Florida Intellectual Property Law Blog

Join me at the Florida International Medical Exposition

 As a Fort Lauderdale Patent Attorney, I have been fortunate enough to have attended all of the past several FIME medical expositions.   

If you are a medical or dental device innovator, this is one tradeshow you DO NOT want to miss.  It will take place from August 12 - 15, 2009, at the Miami Beach Convention Center.  With over 20,000 professionals from the industry in attendance, you will be in very good company.

If you do attend, please join me on Thursday, August 13, 2009, at the Florida International Medical Exposition where I will deliver a presentation entitled:

                    Preservation of Legal Rights in Medical Innovations

Thursday, August 13, 2009, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Miami Beach Convention Center

More information about FIME 2009 is available at www.fimeshow.com with a full schedule of seminars and educational presentations at www.edufime.com.

As a Fort Lauderdale Patent Attorney, I closely follow patent litigation trends and news stories that are relevant to readers of this blog.  In this regard, a recent patent lawsuit brought against Petco by Applica Consumer Products, Inc. of Miramar, Florida is of interest.

The Miramar Florida Patentee alleges that Petco Stores import and sell various pet productts under the brand names "ScoopFree" and "SmartScoop" that infringe their rights to a patented automatic self-cleaning cat litter box that they sell under the Littermaid mark.  For more information on this recently filed case, go here.

Singer? Check

Entertainer? Check

Patent Holder? --Huh? 

Yes, few people realize that Michael Jackson helped invent special shoes that worked in conjunction with a support hidden in the stage that allowed the dancers in the "Smooth Criminal" music video to lean forward at an angle otherwise impossible without the patented device.

Michael Jackson's patent, U.S. Patent No. 5,255,452, was issued on June 29, 1992.

Orlando patents issued to inventors in Central Florida were listed in yesterday's Orlando Sentinel  and are presented below:

Delwood Nelson, Crescent City; Thomas R. Dean, DeLand; David A. Monk, DeLand; and William Bartow Mercer, Crescent City. A tree securing device and associated methods. Assigned to Pierson Supply Company Inc., Pierson. (7,533,489)

Michael Twerdochlib, Oviedo. A high bandwidth fiber optic vibration sensor. Assigned to Siemens Energy Inc., Orlando. (7,533,572)

Stefan Mazzola, Sanford; Douglas A. Keller, Oviedo; Anthony L. Schiavo, Oviedo; and David C. Radonovich, Winter Park. A multilayer ring seal. Assigned to Siemens Energy Inc., Orlando. (7,534,086 )

Beverly A. Rzigalinski, Winter Springs; Sudipta Seal, Oviedo; David Bailey, Palm Bay; and Swanand Patil, Orlando. Cerium oxide nanoparticles and use in enhancing cell survivability. Assigned to University of Central Florida Research Foundation Inc., Orlando. (7,534,453)

Gernot Fattinger, Ocoee; Klaus Diefenbeck, Germany; Peter Mueller, Germany; and Winfried Nessler, Germany. A piezoelectric resonator structure and method for manufacturing a coupled resonator device. Assigned to Avago Technologies Wireless IP, Pte. Ltd., Singapore. (7,535,324)

Gerard A. Barone, Orlando. A method and apparatus to detect event signatures. Assigned to L-3 Communications Security and Detection Systems Inc., Woburn, Mass. (7,535,355)

John W. Lerch, Indialantic; Joshua M. Girvin, Indialantic; and John P. Norair, Indialantic. An identification band using a conductive fastening for enhanced security and functionality. Assigned to Bartronics America Inc., Santa Clara, Calif. (7,535,356)

Walter A. Kuhn, Orlando. Apparatus and methods for detection of multiple targets within radar resolution cell. Assigned to Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md. (7,535,408)

Jeffery A. Dean, Clermont; and William S. McKinley, Clermont. Universal antenna polarization selectivity via variable dielectric control. Assigned to Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md. (7,535,432).

Fro the complete article, visit the Orlando Sentinel article entitled Patents in Central Florida.

On October 16^th, 2009 South Florida patent attorney, John Rizvi, will be giving a presentation entitled “Patent Pitfalls for the General Practitioner” at the 2009 Broward County Bench-Bar Convention held at the Broward County Convention Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Although many inventors do approach Florida patent attorneys for legal assistance, others initially go to one of Florida’s many excellent general practitice lawyers for preliminary assistance. Even if these general practitioners ultimately refer the matter to a patent attorney, John believes there is still a need for such non-specialists to be aware of certain statutory deadlines and other pitfalls of practice in the specialized area of patent law.

The Broward County Bench-Bar Association has been working diligently to ensure that this year’s convention surpasses even the great successes of previous years. The convention is designed for all attorneys, regardless of their field of practice. There will be a total of 114 different seminars and breakout sessions covering a wide variety of legal subjects. The theme for 2009 convention is “Practicing Law in the 21st Century.” The Bench-Bar Convention is intended to give judges and lawyers an opportunity to discuss 21st century technology and the problems facing the legal system today. Featured speakers include Bar president Jesse Diner and Bar Foundation president Adele Stone.

 

Two dozen exhibitors will also be displaying their products and services, and will be available in the conference area from 7:30 AM until the convention ends at 6:30 PM.

John Rizvi is a founding partner of Gold and Rizvi, P.A. In addition to practicing patent law in Florida for almost a decade, John spent several years as a patent attorney at the internationally renowned intellectual property law firm of Fish & Neave in New York City. With over 200 intellectual property attorneys, Fish & Neave (now merged with Ropes & Gray) is recognized as one of the top patent firms in the world and was retained by Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, the Wright Brothers, and Alexander Graham Bell when they desired protection for their ideas. John has written a number of articles on intellectual property and regularly cited in patenting journals and legal newspapers on the subject. 

He regularly speaks to authors, inventors, and business groups as a Miami patent attorney and is knowledgeable in implementing international patenting strategy.  

John is AV Rated by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, the highest rating possible, and focuses his practice on the preparation and prosecution of U.S. and international patent and trademark applications, patent and trademark validity and infringement opinions, licensing, transactional support, and all aspects of intellectual property litigation.

    A great majority of the news on patents deals with patent infringement, patent law, and, not coincidentally, it brings to mind the overriding importance of ethics in protecting intellectual property--and profits. As a Florida patent attorney, the long term growth of my business depends on the integrity of the patent applications I file, and recent news underlines its significance.
    In a recent online edition of the International Herald-Tribune, Robert Pear wrote an article on just this issue. Currently, patent law dictates that patents held by companies or individuals who have engaged in "inequitable conduct" are subject to having those patents revoked. A pretty severe penalty--maybe, and the subject of hot debate in today's courtrooms.

    Patent laws, which affect Florida patent attorneys and patent seekers (and interested parties everywhere), are at the crossroads, with some lobbying for "the biggest changes in U.S. patent law in more than 50 years." Very nearly every industry is represented.

    On the one hand, opponents of current patent law wonder if the law is too severe for what senior VP and general counsel for Eli Lilly calls "relatively minor acts of misconduct." According to the article, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has found inequitable conduct in "at least 40 cases, including 14 that involved pharmaceutical or health care products." Types of misconduct have included submitting false statements to the patent office, a lack of accuracy in describing experiments, and concealing information contradicting their claims. Brand name drug companies and the companies who support them report that accusations are frequent and, often simply "honest mistakes."

    On the other hand, I wonder: In patenting, particularly medical patenting, is there really any room for mistakes--honest or otherwise? Florida patent attorneys and patent attorneys everywhere who are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office know that protecting their clients requires the utmost in meticulous attention to detail (after detail after detail). The better the application, the more quickly it passes, the more secure the received patent is from attack, and the more the client is free to profit from it. With patent infringement and other litigation costing us into the billions of dollars, can we really afford misinformation and mistakes?

    Consumer groups think not, though recent patent legislation threatens to make it a little easier to make "mistakes." The House of Representatives approved a bill making it more difficult to prove inequitable conduct, and the Senate Judiciary Committee are "haggling over a companion bill." That bill may reach the floor this summer.

    The need to stop unfounded accusations notwithstanding, this Florida patent attorney is hopeful that the backbone of integrity that supports the patent system will win out and grow in strength in years to come.

According to an article in www.findthatpatent.com a garden tool rack invented by Pei-Ying Lin (Taichung Hsien, TW) has obtained United States patent 7,156,242. The invention helps to store garden tools on soil when work is in progress. The garden tool rack stores the set of garden tools more conveniently. The main aim of this invention is to provide the convenience to use the set of tools easily. The rack body is fastened to earth by making use of the anchoring devices that are attached to the end caps.

The tool rack comes with a hollow rack body, axial positioning structures preventing the tool holders from axial displacement relative to the rack body and tool holders plugged into respective rack body plugholes for holding garden tools. The rotary positioning structures allow the tool holder to be biased relative to the rack body within a limited angle and be locked in position stopping interference of loaded garden tools with one another.

As a Florida patent attorney, I have a special interest in gardening and am blessed with a year-round gardening season.

The ice-fishing bucket invented by Gene Persinger has received United States Patent No. 6,364,150. According to an article in freepatentsonline.com, this bucket works well for organizing as well as transporting ice fishing rods and tackle. The invention includes a plastic bucket that has a removable lid, which has a large hole cut into it as well as a foam ring fitted around the inner boundary of the hole.

There are slits along the inner circumference of the foam ring that cuts radially for securing the fishing rods. Into the bottom of the ice fishing bucket, there is a foam disk with holes, which receive the handle ends of ice fishing rods. The holes are made maintaining a vertical alignment with the slits that are made in the foam ring above.

For organizing the ice fishing rods, the handle of the rods are placed in the foam disk holes and the rod is then pushed into the corresponding slit on the bucket lid's foam ring. The fishing rods are held in place due to the friction between the slits and the rods. There are also provisions for keeping lures and tackle in the center of the bucket.

A patent has been obtained by a 10-year-old boy for his invention of a device used for dispensing live feeder-guppies to predatory fish kept in aquariums. As reported in an article in www.practical fishkeeping.co.uk, the boy, Evan Loginov was issued the patent number 7,059,270 from the US Patent and Trademark Office, for the purpose of a gadget he formulated for his school's invention fair.

The boy's invention, the "in-tank feeder-fish dispenser" contains the live feeder-fish in a small chamber, which at times keep dispensing them, so that the other fish could chase them around and finally eat them. The benefit of the invention is that the aquarium owner just needs to release a small door containing the small fish during the feeding time. The small fish is let out, but the big fish cannot get into the chamber to eat the other feeder fish.

Loginov disclosed, that the reason behind his invention was his father getting fed up of going out everyday, for the purpose of buying live guppies in order to feed his blood parrot cichlid.

The alternative transportation pioneer ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) has been awarded a patent as well as a trademark by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its city speed electric car and truck, ZAP XEBRA.

According to an article in www.marketwire.com, XEBRA from ZAP has been designed to become a new class of affordable vehicle to fill in the growing demand for gas-free motorized transportation. Thus, ZAP takes pride in being able to present the first practical as well as cost-effective vehicle in the form of XEBRA.

According to ZAP Chairman Gary Starr, the electric cars are different from the gas cars, and this has encouraged them to bring up something with a unique approach. He further adds that users purchase the electric cars as a second car and go on to use them as a first car, while the gas cars get used occasionally.

ZAP has also planned to market fuel-efficient vehicle technologies globally through auto distributors and dealerships under the ZAP brand.

Nephros, Inc. has announced that it would be working with the United States Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico for developing a portable personal water purification system. The water purification system is meant for the future soldiers.

The aforementioned project is to be funded under the Department of Defense budget activity for Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E). The appropriation is a portion of the HR5631, the "Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2007, which has been signed into law on September 29, 2006 by President Bush.

According to an article in prnewswire.com, Nephros has claimed that its patented technology has been an important invention in offering reliable as well as affordable solution for water filtration. The basis for the portable system is the Dual stage cold Sterilization Ultrafilter ("DSU") technology from Nephros. The company claims that this filter can eliminate parasites, viruses, bacteria and other bio-toxins.

Patent violation by VoIP service provider Vonage took a hit from Federal court, which declared that Vonage has violated seven patents held by wireless phone carrier Sprint Nextel as mentioned in an article in arstechnica.com. It follows a similar jury verdict against the company in March, in which Verizon successfully recovered for damages caused due to violation of patent.

The ruling comes as a huge financial burden for Vonage. The damages of $69.5 million charged to Vonage represents an estimated one third of Vonage's entire market capitalization. In addition, Vonage was charged a 5 % royalty on all future Vonage revenues. This is undoubtedly a shocking experience for the company, which suffered losses since its existence, and currently does not have enough cash on hand to last a year at the rate of current losses. An analysis by  Ars' suggests that Verizon's patents focus less on technology or implementations, and more on general concepts that are essential for  telephony.

Video game patents by Sony iare aimed to prevent PlayStation 3 from running unlicensed software. As posted in an article in www.1up.com, the patent invention would help register one's copy of Genji 2 upon insertion into the PS3 and would disallow the playing of other copies of the game. This in turn, creates a one disc to one console relationship and cripples the “used game market,” which according to the LA Times is important for the game industry. 

Used video game sales have become a rising source of irritation for the publishers, but none went on to make any comments for proving their disapproval. However, used game sales have become a profitable experience for the retailers.

Analysts P.J. McNealy and Michael Pachter have taken the responsibility of exploring this Sony model and have been consulted by a Los Angeles Times piece. According to the estimation of McNealy, game fans are involved in spending about $990 million for buying used games, chiefly through eBay or from GameStop. Maximum amount of the expenditure made is used by PlayStation 2 games.

Patenting Internet business methods have become almost imperative with cases of infringement steadily increasing.  In one of the recent encounters in this arena, Marshall, Texas-based Polaris IP LLC alleged Yahoo Inc., AOL LLC, Amazon.com Inc., Borders Group Inc., Google Inc. and IAC/Interactive Corp for violating the patent on its automatic message interpretation and routing system. The patent produced by Polaris, is essentially a system that can analyze incoming emails of users and decide whether it can be managed automatically or need to be send to a customer service representative.

Polaris has filed a lawsuit against the alleged offenders in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, as reported in an article in www.computerworld.com, asking for a jury trial, attorneys' fees damages and a permanent injunction preventing the businesses from using its e-mail filtering system.  A year before, the company litigated Kana Software Inc. for violating the same patent. However, the case was resolved in March, and Kana agreed to license the technology from Polaris.

