U.S. Patent Office

Can You Patent A Steak? (Cont'd)

Jacob Goldstein — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:52:00 +0000

"It's an un-obvious chunk of meat that has been sitting there — a little diamond surrounded by a bunch of coal," Steve Price told me last year. "I'd love to tell you more. We just can't."

Today, Price told me everything.

The Quest For The Perfect Toothbrush

Joe Palca — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 09:34:00 +0000

There are some consumer products where every year brings new innovations. Computers get faster, cellphones get lighter, cars get new bells and whistles.

It's easy to imagine why inventors are drawn to redesigning these products — the technology for making them is changing all the time.

But what about consumer products that have been around for a long time? For the toothbrush, the answer is a resounding yes.

According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website, as of Christmas Day there were 138 patents with the word toothbrush in the title issued this year.

Episode 412: How To Fix The Patent Mess

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 19:58:00 +0000

Two big patent cases this summer in the smartphone industry:

1. A jury finds that Samsung violated Apple's patents, and orders Samsung to pay Apple $1 billion.

2. A judge throws out a case between Apple and Motorola (now owned by Google).

Can You Patent Yoga Pants?

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 19:28:00 +0000

The WSJ reports:

The fashion industry's latest hope for protecting its designs may hang on a slimming pair of yoga pants.
Yoga-apparel maker Lululemon Athletica Inc. is accusing fashion house Calvin Klein Inc.

What Will Apple's Patent Case Mean For Phone Design?

Laura Sydell — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 21:10:00 +0000

A lot of thought goes into giving your smartphone a distinctive look and feel, from the shape of the speaker — square, round or oval — to where to put the buttons — side, front or back.

But industrial designers like Robert Brunner say he doesn't have a lot of room to be creative.

"Because you're really being so heavily driven on maintaining a minimal physical size," he says. "So you really get into this very fine envelope of a few millimeters that you have to work with."

Brunner should know.