Here is an idea for a new food product: Vegideli.
In America, a lot of people eat sandwiches that are made of processed meats since they are convenient to make and eat for lunch. To make the sandwich, one takes 2 slices of bread and puts various things between them. Typically, one can add green lettuce, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese slices, etc. However, the main ingredient is the meat, which can be anything like turkey, chicken, beef, ham, etc. The attraction is that it is easy to prepare this item in the morning while rushing to get out of the house to go to work or school. It is also convenient to eat while still sitting at ones desk at work because the sandwich is not messy and does not need to be heated.
The lunch meats are also called "Cold Cuts." The processing involves smoking, boiling, baking, etc. to cook the meat.
They are spiced in various ways. In the end, they look nothing like the original animal meat. The meats are then sliced and sold in local food shops. They normally last for about 1 - 2 weeks in the fridge. Health-wise, they are usually high in fats, cholesterol and salt.
The problem at hand is that this convenient sandwich is not available for vegetarians because of its main ingredient: the meat. Without the meat, as the joke goes, a sandwich is just 2 slices of bread.
The opportunity is to develop a vegetarian replacement for the meat. The target consumers would be vegetarians and other health conscious people in USA and Western Europe. The product should also comply with Jewish & Islamic religious diets. The product could be made in India with surplus fruits and vegetables. Initially, it could be flavored to imitate existing lunch meats. However, other more interesting masala flavors can also be offered.
The product would be sold presliced in sealed packages. The package should not need refrigeration until it is opened.
Each slice would be a square about 10 to 15 cm wide and about 2 to 4 mm thick, so it would fit between 2 slices of bread. It would be very important to get the texture and consistency correct. The product should not stick to the teeth or mouth. It should not be excessively chewy nor should it fall apart easily.
A system is described that would offer optimal routing directions to drivers on local roads and highways. Subscribers would be equipped with a transponder (personal cell phone) that contained a GPS device and would communicate with a local hub. Communications would use packet radio services provided by local cell phone providers. After the driver enters the destination and any waypoints into the system, the optimal path would be calculated and directions would be conveyed to the driver. The local hub would recommend the optimal path based on prevailing traffic conditions and congestion points. Each hub could manage traffic for a medium sized city and would hand off control to an adjoining hub when the vehicle exits its zone. Traffic conditions would be gathered by traditional methods and also by information deduced by the movement of vehicles that subscribe to the system. Thus, the quality of routing service would improve as more subscribers join the system.
Unfortunately, someone else has already thought of this idea and has patented it. I don't know why they haven't developed this idea further....
The system is composed of the following major components:
- Transponder terminal
o Display & Keypad
o Integrated GPS system
o Integrated data communications capability (EVDO, GPRS, etc.)
o Optional voice interface
o Emergency 911
- Local Hub
o Data base containing current traffic data
o Algorithms
§ Traffic trending
§ Routing
§ Anomalous data rejection
§ Traffic Sensing
§ Inter hub Handoff
o External interfaces
§ Web based real-time traffic reports
§ Alerts to traffic management authorities (police, etc.)
- Communications system
o Cellular Packet radio (EVDO, GPRS, Satellite Radio…)
o Vendor independence
- Traffic Sensing channels
o Speed sensors on highways
o Data from transponders
o User reports
o Arial Cameras
The Transponder Terminal acts as the main user interface. It has the following primary functions:
The device can range in size and shape from a car mounted system, to USB device attached to a laptop, to a cellular phone.
The display and keypad allow the user to enter destination and way point information, and to update their route preferences during transit. It also allows the user to perform administrative functions, access and update subscriber account information, and set preferences.
GPS is always on and always transmits position and speed data