As a Fort lauderdale, Florida Florida patent attorney, I have secured a number of fishing patents for clients focusing on lures, tackle, and other accessories.  A recent article is of interest, however, as it discusses well known manufacturer, Hook & Tackle, and their patented fishing apparel.  

Fishing patents for Hook & Tackle's Air/X design system were recently issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  According to an article in www.landbigfish.com, one of the prime American outfitters, Hook & Tackle is best known for its nautical authentic outdoor and sport fishing apparel. The patented fishing accessories from the company offer exclusive designs for recreational and pro fishermen. Noticeably, the company hosts a technical gear collection that is designed to offer high performance patented fishing gear and the Sportsman's Gear collection which is best suited for after-fishing.      

According to the company, the fishing accessories of Hook & Tackle are flexibly designed to fit different water bodies -land locked fresh water lakes, streams, or open salty oceans. The light-weight sophisticated fabrics from the company are configured to accommodate some great features that includes wrinkle resistance, drying  quickly, stains repulsion and providing maximum protection from sun. The details and uniqueness of product designs is what earns several design copyrights and legal trade dress rights for Hook & Tackle.

Fishing equipment patents such as the convertible fly fishing vest have considerable importance in the fishing world. According to an article in freepatentsonline.com the attributes of fly fishing patents have been carefully tailored to meet the practical requirements of sport fishing. 

The patented vest comprises a mesh panel which forms the rear part of the vest that has a removable rear panel covering the whole mesh panel. The upper edge of the rear panel has been split from the vest. Moreover, the side panel portions are detached from the vest.    

The rear panel is furled into an unfastened pocket from which it extends and an edge of the rear panel is anchored with the pocket. The rear panel in the pocket extends laterally across the rear when placed appropriately and the pocket is zippered.  As the rear panel is secured to the pocket, the entire mesh panel is exposed to offer significant increase in ventilation for the fly fishing person.

Can getting a single letter of the alphabet wrong in an issued patent spell disaster when it comes to litigating against infringers?  Unless the mistake is seen as being a minor typographical error that can be corrected by filing a certificate of correction, the answer is a resounding yes.

Hats off to Peter Zura of The 271 Patent Blog for his post on Central Admixure Pharmacy Services v. Advanced Cardiac Solutions (06-13-07).

 In this case, Central Admixture Pharmacy Services sued Advanced Cardiac Solutions for patent infringment relating to a chemical solution used duriing heart surgery. 

A U.S. company, AFS Trinity Power Corporation, has filed a car patent for a hybrid car recently.  AFS Trinity Power Corporation, the developers of this car has filed a patent application disclosing the concept of “Extreme Hybrid” vehicles.  The Hybrid Car can be plugged into domestic electricity supply overnight to run without ethanol or gasoline as reported in an article in www.newcarnet.co.uk. The supply would be enough for 40 miles a day normally driven by American consumers. For longer trips, the vehicle would operate as a conventional hybrid.

AFS Trinity Power has plans to build a XH drive train in collaboration with Ricardo, a UK-based company. Both the companies have signed up an agreement for mutually exclusive technology partnership to offer a combined effort to develop a plug-in hybrid technology. It is expected that with sufficient funding XH demonstration vehicles could be in the hands of fleet owners in two years and could possibly be licensed for mass production in the following year.

Google Inc. has a newly patented business method that allows users to pay for goods from retailers and vending machines through SMS (Short Message Service). According to an article in www.pcworld.com, Google engineer Ramy Dodin published the US patent titled "Text message payment."

The invention - Gpay is essentially a computer-implemented method that assists in making payments. A text message from the payer is received at the computer server system, comprising a payment request containing a payment amount sent by a payer device operating independent of any server system that debits the payer account for an amount corresponding to the amount requested and crediting a payee account that is independent of the computer system. The users would be able to use the Gpay to make payments to doctors, retailers or even the landscapers.    

However, the method is offered by several services, including the two companies in Philippines -Smart Communications' Smartpadala and Globe Telecom's Globe Gcash. It is still under speculation whether these companies have filed patents for technology in the U.S.

As a Florida patent attorney, I take an interest in news regarding Florida patent disputes and recently posted a blog regarding a Florida patent infringement lawsuit against Toyota over the Florida patent on electtric drive motor technology.

It seems the patenting of automobile innovations is in the spotlight again with Eester's innovative new ultracapacitor.   Considering the thousands of inventions getting patents issued by the U.S. patent office each year, EEStor's technology for replacement of electrochemical batteries is one of the latest hooplas to join the league. The invention is expected to bring an end to the internal combustion engine, as mentioned in an article in www.technewsworld.com   

EEStor's new product is essentially a material compressed between thousands of wafer-thin metal sheets, in a series of foil-and-paper gum wrappers stacked one on top of the other. The ultimate outcome is an ultracapacitor - battery-like device that is capable of storing and releasing energy quickly. The technology is expected to stimulate the renewable-energy sector by allowing efficient, lightning-fast storage for solar power. Further it could lo be used on a smaller scale in a flash-charge for laptops and cell phones.
   
However, the speculation and dubiety hovers over the invention, backed by the company's original claim of making batteries to obsolete. The assertion still resonates, Joseph Perry and the other researchers at Georgia Tech using the same material to double the amount of energy a capacitor can hold, claims the improvements can hardly be realized.

According to Perry, EEStor is saying a lot about how they're making these things. He feels "With these materials (described in the patent), that is a challenging process to carry out in a defect-free fashion."

A long-standing patent infringement matter between Microsoft and opponents Eolas and the University of California was settled on August 31, 2007. Eolas launched a claim against Microsoft's Internet browser Internet Explorer which is said to have violated a patent it held. The dispute revolved around embedding of items within a web page. Microsoft has modified the element in its browser and agreed to make an undisclosed payment to Eolas as cited in an article in www.theregister.co.uk

The patent involved is partly held by University of California, which is expected to receive a part of Microsoft's payout. Eolas has mentioned its shareholders that it anticipates a payout worth $60 to $72 per share for them. However, in a letter to its shareholders Mark Swords, Chief Operating Officer of Eolas unveils ''The litigation with Microsoft has taken a great deal of management time and effort and significant financial resources." Further, Mark announced, "we are very pleased that we now can focus our resources on commercializing our existing intellectual property portfolio and developing new fundamental technologies."

As a Florida patent attorney, I have a number of clients that innovate in the areas of health, fitness, and exercise equipment. that will find this post of interest.  An exercise equipment patent has been issued to LifeSpan's Intelli-Sense (TM) Automatic User Sensing Technology – incorporating unique load sensing features. The manufacturer of LifeSpan fitness equipment, PCE Health & Fitness incorporates this feature into its LifeSpan HOME series and PRO series treadmills according to a report in www.send2press.com. Intelli-Sense is an intelligent and radical technology featuring increased treadmill safety and helps in step-based programming. Intelli-Sense(TM) offers its treadmill users extra safety, without worrying about any kind of scuffle.

It detects the impact of a foot on the treadmill belt automatically, offering greater accuracy than the traditional pedometers. The Intelli-Sense(TM) shuts off the treadmill automatically in case of an   aberrant walking or running condition. The Intelli-Sense(TM) also shuts down if it gets a constant load that a cloth is jamming the treadmill’s belt or a user accidentally has tripped on the treadmill.

The Intelli-Sense technology continues to be utilized in the LifeSpan products to meet customers' demands and enhances their exercising practices. PCE Health & Fitness recently introduced Intelli-Key (TM) interactive lighting system that escorts the users through the setup process on LifeSpan ellipticals, treadmills and exercise bikes. The amalgamation of Intelli-Key(TM) with Intelli-Sense(TM) provides an unrivaled edge in using automated and innovative technology.

As a Fort Lauderdale patent attorney, with a special interest in boat patents, I am always interested in news relating to new boating patents, products, and software.  Fort Lauderdale patent attorneys are responsible for securing a number of innovations relating to this industry, and the city is a major yachting center, with 42,000 resident yachts and over 100 marinas and boatyards.  In fact, South Florida is home to the annual International Boatbuilders Exhibition & Conference.

 A joint effort for patenting boating equipment by the Lighting Science Group Corporation (LSG), focusing on providing environmentally responsible and energy efficient lighting solutions and Callenberg Engineering Inc., which is also a supplier of automation, electrical as well as HVAC systems is on the way.  According to an article in prnewswire.com the companies have joined hands for developing Light Emitting Diode (LED) light bulbs and fixtures that are capable of meeting the rigorous requirements in order to withstand life at sea.

At present, both the companies are working for developing bollard fixtures, LED luminaires, LED replacement lamps and down light fixtures for the marine industry. This all-new technology will be marketed and distributed to the marine industry under the Lighting Science brand by Callenberg.

As reported in prnewswire.com, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ron Lusk of Lighting Science said that the LED-based technologies offer the best lighting solutions for almost every application. LSG conveniently satisfies the cruise and commercial shipping markets that are in need of durable, reliable and cost-effective equipments.

In 2007 Seatrade Cruising Convention in Miami, Florida, new boating products are to be introduced and displayed.

Joint patenting by the Big Three automakers - General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, has earned them their first joint patent to replace the parts of the car made of lighter-weight plastic composite materials with parts made of steel. According to a New York Times Report this step facilitates the improvement of the fuel economy.

The United States Council for Automotive Research had been started last year by the Big Three automakers and according to it, the patent symbolized the first time the automakers had produced an original technology. However, the US Council for Automotive Research further adds that it could take some years before the technology is applied to auto making. According to John Fillion, an engineer for the Chrysler Corporation, at present it is not possible to make one part every two minutes, though the engineers can make use of the technology to build a part of composite material in the laboratory.

The new technology enables composite parts to form around a hollow mold without a core - this reduces their weight to 10 percent or more.

I                                                    As a Florida patent attorney, I find myself regularly following news relating to IBM.  Not only is IBM consistently one of the top 10 patent filers in the U.S., but the birthplace of the P.C. was right here in Boca Raton, Florida.  In fact, IBM's main complex was just northwest of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton until they relocated to Research Triangle Park in North Carolina.

Internet patents are asserted by IBM claiming patent infringement by Amazon.com.  IBM has charged the e-commerce giant, Amazon with two lawsuits, seeking unspecified damages as reported by www.pcadvisor.co.uk

IBM further added that it had tried to resolve the issue outside of court regarding the Internet patents for four years before deciding to sue Amazon.

According to the article, Amazon.com deliberately exploits its intellectual property by encroaching on several patents, whose coverage includes the storage of data in an interactive network, the presentation of applications in an interactive service, the ordering of items from an electronic catalogue and the presentation of advertising in an interactive service.

As IBM puts it, Amazon had been originally informed about the alleged infringement in September 2002, but the e-commerce company did not want to go for "meaningful discussions". IBM says that the patents in question are licensed by other companies. However, neither IBM nor Amazon has responded to further queries.

Software patents have been granted to HNTB by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for parts of its TrueViz(R) Transport software system, adding to the list of software patents. According to www.prnewswire.com HNTB has received exclusive rights to technology for the first time and this has been developed for facilitating its engineering and architecture clients' projects.

TrueViz(R) Transport is an interconnected system of procedures and software which increases the interactive visualization for public involvement and design analysis. The code of the software is credited to transform linear point-based data in design output to a chain of mathematically defined surfaces and curves. This simplifies the conversion of design files to 3-D and also brings in more accuracy and needs less time.

Consequently, HNTB can now bring before its clients as well as their stakeholders more realistic imagery of design alternatives. HNTB Companies, an employee-owned organization of infrastructure firms are famous for their functioning in bridges, architecture, transportation, aviation, urban design and planning.

Think automotive and automobile patents and Honda Motor is sure to come to mind. Herald Tribune reported that the world's largest automobile engine maker, Honda is poised to come up with the first diesel car for complying with environmental pollution standards worldwide.  Adding to its list of patented automotive technology, the company is credited for inventing a way to curtail the smog-forming gases. This technology claims to bring about faster acceleration of diesel cars and greater fuel economy. Honda is confident that this all new technology will gain a lot of customers.

According to a U.S. patent derived from Bloomberg News, the automaker boasts of a treatment system, which makes the exhaust flow via a plasma reactor or a layer of gas containing electrically charged atoms. Through this system, hazardous Nitrogen Oxides are separated to form Nitrogen Dioxide, which is finally decreased or absorbed by silver and alkali metals. Nitrogen Oxides are responsible for causing asthma, cancer, heart and lung diseases.

Honda has plans to sell its U.S. diesel model by 2009. However, the automaker has not revealed the models that will be available with its brand new engine.

                                         Internet Patents in the news again.  According to a recent press release from Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in their official website www.eff.org, they are set to challenge an allegedly improper Internet patent that is threatening small businesses.

Ideaflood is a self-declared 'intellectual property holding company' that makes use of Internet subdomain patenting against payment from the website hosting companies, which provide personalized and virtual subdomains, such as 'action.eff.org' for 'eff.org', the parent domain.

A reexamination request had been filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), the result of which revealed by EFF and Rick McLeod of Klarquist Sparkman, LLP, proves that the method Ideaflood boasts of inventing was known prior to the issue of the patent and thus goes without merit. Furthermore, website developers were also publicly discussing the creation of these virtual subdomains on an Apache developer mailing list a year earlier Ideaflood claimed its patent.

According to Rick McLeod, the patent system must be for innovation and is not meant to infringe on the public area.

Jewelry patents obtained by Cellular Jewelry Inc., a leading provider of cellular solutions and technologies is the latest buzz in the industry according to the company.  Cellular Jewelry (TM) has been granted a U.S. patent (Patent Number 6,954,659) by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

A recent report in www.send2press.com explains that Cellular Jewelry (TM) is more of an alerting device and is known to flash when a signal is received within a distance of 3 feet from a cellular phone. The product line of this company includes Cellular Bracelets (TM), Cellular Pens (TM) and Cellular Watches (TM) and all of these lights up when they are within 3 feet from a ringing cellular device. This is a fabulous merge of technology and fashion.

The Cellular Jewelry products have bright LED lights that are designed to operate on TDMA, GSM and iDEN networks. As David Cadis, President at Cellular Jewelry puts it, "this patent symbolizes a notable advancement in wireless technologies". He further adds that the patent ensures public safety and also benefits consumer and enterprise applications, which are in need of new innovative technology and reliability.

Patenting inventions have taken another big leap with the invention of a computer algorithm by the Ford Motor Company.  According to nytimes.com, this computer algorithm for a traction-control system is advanced and is expected to stop a car from spinning its wheels in case a driver steps too hard on the gas. The patent covers a chain of mathematical procedures or an algorithm, which enables a computer process to calculate the slope of the road as well as its friction.

