You're at the ball park with your kid. The kid wants a hot dog. You take the kid to the concession stand:
[Kid]: One hot dog please. [Concessionaire]: Whadda ya want on it? [Kid]: Relish and mustard. [Concessionaire]: What picture ya want? [You]: Huh? [Kid]: Diamondbacks logo, please. [Concessionaire]: Comin' right up. [You]: Huh?
The concessionaire pops a hot dog in to a cigar box sized, stainless steel appliance, closes the lid, punches a button then proceeds to load the relish and mustard on the bun. [DING!]. Up goes the lid of the magic box. There sits the once lowly hot dog, now officially a Laserfurter, rotating on rollers, smoking slightly, emblazoned with the familiar stylized "A". The concessionaire places the work of art in the bun atop a bed of mustard and relish.
[Concessionaire]: There you go kid. (looks at you) That'll be 5 bucks.
Operating somewhat like a laser printer with a high powered laser and an edible drum, the Laserfurterator can burn any suitably sized image on to the tubular meat product of your choice.-- half, Aug 20 2003 (?) Epilog Legend 24EX Laser Engraver http://www.epiloglaser.com/24ex.htmLaser engravers are cool. It's essentially a big printer that etches into wood, glass, etc. Mount a hot-dog rotisserie and you're in business. [waugsqueke, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] Universal Laser Systems VersaLaser http://www.versalaser.com/"Desktop computer peripheral laser system" [phoenix, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] diamond dog http://bz.pair.com/fun/diamonddog.jpg11kb image. Alas, it looks more like a brand than a laser etching because I couldn't find a sufficient resolution logo to work with (ideally, an eps). [bristolz, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004] Laser Photonics - Laser Marking http://www.laserphotonics.com/Laser Photonics provides the laser equipment to mark, and even cut, everything from pizza to leather, glass and more! Check it out! [Laserphotonics, Oct 02 2007] Never has an idea earned a more well-deserved + from me.-- DeathNinja, Aug 20 2003 //pops a hot dog in to a cigar box sized, stainless steel appliance//
A wurst case scenario.-- wombat, Aug 20 2003 Hah.-- bristolz, Aug 20 2003 Frankly, this is a great idea.-- pnewp, Aug 20 2003 Most people would only buy them furter brand name.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Aug 20 2003 Great puns. You all seem to be on a roll.-- half, Aug 20 2003 Great buns, you meant. And, isn't it awfully late in the desert by now?-- bristolz, Aug 20 2003 Relish these moments.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Aug 20 2003 Yes, it's late. For me anyway. 11:20 PM
I'm certainly glad I mustard the energy to post this. I hadn't posted much lately and was feeling the need to ketchup. It's been fun shedding light on this hot dog topic, but I need to go to bed now. I'm getting pun-chy.-- half, Aug 20 2003 I guess you only need a bun for the exquisite and liberal use of pun?-- Zimmy, Aug 20 2003 [Concessionaire]: What da ya want on that?[You]: Centimeter markings, like a ruler.[Concessionaire]: Whatta ya, some kinda metrics freak?[You]: Uh, no. I was thinking it would fool the chicks that it was inches.[Concessionaire]: OK, comin' right up.[You]: OWWww!-- FarmerJohn, Aug 20 2003 Eminently doable using a slightly modified laser engraver (link). Top dog idea, half!-- waugsqueke, Aug 20 2003 Bound to leave a lasting impression. +-- k_sra, Aug 20 2003 "Bite Me!"-- egbert, Aug 20 2003 I voted against because I can't see paying for the engraving of something I'm going to eat. On the other hand, if the idea were rephrased so the engraving were subsidized as a marketing gimmick by the ball park (or whoever), I'd vote for.-- phoenix, Aug 20 2003 Buy one for your home that etches your last name on the frank. With a clear reminder of who sprang for the food, the moochers who never bother to bring beer or chips to your barbeque can't avoid feeling just a tiny bit guilty.-- tchaikovsky, Aug 20 2003 [phoenix]: //I can't see paying for the engraving of something I'm going to eat...if the idea were rephrased so the engraving were subsidized as a marketing gimmick by the ball park//
I know where you're coming from. I thought about the subsidy/promotion angle. I thought about the issue of who would pay extra for such a transient thing. I wouldn't.
In the end, I intentionally attempted to phrase the idea *not* to indicate who bears the cost as I wanted to focus on the concept of the invention, not present a feasibility study or a business model. (I try hard to keep my ideas very brief yet understandable. They probably come across as not completely thought out.)
I suspect that the $5 price may have implied an extra charge. That may be a bit steep for a hot dog at a ballpark. I know that food is expensive at such venues and I thought $5 would be sufficiently ambiguous. I really don't know a reasonable price because I have quite near zero interest in professional sports.
Realistically, I think it would have to be a gimmicky thing that didn't involve an overt additional charge to the consumer. Promotional events, wherein free hot dogs are given away, might be a good application.-- half, Aug 20 2003 [half] Vote changed!-- phoenix, Aug 20 2003 i had an idea for an injector that would put flavouring and possibly vitamins into stuff like celery, carrots to make them more tasty But the pattern could be changed so that each person in the family would get only his or her vitamin and flavoring group.. It all started when I found an old pig ear tatoo set and of course my next thought was injecting veggies. Hey, why not just inject the vegetarians directly? And laser funny things on their foreheads too! Yeah that's the ticket.!!! I want the Mayan calendar on my glistening pate! for sure dudes.-- Siward, Aug 20 2003 half is one half of a double act I do believe.
