Locking Out Car Thieves, Gas Bandits

Ever locked yourself out of your car or your house? The Dial Gas Cap, secured by a set-it-yourself combination lock, has an attached key box that holds two or more keys. It’s great for surfers, notes Dial Gas Cap President Ronnie Sugiyama, since “they never know where to put their keys when they go surfing.”

The locking cap, which replaces a car’s existing cap, comes in three sizes and,Sugiyama says, will fit “99%” of all newer cars but “it doesn’t work on a real old car (pre-1978).”

Sugiyama says that the Dial Gas Cap will foil car thieves needing to refuel, as well as gas bandits. And, he says, “If somebody else wants to pick your car up at the airport, say, you give him the combination. You don’t have to give him the keys.”

The inventor is a friend of Sugiyama’s in Korea and the product has been marketed in Korea and in Europe but not yet in the United States. Sugiyama, the franchisee, is seeking distributors. Dial Gas Cap, at $19.95, is available in the meantime by calling (213) 762-2221.

Turning Down the Stereo

Fone-Mute is a device that can automatically decrease the volume of your stereo when your phone rings, so you can talk comfortably. When you’ve hung up, the volume returns to its preset level. According to Paul Newman, vice president of Novene International in Anaheim, the company marketing Fone-Mute, it is easy to install, “simply connecting to your home stereo, any telephone jack not in use and a standard wall outlet.”

If the nearest available jack is in use, you will need to buy a 2-to-1 adapter to accommodate both the phone and the Fone-Mute. A 2-to-1 adapter can be purchased for about $3 at electronic accessory stores. The unit, Newman says, weighs less than a pound and is small, a 3x5-inch box.

For additional information or to order, at $29.95, plus $5 for shipping and handling, call (714) 772-8037 or write to Novene International Inc., 709 S. Illinois St., Anaheim, Calif. 92805.

Toothbrushes and Germs

Dentec 4000, promoted as a “revolutionary new toothbrush sanitizing system,” is the first product from the research labs of 2-year-old Dentec Corp., based in Boca Raton, Fla.

Company president Joseph Bello says development of the device, which uses ultraviolet light to kill bacteria, was spurred by a 1986 Oklahoma University School of Dentistry study linking lingering colds, sore throats and mouth infections to bacteria that flourish on toothbrushes.

“One of the ways people pass diseases on to one another in a household” is through toothbrush contact with a communal toothpaste tube, Bello says. Disinfectants for dipping brushes will do the job, he notes, but “a lot of people are very reluctant to put their toothbrush in something that kills bacteria and then put it in their mouth.” And, he adds, disinfectants are hazardous to small children.

Dentec 4000, a compact 3x7 inches, sanitizes up to four standard or electric toothbrushes. It comes with an optional wall-mounting bracket and its top doubles as a sanitized drinking cup.

The product, which will be marketed nationally beginning Oct. 1 through catalogues and in a limited number of retail outlets, is available for $59.95 from Dentec Corp., Suite 8095, 5355 Town Center Road, Boca Raton, Fla. 33486.

No-Turn Tanning

For keeping cool under a hot sun, there is tan ‘n tub, a bathtub-shaped vinyl air mattress with inflatable sides that holds 6 to 8 inches of water and has a reflective silver liner that enables the sunbather to tan on both sides--through the water--without turning.

Its inventor, Jim LaForce Jr. of Chico, a photographer by profession, calls it an “adult kiddie pool”--indeed, his inspiration was watching his son frolic in a back-yard wading pool while adult sun worshipers tried cooling down with spray bottles and hoses.

LaForce, using Ken and Barbie “Malibu” dolls as models, first built a scale-model prototype, then took tan ‘n tub to Taiwan for manufacture.

Tan ‘n tub, 44 inches wide and 88 inches long when inflated (by bicycle pump or air compressor), has a reflective solar design to keep water inside at a comfortable temperature. It will float in pool or lake (even when filled) and, empty, doubles as camping cot, spare bed or chaise longue with its own inflatable pillow.

Suggested retail price is $59 and the item is available in stores or directly from tan ‘n tub, 1070 Marauder St., Suite A, Chico, Calif. 95926. The toll-free number is (800) 777-1156.