Computerized anti-lock brakes are great for preventing a car from sliding into an uncontrollable skid. This patent invention is a more complex system, which is able to analyze the road conditions and can depict whether the wheels of the car will slip.

According to Roger May, a patent attorney for Ford, the company is scheduled to introduce the traction-control system on its 1998 or 1999 models. He further adds that 'peeling rubber' will be impossible with this system.

The automobile patent for an Intelligent Valve Actuation or IVA technology  granted to Camcon Technology was reported in engineeringtalk.com. According to the article in engineeringtalk.com, IVA is supposed to be offering a low-cost, compact, and a low power consumption mechanism, which has the ability to improve the efficiency of engine combustion. The technology will also be increasing the fuel economy and engine performance of the automobiles and will cut down the emissions from the engine.

A number of lift positions are compatible in the IVA technology and this in turn allows energy recovery for supporting low power consumption. The low seating velocities provided by the technology also makes sure that there is minimum noise and good durability. 

The technology further allows each valve of the engine to be controlled independently.

According to Ian Anderson, Chief Operating Officer, Camcon, "IVA being a riotous technology has the ability to change the car engine essentially for the first time in 90 years". The European patent has been awarded in the UK, Sweden, Portugal, France, Spain, Italy and Belgium.

Patent infringement has once again raised its ugly head with Ericsson filing a lawsuit against Samsung in a Texas court, as reported in www.pcadvisor.co.uk

According to Ericsson spokeswoman Kristina Hagg-Blecher, the suit charges Samsung for infringing on the mobile phone patents of Ericsson. In February, Ericsson had filed lawsuits in the UK, US, Germany and the Netherlands following the failure of both companies to agree terms for renewing the patent licenses. For patents related to many mobile phone technologies, Ericsson had initially signed a licensing deal with Samsung back in 2002.

According to a spokeswoman for Samsung, the company does not make any comments on the ongoing legal issues.

Ericsson and Samsung are not the only mobile companies to fight over patent license renewals; in the past, Nokia and Qualcomm were caught in the middle of a bitter renegotiation process. At that time, Nokia had filed a complaint against Qualcomm with the EC and Qualcomm had filed a complaint against Nokia with the US International Trade Commission.

 POD Digital Promotions patents an advertising system in hopes of successfully penetrating target-markets through digital advertising as reported in an article in enewschannels.com.  An integration of print and visual media, the POD advertising system offers the advertisers an extra edge with a unique approach consolidating the best of experience, creativity and technology. The system is particularly designed to provide the clients maximum exposure at a limited budget.

This new formula for digital promotion provides the clients with consistent exposure. Basically the POD Advertising Unit is strategically located in high-traffic zones such as shopping malls, hotel lobbies, fitness centers and eateries. The Unit consist a digital screen that plays a full-motion commercial along with advertiser's full color, tri-fold brochure. Further, the advertisers can also add coupons and other incentives.

The new advertising system emerges a viable alternative to traditional advertising. Jody Torre, President, POD Digital Promotions describes that ''there is a seismic shift to newer forms of marketing. POD Digital Promotions emerges as a powerful alternative to traditional advertising, proving itself to be a highly targeted, cost-efficient, and accountable medium."

As an avid fisherman and Florida Patent Attorney, I am always interested in patenting news relating to the sport.  In this regard, fishing patents have provided an extra edge to the quick-release fishhook genre.   According to an article at www.freepatentsonline.com this versatile patented equipment seems to be a great asset for the anglers. It elaborates that the manageable fishhook can be operated with one hand – releasing a fish caught on the hook without exposing the hands to the hook or sharp fish teeth.

The hook's shank portion has an interior channel connected to a slotted rear shank portion, which extends obliquely from the rear end of the forward hook shank portion. There is an U-shaped hook member having a sharp tip and locking notch, that are attached to the slot in the rear shank portion with a swivel pin displacing from the axis of the forward hook shank portion. Further, the lock rod ride is present in the interior channel, which is spring-biased rearwardly and fained in the locking notch. A distal button connected to the lock rod allows the angler to retract the lock rod from the notch. Through the rotation, the biased lock rod snaps into the locking notch to lock the hook for angling.

A number of my Florida patenting clients have business patents for innovative marketing methods and other business innovations.  In recent years, business method patents issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) are forced to meet the raised bars of patentability.  NextMark received a patent from USPTO for its series of new techniques the list technology company has invented for choosing mailing lists, as has been reported in an article at www.dmnews.com.

In essence, the patent defines a method for generating a highly targeted mailing list of prospective customers for a listed purchaser. It is partly based on productive prospect lists that was earlier used by the list purchaser, current customers of the list purchaser, prospect lists that the related list purchasers used or it might be any combination of this data.

NextMark's invention is particularly fit for network-based prospect list services that provides prospect lists' database to direct marketers on Internet. According to Joseph Pych, president of NextMark ''We did this because with rising postage rates and waning tolerance of junk mail and spam, it's more important than ever to send your marketing promotions to recipients who welcome your offer."

Industrial Nanotech, Inc. was awarded an environmental product patent for Nansulate LDX. It is being used at a Pacific US Navy facility by military contractors for encapsulation lead-based paint. The patented invention though relatively small in order, seems to be an epochal breakthrough in Nanotech's ongoing efforts to gain market share for Nansulate LDX throughout US Government facilities worldwide, as cited in an article in www.specialchem4coatings.com. Nansulate LDX provides an eco-friendly alternative for environmental remediation.       

This new water based environmentally safe, lead abatement coating product offers a new technology applicable to any substrate, forming an obstructive coat to seal highly toxic lead paints. Moreover, it is believed to offer additional benefits complying with the standards of Nansulate product line – protection against corrosion, thermal insulation and prevention of mold growth without the use of toxic moldicides. The reports from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates lead abatement costs for residential units nationwide are roughly $570 billion, with another $500 billion approximated for the cleanup of commercial facilities.

In recent years, patenting medical techniques has become a recent trend, with major technological advances attributed as the major contributing factor. According to a recent article on http://www.medgadget.com, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office confirms an increase in medical/surgical method patent applications. They’re not the only ones noting this trend, however. Tresa Baldas of the National Law Journal reports that she, too, has noticed a surge among those in the medical field seeking patents for techniques and not just devices.

I expect this trend will continue, as patenting techniques has significant potential as a return on Investment. Fellow patent attorney Eric Raciti of Cambridge, MA agrees, feeling that method patents are becoming “the bread and butter” of patents in the medical community. I look forward to seeing where medical innovations will take us.

As a Florida Patent Attorney, I have a number of friends (and a sister) that went to the University of Central Florida and find patenting news relating to the school of special interest. 

As recently reported, the University of Central Florida patents specially designed zoom lenses for digital cameras that replicate the working of the human eye according to UCF News and Information. 

At least five Florida patents filed by Florida patent attorneys for the University, have been granted to the University and the technology is licensed to a manufacturing company, Holochip Corp., based in Alburquerque, New Mexico.

 The complete article is available here and reproduced below in the event that the link changes or is broken:

Patenting of marketing systems like the new mailing list selection technique of NextMark Inc. provide an extra edge to any company.  The NextMark patent was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its system of generating highly responsive mailing lists, as mentioned in an article in www.nextmark.com. 

The new invention evolves a feasible method for generating a highly targeted mailing list of potential customers. The methods are specially designed to suit the network-based prospect list services, which offer a prospect list to the direct marketers from a database over the Internet.   

For those marketers using "one-size-fits-all" list for their marketing campaigns, the new technique would make it easier to find the list of people who would appreciate and respond to their offer. Further, Joseph Pych, the President of NextMark adds, "With rising postage rates and waning tolerance of junk mail and spam, it's more important than ever to send your marketing promotions to recipients who welcome your offer."

As a Fort Lauderdale patent attorney, with a special interest in boat patents, I am always looking for interesting news relating to new boating patents, products, and software.  Fort Lauderdale patent attorneys are responsible for securing a number of innovations relating to this industry, and the city is a major yachting center, with 42,000 resident yachts and over 100 marinas and boatyards.  In fact, South Florida is home to the annual International Boatbuilders Exhibition & Conference.

Boat patents are especially important considering the invention of collapsible boat stature.  In the collapsible boat, the sections are styled in such a fashion that they may be stacked in order to ease transportation of the boat. More so, the boat encloses such a structure that its sections can be readily and easily assembled to become waterproof on being fully assembled, according to an article in www.freepatentsonline.com.      

The collapsible boat consist a number of sections including a stern section and a bow section. The said sections are adapted to be stacked in a nested assembly and transported. This means, each section for securing the said sections form end-to-end relation, forms a leak proof and rigid boat. This improvement comprises of a plurality of sections. Each of the said sections have side walls and end walls. Each of these sections has L-shaped bar extending laterally on one end adjacent top thereof from side wall to side wall. Further there is a second L-shaped bar on the other end of the said section extending laterally and adjacent the top.

As a Florida patent attorney, I am aware of a number of large firms in South Florida focusing on sophisticated time and attendance systems as well as a variety of other security products.  Patenting security products is important for inventions considering the competition in the market of security systems. Corporate Safe Specialists claim to be trailblazers in cash control systems and safes for restaurant and retail communities and were awarded a U.S. patent for their invention on April 26th of 2005

According to an article in www.send2press.com the invention is associated with process of using a control unit that would help in controlling an electronic lock on a safe. It includes all the steps essential for functioning of an electronic lock for the safe - receiving the signals send by the electronic lock from the computer and controlling the safe according to the response of the signals.

The security apparatus for controlling an electronic lock on a safe integrates an electronic lock contained in a safe, an input/output port attached to the electronic lock that receives signals from control unit and controls signal received at the input/output port.

This patented technology from Corporate Safe Specialists enables the user to control the electronic lock through a control unit. The safe can be unlocked with the help of electronic lock by computer. Moreover, a remote authorized user may control the electronic lock in the safe. Reiterating the merits of this invention Ed McGunn, President of CSS stated "This technology will dramatically increase control over safe input and output both onsite and remotely, saving manpower and providing management with an indisputable audit trail of transactions."

As a Florida patent lawyer, I make it a point to attend the JPMA annual tradeshow in Orlando, Florida regarding infant and baby products.  A number of Florida clients also attend this show and have an interest in emerging concepts like the Safety Bumper Pad.

This patented concept was invented by a mother, Terry Lyons, while working out a method that could furnish greater crib safety to her children, as has been referred in an article in www.freepatentauction.com. This product is known to offer greater safety features than most of the standard bumper pads available in the market and prevents potential hazards such as loose pads and ripped ties.     

The Safety Bumper Pad comprises interlocking outer pad straps that help to get rid of bumper pad ties, resulting in a safer and more reliable product. In addition, the product also features a fitted liner retention sheet, stitched around the entire bottom of the 4-wall bumper pad. This sheet enables a crib mattress to be placed inside securing the bumper pads in place, saving the baby from suffocation, injury, or entanglement while pushing out limbs. The Safety Bumper Pad's enclose the best features that parents could seek for their children and makes all this available at a considerable retail sales cost.

Patent pending invention, EZ Holder brings about a reduction in the respiratory hazards by doing away with the release of fibers into the air while ripping and tearing fiberglass according to an article in uiausa.com. The releasing of fiber happens due to any flexible material movement and material frustration when making an effort to cut. So, EZ holder is an excellent solution for the tearing of flexible materials while making an attempt to cut.

The EZ Holder design supports the knife blade longevity and prevents the damages caused to the surfaces that are being used for cutting on.

Any user can safely use the EZ Holder, as the cutting blade is totally enclosed. The unit permits the most efficient productivity and it requires no attachments or accessories for operation. The lightweight EZ Holder results in low shipping costs and freight. The invention consists a single mold for cost efficiency in manufacturing and at the same time is very rigid to reveal durability.

A ‘head’s up’ to those interested in patenting in the music industry. Woodstock Systems, LLC has reached patent pending status with breakthrough music sharing software Woodstock PDS. According to an article on www.send2press.com, the New York based software development company has created the first software that combines a full-feature media player together with secure Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file lending.

The software enables its users to play digital music easily, listen to thousands of the popular Internet radio stations, and transform their CD's into MP3's. At the same time, they can legally share their digital media files.

Mark C. Termion (Winfield, IL), Zhi Lu (West Dundee, IL), Eric C. White (Streamwood, IL) and Douglas B. MacDonald (Des Plaines, IL) have emerged with a simple and effective rowing exercise machine, which has been awarded the US Patent 7,226,397 recently.

According to anarticle in www.findthatpatent.com, the rowing exercise machine has a simple effective resistance mechanism, which replaces the resistive brakes typically used in the prior art. The resistance mechanism of the machine consists a first coupling between the first and second spaced disks, which prevent rotation with the help of a resiliently deformable as well as a tensionable spiral in between. The second coupling of the device comes between one of the disks and a user handle for resisting the concordant movement of the user on a seat along a track as well as the movement of the handle.

A number of marine industry patents have been in the news lately.  Among those is the marine equipment patent issued for the SuperSting R8 Marine of the AGI group.  This is an innovative Marine Logging System.  As per the recent news report of  www.idswater.com, the new system consisting the Marine Log Manager software, the SuperSting Marine and an electrode towing cable, makes it all the more convenient for formatting data. It also   helps in maneuvering the boat track and arranging the data for the inversion software.

While the SuperSting Marine serves to record and store the required data, the Marine Log Manager software does the most significant job of editing and formatting the recorded data. It is also made to engineer the boat track and the resistivity data on the image of an imported map. Also, unlike the regular metal electrodes, its anti-corrosive graphite electrode and the water block prevent the water from infiltrating into the electrode cable and damaging it.

A patent for a roof protection product from TriCord Hurricane Products has been approved. The product developed by TriCord can be placed over homeowner’s roof before the storm and can be removed after the storm. A simple and inexpensive product TriCord is anticipated to be workable on any home. The hurricane product has been tested at Florida International University’s “Wall of Wind” and Clemson University’s Wind Research Laboratory. According to an article in www.hurricanesafetysystems.com the product has been found to endure Category 3 winds (125mph) and is expected to resist winds of higher velocity.   

TriCord completed its product development and testing phase for hurricane safety system on October 19, 2006. The system is delicately designed with the help of tubular plastic modules. The modules are filled with water and placed on a roof to protect it from the high wind forces. Further, during the hurricanes, public water sources are usually contaminated - the product offers a source of drinkable water and a shower system for the owners in such crisis.   