nice one. this is rather designer dog(ish) though-- po, Aug 20 2003 Great idea. Tell me wiener next one's done!-- galukalock, Aug 20 2003 Lasers can also etch buns as well. Here's one for you with the number 40 burned onto the top. +-- sartep, Aug 20 2003 Cool... I could eat my words.-- RayfordSteele, Aug 20 2003 half, this is the ultimate carnival novelty. People will pay $5 for "Dippin' Dots" ice cream. They'll pay $5 for this... especially the "Can I get one, Dad? Can I, can I?" parents.-- waugsqueke, Aug 20 2003 ...adding grill marks like this would burn the meat and make for more carcinogens, which would no-doubt be a huge turn-off to those typically health-conscious hot-dog eaters.-- sophocles, Aug 20 2003 The laser makes this good. Searing with the grill is old hat. Needs a viewing window so we can watch the process. Only problem is the chosen logo for the example. Arizona? No, no, no. I suggest the venerable SF: it has a much more storied history, more in keeping with *real* baseball. (I have no idea how a typically American League team like the D'backs ended up in the National League.)
Well done.-- oxen crossing, Aug 20 2003 [UB], I agree that it needn't be laser, provided every dog would have the same image.
I came up with this idea while pondering whether or not raised patterns on my "Shock Dog" rollers would burn visible patterns on to the hot dog. Then my mind wandered to a real world motion control project I'm working on that is essentially a *much* larger scale, programmable engraving (mechanical, not laser) type application for cylindrical objects. My thoughts eventually scaled back down to hot dogs and this idea.
For certain applications, it seemed like it would be handy to have a wide variety of images available on demand. As [waugsqueke] says, the novelty angle seemed like it would be a good draw. In the case of the ballpark scenario, the home team crowd aren't the only ones that might want these.
I've even thought that it might be possible to make one of these devices available for rental to customize hot dogs for a kids birthday party or other small gatherings.
As silly as it sounds, I almost want to bake this thing.-- half, Aug 20 2003 Actually, I think rather than baking, you should cook it between two electrified roller thingies.-- bristolz, Aug 20 2003 I'm picturing the concession set up with a bunch of 'sample' pre-etched dogs on display, as well as a few posters of available designs. People would order the dog and give you the design number. You mount the cooked dog on a rod, set it into a lathe-like device, and punch in the design number. The device spins the dog as the laser etches the design. It would take seconds to do and would be a great novelty.-- waugsqueke, Aug 20 2003 [bristolz]: Pure genius. Someone should post that idea.
Thanks for the picture. It's great. As [blissmiss] points out, your work is excellent, as always. And much appreciated, as always.
[waugsqueke]: Yep. Sounds good. Maybe even a camera to allow putting people's faces on these things?-- half, Aug 20 2003 Do hot dogs even have nutrition?-- DeathNinja, Aug 20 2003 I'm still alive and generally healthy. So, either hot dogs, Oreos or Root Beer must contain some measure of nutrition.-- half, Aug 20 2003 This would work on corn dogs, too. You got a money maker here, half, if you can work out the details.-- waugsqueke, Aug 21 2003 A nice idea. +47 good? Dunno. I'll give you a croissant anyway.-- kevindimie, Aug 21 2003 Re: [Mr Burns]' link, it would be interesting to see if this idea would in fact be a Laserfurterconflagrator.
Now I'm gonna have to go find an adventurous person with a laser engraver.
Flooding the enclosure with CO2 for flame control might get pricey.-- half, Aug 21 2003 For every king must have his glory And every dog will have its data-- pitah, Aug 23 2003 I wish I were a Lazer Meyer weiner.-- NotSoQuick, Aug 23 2003 This idea is a real dog. Could I get a dozen with the Jolly Roger, please...but gimme a smiley face onion. It really burns that I didn't think of this first. Sorry I'm being such a weiner. This is a bit of a pickle, to be frank. Don't be so chili!
Can you spot every pun? Here's a hint: lower your intellect.-- Eugene, Aug 24 2003 "I suspect that the $5 price may have implied an extra charge. That may be a bit steep for a hot dog at a ballpark. I know that food is expensive at such venues and I thought $5 would be sufficiently ambiguous. "
Five bucks would be a cheap price for a dog at the BOB (Bank One Ballpark, home of the Diamondbacks, for those of you who aren't familiar with this already). You'll pay five bucks for three smashed tortilla chips and an ounce of cold nacho cheese...-- X2Entendre, Aug 24 2003 Instead of making the dogs customizable for the people buying them, why not sell advertising space on the hot dogs. A real money-maker, given the number of people that buy hot dogs.-- Condiment, Oct 28 2003 Must bring it up again. It was a beautiful idea, half.-- DesertFox, Dec 08 2004 Ah, that explains why this is getting a vote count again. Thanks, [DF].-- half, Dec 13 2004 Yah yah Laserfurator! I would like twelve entirely burnt into elaborite tiki motifs, please. They will stand guard around my meatloaphoglyph.-- bungston, Dec 14 2004 I have one question- If lasers need to be hot, won't the engraved area taste like burnt charcoal?-- croissantz, Dec 14 2004 /burnt charcoal/ - that is a good taste on a hot dog.-- bungston, Dec 15 2004 "Maybe you could use the laser to burn nutritional facts on..." Just saw a program on the Food Network about the kitchen of the future. A brief segment showed etching of nutritional information with a laser on the back of a Pop Tart.
MIT finally catches up with the halfbakery.-- half, Sep 18 2005 Geesh took 'em long enough.-- RayfordSteele, Sep 19 2005 Amazing.-- Almafeta, Sep 19 2005 im going to call my next child laserfurterator-- benfrost, Sep 20 2005 do you have children (already) ben?-- po, Oct 02 2007 If so, "Tor" would be a good nickname.-- bungston, Oct 02 2007 random, halfbakery