Invention Convention: Problem Statement

Forgetting to lock the door is a big problem, letting the private become public. In a report
from the Huffington Post, states about 7% of Americans dont lock their doors when they go
outside. Also, 12% of Americans who are 65 or older dont lock their doors when they go out. On
the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are about 3.7 million burglaries that occur each year and
about 266, 560 crimes are violent actions on the household victim. Also, on the Home Security
Statistic, it says burglars prefer an unlocked door or window for easy access. It also said that
most burglaries occur when the household owners are out at work or at school. Without the
security of a locked door, you could lose an average of $2,119 of your prized possessions.
Story Behind the Invention
My mom used to always ask me, Is the door locked? and I would have to run all the
way back to check, only to see that the door is indeed locked. Sometimes, that would make me
late for school of just get me winded. Overall, it is just a plain nuisance. I also know from
personal experience that gut wrenching feeling when something is wrong. Forgetting to lock the
door is a big forgotten to-do item. That is why I believe my invention would help people like me
to avoid the feeling of a loss in privacy in an unlocked door.
My Solution to the Problem
My invention is a little jacket that could stretch over the head of the key itself. With a
flexible jacket, the cover can be put on many types of keys. On the area where you hold the key
when you unlock or lock the door, there would be a plastic button like piece that would click
inward when pressure is applied to it. This way, when you are driving or walking somewhere and
the question of the day hits you, you could just look at your key and you could see that the
button is pushed inward. That would indicate you have locked your door and everything would
be safe. Also, if you forgot and see your key cover has the button open, you would be alerted
that your key hasnt been turned to lock the door.
If you were to unlock the door, you would get the key and while you turn it, the button
that you pressed would pop back up. There would be a square which is a small piece of metal.
That small button would be pushed up by a little piece that would elevate it to made an indention
on the cover.
How it Works: Prototype
Inside the cover, there would be a piece of metal that would feed through the small hole
on the top of the key. A piece of detachable bendy plastic would help bring the small metal and
the button to pop up and inward. Inside, there would be little parts of metal/plastic rods that
would hold the button piece and the metal piece inward to show it has been locked.
If we were to unlock it, the button and small piece of metal would pop up. The way I plan
to make that work is going to take place in the way you turn the key. Most doors unlock the top
part by pulling it outward. That would make the bendable pieces of plastic inside the jacket to
bend outward from the rods, popping both the button and the metal out, indicating the door has
been unlocked.
From there, you would lock the door on the inside and the next day, you would repeat
the process.

Flaws in Design
There are two flaws in the design I have that requires fixing. One is the two locks. Most
doors have two locks, one on the bottom and on at the top. If you were to unlock the top, the
button would pop out and if you were going to lock the bottom, it would pop back in. That means
you door is locked which is true. Although, the next day, the customer would think it was locked
even if it isnt. In some ways, this would work out fine in the following circumstances:
When the lock was pushed in to begin with:
Door is locked:
Top Lock: Button is put outward
Bottom Lock: Button is pushed inward
When door is reopened later in the day:
Top Lock: Button is pushed outward
Bottom Lock: Button is pushed inward
In this way, the button that indicates the door is locked is already showing it is locked. Although,
if the key were to show the button is outward, this would prove the door isnt locked.
Design #2
Another idea I have to make the invention work is to create another type of alerting
system. Some people would get confused in the weird buttons and metal sticking out types of
movements. Another type of invention would be a type of button that when pushed, would
change a picture on a screen telling them if the door is locked or not. This would be a easier
way to create a easy and understandable type of locking detector.
One of the problems with this is that it doesnt fit with customers for all ages. For people
who are blind and rely on their touch senses, they wouldnt see the pictures that are displayed in
the key window, indicating if it is locked or not.
My easy solution to that problem to help the blind is to imprint a braille word on the
picture, so the user could run its finger on it and know it says open. It would say open on one
side and closed on the other side for them to know.
How it Works: Prototype
The way this would work is that there would be small strong plastic gears that would turn
when the button is pushed. There would be one connecting to the button with a rod. Another
one that is vertical would be also pushed in response to the first one and would rotate a longer
rod that would rotate the pictures to the correct spot.
Flaws in Design
In order for the invention to work, you would have to get a already made key that would
be altered to match yours by a locksmith. That would be hard and inconvenient for some
people.
One way I would solve that is that the product would come with a piece of metal that
would already have the jacket on it. The user would take it to a locksmith to cut in the correct
groves that were in the original key to make another copy. The head would already be cut into a
simple and slim design with a hole in it to help make it easy to put it onto a key ring.

You could also add colors and engravings to help make it yours since the jacket is made
customly for the certain key you have.
Final Thought
You can see my idea would help reduce burglaries and would help make your life easier
and stress free, for this matter at least. I believe my second design would appeal to more people
but, it is a little bigger than the first design. I think no matter what, this design would help people
in ways that were important and would easily solve the problem of forgetting to lock the door.

Questions:
1. How would this product be made to make it compact and tight fitting over the key
so it stimulates the feeling of turning a real key rather one with a cover on?
2. How you the gears for the second design be arranged so the product would
work?
3. How much does it take to make the item and how much should it be sold by?
4. Why would people even need it? What if they are responsible?

Bibliography

Burglary. Burglary. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.

<http://nationalparalegal.edu/public_documents/courseware_asp_files/criminallaw/against
home/burglary.asp>
How Gears Work. How Gears Work. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
<http://apps.elizabethtown.kctcs.edu/members/jnail/brx-gears.htm>
The State Of the USA | New Statistical Approach to Burglary, Related Violence. The State of
the USA | New Statistical Approach to Burglary, Related Violence. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.stateoftheusa.org/content/new-approach-to-burglary.php>
Swanson, Emily. 7 Percent Of Americans Don't Lock Their Doors. Here's Who They Are. The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/30/door-locking-poll_n_5889192.html>