As a Florida patent lawyer and avid fisherman, I enjoy following new news relating to the industry.  In this regard, a new fishing patent has been awarded to St. Croix's Legend. The U.S. patented St. Croix's Legend ice rods features an ultra-sensitive spring built-in indicator system as confirmed in an article in www.stcroixrods.com. The system built out of durable, high-tension stainless steel plated with 24K gold is attached to the tip top of the rod. This indicator allows the anglers to see the slightest knock or bite much in advance before it is actually felt.       

The ice rod is available in a range of five models from medium-heavy to ultra-light. In addition, there are three spring indicators - light, medium and medium-heavy. The indicators can be effortlessly interchanged by switching from light to medium to medium-heavy, etc. Each type of rod can use two different springs fitting to the styles and weights. This unique system is an important accessory that makes fishing much easier when compared to other styles of rods or spring robbers.

According to an article in www.findthatpatent.com a US patent has been granted to a portable, automated illumination device that helps the illumination of an item that is stored near or on the device. The inventors, Kerri E. Hanis (Chesterfield, MO), Lawrence R. Happ (Mundelein, IL) and Mark Hanis (Chesterfield, MO) have come up with the device that illuminates items like drinking cups, eyeglasses and other household items.

The device has a sensor that detects the presence of an object and a light source, which lights up when the sensor succeeds in the detection of such an object. The object is illuminated for a certain time span, following which the device needs to be reset to trigger the subsequent motion, other stimuli or heat that is detectable by the sensor.

Apart from the sensor, the illumination device consists a top section platform that has a nearly vertical sloped edge for retaining items. The device can receive and store useful household articles and is extremely convenient for use in darkened spaces.

As a Florida patent attorney, I have a number of clients with an interest in patenting fishing equipment and supplies.  Another fishing patent from Hardy Rods & Reels has resulted in an every growing emergence of a range of rods and reels that are suitable for all circumstances and every kind of fishing.  According to an article in yagersflies.com, the consumer has the privilege of tailoring their choices to go with their personal preferences for line weight, rod length, rod price and action.

No matter what rod the consumer chooses, he/she will be assured of the fact that the products have been hand made to the highest standards. The company has also come up with an Original User Unconditional Lifetime Warranty, placed on all the Graphite Fly Rods and their entire series of Fly Reels. The other rods from Hardy come with a lifetime warranty against the manufacturing and material defects for the original buyer. The company also guarantees the consumer that it will be replacing and repairing the damaged products.

At present, Hardy offers nine different lines of reels, which reflect innovative design and rich heritage.

As a Florida patent attorney with an interest in medical and dental device patents, I try to keep an ear to the ground on new patenting and industry developments in Florida that are relevant to my practice of intellectual property law.  The potential increase in Florida's medical patent and dental patenting activity is one such development.
In a recent post in the BioHealth Investor, Florida is touted as one of the country’s next biotech hubs. According to the article, it all began when the Scripps Research Institute accepted a proposal for $500 million in financing to establish a biotech research hub in the state on the western fringes of Palm Beach County. 

Although Scripps has focused a lot of attention on Florida's life science industry, there is much to Florida's medical and dental manufacturing industry that is unrelated to Scripps.

Medical technology patent litigation between Palomar Medical Technologies and Alma Lasers has been resolved. According to an article in send2press.com, Palomar is equipped with an exclusive license for hair removal patents in U.S, which are owned by General Hospital Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts.

Depending on the license agreement terms, Alma Lasers was provided a nonexclusive license by MGH and Palomar. The terms are in comparison to those that have been agreed to by other licensees of these particular patents. The patents also include medical aesthetic device companies, like Cutera and Cynosure.

After a period of nine years, Alma Lasers will be paying a 7.5% on-going royalty rate to Palomar on the hair removal products. Alma has also agreed to some trade dress concessions, which includes the Aria and Harmony product lines that are scheduled to be implemented over the next six months. Alma is however, certain that these trade dress modifications will be making a minimum impact on the company business strategy. It is also sure that there will be no hindrance to the present as well as future product development.

As a Florida patent attorney with 3 kids dragging me to Orlando regularly to visit Mickey, I found this AP News Alert of special interest.  The Shijingshan Amusement Park in Beijing, China, is having to explain why their round-eared mouse dancing with kids is not a knock off of Disney's Mickey Mouse according to an AP News Alert issued Wednesday, May 9, 2007.  According to the article, they also happen to have a "raven-haired" woman with seven men in elf suits.

Many see the Beijing theme park as evidence of rampant Chinese copying of U.S. intellectual property.  According to the article, the industry group - International Intellectual Property Alliance - estimated losses to Chinese piracy of books, films, music and software last year at $2.2 billion.  Beijing has penalties for violators of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and other intellectual property but infringement is allegedly growiing faster than enforcement.

As a Florida patent attorney practicing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, I have seen my fair share of hurricanes in the past couple of years run through South Florida as well as my fair share of hurricane patents for a wide variety of safety products.  In this regard, a hurricane Safety product patent has been awarded to Storm-Busters, which offers a new concept of storm protection. According to an article published in www.floridatoday.com it is essentially a 16mm polypropylene vertical fluted panel bolted by one of 4 different Florida Building Code approved systems. The patented Storm-Busters is sold through Lowe's, which provides the   panels throughout the stores in Florida.   

The Storm-Busters come as a better alternative for Plywood or hurricane shutters usually applied to avoid devastating storms. Although a bit costlier, it is 300 % stronger than plywood and 75 % lighter than plywood. The product is resistant from moisture, mildew and mold, as well as bug free, waterproof and does not warp.  Moreover, Storm Busters allow 70% of natural sunlight into rooms and can last lifelong with little maintenance.      

The feasibility of Storm-Busters product is affirmed through ASTM E 1996 -03, that provides   standard specification for performance in Hurricanes. It authenticates the product to have passed the most stringent test for Hurricane storm protection systems. It has also cleared the missile impact - resisting winds equivalent to 155 mph and more. The Storm-Buster panels just put up in less than an hour before a storm can save a disaster of a hurricane.

Patenting energy products like Wasted Thermal Energy Recovery Systems introduced by Applied Scientific Research Inc. opens a new avenue for an energy saving system. According to an article in www.send2press.com this new system is exclusively designed to save tremendous energy and reduce expenditure

The Wasted Thermal Energy Recovery System recovers all the heat that escapes from  boiler shell,  un-insulated steam pipes the stack pipe, hot water heaters and other equipment in the boiler room, with the help of an heat exchanger (heat absorber), which has cold water running through it. The ceiling heat produced from the system supplies the three therms / hour needed to raise the inlet water temperature about 30-degrees F, which is directed into the water inlet, and supplied to the boiler.

The technology is expected to benefit hospitals, buildings, factories, schools and universities. The Wasted Thermal Energy Recovery System is a more practical investment and also more economical. To make the system fully beneficial Applied Scientific Research Inc. has decided to make it available for licensing.

Patenting energy products like Wasted Thermal Energy Recovery System introduced by Applied Scientific Research Inc. opens a new avenue for a new energy saving system. According to an article in www.send2press.com this new system is exclusively designed to save tremendous energy and reduce expenditure

The Wasted Thermal Energy Recovery System recovers all the heat that escapes from  boiler shell,  un-insulated steam pipes the stack pipe, hot water heaters and other equipment in the boiler room, with the help of an heat exchanger (heat absorber), which has cold water running through it. The ceiling heat produced from the system supplies the three therms / hour needed to raise the inlet water temperature about 30-degrees F, which is directed into the water inlet, and supplied to the boiler.

The technology is expected to benefit hospitals, buildings, factories, schools and universities. The Wasted Thermal Energy Recovery System is a more practical investment and also more economical. To make the system fully beneficial Applied Scientific Research Inc. has decided to make it available for licensing.

A financial transaction security patent has been granted to Authernative Inc. by the People's Republic of China Patent Office and this according to an article in send2press.com, has brought forth a private and secured financial transactions method. Authernative Inc. is a developer of innovative identity management technologies and user and transaction authentication.

The patent has also brought for the first time a random partial PIN/password recognition algorithm for authentication of the account holder.

The patent explains an increased security as well as fraud protection system that helps the financial account holders in performing safe financial transactions with or without revealing the private personal details to the merchants. The method resembles a secure transaction-processing formulation from secured online and offline transactions which are initiated directly via the financial institutions where the consumers' accounts are found.

The new patent number 01143367.1 that is entitled to "System and Method For Private and Secure Financial Transactions," is an additive to alike patent issued in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

As a Fort Lauderdale, Florida patent attorney, I enjoy a green lawn throughout the year due to our mild winters.  Unfortunately, this also means year round lawn mowing and garden work. 

Recently, a lawn and gardenging patent has been granted for a lawn mower with a laser cutting apparatus, as reported in an article in freepatentsonline.com.

The cutting apparatus is equipped with a plurality of rotating laser beams that serves for shredding vegetation. The apparatus contains a housing with sidewalls, which are stretched perpendicularly forming a downward opening. At the center of the housing lies an electrically driven laser-cutting device.

There is a transport device that can be connected to the housing to move the laser-cutting device and the housing along a surface covered by vegetation. The cutting device produces a laser beam, which rotates continuously at 360 degrees arc underneath the housing, with at least one laser beam being adjustable in angular direction to direct laser beams in different angles arching downwardly across the vegetation that is cut.   
 
The speed of cutting apparatus is proportional to ground speed across the vegetation being cut. In order to cut vegetation at different heights a plurality of rotating pairs of laser beams can be produced and   angled downward distinctly at angles apart from horizontal. This offers variably cut vegetation that adds to the beauty of the lawn.

Major acquisitions like Keystone Automotive Industries, Inc. taking over the assets of Auto Panels Plus, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma have given a new shift to the patented automobile parts market.  Auto Panels Plus operating in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City markets, recorded an estimated sales of $5.0 million for the past twelve months that ended on March 31, 2007. However, the terms of transaction are yet to be disclosed as reported in an article in www.primenewswire.com

With its 136 distribution facilities (22 of them serving as regional hubs) located across 38 states as well as Canada, Keystone Automotive Industries distributes its products to the collision repair shops. Keystone's product line includes bumpers, remanufactured alloy wheels, automotive body parts, paint and other such materials used to repair a damaged vehicle.

The acquisition is expected to promote Keystone's existence in both Tulsa and Oklahoma City regions and better company's potential to offer patented quality parts and best service. Rick Keister, Chief Executive Officer of Keystone feels, ''We look forward to capitalizing on opportunities to expand our customer base in this region."

Baby and Infant product patents are, once again, the talk of this industrial sector.  According to a recent feature in www.send2press.com, Steelcore has inaugurated its recently patented security straps for children below the age of fourteen.

It has been observed by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control that drowning records the second amongst most of the mishaps occurring upon kids. The recent innovation of the Steelcore includes a very tough steel-encased net material along with aircraft aluminum buckles carrying stainless steel locks that prevent children from falling victims to even minor accidents. However, the equipments of the cover straps take the minimal time for setting itself in a spa or a hot tub. Unlike any other standard spa cover it is far more durable and strong in its texture and promises the safest measure against the fatal accidents at the spas and hot baths.

Patented Baby products is the new fashion update of children's underwear manufacturer, Dana Undies, Inc.  According to an article in www.send2press.com, the giant manufacturer's creation of some exclusive and patented designer wear, namely, "Umbilicare" and "Flip-Lock Closure" can now be availed by logging on www.BabiesRUs.com.

The patented Umbilicare Bodysuit has been suitably designed for the just-born babies, still attached with their roots. This special bodysuit has a cut around the umbilical cord that allows the area to dry, well-keeping the comfort of the cherubim. The Flip-Lock Closure Bodysuit, on the other hand, provides the easiest mean of dressing the baby at frequent intervals with its soft Velcro closure. The soft cotton material of the dresses makes them the must-haves for all those newborn angels. Moreover, both the outfits can be availed in three packs, accompanied with various hanging toy accessories.

Florida patent holder and intellectual property company, Every Penny Counts, Inc., has sued Bank of America for patent infringement in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.  As a Florida patent attorney, I find this case of particular interest. 

Every Penny Counts, Inc. is the owner of U.S. Patent No. 6,112,191 which describes a business method patent focusing on a savings/investing/donating program in its patent issued in August, 2000.

This case is just one more in a series of high profile patent infringement actions filed recently that illustrate the importance of securing patents for new business methods.  Patents are not just for "widgets" anymore.  According to a quote in Businessweek:

"In October, 2005, Bank of America brought out a radically different product that broke the paradigm. It's called 'Keep the Change.' The concept solves a critical banking problem -- how to get consumers to open new accounts. The product works like this: Every time you buy something with a BofA Visa debit card, the bank rounds up your purchase to the nearest dollar and transfers the difference from your checking into your savings account. It also matches 100% of transfers for the first three months, and 5% of the annual total, up to $250 a year. Since the launch, 2.5 million customers have signed up for 'Keep the Change.' Over 700,000 have opened new checking accounts and 1 million have signed on for new savings accounts."

In the Florida patent infringement lawsuit, the Cape Coral, Florida inventor, Bertram Burke, claims that he contacted Bank of America in December 2001 to gage the bank's interest in a licensing agreement that would allow the bank to use the system to generate new accounts.

The patent infringement complaint is available on Every Penny Counts, Inc.'s website.

Florida: Boca Raton Patent Holder Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against InfoUSA, Inc.

Boca Raton patent holder, Perfect Web Technologies, Inc. filed a patent infringement lawsuit against infoUSA, Inc. of Omaha , NE in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida according to a press release I received today.  The infringement lawsuit seeks damages and an injunction against further infringement.

The patent asserted in the lawsuit is U.S. Patent No. 6,631,400 entitled "METHOD FOR MANAGING BULK E-MAIL DISTRIBUTION" and protects key elements of processes used in the e-mail marketing and management industry.

A copy of the patent infringement complaint is available online.

Mobility meets storage with Tow-N-Stow, an encapsulated trailer that converts to a storage shed when not in use. Having reached patent pending status, Tow-N-Stow is designed for convenience when you need to haul large, heavy, or bulky loads with a small vehicle, as explained in an article in www.uiausa.org. The towing features of Tow-N-Stow are concealed when it is parked and provides a great relief for hobbyists, sportsmen, or contractors who can haul payloads safely using a watertight, lockable, lightweight trailer.

A lot of innovative ideas worth patenting come from paying close attention to the needs of ourselves and our friends in the midst of daily living. Keep a notebook to keep track of needs you see that are not being met. You never know when inspiration may strike.

Hats off to Mark Reichel of The Daily Dose of IP Blog for his post regarding the U.S. Patent Office discontinuing its annual top ten patent holder list.

