#6637447 (2003)
Beerbrella
"We were sitting around a pool drinking, and one of us commented that she wished there was a way to keep her beer cold," says patent attorney Robert Bell, 44, one of the three inventors of this giant leap in human progress. "The 'Beerbrella' was born there and then with a little duct tape, a paper cocktail umbrella, a wire coat hanger, and of course a few more beers."
#6206000 (2001)
Canine Scuba Diving Apparatus
Dwane Folsom, 68, made this rig for his dog, Shadow. "She likes water," says Folsom's wife, Violet, "and used to whine whenever we left her on the diving platform." Shadow has been down at least 200 times in water up to 12 feet. "But she's getting pretty old-15-so we don't ask her to dive anymore," says Folsom.
#5983411 (1999)
Toilet Tank Aquarium
 "I wanted to call it an 'aqua- mode,' a combination of commode and aquarium," says Herb Demoret, 76, a retired merchant mariner. "Fifty years ago, I let my brother talk me out of trying to patent a straw spoon. He came to me two months later and said 'Herb, you better not let me talk you out of anything ever again, they have them sip and straws down at the Dairy Queen.' Now they're everywhere. I'm not going to let this one get away."

#6490999
Leash & Collar for Snakes
"I'm a snake handler who grew up in the Midwest. I have had up to 30 snakes although now I am down to eight. A snake sits in a tank all day long and only gets out when you clean its environment. I designed this (3rd attempt) to allow this 'legless lizard' to get out, get some natural sunlight, exercise and reawaken it's natural sense of curiousity. I am bringing it to market in the Spring. You can see it at www.snakewalker.com"
-Donald Robert Martin Boys
#6024104 (2000)
Combination Writing Utensil and Floss Dispenser
"It was just basically a brainstorm," says dentist Jeffrey Dolberry, 43, "I thought of it as a way to help Americans fight periodontal disease."