They Invented What? (No. 189)

U.S. Pat. No. 2,928,748: Preparation of frozen stuffed fowl.

JW Note:  Wishing our readership a safe and Happy Thanksgiving 2010!  For Thanksgiving TIW? from years past, click on this link.

We claim:

1. A continuous process for the preparation of frozen stuffed fowl which comprises: (A) dressing said fowl according to conventional procedures and advancing the dressed fowl to a stuffing station; (B) preparing a pumpable mixture of bread stuffing by mixing substantially dry stuffing mass with edible oil and then adding water and ice, said mixture after mixing having a temperature of about 28 ° F to 40 ° F; (C) pumping said mixture into a body cavity of the dressed fowl at said stuffing station; and (D) subsequently placing the stuffed fowl in a quick-freezing atmosphere before the central interior of the stuffing mass located in the rear cavity of said stuffed fowl reaches a temperature above 50° F.

They Invented What? (No. 188)

U.S. Pat. No. 7,117,611: Body hair and feet drying chair.

Field of the Invention:

The present invention relates to a human body drying apparatus. More specifically, the invention is a body hair and feet drying chair that circulates air to dry a person’s toes and body hair in dampness-prone body areas, especially genital and posterior areas. 

We claim:

1. A body hair and feet drying chair, comprising:
          an upright base having a top portion, a middle portion, and a bottom portion, the upright base having a hollow interior, an open bottom, and a bottom edge surrounding the open bottom;
          a rubber O ring disposed along said bottom edge of said open bottom, said rubber O ring configured to provide a seal between said bottom edge and a floor surface;
          a seat disposed on the top portion of said base, the seat having a central concave portion and a rim portion, the rim portion surrounding the central concave portion, the central concave portion having a plurality of air outlets defined therein, the plurality of air outlets being in communication with the hollow interior of said base;
          a footrest defined in the bottom portion of said base, said footrest formed as a depression in said base bottom portion, said footrest including a footrest floor with a plurality of air channels comprising apertures in said floor of said footrest, each of said air channels being in communication with the hollow interior of said base; and
          a motorized fan disposed within the middle portion of the hollow interior of said base, the motorized fan being configured to draw air into the hollow interior through said plurality of air channels in said footrest floor and to expel air from the hollow interior through said plurality of air outlets in said central concave portion of said seat. 

Ex parte James Richard Colthurst.

 BPAI Reverses an Examiner’s Rejection of a Razor Head for Shaving Invention as Anticipated Over Pizza Cutter Art.

(BPAI 2010, Appeal 2009-013331)

JW Note:  Many thanks to former patent examiner Eric Pico for bringing this BPAI decision to our attention.  Due to the brevity of the decision, we have reproduced the entire decision below for our readers.  The cited pizza cutter art is also shown above.  Enjoy!

International Copyright: Principles, Law, and Practice

In reviewing International Copyright: Principles, Law, and Practice, we were curious at what other’s had to say about the book. A description on Amazon.com caught my eye. Amazon.com noted that International Copyright “is an indispensable one-volume reference for practitioners and scholars of international copyright.” After reading the International Copyright, we could not agree more.

International Copyright is a second edition of treatise on the ins and outs of international copyright law. Written by Paul Goldstein and Bernt Hugenholtz nearly a decade after the first edition. The last decade has seen not enormous change in the law of copyright. The last decade has seen no shortage of legal changes and legal creations. The increased development and reliance on the internet, increased cross-national copyright infringement, and trade agreements have increased the complexity of international copyright law. The second edition of International Copyright delves into the last decade of copyright law, but also includes the content of the first edition intact but in a more user-friendly structure.

They Invented What? (No. 187)

U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,940:  Cannabinoid patch and method for cannabis transdermal delivery.

We claim:

1. A method of delivering cannabis to the bloodstream of a person comprising the steps of:
          A. Providing a transdermal preparation containing cannabis;
          B. Providing a backing layer selected from the group consisting of a patch, strip, bandage and covering for holding said transdermal preparation;
          C. Placing an effective amount of said transdermal preparation onto said backing layer; and,
          D. Attaching said backing layer to the skin of said person so that said transdermal preparation is in contact with said skin.

Regional Patent Office Coming to a City Near You?

JW Update 12/16/10:  The first Regional Patent Office has been announced, and is coming to Detroit, Michigan!  See our post reporting on the announcement here.

Per this recent article from Crain’s Detroit Business, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke is on record stating that the Department of Commerce is considering opening regional Patent Offices.  Currently, there is a single Patent Office located just outside of Washington DC, in Alexandria, Virginia, which employs over 6000 Patent Examiners.  Patent Examiners are civil servants with a requisite technical background, who are tasked with examining inventions claimed  in patent applications to determine whether a patent should be granted.

Of particular interest to this patent practitioner (i.e., a Michigan attorney, with offices near Toledo, Ohio) is the fact that Secretary Locke mentioned Detroit, Michigan as being a candidate for a regional Patent Office.  From our region’s economic perspective, this is an excellent opportunity.

The economic advantages to a regional Patent Office were clearly set forth in a letter from the Toledo Intellectual Property Law Association (TIPLA) to various members of Congress, mailed in February 2009.  In particular, TIPLA espoused regional Patent Offices as one of many proposed patent law reforms, and stated the following:

3. Establish Regional Patent Offices to Improve Examination Quality.

The USPTO is currently located in Alexandria, Virginia.  Although the USPTO rigorously recruits individuals to the Examining corps, the applicant pool is geographically limited to persons wishing to reside in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area.  Even with telecommuting and hoteling policies, U.S. Patent Examiners still have to travel to the USPTO in Alexandria on a frequent and regular basis. 

TIPLA strongly recommends the creation of regional Patent Offices, strategically located in major cities throughout the nation.  The availability of regional Patent Offices will improve patent quality and reduce patent pendency by increasing the number of well-qualified Examiners serving in the Examining corps.  Importantly, the formation of regional Patent Offices will result in an immediate creation of well-paying and necessary jobs nationwide, and should be considered as a form of economic stimulus. 

TIPLA further observes that Detroit, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio have a deep pool of qualified labor from which the USPTO could draw if there were a nearby regional Patent Office.  Many local engineers and scientists, whom may soon be seeking alternative career opportunities due to the downturn in the automotive industry, meet the educational requirements for the Examining corps.  These talented individuals could undoubtedly be trained to serve as capable U.S. Patent Examiners.

One assumes that Detroit is not the only city being considered for a regional Patent Office, and that other cities are likely lobbying hard for a regional office of their own.  However, this is one opportunity that Detroit and Toledo should not let slip away.  If you are a reader located in Southeast Michigan or Northwest Ohio, contact your local government officials today and voice your support for a regional Patent Office in Detroit!

JW Note:  Hat tip to Peter Zura at the 271 Patent Blog for bringing this article to our attention.