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Archive for the ‘Patents’ Category

Cool Patent of the Month – Creepy Crawlies on Your Skin

Imagine if every time someone called you, your skin vibrated. Sound kind of weird? Well, that’s exactly what Nokia is planning to do with a new piece of patent pending technology called “Haptic Communication”. What is this new patent application about? The technology looks fairly simple. It’s just a piece of fabric that “vibrates” according to the strength of a magnetic field. What’s interesting though is that this fabric is attached to your skin. The unusual use is pairing this to a cell phone, so that you – and only you – will be able to know when it rings. I’m sure they’ve got other uses in mind. Imagine a battle zone full of soldiers equipped with multiple patches. Buzz the one on the right arm and the whole platoon heads right. Activate the one on the le

Patent Success or Failure Hinges on This…

I am often asked this question:   "Should an Inventor build on his Strengths or try to overcome his Personal Weakness?"   Well, I recently had to choose between the two. Like many people with a career that involves long periods of sitting behind a desk, I struggled with my weight. I’ve never enjoyed exercise, but luckily I do not have a sweet tooth either. To tackle this problem I chose to “build on my strength.” Instead of forcing myself to workout to get back into shape, I decided to eat healthier and eat less. Since then I’ve lost over twenty pounds. All of my significant success has come from situations where I ignored my weaknesses and maximized my strengths. On the other hand, my greatest failures have come from times I had to rely on my weaknesses and my strengths did not factor into the equ

Patented 120 years ago: The electric tattoo machine

If you are an inventor with tattoos, you must read this… I just tripped upon this interesting little story about the patent behind the electric tattoo machine. Seems this tool was based on an engraving machine invented by Thomas Edison. It just goes to show how you can take an invention that is already out there…add a little twist of your own…and come up with an entirely new patent. Click the link for the full story: http://reason.com/blog/2011/12/08/got-a-tattoo-say-thanks-to-the-electric

Patent Wars: The Fight Over Phone Patents

Recently Newsweek created a fascinating visual detailing the ongoing patent wars between rival smart phone giants. It seems that patent infringement cases are the norm for this cutting edge technology. For example, Motorola is being sued for patent infringement seven times, by five different companies. And has patent litigation against three companies (all of which are also suing Motorola). Plus, as phone smart phone usage has skyrocketed over the past few years so has patent litigation. Up from 26 patent infringement cases in 2004 to 97 patent infringement cases in 2010…that’s a 546% increase! Click on the link for the whole Newsweek story – Patent Phone Fight. Patent litigation is painful and expensive. For details on how to get maximum protection for your idea, click here to request your free inventor patent information

Patent Your Food – A Look at Edible Patents

I received a call a few days ago from a woman who had a secret family recipe for cake. Her bridge friends said that she should get a patent on it, but she didn’t believe it was patentable. While most patents are for mechanical designs or other inedible inventions…new food and food products definitely fall under the realm of patentability (that includes everything from creating new strains of corn or wheat…all the way down to new natural and artificial flavors). With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the food items people have patented over the years. Giant Gummy Bear Patent In 1994, Stefan D. Murza et al received patent number 5338245 giving them full ownership of giant gummy bear candy. The patent states this invention is “A giant gummy bear is provided which consists of a pre-molded stretchable

Inventors Reap Rewards from “Cheap” Patents

Have you ever dreamed about inventing a product that raked in millions? Do you think you have to invent the next "big thing" to do so? Not necessarily so. There have been plenty of nickel-and-dime patented products that have gone on to make their owners millionaires. For example, a number of patents that have crossed my desk have helped their inventors live a life they only dreamed of. An article on Yahoo finance listed 7 products under $5 that made millions. The patents range from a failed glue that wasn’t sticky enough…a straw that helped to get kids to drink their milk…a craze sweeping the nation right now…a static "pet"…a new use for a tennis ball…and a safer baseball. Visit 7 Products Under $5 that Made Millions and see if you can’t think of the next million dollar idea

Patents vs. Non-Disclosure Agreements – What Gives You More Protection

If you think your idea is protected because you’ve signed non-disclosure agreement (also known as an NDA or confidentiality agreement), then you are sadly mistaken. While an NDA gives you a limited level of protection (which in many cases can easily be bypassed), a patent offers you rock-solid, legally binding, enforceable-by-stiff-penalties PROOF of idea ownership. But I’m getting ahead of myself. In this article you’ll learn the differences between patents and NDA’s, you’ll see: Why NDA’s are only binding if there is a paper trail The only time you can trust the security of an NDA What legal differences exist between patents and NDA’s How to get patent protection for as little as $110 Let’s get started. What is a Patent A patent is a piece of paper. Not very impress