In the Patent Office press release, the PTO announced that it will no longer be publishing its annual ranking of the top 10 organizations obtaining the most U.S. patents in the preceeding year.  According to the press release, it is abandoning the list of top ten patent holders and "emphasizing quality over qualtity by discouraging any perception that we believe more is better." 

 About time.  I always wondered why the patent office focused so much attention on their "top ten list" as all it really did was provide those few "repeat customers" lucky enough to be in the "top ten" with bragging rights on their level of innovation.  

I wonder if the patent office's departure from this "strictly by the numbers" approach is the beginning of a new trend in the intellectual property field.  Are we finally able to look beyond the total number of patents in any defined segment before making broad generalizations based upon that number.

For example, as long as I can remember, the well known publication, Intellectual Property Today has tabulate its "Top Patent Law Firm" and "Top Trademark Law Firm" listings based EXCLUSIVELY on the number of patents and trademarks these firms obtained for their clients in any given year. 

The law firms near the top of this list invariably (like their corporate counterparts in the PTO's top ten listings) used their ranking in IP Today's top ten lists in their marketing materials. 

Perhaps such marketing efforts are persuasive--I don't know--but I welcome comments from in-house patent counsel as to what weight, if any, the IP Today annual top firm survey has on their choice of private patent or trademark counsel.

(As an aside: I am currently considering corrective laser eye surgery to eliminate my having to wear glasses and have narrowed my choice of surgeons down to a handful in the Fort Lauderdale / Miami Florida area---let me tell you...the number of eyes ZAPPED per year per doctor is not on my list of criteria!)

I am sure that rankings that go "strictly by the numbers" is the easiest and least controversial method of publishing listings of law firms and the PTO's top ten list.  But just because something is the "easiest and least controversial" does not mean that it is faultless.  From the perspective of a Florida patent attorney, I fail to see how a ranking by the numbers provides any indication of quality (as in the listings of patent law firms) or of innovation (as in the PTO's top ten listings).  

The "green patenting movement" has taken up a new dimension with the patenting of environment friendly battery-electric tram-buses from SMRrTRAM. According to an article in www.send2press.com Village Technology - an urban-solutions think-tank in Annapolis, Maryland registered a patent for its SMRrTRAM People-Mover design. It uses a unique know-how, which is capable of shaping affordable zero-emission electric buses into high-convenience people-movers for engorged urban corridors.

The SMRrTRAM design synchronizes the movements of electric tram-buses in opposite directions in a narrow, single, consecrated guidelane. Due to this synchronization, a pedestrian gets the opportunity to board a tram-bus moving along the route in either direction every 150 seconds from each stop. The new design is expected to hike the passenger carrying capacities up to 5000 people per hour. Most importantly the single SMRrTRAM guidelane can be inserted, on-grade, into virtually any existing streetscape without eliminating traffic lanes, which is advantageous for cities and traffic planners. 

"We believe SMRrTRAM offers a breakthrough opportunity for congested urban business and shopping corridors," feels John Alt founder and president, Village Technology.

Patent pending baby products by Fleece Baby Fitted Sheets has brought baby sheets that are luxuriously soft.  It has become the baby's favorite blanket according to the company. The sheets have deep pockets and have elastic for safety all the way round. The sheets are appropriately sized for suitably fitting the toddler beds and cribs. The sheets come in happy colors like blue, white, pink and yellow.

According to an article in mominventors.com, the safety sheets are being made from 100% polyester anti-pill polar fleece, which means that they do not shrink even after repeated washing. Fleece fabric is actually a non-inflammable, stain resistant and breathable material that is safe for the babies. The tactile baby sheets enable the baby to sleep for a longer time, as they are softer than the conventional cotton crib sheets. The fabric appears to be warm, soft and tactile for the baby.

The natural wicking effect of the fabric helps to keep the moisture away from the baby - this prevents as well as cures skin rashes like eczema.

I was waiting to return to sunny Florida from a short two day visit to the patent office last week and, instead, I ended up stranded at Washington's Reagan airport for over eight hours. 

According to news reports of the massive snow and ice storm in the Northeast, I was not the only one.  Luckily I had brought a copy of a new book, "Patents for Business" by patent attorney Henry Heines and had time to complete it during the wait.

Although not written for patent attorneys, per se, a couple of the chapters still make for good reading for in-house intellectual property lawyers looking for practical advice on patent due diligence and strategy.  For patent attorneys, I advise skipping the early basic chapters on patent subject matter, novelty, and determining patentability and jumping right to patent portfolio referencing and other more advanced topics focusing on strategy.

Peter Zura does an excellent review of "Patents for Business" on his 271 Patent Blog and if  you are not a patent lawyer, you may want to read his review .  In fact, his blog makes for excellent reading and is a "must read" for anyone seriously interested in patent news and analysis.

Interestingly enough, the domain name PatentsforBusiness.com, does not direct you to a website for the book but instead takes you to a company website that claims to be "dedicated to the development of patent portfolios aimed at meeting the objectives, needs and requirements of your business".

I am not sure if there is any connection between the author and this website but if there is not...this underscores the importance of investigating potential conflicts with domain name registrations prior to any branding strategies whether that branding strategy be a new business name, product identity, or (as in this case) the title for a new book.

From the perspective of a Florida patent attorney, patent infringement litigation within Florida is always of special interest.  Recently, clearwater, Florida based biotech manufacturer, BioQuate, Inc., has been sued for patent infringement by Pall Corporation according to a press release on Pall Corporation's website this morning.

The suit alleges that BioQuate is manufacturing and selling disposable aseptic connector devices (see image to the left) that infringe on a patent on Pall's Kleenpak ( trademark ) aseptic connector and seeks damages and an injunction preventing BioQuate from selling the infringing product.

The patent infringement lawsuit against Clearwater, Florida based BioQuate, Inc. has been filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

According to Pall Corporation's website, its business has been organized into segments: life sciences and industrial and they provide products relating to biotechnology, pharmaceutical, transfusion, medicine, energy, electronics, municipal, industrial water purification, aerospace, transportation, and broad industrial markets.  Revenues for 2006 were $2.0 billion and the company is headquartered in East Hills, New York.

Bioquate, Inc., on the other hand, is a Clearwater, Florida, based biotech manufacturer providing the biotech industry with a narrowly focused line of disposable devices products. 

View the complete press release by Pall Corporation here.

As a Florida patent attorney, I try to keep an ear to the ground on new developments in Florida that are relevant to my practice of intellectual property in the state.  The potential increase in Florida's biotech patenting activity is one such development.

In a recent post in the BioHealth Investor, Florida is touted as one of the country’s next biotech hubs. According to the article, it all began when the Scripps Research Institute accepted a proposal for $500 million in financing to establish a biotech research hub in the state on the western fringes of Palm Beach County.

After encountering some problems with environmental groups, Scripps made a decision to move their research center to Jupiter, Florida just north of West Palm Beach, Florida, one of Florida Atlantic University’s campuses. 

In an article reprinted in the Orlando Sentinel, Phil Milford of Bloomberg News reports a patent infringement suit has been filed against  Walt Disney, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, and other theme-park operators for allegedly infringing patents on magnetic brakes used on roller coasters.  Florida patent attorneys should find the complete article of interest:

Disney, GE, others face patent suit

General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal Inc., Walt Disney Co. and three other U.S. theme-park operators were accused of infringing patents on magnetic brakes used on roller coasters.

Safety Braking Corp., based in Newport Beach, Calif., claims the companies infringed patents won in 1994 and 2003. The defendants also include Busch Entertainment Corp., Six Flags Inc. and Cedar Fair LP.

Safety Braking holds exclusive licenses to the patents, one from Magnetar Technologies Corp., based in Seal Beach, California, and the other from G&T Conveyor Co., based in Tavares.

As a Florida patent attorney and the author of the Florida Intellectual Property Law Blog, I often receive press releases and news submissions relating to Florida intellectual property matters.  I received the following press release today regarding another case by Florida intellectual property attorneys Silverman Santucci, LLP concerning alleged violations of Florida trade secret law:

For immediate release by PRceptions:

Tim Allen and Touchtone Pictures Sued Over Wild Hogs Rip-Off

One week before the national release of the much publicized John Travolta road comedy, Wild Hog's, Travolta's co-star, and Hollywood funny man, Tim Allen, and Disney's Touchtone Pictures, are being sued for theft of trade secrets under Florida law. The suit is still pending.

 If South Florida screen writers Steven Battaglia and Paul Danner get their way, and the Florida courts aprove, all money generated by the movie will be deposited in a trust fund pending the outcome of the lawsuit.

 The lawsuit claims that on two occasions, first in 2000 on the set of the Touchstone movie The Crew, and then again in 2002 on the set of another Touchstone release Big Trouble starring Tim Allen, Battaglia handed copies of his work to agents and representatives of Touchtone Pictures and to one of Tim Allen's personal assistants. Writer Steven Battaglia is a well known South Florida based hair dresser who works on movie sets in the area. Paul Danner is a author/screen writer with extensive credentials as well as being a police detective in South Florida.

A medical patent by Veridien Corporation has brought forth the next generation of its patented Viraguard chain of ready-to-use disinfectants and antimicrobials for dental, medical and institutional markets.

According to an article in send2press.com, Viraguard that has been introduced about a decade ago is known to offer a highly effective and environmentally compatible solution for disinfecting hard nonliving surfaces. This is done under Viraguard's EPA disinfectant registration. It is also famous as a safe and effective hand sanitizer and as an OTC antimicrobial product under its FDA drug listing.

The formulation of the patented Viraguard makes use of Isopropanol (Isopropyl Alcohol) in its best concentration, which is combined with other ingredients. This abides by both the FDA and EPA requirements, as it does not need residue producing or harmful chemicals, like Phenol, Quaternary Ammonium, Chlorine, or Glutaraldehyde.

Viraguard is suitable for use in hospitals, ambulances, private practice offices, nursing homes, police, fire and paramedic vehicles. It is appropriate for using it wherever antisepsis and disinfections are critical.

As a Fort Lauderdale patent attorney with a special interest in boat patents and the yachting industry in general, I am lucky to be in a city of over 42,000 yachts and over 100 marinas.  Nevertheless, I have never come across a vessel as unusual as the one pictured to the left. 

According to an article relating to patenting boat designs  at thenewstribune.com . This 99-foot mystery vessel with legs was designed as a metallic spider riding on two pontoons appeared from a fog bank on the dock at Port of Ilwaco. The Spider boat attracted much attention, and the owner of the boat was still obscure when the photographs of the craft were released. 

Inventor and patent holder is Ugo Conti and his patent for the vessel was approved in April 2005. The description of the boat stated that the vessel had a pair of flexible hulls flexibly coupled to a 'cabin' between and above the hulls. This allowed the hulls to independently follow the surface of the water and the motor pods have been hinged to the back of the hulls.

Though there were no comments from the inventor when contacted by the thenewstribune.com, Conti's wife, Isabella accepted that the vessel was Marine Advanced Research's creation that is owned by Ugo Conti. She also cited that the team involved in operations was working under strict confidentiality agreements.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has launched a community review project according to an article in the Washington Post.  The peer review project will post patent applications to the internet and invite comments on prior art submissions from the internet community.

The complete article can be found here and is reproduced below for your convenience:

 By Alan Sipres

Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 5, 2007; 3:34 PM

 The government is about to start opening up the process of reviewing patents to the modern font of wisdom: the Internet.

Securing sporting goods patents is an essential business strategy for SmartKnitACTIVE Athletic Socks. The socks are a great relief for athletes, helping prevention of blisters, controlling foot odor and reducing moisture as per an article released in www.send2press.com. Patented SmartKnitACTIVE socks come with one of the most innovative designs that eliminate all the damaging ridges, seams and especially blister-causing pressure points. It offers a perfectly unseamed and form-fitting design that prevents blisters.

During the performances, the athlete's feet sweats and are damped. The moisture in the socks causes blister-causing friction, odor and bacterial infection. The SmartKnitACTIVE socks have CoolMax (R) high-tech moisture wicking fibers that help to absorb moisture and ensure that the socks are dry. Further the X-STATIC(R) SmartKnitACTIVE socks have a layer of pure silver permanently bonded to its surface, which reduces odor causing bacteria and athlete's foot fungus. 
 
A review from triathlon competitor Mike Swenson for SmartKnitACTIVE socks quoted "No blisters, no soreness."

Patented tool and garden organizer helps keep a maximum of 17 garden tools safely in an organized manner. As reported in an article at uiausa.org it is the only "spaceonomical" tool organizer in the world and is extremely user-friendly.

ToolsAway permits you to stash securely long-handled garden tools like shovels, rakes, brooms and many more tools. The handle of a tool is inserted first into the base and this occupies not more than four feet of wall space and just one foot of floor space. The invention also allows easy and effortless retrieval of the tools.

ToolsAway prevents tools from falling and causing unwanted injuries and accidents. The user need not fear loss of tools in the tool shed or the garage with this invention. The unit also helps in keeping the tools free of rust and makes them last longer, moreover, the tools can also be conveniently cleaned with a garden hose.

As a Fort Lauderdale patent attorney, I closely follow patenting news relating to the medical device industry as we have several clients in this technology group.  Of particular interest is new patent infringment cases filed and their successful resolutions.  In this regard, I recently came across a press release by Ft. Lauderdale diabetes testing equipment and supply manufacturer, Home Diagnostics, Inc. regarding a summary judgment in their favor for non-infringement of patents held by Roche Diagnostics Corporation.

The case was filed in the United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana and a link to the full press release by the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida company's website can be accessed by clicking here.

Interesting read from BusinessWire for those active in Florida's home innovation industry.  The complete article follows below:

ARLINGTON, Va., BUSINESSWIRE -- More than 45 Florida-based technology companies will showcase their latest home technology products at the Electronic House Expo (EHX) Spring 2007. Sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association's TechHome Division, the show runs March 8-10 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

 Named by Tradeshow Week magazine as one of the fastest growing tradeshows in America, EHX introduces the latest technologies, products and market trends in the custom electronics industry to a growing number of attendees each year. This March, EHX will draw more than 11,000 industry professionals from across the custom electronics world and showcase more than 325 exhibitors, conference sessions and full-day educational boot camps.

EHX Spring 2007 is gearing up to be the largest in show history and a must-see event for the custom electronics industry. In addition to cutting-edge technology and product debuts, EHX serves as a meeting ground for networking opportunities with peers and industry leaders.

