Note: InventHelp would like to remind you to consult with a patent attorney before submitting your idea to this or any other contest.

Pepsi Co., one of the biggest cola companies in the world, is looking for “shovel-ready,” feasible ideas! Pepsi is accepting 1,000 ideas a month from businesses, nonprofits, groups or individuals who want to have a positive impact on their community.

Part of what we at InventHelp like about this contest is that the grants range in size from $5,000 (for individuals who want to get the ball rolling) to $250,000 (best for well-oiled organizations). It’s up to the submitters to choose what level they want to go for. Up to 10 grants in each level (there are $25,000 and $50,000 levels as well) are awarded every month in the following categories: Health; Arts & Culture; Food & Shelter; The Planet; Neighborhoods; and Education.

Pepsi has received the 1,000 maximum applications for this month, but you can submit your application now for the next submission cycle, which hits March 1, 2010. And if you’re not quite ready to submit yet, there’s good news: the contest repeats each month!

Visit RefreshEverything.com to learn more, download a helpful toolkit and start your application. You can also vote for up to 10 of your favorite big ideas every day. Invention Girl loves the bright graphics and easily navigable design of the site, and it makes voting fun and easy.

InventHelp and Invention Girl hope to see your idea on the Pepsi Refresh Project website next month!

InventHelp’s Invention Girl has been trying to kick an addition – to cozy sweatpants. After a long day navigating the fascinating world of inventions, nothing feels better ditching the professional gear and slipping on some comfort. The sweats are a perfectly fine outfit for the couch, but what if I need to make a run to the store?

Am I alone, or is it really hard to change back into regular clothes once the sweats are on? And then the inevitable – the sweatpants meant for indoor comfort become outside attire. Next thing I know, I’m tromping around the store in my dumpy, wrinkled sweatpants… an unpleasant sight for all involved!

Comfort-lovers of the world – feast your eyes on PajamaJeans! This cozy cotton pants invention features high-contrast stitching, brass rivets and soft fabric that doesn’t tug or bind. And to the general public (or the ex that you happen to run into at the store), the PajamaJeans look like regular streetwear.

InventHelp’s Invention Girl thinks this sounds like the best of both worlds. I may wear my PajamaJeans all day and all night!

Now that January has passed, how many of you invention lovers out there are still going to the gym four times a week, like you resolved to do at the beginning of the New Year? Anyone?

Don’t throw away those gym shorts just yet – InventHelp’s Invention Girl found an interesting invention that’s good for your body and mind. The NeuroActive BrainBike is designed to provide a total fitness experience by improving memory, concentration, multitasking abilities and cardiovascular health.

Invented by Dr. Stephane Bergeron, MD, president of Brain Center America (BCA) and a team of international brain specialists, the BrainBike experience blends mental agility with physical fitness. Here’s how it works: users ride a stationary cardio exercise bike while simultaneously interacting with a computer screen that features 22 mental conditioning programs. These exercises include face/name memory exercises, 3D visuo-spatial skills, concentration, word naming and arithmetic.

The inventors believe that the BrainBike enhances the processing speed of the memory and sharpens the brain so that it can perform to its fullest. And, you can shed a few pounds while you’re at it!

InventHelp’s Invention Girl is hoping to see this one at the gym, YMCA or your favorite health club (perhaps your own living room?) sometime soon. Check out TheBrainBike.com for more info on this fascinating full-body fitness invention.

In this age of advanced technology, identity fraud seems to be on everyone’s mind – including InventHelp clients. Also known as identity theft, identity fraud occurs when someone uses another person’s name, credit card number, social security number or other personal information, passing it off as their own. Over the past few years, identity scams have become the world’s fastest-growing crimes. But many InventHelp clients have taken note, designing new and innovative ways to curb this type of scam.

One InventHelp scam-fighting client from Springfield, Ohio, decided to battle fraud by inventing the “Defender Card.” The Defender Card is designed to prevent the practice of “shoulder surfing,” where a scam criminal watches when someone gives personal information, like a credit card number, in a public place. This patented device would keep a cardholder’s information shielded from the eyes of bystanders when he or she presents a credit card, license or social security card in a store, office or other area.

Another InventHelp scam-preventing invention comes from Anna, Texas. Rather than focusing on the individual, this inventor decided to focus on the stores who accept credit cards or other personal information. The “P.I.D. (Prevention of Identity Theft)” would enable these companies to express concern for their customers by reducing the risks of identity fraud.

