Piepkorn’s mother applied for a patent for a window lock that allowed double hung windows to be opened a few inches. She had it manufactured and packaged in a small red box with Patent Pending on it. That indicates that she had applied for a patent. I do not know if she ever received one but she must have sold or licensed her patent application to a manufacturer. Her daughter, Mary, thinks she applied for several more but does not know the details. Piepkorn’s hobbies were radios (early on), electronics and photography. He also made a wooden altar for a church.

I filed for a patent in on February 16, and filed for another one in May. The first will save home and business owners a great deal of onerous work(think of leaf raking and show shoveling). It works with leaves, shrubbery trimmings, desbris and snow. Those who have seen it are stunned. When my patent agent and the patent attorney who supervises him saw videos of it in use, both said they wished they had it now. It uses no non-renewable energy, will last indefinitely, and can pay for itself in as little as one year. It also does other things that I cannot reveal yet as doing so away could give its secret away. If you or your church are thinking of buying a leaf blower or a mulching mower, you may be well advised to wait. It could be on the market as early as the fall of 2010 but that is probably optimistic.

The second invention solves a common problem with laptops, PCs and other electronic devices. If you have a laptop you will likely buy it. My son thinks it is my best invention. It should sell for $20 or less, uses no electricity and will last indefinitely. I cannot be more specific now as doing so could prompt others to try to figure out how it works.

If I am able to sell or license either of those, I will file for more patents as I have at least two dozen additional inventions that work and might be worth patenting.

Working on these patents with my patent agent and patent attorney has taken a lot of time and will continue to do so, since once the applications are filed, I must market them, because a patent that is not commercially successful is worthless. That will take time too. So I am behind in my Piepkorn project work, but I keep at it as best I can.