A marine equipment patent has recently issued for a new and novel lightning rod.  According to an article posted in yachtinsure.com, this patent is licensed selectively to Marine Lightning Protection Inc.

The original lightning rod was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1750. This lightning rod served the purpose of protecting the ships. Franklin later concluded that a lightning rod could shield a building from the strike of a lightning by providing an appropriate path for the current to flow.

This scientific technology is still going through modern-day refinements for the marine protection. Ewen Thomson of the University of Florida applied the traditional science that has been used in lightning protection systems for the purpose of ground installations.

According to Dr. Thomson, the removal of the invalid key assumptions in the traditional model and the reinterpretation of the fundamental science have brought forth a new model, that allowed the development of the innovative technology by overcoming the practical limitations of the traditional model.

Just when you thought there couldn’t be anything new in babies’ footwear, Pediped has achieved patent pending status with a design patent that will cover 30 exclusive, attractive baby shoe designs. Kiddystyle.com touts the near patented footwear as a unique combination of quality, comfort, and style. The premium-grade leather used in the shoes comes with two layers of leather on the soles, along with a foam cushion, which offers special protection to a baby's feet. The shoes are hand-stitched around the soles to ensure proper ventilation, and it also guarantees endurance to help the shoes survive the toughest of wear and tear.

Pediatrician’s recommend Pediped footwear for their soft, cushioned leather soles and velcro fasteners, which are ideal for little ones just learning to walk and are appropriate inside or out. Designs include everyday loafers, ultra-cool athletic styles, and classic Mary Janes. Congratulations to the inventors, as Pediped footwear has received the prestigious award of American Podiatric Medical Association’s "Seal of Acceptance" and has also been featured as the "most recommended children's footwear" in the 2007 Consumer Report’s Best Baby Products guide.

The Palm Beach Post reports that the Florida Venture Forum invited 27 start-up companies to present their business plans at the Florida Venture Capital Conference at the Boca Raton Resort and Club.

Two South Florida companies that were schedule to appear where (1) DayJet Corp. of Delray Beach, a company developing on-demand short-haul jet service and founded by Ed Iacobucci, who also created Fort Lauderdale-based software maker Citrix Systems, and (2) Multiply Inc. of Boca Raton, a social networking website aimed at adults who are looking for ways to share photographs and communicate with family and friends.  This company was founded by former CBS sportsline.com executive Pete Pezaris.

Secrecy News reports that a Florida company names Space Propulstion Systems, Inc. announced recently that it had peitioned the U.S. Government to lift a secrecy ban that has been imposed on two of its rocket propellant concepts.

The government may restrict the publication and dissemination of information regarding new inventions under the Invention Secrecy Act of 1951, if their disclosure could be "detrimental to the national security."

According to an article in The Journal News, Mark Eichenbaum had previously struggled to assist his grandmother haul groceries from the car to her apartment.  He then hit upon a good idea.

Last year, he set about turning his idea into a reality.  Presently, his invention is hitting the stores, and he is about to quit his job as a longtime car salesman.

Eichenbaum invented the Baggler - an ergonomic handle with hooks that makes carrying plastic bags a lot less cumbersome.  Daniel Becker, store owner and manager of the Jefferson Valley Pharmacy, said he almost sold out of the 24 packages he started with a few weeks ago.  They retail for $4.99. 

Corporate Safe Specialists (CSS) are helping to protect our goods with their patented electronic safe locking mechanism. Send2press.com details CSS’s invention, which involves using a computer to operate an electronic safe lock via a series of electronic signals.

This gives users control of their safe even from a remote location. According to President of CSS, Ed McGunn, "This technology will dramatically increase control over safe input and output both onsite and remotely.'' It’s also convenient, a big driver in patented innovations these days.

As a Miami patent attorney with a number of clients having inventions relating to toys and games and interested in patenting overseas, I follow changes to toy and game patents in the U.S. and abroad.

Patenting games in the UK is undergoing changes in procedure. According to a post in out-law.com, the UK Patent Office has declared a change in the manner it will be examining patent applications for the inventions related to games, following a recent court ruling that announced the present practice to be out-dated. The Comptroller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks had confirmed that the Official Ruling will no longer assess the patentability of games, by issuing a Practice Note.

Till date, the Patent Office was dependent on an Official Ruling of 1926 during determining the game-related patent applications. This Ruling denoted that the games are conventionally patentable and are subjected to objections like lack of originality.

The recent case of Shopalotto.com (an online lottery game) has raised the question of traditional patentability. The Court was astonished that the present practice was still dependent on the old ruling. As per the article at out-law.com Mr. Justice Pumfrey went on to say that a 1926 Official Ruling couldn't be a valid guide to the 1977 Patents Act interpretation.

Dan Rua, an experienced early-stage venture capital investor with a technology foundation and product design, development, and management experience, is the author of Florida Venture Blog.  The blog, described as "a running perspective on Florida's growing tech and venture community," provides valuable information for those individuals seeking to build companies by innovative means.

Currently a manager at Inflexion Fund, Mr, Rua's experience includes a partnership with Draper Atlantic, participation in finding and building thirty-two companies and managing funds totaling over $140 million, as well as teaching entrepreneruship and venture capital seminars at various educational institutions.

The Florida Venture Blog is considered one of, in not the, leading blogs on tech, entrepreneurship, and venture capital around Florida.

In addition to consulting a Florida Patent Attorney to assist with intellectual property issues, exploring ways in which to start up or enhance a business is definitely advisable.

An excellent resource for Miami and Florida intellectual property issues is the Counterfeit Blog, concentrating on anti-counterfeiting law and policing.  The blog is published by Miami, Florida Attorney Leora Herrman, who has been fighting counterfeiters for more than a decade.

Ms. Herrmann's legal expertise includes anti-counterfeiting, copyrights, licensing of trademarks,  patents and celebrity rights of publicity, U.S. and international trademark protection, and copyright law.  For interesting, informative, and insightful articles, this is definitely a site to check out at www.counterfeitblog.com.

More Florida patent infringement lawsuit news today on PRNewswire.  Read the complete article about PetMed Express, Inc.'s alleged patent infringement lawsuit and settlement via license agreement on PRNewswire or below:

Keeping babies safe is paramount for parents, and the newly patented SIDS Alert alarm is likely to assuage parental concerns over their sleeping infants. Sudden Infant Death Syndrom affects approximately 2,500 U.S. families annually, with the American Association of Pediatricians long recommending that babies sleep on their backs.

SIDS Alert makes parents aware when their infants roll onto their stomachs, consequently putting them at risk for SIDS. As described at www.send2press.com, SIDS Alert patents a two-part system including a minuature transmitter secures to baby’s diaper without causing discomfort and a small parent receiver that can be either worn using a lanyard or clipped onto a belt. It emits an alarm when babies roll onto their stomachs.

According to an article posted on Reed Electronics.com, Kent Rossman of Orlando, Florida, along with Zhong Qiang Hua of Saratoga, California, Zhengquan Tan of Cupertino, California, and Zhuang Li of San Jose, California, has developed a new multistep remote plasma clean process which was originally filed on May 21, 2002 and has now become a registered patent.

The invention relates to a "process for removing unwanted deposition build-up from one or more interior surfaces of a substrate processing chamber after depositing a layer of material over a substrate disposed in the chamber," according to the United States Patent & Trademark Office.

There’s a tremendous business opportunity in baby strollers, with contemporary moms always on the lookout for the next best in stylish, convenient innovation. According to an article at www.babyuniverse.com, the Maclaren Baby Buggy has been touted as one the top one-hundred clever inventions in the book Century Makers, which highlights patented inventions that have dramatically changed the lives of consumers over the last century.

This invention owes its genesis to Owen Maclaren who designed and patented his prototype Baby Buggy in 1965. Maclaren developed the structure using modern lightweight materials such as tubular aluminum, which could even bear the weight of a fairly bulky child and then fold compactly. The merit of his new design was its lightness, weighing approximately 6 lb (3kg). In addition, the three dimensional folding mechanism was a convenience feature, making it simple and easy to tote.

Maclaren's Company has expanded substantially, introducing a range of innovative patented products since the first Baby Buggy was launched. Their specialty is lifestyle-focused innovation, an overall trend that continues to lead innovation in a wide range of categories.

When most people think of Samuel Clemens, or Mark Twain as he has penned himself in his writings, they think of the famous author and fondly recall reading his well known works Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.

Few realize that Mark Twain, born in Florida, Mo., was also an aspiring inventor and the holder of three U.S. patents.  From what little Mark Twain wrote of patents in his fiction, it appears as if Mark Twain believed strongly in the U.S. patent system and its benefits to society.

In his book, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's court, he has the Connecticut Yankee say the following about the patent office:

"...the very first official thing I did in my administration-and it was on the very first day of it too-was to start a patent office; for I knew that a country without a patent office and good patent laws was just a crab and couldn't travel anyway but sideways and backwards."

In the last century, we've witnessed colloidal silver and silver nitrate being used extensively in the medical field. Invision International plans to capitalize on this and has obtained a U.S. Patent for their "Ionic Silver Complex" technology according to an article at send2press.com. Invision International is a pioneer in the field of ionic silver use in humans and has patented the technology in New Zealand and Australia. Additionally, patents are pending in Japan and Europe.

Jay Newman, President of Invision International says that the patented technology symbolizes a giant leap in the internal delivery of silver ions within the human body.  He further adds that citrate is the perfect carrier for the effective delivery of silver ions for human use, and that is why it has been chosen as an integral component within the patented technology. The claims of Invision's patent are broad in scope, so they will be able to leverage their technology against a wide range of counter-ions and complexing agents. When selecting a registered U.S. Patent Attorney their ability to deliver the broadest claims possible is an important consideration, as the more broad the claims, the more broad the marketplace opportunities will extend.

Business Wire reports that the United States Patent & Trademark Office will reexamine U.S. Patent No. 6,725,438.  This patent is one of three at issue in a lawsuit between Magma Design Automation, Inc. and Synopsys, Inc., pending in the U.S. District Court in the Northern DIstrict of California.

In light of this decision, the USPTO is currently in the process of reexamining two of the three patents in the lawsuit and will soon render a decision as to whether a rexamination of the third will occur.

If you're an ice fisherman, the patent pending Auger Buddy may make your fishing trips easier. The inventors of the Auger Buddy have recently reached the patent pending stage for their lightweight, hand-operated sled, which transports the power auger and other ice fishing equipment across ice and snow. An article at www.pr.com touts the Auger Buddy as a hassle-free solution for carrying equipment and tackle to and from fishing holes. It's convenient, and it also gives fisherman more time to fish and less time lugging.

You'll see that many new inventions capitalize on convenience and work to give people more time. In this time-pressed culture, we need all the extra moments we can get.

Here's a patented invention to keep homes safe during hurricane season. The Hurricane Harness is an invention that provides "seat belts for your roof" and is designed to keep roofs from being pried off in the event of high speed winds, according to hurricaneharness.com. Roofs are most endangered portion of a house during a hurricane, because a vacuum or suction is created over the roof as the wind enters a room through the doors and windows. This creates an internal pressure in the building, resulting in roof loss and, consequently, devastating home damage. 

The patented Hurricane Harness system is designed to endure the pressure and lift created even by major hurricanes. The system claims to retain the integrity of structure against hurricane winds of speed 150 mph, capable of Category 4 or Category 5 hurricanes that may exceed even 155 mph.

According to an article in Antara news, the United States Patent & Trademark Office has rejected key claims in the Hexagon '148 patent.  The rejection was made during a Reexamination Proceeding that was originally initiated by FARO Technologies, Inc.  Included in the rejected claims are all the claims involved in the ongoing Hexagon '148 patent infringement case filed by Romer-CimCore, a subsidiary of Hexagon, AB, and also FARO's largest competitor.

According to an article in the Miami Herald, Texas athletic shoe maker Heelys has targeted Miami-based Levy Marketing in a patent infringement lawsuit filed in federal court.  Similar suits by Heelys have been filed in Orlando, Los Angeles, and Sherman, Texas over the past month.

Heelys is attempting to try and stop what it calls "knockoff" versions of its product from unauthorized sales.  The lawsuit against Levy Marketing accuses the company of selling knockoffs of the Heelys to "kiosk retail outles in various malls" throughout the country.

According to an article in MITechNews.com, a website owned by the Michigan News Network, three hurricanes prompted CEO John Bonaccorso of 9thXchange to look for gentler climates within which to conduct business.  The Florida technology company moved from Melbourne, Florida, to Ann Arbor.

Many of the company's more than twenty five developers and system architects are leaving Florida to join the new headquarters in Ann Arbor.  Click here for the complete article.

News like this illustrates that we may never be able to measure the full impact that the past few stormy hurricane seasons have had on Florida's technology industry (and likewise Florida patent attorneys).

The Tampa Bay Business Journal reports the approval of the nation's first legal specialty in intellectual property law by the Florida Supreme Court.  This certification will be one of 22 certification areas available in the state.

Florida Bar president, Henry M. Coxe III, appointed a nine-member certification committee to review credentials of applicants, develop policy implementation standards approved by the Florida Supreme Court, and draft and administer the first examination to those lawyers whose practices primarily consist of patent application prosecution, patent infringement litigation, trademark law, and copyright law.

Appropriate certificates identifying lawyers as "Board Certified Intellectual Property Lawyers," will be issued to attorneys in good standing of The Florida Bar who meet the standards prescribed by the state's Supreme Court.

West Palm Beach, FL. - According to a Press Release posted on the United States Patent & Trademark Office website, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Jon Dudas today told members of the Business Development Board's Life Sciences Cluster Committee that protecting intellectual property against piracy and counterfeiting is a key part of economic growth, particularly in southeast Florida.

As a Miami patent attorney, I live less than a 90 minute drive from Islamorada in the Florida Keys-reputed to be the sportfishing capital of the world and have a special interest in fishing and fishing patents.

Patenting fishing equipment is a niche practice area of the firm and the patented quick release modular fly-fishing reel caught my attention.  As per an article at freepatentsonline.com, the patented modular fly fishing reel comes with several characterized features that make it unique. Its boasts of a changeable spool, flexible drag and a reversible clutch mechanism. The equipment invented by Robert W. Koelewyn is enclosed within a frame of sidewalls. Usually, it has a removable cylindrical axle cartridge mounted on the mounting socket of the frame side wall.

The spool has a removable hub, which is secured on the axle tube through a quick release mechanism.  The axle cartridge consists a drag assembly that is adjustable through a drag nut located close to the frame side wall. The drag is adjustable through the drag knob, which turns with the spool. Further the drag could also be adjusted through the number and type of drag washers as well as the spring present to compress the drag washers. The modular Fly fishing reel offers a genuinely well set mechanism for the anglers.