“I came up with the idea after an incident at a grocery store,” the inventor said. “The cashier was nonchalantly conversing with another employee, leaving my personal information in plain sight of the people behind me.”

While those InventHelp inventors targeted fraud from the individual and business standpoints, yet another InventHelp client came up with a credit card machine that would provide greater security against rip-offs. The “Identity Theft” would prevent the use of stolen ATM and credit cards, and could help to solve conflicts over whether or not purchases were actually made. The inventor’s frustration with the skyrocketing increase in identity fraud led him to develop his invention and bring it to InventHelp.

“I got so tired of hearing about how often people were using stolen credit and ATM cards, so I decided to do something about it,” he said.

These inventions provide just a few examples of InventHelp clients who are working to find ways to stop fraud. Though they approach the problem from different angles, they are all working toward a common goal. With the increasing frequency of identity scams, InventHelp salutes these and other inventors with the drive and creativity to come up with new solutions to a growing problem.

If you’re like InventHelp’s Invention Girl, you’ll be running around like a, well, turkey with your head cut off preparing for Thanksgiving Day. I’m not saying I don’t love a zillion trips to the grocery store followed by waking at the crack of dawn to start on the Big Meal. But, if there are some inventions that can make better use of my precious time, I’m game!

What’s better than enjoying an oven-roasted turkey on Thanksgiving Day? Cooking it in half the time! While turkey fryers make cooking a bird fast, there are enough disaster videos on YouTube of fires and other mishaps to steer this clumsy InventHelp employee in another direction.

The Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-less Turkey Fryer can get a 14-pound bird ready to eat in less than two hours using infrared rays, and without the dangers of deep fryers. Composed of stainless steel, the device features a propane burner that radiates thermal energy at infrared wavelengths to allow for even cooking. The interior temperature of the Big Easy can reach scorching 500-degrees Fahrenheit, creating crispy, golden turkey skin that holds in all the juices.

Stuffing lovers should cook a batch separately; it’s not recommended for use in the cooker. However, don’t be shy with the marinades and rubs – they work wonders for the bird in the Big Easy. The invention retails for $160. Check out charbroil.com for ordering information.

Now all we need is an invention to prevent tryptophan-induced Thanksgiving naps and we’ll be all set!

November is American Diabetes Month, and we at InventHelp are ready to help spread the word!

Chances are you know someone who has diabetes or is affected by diabetes, a serious disease that leads to potentially life-threatening complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and amputation. More than 24 million children and adults in the United States live with diabetes, and 57 million Americans are at risk for type 2 diabetes. Alarmingly, 1 out of every 3 children born today will face a future with diabetes if current trends continue.

While the numbers seem grim, recent inventions make living with diabetes more manageable. Pen injectors, which deliver vital insulin, look more like ball-point pens than scary medical syringes, taking some of the fear out of managing the disease. The OmniPod® is another favorite invention of diabetes patients, because it allows them to wear the small, discreet pod to deliver insulin without shots or tubing.

Looking ahead, the Medingo Medical Solutions Solo™ Insulin Dispensing Patch would feature a miniature patch and remove control that allows users to personalize insulin doses based on their body’s needs.

InventHelp and Invention Girl invite you to join the American Diabetes Association in launching a national movement to Stop Diabetes^sm. If you’re living with diabetes, share your story on Facebook and Twitter. Other ways to help include reaching out to the American Diabetes Association, where they can provide medical, lifestyle and motivational information for those living with or at risk for diabetes. Volunteering opportunities are available, too!

How has diabetes affected you? InventHelp’s Invention Girl invites your comments!

In the 1970s, a full Rolodex was the business professional’s best friend. A key item on any bigwig’s desk, this rotating file device was used to store business contact information on specially designed cards. In today’s technology-obsessed business world, these once must-have inventions serve as more of a paperweight than anything!

InventHelp’s Invention Girl is learning that digital business cards are fast growing in popularity. More than 20 services allow people to exchange electronic business cards. Here’s a few of our favorite digital card inventions:

First, there’s SnapDat, a free iPhone application that enables iPhone addicts to send digital images of their business cards. This mobile contact sharing application keeps the familiar look and feel of a traditional business card, if you’re not quite ready to dive right into the digital trend.

If you’re a fan of Twitter, like many of us at InventHelp are, then TwtBizCard helps you to personalize and share your business card. Twitter fans can instantly start tweeting with the hash tag, #twtbizcard, or add #twtbizcard to an @reply.

