A Board Certified Patent Attorney
Archive for the ‘Patent Cases, News & Updates’ Category
Patent Application filed by Apple for “Chameleonic” Keyboard
Apple is one of the most innovative companies around in this day and age. I find it impressive that in a field that literally changes by the hour, they continue to spearhead inventive, consumer-driven thinking.
Patented Garden Tool Rack Makes Gardening Easier
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 wi
A Fond Farewell to Florida Patent Holder Dr. Robert Cade
Dr. Robert Cade, inventor of Gatorade, died on Tuesday at the age of 80, but the powerhouse he built in Gatorade will live on.
Patented Ice Fishing Bucket For Transporting And Organizing Ice Fishing Rods
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 ar
10-Year-Old Boy Gets Patent For His “In-Tank Feeder Fish Dispenser”
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 in
ZAP XEBRA Gets Electric Car Patent
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
Patented Water Filtration Technology From Nephros To Help The Soldiers
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
Patent Violation Charges Against Vonage
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 Ar
Video Game Patenting By Sony Cripples The “Used Game” Market In PS3
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 a
Patenting Internet Business Methods – Restricts Polaris Offenders
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 da
Fishing Patent Issued For Unique Designs by Hook & Tackle
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 designe
Fishing Equipment Patents For Fly Fishing Vests
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.&nbs
Car Patent For Extreme Hybrid Models Filed Recently
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 technolo
Business Method Patent to Allow Payers to Pay For Goods and Services Through SMS
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 doc
Microsoft Resolves Patent Infringement Case Against Eolas and the University of California
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 Of