By Ziling Yan (顏紫翎), CNW

Until mid-July, the official report about the global confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID 19) has reached 13 million and the number of deaths is nearly 600,000. The number of daily infections is, unfortunately, skyrocketing but currently there are still no vaccines to protect the body against the disease it causes, Covid-19. And, medical researchers are now racing to create one.

In addition to vaccine development, scientists, researchers and inventors from all over the world have endeavored to tackle the epidemic. The International Federation of Inventors， Associations (IFIA) and the World Innovation Invention Foundation( WIIF) launched a contest called,"Be part of the solutions Inventions VS Corona - invention contest for the benefit of humanity against covid-19”, soliciting the world inventors to help the lives of people around the world get back on track.

In early May, the members of the Global Invention Association were called to solicit solutions for problem situation. In a week, 47 countries hang together to respond to this world，s 1st cloud contest fight for the virus in a new way.  In just one month, a total of 35 countries invention associations sternly screened 202 elite works. From the various anti-epidemic and anti-virus projects, most of them designed masks, anti-epidemic clothing, equipment, and cloud detection talents.  The jury of the contest selected 2 grand awards, 29 gold awards, 40 silver awards and 68 bronze awards through the professional evaluation day and night.

Among the winners, the reporter interviewed the Macau team. Mr. Danny P. K. Lai (黎栢強), President of the Macao Innovation and Invention Association (澳門創明協會), led a faulty member, Dr. Perry Y. K. Ip, Assistant Professor, and a student Wang Yilin of the City University of Macau. They were the ones responsible for the design. Zixin Luo, a undergraduate student from Polytechnic Institute, for the layout of the inner box , Mr. W. K. Chu, a teacher from Hou Kong middle School, for electronic testing and the chairman, Dr. Wing Chan, for the patent application. This ?Environmental Mouth and Eye Masks Sterilization Box? of the Macau Team defeated 171 solutions and won gold award. Their invention is about a disposal and multiple-time mask disinfection and repeated use, especially the mask and eye mask disinfection box.

The face masks is in short supply in some places on one hand and an environmental disaster of daily disposing numerous one-time-use items is on the other.  The team, composed of three members holding INV title of international inventor members, has developed a practical product, the mask keeper that allows the masks be re-used.  The keeper is a portable container that can disinfect masks and eye masks. The double sterilization system of the container effectively reduces the consumption of masks, alleviates the pressure on the mask demand and promotes environmental-friendliness.

Dr. Perry Ip (葉仁傑) says an inventor may think of a hundred ways of developing an invention, but only one or two can be finalized and eventually be patented. Plenty of hours and efforts are in vain during the course of the development. Even if a hundred of patents are granted, merely one or two can finally be commercialized and be found in the marketplace.  The team is willing to license their patent to those interested parties who can transform the invention into a product.

Dr. Wing Chan (陳榮) advocates we need to wear a mask now and we don?t need it in the future. Wearing a mask is not only a social responsibility but also the liability to family members and neighbors.  He said let’s cut off the spread of the virus, and restore the society to a normal.

In the epidemic, hundreds of millions of face masks are disposed every day, and may eventually become marine debris and enter the food chain. The Invention of this affordable mask keeper serves as a portable container to reduce mask consumption.

For further detail, please access to the following websites:

- Official website http://www.ifia.com Announcement website

- http://www.istanbul-inventions.org/en/41465/