GADGETS GALORE : Invention Session Shines a Light on Some Bright Ideas

At first, Mike Gillick wasn’t trying to get rich; he was trying to quiet his son.

“Every time we took a trip in the car, he was constantly asking me: ‘Are we there yet?’ ” said Gillick of 8-year-old Josh. “As many times as I’ve tried to answer, it just dawned on me that none of my responses registered.”

So, to appease Josh, Gillick took a sun visor and drew tiny pictures on it of the landmarks the family would pass during a long trip to a relative’s house. By comparing the landmarks on the visor with the passing scenery, Josh could gauge how far he was from their destination.

Gillick’s snappy improvising soon became the prototype of his “Big Smiles Trip Kit,” a toy car that slides along a ruler-like plastic strip with tiny drawings of landmarks pasted on it.

And on Friday at the Pasadena Convention Center, Gillick’s “Trip Kit” joined the hundreds of other inventions trotted out at the third annual Invention Convention for all the world to see--and maybe even buy.

Running through Monday, the convention provides a forum for about 400 inventors who have come from many parts of the world and walks of life to find takers for their creations.

“We want to bring the inventors together with the investors,” said Stephen Gnass, who, as head of a trade group for inventors, came up with the idea for the convention.

Looking for Customers

“Many times, people with disposable income don’t see inventions as a good investment. We want to change that,” he said.

But future fame is not without a price: rental fees at the convention for display areas run from $300 for a small tabletop stand to $1,500 for a large booth, organizers said.

The convention features gadgets that range from the sensible to the strange--from radiation-proof aprons to fiberglass palm trees to a Lamborghini wanna-be, a $178,000 sports car called the Vector.

Then there are the inventors.

There are women like Denise Domning, a former Los Angeles resident who, angry with her two children for ignoring their homework in favor of television, invented a device that locks the TV in the off position.

‘Current Deterrent’

“It’s called the ‘Current Deterrent,’ ” she said. “And right now, I need about $140,000 in financing to get it on the market. I’ve been working hard at it. In fact, me and my husband sold our house in L.A. just so we could keep working on the ‘Current Deterrent.’ ”

And there are men like “Dr. Nien,” an Einstein look-alike who stood near one of the inventors’ booths hawking “Dr. Musher Nose,” a squishy replica of a human nose designed to alleviate tension.

“I know noses,” said Dr. Nien, really Harold Ross, as he thumbed through a scrapbook containing fake snapshots of him with such big-nosed stars as W. C. Fields and Jimmy Durante. “I taught them all they know.”

However, for all of his affected eccentricity, Nien admitted that he isn’t the creator of “Dr. Mush Nose.”

“I’m just here to help it sell,” he said, staring at a doctored photo of him and Karl Malden. “It’s a gimmick. It’s fun.”

Sales Opportunities

But many of the real inventors said they were there less for the fun than for the networking and sales opportunities.

“If we can make some sales, we’ll be happy,” said Steve Butler, who, with his brother Les, came up with a protective case for television remote controls. “So far, things have been pretty good. We’d like to meet a distributor and some marketing representatives.”

Ronald Williams, who developed a cradle for TV remote controls, said he hopes the convention will open some doors often closed to minority companies.

Chance for Contacts

“It’s tough going for a minority-owned firm,” said Williams, who is black. “And this is a good chance to make some good contacts and meet people I might not get to meet otherwise.”