New Ideas

Ice Eater. A ship designed to keep waterways that usually freeze open all winter has been patented by Engineer Frank C. Ehinger, 79, of Adrian, Mich. Circular saws mounted like plow disks in front of the ship cut the ice. It is forced back up a ramp into the ship, crushed to cocktail-size chips and spewed clear of the chan nel through a pipe. Ehinger says an oil company, which he will not name, has bought the rights to build it.

Moving Movies. First-run motion pictures will be entertaining passengers on some of TWA's coast-to-coast jet flights beginning Jan. 4. The system, developed by New York's Inflight Motion Pictures, Inc., has an automatic projector in the ceiling and a screen at the front of the cabin for each class. So that passengers who want to read or sleep will not be disturbed, movie watchers wear featherweight ear sets with volume controls.

Pedalless Car. Automobile controls that eliminate the brake and gas pedals were demonstrated by Bendix Corp. Two pressure plates flush with the floorboards replace the pedals. Braking is faster because the driver does not have to lift his foot. Bendix claims the development will make pedals "as obsolete as the hand crank."

Plastic Fences. Strips of woven Saran plastic to be interlaced between posts to make a translucent fence were put on sale by Weblite, Inc., Mineola, L.I. Colors are turquoise, green or white. Price for 50 ft. of 5-ft.-high fence, installed-yourself: $75.

Pushbutton Files. A filing cabinet that operates like a Ferris wheel, delivering files within reach at the push of a button, has been introduced by Diebold, Inc. Because it stacks records to the ceiling, the 16-shelf model can hold as much as six four-drawer cabinets in half the floor space. Price: $2,175.

Quick Freeze. A money-saving method of cutting the time for cooling refrigerated trucks from two or three hours down to two or three minutes has been developed by Linde Co. Liquid nitrogen (temperature: 320DEGF. below zero) is sprayed from pipes in the ceiling of the truck, instantly vaporizes and drives warm air out. The principle has been known for some time, but no workable automatic spraying system had been developed. The system will be in use by next summer.

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