Patent Law

They Invented What? (No. 149)

Posted on September 24, 2009
U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,411:  Toilet tank aquarium.   What is claimed is: 1. A toilet, comprising: a toilet bowl assembly;  a toilet tank assembly being coupled to said toilet bowl assembly;  said toilet tank assembly having a top, a front, a back, and a pair of sides, said front, back and sides of said toilet tank assembly [...

They Invented What? (No. 148)

Posted on September 09, 2009
U.S. Pat. No. 6,865,843:  Portable Electrical Mouse Trap. JW Note:  This is a first for our TIW? series . . . a repeat!  This TIW? originally debuted as TIW? No. 6, back on June 28, 2006.  However, in view of the aweseome video below by Daniel Wright at Patently Silly, recently found at Youtube, we thought [...

Commissioner for Patents John Doll to Retire; Robert L. Stoll Nominated as Successor.

Posted on September 04, 2009
Per this press release at the USPTO website yesterday: USPTO Announces Senior Management Changes Commissioner for Patents John Doll to Retire; Robert L. Stoll Nominated as Successor Margaret Focarino Named Deputy Commissioner WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce?s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced significant changes among the senior management team of its Patent organization...

They Invented What? (No. 147)

Posted on August 26, 2009
U.S. Patent No. 6,929,164: Neck wrap/brace for holding items and belt article holder for same.   What is claimed is: 1. A neck wrap/brace for holding items, comprising: a neck strap adapted to be wrapped about a neck of a person; a securing arrangement for securing together opposite ends of the neck strap in a loop configuration to [...

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Swearing-In Ceremony for USPTO Director David Kappos.

Posted on August 14, 2009
Video via the News@USPTO.  The prepared remarks for the ceremony may also be found here. Posted in General Commentary

They Invented What? (No. 146)

Posted on August 13, 2009
U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,419:  Forehead support apparatus.   What is claimed is: 1. A forehead support for resting a standing user’s forehead above a wall mounted urinal comprising: a mounting member adapted for substantially permanent attachment to an upright bathroom wall above the urinal; a forehead support member attached to and extending from said mounting member; said forehead support [...

David Kappos Confirmed as Patent and Trademark Office Director.

Posted on August 07, 2009
Per this press release at the USPTO today: The U.S. Senate today confirmed David Kappos as the new Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke issued the following statement: ?We are grateful to the Senate for its swift confirmation of David Kappos to lead [...

They Invented What? (No. 145)

Posted on July 30, 2009
U.S. Patent No. 3,307,285:  Pneumatic method for catching or scaring fish.   What is claimed is: 1.  A method of preventing movement of aquatic organisms in a body of water toward a prohibited region thereof comprising:  placing at least one pneumatic shock wave generating device in said body of water between said prohibited region and said aquatic organisms; [...

The Vendor-Client Relationship Video.

Posted on July 30, 2009
As first seen at Peter Zura’s 271 Patent Blog here.  Absolutely hilarious, and shockingly familiar to many practitioners.  Enjoy! Posted in General Commentary

Implementation of USPTO e-Office Action Program.

Posted on July 22, 2009
Per this press release at the USPTO yesterday: ?We received very positive feedback from applicants who participated in the pilot program,? said Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of the USPTO John Doll. ?Not only have we dramatically reduced paper processing and mailing costs but also expedited notification allowing applicants to [...

They Invented What? (No. 144)

Posted on July 22, 2009
U.S. Patent No. 6,854,374:  Explosion containment net.   I claim: 1. A system capable of minimizing an explosive force of an explosive-laden device, the system comprising: a net manufactured from an explosion containment material, the net having an outer periphery, a central point and a nozzle located at the central point; a gun capable of propelling the net; [...

Edge of Discovery.

Posted on July 18, 2009
CNN operates an interesting website titled “Edge of Discovery“.  The website has the following tagline: Around the globe — and throughout the universe — innovations are not only creating breakthroughs in technology but changing the way we live our daily lives...

The Basics: How Do I Get A Patent?

Posted on July 18, 2009
J. Douglas Miller had a nice post at his blog, Small Business IP Protection and Management, on how individual inventors and small businesses can get started along the patenting process.  Since patent practitioners often field such questions, we thought it worthwhile to reproduce Doug’s thoughts below...

2nd Annual Quad City Symposium ? Pushing the Envelope on IP Reform.

Posted on July 14, 2009
The 2nd Annual Quad City IP Symposium will be held this Friday, July 17, 2009 at the University of Dayton, from 8:00 AM ? 12:00 PM.  The title of the Symposium is “Pushing the Envelope on IP Reform”.  The Symposium is co-sponsored by the Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Toledo IPLAs, and has been approved in Ohio for 3...

The Top 50 Patent Blogs.

Posted on July 12, 2009
We are pleased to announce that the Anticipate This!? | Patent and Trademark Law Blog (AT!) has been ranked in the top-20 patent blogs of the Internet.   The admittedly non-scientific survey was conducted by Gene Quinn at IPWatchdog, and took into consideration objective links and traffic data, and the results of a poll administered at his website...