If you’re drowning in a sea of business cards that you never use, CloudContacts is for you. Simply send them your paper business cards, and CloudContacts will scan, transcribe and connect your business cards on social networks, email services and CRM systems. Your contacts can be exported and viewed online in a variety of convenient formats.

InventHelp’s Invention Girl doesn’t expect paper business cards to disappear anytime soon (I’ve got about a thousand in my desk!), but these web-based services make it easier than ever to keep your important contacts current and always accessible.

Welcome to the new age of professional networking!

“Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house…”

Metaphorical quotes like this use glass as a symbol for fragility. Just think about delicate little Cinderella and her glass slipper if you need any more convincing!

InventHelp’s Invention Girl has learned that the fragile reputation of glass may get a little beefier with the invention of a new type of blast-resistant glass. This blast-resistant glass could prove to be an effective and inexpensive way to better protect Federal buildings and other vulnerable structures.

In testing, the glass resisted a hand grenade-strength bomb explosion that originates close to the window panel. Although the glass cracked due to the impact of the explosion, it didn’t puncture the composite layer. This means that injuries caused by broken glass could be reduced or eliminated in the event of an explosion or attack. More tests are planned for larger-scale explosions and researchers are optimistic about the results.

What makes this glass particularly useful from a building standpoint is that it’s lighter and thinner (it measures only one-half inch thick), making it less expensive to manufacture. The inventors of this new glass replaced a layer of plastic found in conventional blast-resistant glass with a transparent composite material made of glass fibers embedded in plastic. These microthin fibers leave less room for defects in the glass that can lead to breakage.

Thanks for stopping by the blog at InventHelp, where our glass is always half-full!

Hair restoration has come a long way since those “Hair Club for Men” commercials dominated the airwaves years ago. Feared and dreaded “hair plugs” have been replaced by high-tech, precise hair-replacement inventions that allow individuals to have hair transplanted just about anywhere!

Thanks to these new technology inventions, unusual hair transplants are sprouting up all over the country and all over the body. While the scalp is still by far the most popular hair-transplant area on the body, eyebrows are making strides as well. The face (beards and mustaches), chest and other more, ahem, delicate areas can also receive transplants.

InventHelp’s Invention Girl has heard horror stories about eyebrow loss due to overzealous plucking and permanent makeup procedures. In one case, a woman had eyebrows permanently tattooed on her face, only to have them fade to an awful “salmon orange” color over time. She had the eyebrow tattoo removed with a laser and discovered that the laser destroyed her hair follicles. After doing some research, she decided to have hair transplanted from her scalp to her eyebrows.

There are two types of procedures that are most common. “Strip harvesting” involves taking out a strip of scalp skin, usually from the back of the head, and then microscopically separating that strip into hundreds (or thousands) of follicular units. “Follicular unit extraction” (FUE) is a newer process in which the clusters are harvested individually.

Doctors note that both procedures, like any surgery, should be carefully considered because there are health risks involved. If you’re considering the procedure, InventHelp’s Invention Girl recommends doing your homework and finding a reputable, experienced doctor. Prices for the process can range into the thousands of dollars.

As for the woman with the eyebrow transplant, she told MSNBC that she has to constantly trim her eyebrows and that they’re a bit coarser than normal. Still, she’s happy with the results. “You would never think to look at me that my eyebrows came from the back of my head,” she said.

These days, it’s easier to find a WiFi hotspot than a pay phone! That’s great for those of us that love technology and gadgets, but it makes life tricky for the “unplugged population.”

InventHelp’s Invention Girl knows plenty of grandmas and grandpas who love to email and Facebook with the best of ‘em, but there are still many elderly folks who are not wired in. Aside from bills and solicitations in the mailbox, our Golden Generation may be feeling left out of modern communications. People just don’t write letters much anymore! Rather than leave older individuals facing an empty mailbox, you could use one invention to keep everyone connected.

Sunnygram is a service that sends Grandpa a letter once a week, delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Family members and friends simply email the company correspondence and photos, and Sunnygram prints it out, formats it like a newsletter and pops it in the mail.

Sunnygram includes a self-addressed stamped envelope that Pap can use to handwrite a reply; these replies are scanned by Sunnygram and emailed to the right people. Or, users can call a toll-free number and leave a reply message, and Sunnygram will transcribe it and send it along. The service costs $9.95 a month.

Communication is one of the best gifts you can give an elderly friend or family member. And even though we at InventHelp love technology, we understand that not everyone is a fan.

Inventions that help to keep loved ones connected are always welcome!