Design patents are pretty simple things, relative to the more common utility patent. A design patent just protects the look of a thing, so it is mostly governed by its drawings. Here's an example: https://patents.google.com/patent/USD525009S1/ USP D525,009, FIG. 1 Now, that is not the drawing that was originally filed. The original drawing looked like this: … Continue reading The Inflatable Kwanzaa Candelabra
At first, I was thinking this post would be about oil fields. I was finding all sorts of patents about Christmas trees on oil wells, and I thought it was amazing that the people who drill for oil had such festive spirits. But it turns out that "Christmas tree" is just a term of art … Continue reading The Personal Energy Christmas Ornaments
1884 problems require 1884 solutions.
t used to be, if you wanted your terrifying visage to glare balefully down at your descendants for generations, you needed to get a portrait done.
You would think that Dr. Strangelove would have been prior art.
I figure a big part of this blog is going to be holidays. They are a stimulant for the creative mind--a framework to drape a blog post around, or an invention. So, on this the sixth day of Hanukkah: https://patents.google.com/patent/US6053622A USP 6,053,622, FIG. 1 Is it uncouth of me to post this after sundown on … Continue reading The Wand-Operated Menorah
I have been having a problem: Every time I find a funny patent, I find a whole set of related patents and it leads me down a rabbit hole. I never know where to stop. Prudence dictates that I should spread them out, so that I have content for years to come. But I can't … Continue reading Kick-ass Machines
I thought it would be nice to do something Thanksgivingy for Thanksgiving. I wasn't sure what I was looking for, so I just started my search with the word "turkey." I figured I'd get some bonkers frying apparatus and that would be that. Friends, I underestimated how deep the turkeyhole goes. There are so many … Continue reading Getting Gobblers
If an inventor's life is dominated by their children's social calendar, they can end up taking the road most traveled. That's why the cake spit shield has been patented so many times.
I say that I love all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum equally, but let's be honest: Microwaves are clearly the best waves. Visible light is great and all, and my fellow radio nerds will all have their favorites, but microwaves run our WiFi and cook our food. What more could you ask for in a … Continue reading The Mole Death Ray
Patenting the odd, the impossible, and the unnerving 