Appointment of Former Commissioner for Patents Nicholas Godici to USPTO Consultant Position.

Posted on July 08, 2009
Per a USPTO press release issued earlier today: Commerce Secretary Gary Locke Takes Key Step to Address Patent and Trademark Office Challenges U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced the appointment of former USPTO official and long-time patent professional Nicholas Godici to look at ways to strengthen the management structure of the USPTO and provide an up-to-date [...

Michael Jackson, King of Pop and Patentee.

Posted on July 01, 2009
    Per Dave McClaughry’s post at his new music industry-related patent blog, the recently deceased Michael Jackson was listed as a co-inventor on U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,452, titled “Method and Means for Creating Anti-Gravity Illusion”...

They Invented What? (No. 143)

Posted on July 01, 2009
U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,459:  Excrement receptacle device for animals.   I claim: 1. An excrement receptacle device for an animal comprising: a harness for support of the device on an animal, a hollow conduit tube having forward and rearward portions and constructed of a material which provides a normal self-sustaining shape for said tube in which an open [...

They Invented What? (No. 142)

Posted on June 18, 2009
U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,607: Scented doll with the appearance of an aged person.   What is claimed is: 1. A doll comprising: a permeable body covering, wherein said permeable body covering includes a torso portion, a pair of arm portions, a pair of leg portions, and wherein said permeable body covering is sewn to form a closed [...

David J. Kappos, Nominee for Director of the USPTO.

Posted on June 18, 2009
Per this White House press release today. President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals today: David J. Kappos, Nominee for Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Mr...

Review: Burning the Ships: Intellectual Property and the Transformation of Microsoft.

Posted on June 17, 2009
  Burning the Ships, by Marshall Phelps and David Kline, provides a unique, behind-the-scenes insight into the decisions behind Microsoft’s internal evolution in intellectual property policy.  The reasons provided for the demise of the non-assertion of patents or “NAP” clause, for example, is particularly interesting...

New USPTO Web Site (Beta).

Posted on June 14, 2009
The USPTO has announced the beta test release of its new web site.  According to the USPTO, the new site has been redesigned to improve the look and feel, as well as to enhance the user experience with improved navigation. The USPTO’s goal is to make the Web site technologically up-to-date, user-friendly, and responsive to [...

They Invented What? (No. 141)

Posted on June 11, 2009
U.S. Pat. No. 260,379:  Grave-signal.   Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is - 1.  A grave signal the essential features whereof are a tube leading to the coffin or casket, a signal-flag therein, a spring by which said signal-flag may be forced vertically upward [...

They Invented What? (No. 140)

Posted on June 03, 2009
U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,089:  Fork with timer.   What is claimed is: 1. A fork with timer for providing a cue to a user after an elapsed period of time for indicating that another bite of food using the fork may be taken comprising, in combination:          a rigid dinner fork having a head, four spaced and aligned tines [...

SCOTUS Grants Cert in Bilski.

Posted on June 01, 2009
The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari today (courtesy of SCOTUS Blog) in the case Bilski v. Doll. See previous AT! coverage of Bilski here, here, and here. In short, the CAFC in Bilski has held that business methods are not patentable unless they satisfy the machine-or-transformation test...

IPWatchdog -Top Patent Law Blogs Vote.

Posted on May 31, 2009
Well, we originally weren’t going to post a link to Gene Quinn’s recent IPWatchdog poll on the top patent law blogs (in which AT! was kindly named), in an effort to not overtly ”skew” or “boost” our ratings.  However, we have succumbed to the pressure...

They Invented What? (No. 139)

Posted on May 28, 2009
U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,935: Office gym exercise kit.   What is claimed is: 1. An exercise kit for attachment to a chair having a central post, a base, and a chair back support, said exercise kit comprising:          (a) a generally T-shaped flexible body constructed of flexible fabric, the top of the T-shaped flexible body comprising a generally rectangular [...

Poor Man?s Opposition.

Posted on May 28, 2009
Continuing our earlier discussions on how art may be submitted to the USPTO by third parties for pending patent applications (see post on Protests here, and post on Third Party Submissions here), one option to be considered is the so-called “poor man’s opposition”...

They Invented What? (No. 138)

Posted on May 20, 2009
U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,212:  Sound muffler for covering the mouth.   We claim: 1. A human sound muffler and indicator comprising a unitary body adapted to be grasped and manipulated by a user, at least one end of said body comprising a saddle shaped body of compliant sound absorbing foam material adapted to fit over the mouth of a [...

USPTO to Establish TC Ombudsman Positions.

Posted on May 19, 2009
Per this interview at IPWatchdog with Peggy Focarino, Acting Commissioner for Patents at the USPTO, the Office may be implementing a Technology Center (TC) -level “Ombudsman” position as part of an overall effort to improve the patent application process...

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