In his Intellectual Property Counsel Blog post entitled " A Litmus Test to Identify Exceptional Patent Attorneys ", in-house Florida intellectual property attorney Todd Mayover provides a good overview of things that distinguish a " good patent attorney "from an "exceptional patent attorney ". 

In particular, he writes:

Adding value to patents requires a complete understanding of an invention, knowledge of the current state of the field of art, the ability to identify how an invention fits in to the industry or market, and the ability to identify and distinguish the closest competitors.

I could not agree more with this statement but feel the need to question sometimes the way that in-house attorneys make their hiring decisions for patent prosecution work.  Many times, outside counsel are chosen on the basis of firm and name partner reputations without any inquiry at all on who will actually be doing the work. 

There is nothing wrong with this, of course, as long as the attorney and partners that were responsible for building a law firms reputation are the same ones that will work on your matter.  If they are not the ones actually doing the work on a company's application, however, in-house intellectual property lawyers should question why they are paying for a senior partner's billing rates when a "wet behind the ears" new associate is actually the one doing the "heavy lifting" on the patent application draft.

For those susceptible to vomiting, the newly patented Red E. Bag provides discreet relief. Stylish, small, and designed to look like a small clutch handbag, travelers, pregnant women, and cancer patients have found comfort in Red E. Bag when the unavoidable happens. According to an article at send2press.com, it features a removable black plastic liner, which opens wide and can hold up to a half gallon of liquid. Additionally, there is a zippered pocket on the front for tissues and mints.

Inventors Jodi and Jim Carr of As We Grow, LLC. announced they will donate ten percent of its October  retail sales to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Mother Nature offers inventors ample opportunity to stretch their inventive muscles. Patent pending storm-proof shutters by StormSecure aim to keep shutters on homes during heavy storms. The patent pending aspect of their Bahama and Colonial shutters are their extruded aluminum and double-walled tubular slats design, which shows how patentable ideas exist in even the most common of categories.

StormSecure's assembled shutters offer a thermal curing powered paint finish in a variety of colors. StormSecure decided to patent their idea as a superior design that can withstand the impact of even a large projectile without using a back panel of any kind. The shutters can be fastened internally or externally.

The infant product category has seen a surge in patenting, as companies and inventors respond to the endless needs of babies and their parents. One example is the patented Mommy Bib, recently retooled and relaunched by Mommy Bib, Inc., which is a wearable burp cloth to keep parents' clothes free of inevitable accumulations of spit up and drool. Send2Press.com reports that Mommy Bib has received a patent for the invention, though you wonder how many of us may just as well come up with it ourselves.

Easy to wash and wear and affordable, the Mommy Bib's distinguishing feature is a surface upon which teething babies can safely chew. A comfortable terry cloth lining absorbs wetness, while a nylon covering underneath secures dryness.

According to a press release on PJM News, M. Ship Co. has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against ICE Marine Ltd., a UK company. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. M Ship Co. is seeking to enforce its patent rights regarding its M-hull boat technology.

According to an article appearing in Genetic Engineering News, Neptune Industries, Inc. announced they have initiated a patent search in preparation for filing a patent application with the United States Patent & Trademark Office for a proprietary nutritional component and animal diet with significant applications.

Magnetic Power, Inc. (MPI) is helping make the world greener, according to an article at pesn.com. The United States Patent and Trademark Office published the company's first patent application for its valuable Solid State Electric Generator, the first of its kind, which produces electric power without any moving parts or need for fuel.

The generators, which have no need of fossil or uranium fuels, feature a modular design that allows several units to be combined to produce larger amounts of energy in a system analogous to combining solar (photovoltaic) cells. An exclusive feature is the company's Magnetic Power Modules that can operate day and night, every day of the year in all weather conditions.  

The Sun-Herald reports that southwest Florida entrepeneurs are launching a hurricane self-help network, prompted by the last two hurricane seasons and the government's limited ability to provide relief.

The United States Patent & Trademark Office posted the following article on their website which may be of interested to those seeking patent protection:

As part of its ongoing efforts to promote investment in innovation and spur economic growth, the Department of Commerce's U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced a new proposal that would streamline and improve the patent application review process. The new proposal would encourage patent applicants to provide the USPTO the most relevant information related to their inventions in the early stages of the review process.

The Los Angeles Bizjournal reported that Venali, Inc. has filed a suit agains J2 Global Communications, Inc. and Catch Curve, Inc. alleging violations of Federal Antitrust, trademark competitiveness, and patent laws.

The Sun Sentinel reports that Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton has licensed rights to a therapy that will be used to treat pre-cancerious skin conditions frequently found in Florida. The discovery has caught the eye of two medical industry entrepeneurs that hope to further develop and market this therapy.

The Florida Trend Editor's Page had an article of interest for any Florida patent attorney following the state's biotechnology scene.  Entitled "Rules of the Game", the article discusses a number of reasons for optimism for Florida's biotech research and cites an Ernst & Young Global Biotechnology Report for support.

The report ranks Florida's biotechnology scene as one of the top 10 centers in the United States.  Also, according to the article, the number of Florida invention disclosures rose 84% at 12 Florida schools between 2000 and 2005 and the number of licensing agreements executed to start-up companies went from 13 in 2000 to 31 in 2004 and 22 in 2005.

The United States Patent & Trademark Office posted the following article on their website which may be of interested to those seeking accelerated review of their patent applications:

The Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is publishing procedures setting forth requirements for patent applicants who want, within 12 months, a final decision by the examiner on whether their application for a patent will be granted or denied. To be eligible for "accelerated examination," applicants who file under this procedure will be required to provide specific information so that review of the application can be completed rapidly and accurately.

According to an article in the University of Florida News, a team of engineering students has designed and built a prototype of a new sensor that will assist grocers, florists, and pharmacists in determining the length of time before a product spoils or exceeds its expiration date.

According to an article in Medical News Today, Dr. Kunal Mitra, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Florida Tech, has been assigned a U.S. Patent, along with Florida Tech, for an x-ray delivery device which can be utilized for irradiation of the arteries after balloon angioplasty. This methodology can curb the frequency of plaque reformation after stent implantation and angioplasty.

As reported in an article in Wireless Week, a second patent infrigement lawsuit in less than thirty days has been filed by Speedus Corporation, aimed at Alltel for alleged infringement on two of its wireless patents.

According to an article in Light Reading, Verizon Wireless is being sued for patent infringement by Speedus Corp., regarding two of the latters patents dealing with television service transmission over cellular networks. Speedus Corp. is still deciding whether or not to file a suit against any other carriers.

According to an article by Rick Merritt in the Electronic Engineering Times, the Supreme Court, Congress, and the United States Patent & Trademark Office are struggling with issues related to intellectual property reform. There are three patent reform bills currently before Congress, while the Supreme Court prepares to rule on a patent case filed by eBay as early as June, and the United States Patent & Tradmark Office is mired in controversy over changes in the patent application filing process.

In an article in the Ventura County Star, Bob Noe, owner of AgriZap, invented a rodent-killing gadget called the Rat Zapper, a milk-carton-sized device which uses four AA batteries to electrocute mice, rats, and other pests that are lured inside by the smell of dry pet food. The Rat Zapper is selling 50,000 to 100,000 units annually, increasing at a rate of 30 percent per year. But the Rat Zapper has become mired in a patent infringement lawsuit, citing fraud, breach of contract, and unfair trade practices.

According to an article in the DesMoines Register, Cindy Gordon owes her patent to a windy day. As a breeze whipped around the tent she had erected at a local high school craft show, she thought that there had to be a better way of securing the tent's legs. When a fellow artist came to her with a couple of square steel weights, her own journey toward receiving a patent began.

According to an article in the Des Moines Business Record, the United States Patent & Trademark Office estimates that there is a backlog of 600,000 patent applications awaiting to be assigned patent examiners, and that another 100,000 applications will be filed this year.

In Breckenridge Pharmaceutical, Inc. v. Metabolite Laboratories, Inc. et al. (Fed. Cir. 2006), the Federal Circuit held that a patent owner's dealings with a Florida licensee was sufficient to give the court jurisdiction over the patent owner.

Beckenridge filed suit against Metabolite and PamLab in the United Stated District Court for the Southern District of Florida for a declaratory judgment of non-infringement of the patent and alleging state law claims of tortious interference with contract and unfair competition.

The Federal Circuit held that Florida's long-arm statute authorized personal jurisdiction over Metabolite and that such jurisdiction would comport with due process:

In sum, our case law has held as follows: where a defendant has sent cease and desist letters into a forum state that primarily involve a legal dispute unrelated to the patent at issue, such as an injunction obtained for misappropriation of trade secrets, the exercise of personal jurisdiction is improper. Silent Drive, 326 F.3d at 1202.

According to a press release from ITFlorida, Tallahassee will host Innovation Day, Monday and Tuesday April 17-18, 2006. Innovation Day will be a great opportunity for the high tech community to demonstrate support to the Florida Legislators for the benefits of the Governor's $630 million Innovation agenda.

According to an article in The Advocate, GlaxoSmithKiline, the makers of the well-known anti-depressant drug Paxil, have settled with state medicaid programs for $14 million. The state programs alleged that the company blocked generic versions of Paxil from being produced, causing the states to pay increased fees.

To show the importance of exactness in the patent application process, Google Earth is being sued by Skyline Software Systems over subtleties created by minor additions and deletions in the claims section of their patent application. A send2press.com article reports that a federal court judge in Massachusetts has issued a trial schedule and expedited discovery proceedings in response to the plaintiff's request for a preliminary injunction. Skyline is an innovator in the field of 3D mapping, but we'll have to wait and see what the judge will decide.

According to a press release by the United States Patent & Trademark Office, The University of Florida ranks 7 in the list of universities receiving patents in 2005. The University of Florida was issued 64 patents (up from 2004 when it received 41 patents and a 13 ranking on the list).

According to a U.S. Trade Representative, the United States is trying hard to balance the requirements of the poor and developing countries who face ongoing medical emergencies and the rights of U.S. pharmaceutical patent holders. It's a tough balance to strike. Disputes between certain U.S. pharmaceutical companies and the governments of Brazil and Thailand demonstrate the need for flexibility and an open dialogue.


It is not always possible for developing countries to purchase patented drugs at standard prices; therefore, the U.S. government has introduced some flexibility within the medical patent protection under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Medical patents that deal with malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis are most effected.

According to an article in the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, SoLapharm, Inc. a Plantation, Florida based pharmaceutical company, has created a process by which existing drugs are reconfigured into new tablet designs that include an inactive layer where the pills can be split.

PRESS RELEASE: Orlando, Fla. -- Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Jon Dudas today echoed President Bush's agenda to improve America's ability to innovate, maintain a competitive edge and make health care more efficient. Under Secretary Dudas also presented an Export Achievement Award to NR Electronics, an Orlando small business.

A 15 year old girl Florida girl, Jennifer Mee, told the Today Show that a patented invention by individual inventor Phil Ehlinger helped cure her marathon 5 week hiccup spree according to an article on PhillyBurbs.com.   See the appearance on ABC News by the inventor as he describes his patented device. 

The inventor's wife flew to Florida and hand-delivered the device, which is covered by a U.S. patent, to jennifer Mee and instructed her on how to use the device. 

Complete media coverage of the product can be found on the website created by the inventor for his company, The Hic-Cup Ltd, and includes national media.  Coverage of the patented device has also been extensive in Florida based local media including CBS Chanel 4 (Miami / Ft. Lauderdale), Fox News Channel 29, and other South Florida stations.

UVSolutions' catheter site disinfection system acquired a medical equipment patent recently. This system gives safe and effective protection keep patients free from infection, as reported in an article in www.send2press.com. The product developed by UVSolutions is a novel system that significantly reduces colonization of microorganisms around the catheter site and comes as a relief to catheter site infections that are the most commonly acquired infections. Infections of this type are known to affect one out of twenty patients and are responsible for more deaths than the combination of accidents and homicides.  

The disinfection system consists of a battery operated, palm-sized, germicidal ultraviolet device, which is placed over the catheter site and expels a single flash of UVC light through a proprietary dressing. The catheter site disinfection system offers an instant and painless method to prevent the buildup of microorganisms around the catheter site.

Medical equipment patenting by LCD technology is moving into hospital patient rooms. According to an article in www.send2press.com, Paradigm Multimedia is now providing various screen size options to beat out competitive models that have inherent limitations.

Before the offering of the new product from Paradigm, which is a patented tuner interface box (HT22E), the hospitals were mainly limited to a 20-inch LCD TV. With the invention of the new product, hospitals are now able to select an LCD monitor of any size for controlling the television functions, making use of a standard hospital pillow speaker.

According to an article by Kris Graft for Next-Gen.Biz, "patent trolling," where companies come up with vague ideas and patent them, just so they can litigate against anyone else that actually puts these ideas into motion, is becoming a significant source of income for these businesses.

A good example of patent trolling is the American Video Graphics case, which involved a 3D spherical panning method patent. In this case, the owner of the patent is not practicing the patent. It is an old patent that is intrinsic to what occurs in a videogame. As such, it is impossible for anyone else to develop a game and avoid this patent. When they try, they are then sued by the patent holder.

In order to persuasively distinguish an invention from the prior art to the United States Patent & Trademark Office, it is helpful to address the following:

A) State the problems, limitaztions, and disadvantages associated with existing technology but overcome by the invention.

B) What new elements (e.g. components, process steps, circuitry) or combinations of known elements or software algorithm produced the improvements over known technology?

Before a patent application is filed with the United States Patent & Trademark Office, it is important to produce a very detailed disclosure of the invention which will aid in the drafting of a patent application that will withstand scrutiny from a patent examiner. The detailed description should include:

FOR A NEW OR IMPROVED PRODUCT

A) Describe the structural elements/components
B) Describe step-by-step how the invention is contructed/assembled
C) Describe any interaction/cooperation of components, e.g. during use
D) Describe the environment in which the invention is intended for use
E) Describe the purpose/function of the invention.

Before a patent is issued by the United States Patent & Trademark Office, a detailed application must be prepared and filed with the USPTO clearly specifying what the invention is and how it can be made and used. A patent application includes an abstract, claims, a declaration, a governmental filing fee, and typically several sheets of drawing figures.

The United States Patent & Trademark Office has guidelines for what it considers to be patentable inventions. A utility patent may be granted for a new product or process as well as functional improvements to existing products or processes.

