I have this problem at Starbucks in the morning which is that the coffee creamer canister requires two hands to open. I always have my back pack occupying one hand and can't use that hand to steady the canister while I twist the cap off with the other hand. The solution, and this would be widely applicable, would be a twisty cap on the creamer dispenser that you could open with one hand. It could be a long lever attached to the twisty cap. Those Starbucks creamer dispensers twist closed tightly so that milk will stay fresh, but to open them you have to use two hands. If there was a thumb brace on the twisty part of the cap, you could - all with one hand - set the coffee cup down on the counter, take the plastic coffee cup top off the cup, grab the creamer canister by the handle with four fingers (holding the plastic cup top between your index and middle fingers), and push the twisty cap thumb-brace-lever with your thumb, opening the twisty cap a turn or two, until the cream could pour freely, and then pour some cream into your coffee, set the canister back down and twist it closed. All the while your other hand could be in your pocket, or holding your backpack on your shoulder, or holding your cranberry orange scone or whatever.
This wouldn't require all the moving parts of one of those push button opening dispensers. It could be a simple lever attached to any twisty cap.-- JesusHChrist, Nov 08 2006 o.k. lets start at the beginning. why does a *back*pack require one hand?-- po, Nov 08 2006 It requires one hand if you only have it around your shoulder with one strap, otherwise the backpack will come swinging out from behind your back and slip off your shoulder, if you lean over to get the creamer. You could wear both straps but this is a slippery slope because you might also end up buttoning the top button of your button up shirt and tucking your shirt into your pants and pulling your pants waist up around your nipples. Oh I know why I wear my backpack with one strap -- because I am so over sensative that corner-of-the-eye interactions with other commuters on the bus and subway allways set off my sweat reaction and having both straps on my backpack is like wearing a coat because my kidneys put out a lot of heat and the heat gets trapped under the backpack making me sweaty and nervous and trapped in a small space and I have to flail my arms around to get the backpack off and this is hard in a confined space like the subway or a coffee shop, so I need to one-strap to ventilate.-- JesusHChrist, Nov 08 2006 Jesus!-- po, Nov 08 2006 Marjorie Proops says "Get a trolley"-- skinflaps, Nov 08 2006 Put your back pack down.-- Chefboyrbored, Nov 08 2006 random, halfbakery