exhaustion.