Where an idea relates to the improved decorative appearance of an item, it may be protected with a design patent.

In a press release from PRNewswire, a Federal Appeals Court affirmed LAMPS PLUS' jury verdict, finding that Patrick S. Dolan of Portland Oregon, and Craftmade International, Inc. of Dallas, Texas, and their joint venture Design Trends LLC had infringed on LAMPS PLUS' patents.

According to a press release from PRNewswire, Intelligenxia, a Jacksonville based company that specializes in advanced analytics solutions for unstructured data, was granted its first patent on January 25, 2006 by the United States patent & Trademark Office. The patent involves groundbreaking technological advances in extraction of crucial information from unstructured sources.

According to an article in ESchool News Online, The U.S Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by Research in Motion Ltd., a Canadian based company that was challenging a federal appeals court ruling that found it had infringed on the patents held by NTP Inc., a small northern Virgina patent-holding firm, because customers of RIM use the BlackBerry within the United States.

According to an article written by Christopher Hayes and quoted in the Progress Report, a shift in patent laws over the past ten years has resulted in increased "methods and system" patents, which have opened the flood gates on the amounts of patent claims, and given greater control to big business over innovative ideas.

On January 3, 2006, the United States Patent & Trademark Office said it may limit the ability of a company to file continuing applications that allow it to revise or modify its existing patent claims, according to an article at MSNBC.com.

The reasoning behind this new rule concerns the growing backlog of patent applications that are waiting to be reviewed by patent examiner's at the United States Patent & Trademark Office.

A Florida inventor and holder of two patents is suing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Again.

Inventor, David W.R. Brown, of St. Petersburg, Florida, holds two U.S. Patents and is seeking a refund of the $969 he was charged for records he requested under the Freedom of Information Act.

A University of Florida mechanical and aerospace engineering student, Scott Banks, has designed a robot to shadow and shoot X-ray video of orthopedic injury patients according to an article in Physorg.com.

Ginacor, Inc. has patented and is now ready to market its HealthStep bathroom device for enabling effective bowel elimination. An article at send2press.com reports that Ginacor, Inc. has also received the approval of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

HealthStep helps a person eliminate with less effort and is a blessing for all who are suffering from hemorrhoids, constipation, bloating, and other acute forms of bowel disorders. Following doctor recommendations (not to mention common sense) that the best posture for eliminating bowels is the squatting position, this simple invention follows the squatting tradition. Ginacor is based in Seattle, WA.

HealthStep is an anatomically engineered device that has precisely angled foot rests for positioning the body for complete elimination and at the same time maintains the convenience and comfort of the modern toilet. The medical product also reduces the pressure in the anal and rectal veins, opens the pelvic area, straightens the colon, and permits both the gravity and gentle pressure from the diaphragm to expel the intestinal contents without excessive straining.

A Fort Lauderdale, Florida, based pharmaceutical company, Andrx Corporation, has been successful in its defense of a patent infringement lawsuit brought by UK-based AstraZeneca PLC over its Toprol-XL hypertension treatment.

As the patents on AstraZeneca's drug were found be be invalid, Florida based Andrx Corporation may be permitted to continue producing the medication for hypertension treatment, according to an article in Bloomberg News.

Florida businessman Rocco Monteleone was in for a surprise patent dispute after he opened up a cereal cafe in Gainesville, Florida.

He received a letter from an attorney representing Cereality, Inc., a company claiming exclusive rights to their patent pending system and method of selling cereal, according to an article in In These Times.

A small Pinellas park business, AlphaMed Pharmaceutical Corp., has been awarded $48-million in compensatory damages arising from the alleged fraudulent sale of its patent on a new drug according to an article in the St. Petersburg Times.

Arriva Pharmaceuticals Corp. and a private investigation firm were found guilty of unfair competition, sealing trade secrets, and interfering with AlphaMed's business.

The trial was held in federal court in Miami, Florida, and the jury decision came Monday, December 19, 2005, after five days of deliberation. Click here for the complete St. Petersburg Times article.

How do patent cases in Florida compare to the rest of the nation in terms of time from filing to decision?

Well, a lot depends upon whether the case seeks a bench trial or a jury trial as patent cases terminated by bench trials take much longer than cases terminated by jury trials.

According to LegalMetric, LLC, the average patent bench trial nationwide took 37.8 months compared to 27.1 months for a jury trial.

When most people think of patents, they automatically think of a new mechanical product, a chemical composition, or a manufacturing process. Since a landmark Supreme Court decision in 1998, however, an increasing number of patents are being issued for innovations in business methods. Patents are not just reserved for classical scientific innovations anymore, but are regularly used by banks, stockbrokers, insurance companies, and retailers to protect their newly developed methods of doing business.

In the past, the U.S. Patent Office rarely granted business method patents. Additionally, software patents were not considered to be patentable subject matter because of a belief that software was nothing but an unprotectible algorithm. Today, however, patents are routinely applied for and issued for software and business methods as well as Internet-related applications. New software patenting guidelines have been issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and have made software patents easier to obtain.

Patents, not copyrights, are now the only way to give adequate protection to the most important aspects of software. The is true because the "idea" behind a particular algorithm is much better protected as a patentable method than as a narrowly limited expression in copyright law.

Most software designers are interested in preventing others from stealing the core methodology used in their software. As such, a patent on the software should be obtained. The principal benefit of protecting computer software through the patent system is the strength of protection that is provided by a patent.

E-commerce patents have attracted a lot of attention in the news lately and the U.S. Patent Office is facing criticism, once again, relating to their examination and issuance of patents relating to a revolutionary new technology.

I say "once again" because this is not the first time a new technological development has stirred up controversy at the U.S. Patent Office. Over a century ago, there was severe criticism relating to the granting of agricultural inventions.

This was followed by debates about the patenting of the telephone, the automobile, pharmaceutical drugs and the recent criticism of the biotechnology industry. With this historical backdrop, it is little wonder that the development of the Internet has spawned another patenting debate.

Adapt4, Inc. is a Melbourne, Florida based firm hopes its patent pending technology will change the way radio frequencies are used to maximize the available radio spectrum that is available.

The technology uses a "time share" model to allow use of radio channels when they are not in use by others according to an article in the Houston Chronicle.

The Tampa Bay Business Journal reports that a survey conducted by the Technology Transfer Office at Florida State University shows an increase in patents that were issued to universities in Florida, up from 7 percent between 2003 and 2004. These universities include Florida Atlantic University, Florida A & M University, Florida International University, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of Miami, Florida Institute of Technology, etc.

Software patents are back in news with EDI Secure LLP patenting the "Single Use Credit Card Number" through the U.S. Patent Office (US PTO) according to an article published in send2press.com . Contributing to, Mr. Jeffrey Ice, inventor of U.S. Patent #6598031 and partner of EDI Secure LLLP granted the American e-commerce community a level of security, virtually doing away with online credit card fraud on the Internet.

This invention, as is believed by the US PTO will be able to keep the credit card account data details confidential and secure even from the present highly expert hackers. The Single Use Credit Card Number can be used as a safe technology extensively in the United States. The technology is also expected to open up various markets and bring in great ramifications to the United States e-commerce industry.

As Ice puts it, the technology will account for their largest potential penetration in the online transaction industry. It is also scheduled to serve bank service agencies, larger banks and card companies, that wants to get their cards accepted all over the world excluding the Visa/MC logo.

Household product patents are an important component of my practice as a Florida patent attorney.  Interestingly enough, Calmar, Inc., was involved in litigation with Magic Creations and Loomco companies regarding the use of alleged use of counterfeit products.  Both products are claimed to contravene Calmar's trademarked TS800(TM) trigger sprayers as reported in their official website www.calmar.com. Both the companies charged with infringement have agreed to replace all their currently stocked sprayers with non-infringing products. 

Claimed by the company to be the world's best selling trigger sprayer, TS800 is used by many consumer products companies due to its spray performance and congeniality, in addition to adaptability and outstanding design.

“Calmar products include important patented features which are critical to the performance, appearance and ease of use for our customers' products” claims John McKernan, president of Calmar. He has expressed his satisfaction over the resolution of the legal action. He further added “we will extend our legal activity to even more diligently defend our important intellectual property, not only for Calmar but on behalf of our customers and, ultimately, the consumer”.

A small manufacturer of electric drive motor technology based in Tarpon Springs, Florida, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corporation in Tampa, Florida in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida according to a press release by Solomon Technologies, Inc.

The company contends that the gas-electric hybrid Prius and Highlander vehicles are infringing on its patents.

A patent has been awarded to Florida Atlantic University Professor Stuart Galup for a new software-based system for assisting local government departments in overseeing guardianship cases according to an article in the Boca Raton News.

According to the article, this was the first patent associated with Florida Atlantic University to originate with the College of Business. The fact that the article points this out as being significant shows that patents are still seen by many as being in the exclusive realm of engineering colleges not business schools. A number of patents for software-based innovations and business methods have been granted to Florida patent holders recently.

Panthesis, Inc. confirms obtaining a patent to permit game publishers to provide gaming facilities to tens of thousands of participants and spectators in the virtual arena. This leading firm in peer-to-peer networking is bringing Online Event Arenas into the multiplayer online game market. According to an article at send2press.com , this all-new technology is based on the various patents of the firm for Small-World Wide Area Networks (SWAN).  The new technology also allows the game providers and publishers to improve the performance of the online games without enhancing the costs of infrastructure.

Online Event Arenas enable the creation of online arena environments that reflect real-world arenas. The technology provides game providers the option of creating environments that include the player, spectators, advertisers, and sponsors. According to David Cole, President of DFC Intelligence, the popularity of the online multi-player games is growing everyday, leading to trends of adding new kinds of revenue generating participants (spectators to the games) and reducing the comparatively high costs of providing and developing online multi-player games.

A lawsuit filed in Orlando, Florida, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, alleges that patent rights to a new laser scanner product are being infringed.

The patent holder, FARO Technologies, Inc. is based in Lake Mary, Florida, just outside Orlando, and seeks injunctive relief and damages from a Romer Cimcore subsidiary of Hexagon, according to an article in PR Newswire.

Car accessory patent for ASAR Group’s Emergency Light Blanket (ELB) is pending, as the company is all set to test market the product. According to an article in www.send2press.com, ELB made its debut in June, 2004 at the Minnesota Inventors Congress (MIC) in Redwood Falls, Minnesota. 

The product is said to be inspired by a tragedy that occurred on Interstate I-80 west of Omaha, where a man was fixing his tire along the roadside on a dark night when he was run over by a truck driver who was unable to see him. 

The ELB embossed with high intensity low energy LED lights and reflective arrows can function on a  vehicle's electrical system or a 9-volt battery. In the case of a breakdown or an accident, the ELB can be folded out , attached to the vehicle, and activated within minutes. Once lighted, it would be visible for up to three miles.                

Charles Mueller, President of ASAR Group, Incorporated plans to establish assembly and distribution centers in Nebraska in the near future to market the ELB.

FeelSafe America, LLC brings forth the patented Protect24, a brand new weapon against infections. According to an article posted in send2press.com, the patented active ingredient of Protect24 is Quamorsil, which attacks deadly germs. The release of this invention marks the fight against germs. Protect24 is an antimicrobial hand sanitizer, which is responsible for killing both bacteria and viruses that come into its contact. The invented product is safe and recommended for family use.

Clinical research and studies prove that Quamorsil can effectively do away with viruses, like HIV, flu, polio, and herpes. Additionally, it banishes bacteria like staph, salmonella, e coli, and strep. A daily application of Protect24 coupled with occasional washing helps consumers combat infections around the clock.

It appears new and innovative designs are in order for boats, with a recent patent being issued for Boat Ramp, according to an article at www.patentstorm.us. The boat is enclosed in a ladder-style frame with C-shaped elongated lateral side rails secured in separate parallel conditions and C-shaped cross support beams. There are two ends to the frame, one at the water end and the other at the shore end.

The patented invention is designed to provide sufficient support for the boat. The boat, at the shore end, engages a braced winch assembly used for loading boats onto the ramp. The components of the ramp are designed specifically to enable parcel shipment to any location of all components in an unassembled condition and can be easily assembled through well-known and widely used household tools.

A professor of mechanical engineering with the Florida A&M University / Florida State University College of Engineering sees potential for commercial applications of his patent-pending technique for particle separation.

The groundbreaking invention of Eolic Marine Electrical Generator “GEEM” has been granted United States Patent No. 20030201645. According to an article in freepatentsonline.com, the generator captures the huge impulse force of water and wind in generating mechanical energy and re-transforms the mechanical energy into clean and ecological electrical energy that does not require the consumption of vital oxygen.

The immense split, self-regulating panels are radially fixed to a rotary central shaft in a dihedral angle. With this arrangement, it captures by shock the inexhaustible energy of the waves, the ocean currents or the wind. The panels can also be fixed on flying or rotary machines of high speed that has panels formed by oscillating vanes at a certain time of a turn of 360 degrees.

The invention would permit the renewal of resources as well as help obtain electrical energy from any part of the planet such as from forests, cities, deserts, countryside, seas, and mountains.

An elongated hollow fishing lure pouch has obtained the US Patent 5992082. The invention of Barefoot, Harold E. (Tipp City, OH, US) permits a fishing lure to be retained in a hollow pouch with a fishing rod and reel (when not fishing).

According to an article in www.freepatentsonline.com, the lure can be held without worrying about the potential interference of objects or persons with the fishhooks on the lure.

The lure pouch is made of a relatively flexible elastomeric material, which has a high memory retention and can be operated by squeezing the opposite ends of the pouch towards each other by opening a slit that extends lengthwise of the pouch. This slit allows the lure placing or removal from the pouch. The pouch conveniently helps the installation and the removal of the lure without having to handle the lure and the hooks physically. The pouch also covers the lure and shields it from the rods while carrying.

A motorized exercise bike invented by David H. (Lawrenceville, GA) has been granted US Patent 6,220,991. According to an article released in www.findthatpatent.com, the patented exercise bicycle is equipped with an electric motor has been designed for the elderly, infirm and the physically disabled.

The exercising bicycle has “automatically reciprocating handlebars” and comes with a frame that has a fan blade type wheel attached onto it. The wheel has a pedal assembly linked to it, which enables the rotation of the pedal that eventually leads to the rotation of the wheel. The invention brings forth an exercise bicycle, which has an electric motor assembly for automatically enabling the rotation of a pedal assembly.

A physically challenged person would be able to have a light, assisted workout with this motorized exercise bike. This patented motorized fitness equipment would help the weak patients with controlled workout without stressing the muscles beyond limits.