Garments having inside out appearance
US Patent No. 7,350,242
Issued April 1, 2008

The issuance of this patent on April Fools Day shows that someone at the Patent Office has a sense of humor.  This patent also reminds me of one of my all-time favorite obscure patents - Disposable boxer shorts - which was patented also on April Fools Day, just 5 years earlier.  

In any event, what we have here is not at all unique.  This particular invention is simply a garment having an inside out appearance.  How in the name of all that is right and proper could something like this be patented?  I have absolutely no idea.

We can all sit here and poke fun at this patent, pointing out the obvious problems, such as the fact that clothing that is turned inside out is not really new or unique.  In fact I would venture to say that during the course of a week we all have at least one article of clothing that is inside out in our hamper or laundry basket.  But poking such fun, which mildly entertaining, is not really enlightening. 

Just over one  year ago the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in the already famous (or perhaps it is better to say infamous) matter of KSR v. Teleflex.  In that case the Supreme Court ostensibly made it more difficult to obtain a patent.  The US Supreme Court decided that the well established and functional bright line rule for obviousness was to rigid.  No longer must there be a teaching, motiviation or suggestion to render an invention unpatentable for obviousness reasons.  Now we go case by case and determine for every invention whether it would be within the common sense knowledge base of someone of skill in the art. 

Head mounted letter “M” [ PDF ]
US Patent No.6,834,453
Issued December 28, 2004 

Searching for obscure patents can sometimes seem like looking for a needle in a haystack. Certainly, there are no shortage of patents that get issued on a weekly basis that should never have seen the light of day. Unfortunately, invalid patents are increasingly becoming a way of life. Occasionally, however, a holy grail of obscurity is stumbled across. Finding and reading such wacky patents makes the journey through the hundreds of thousands of patents issued yearly all worth while. This particular patent is one of those rare finds. Spotting a patent like this is both fun, entertaining and tremendously sad. How in the name of all that is right in the world could the United States Patent Office issue a patent on a modified letter “M”? Giving the USPTO the benefit of the doubt, this letter “M” is worn on the head of the user. To quote Charlie Brown… “GOOD GRIEF.”

The Background of the Invention explains:

It is an object of the present invention to provide a display that is adapted to be mounted onto the head of a fan and which is provided with the shape of a letter “M” that has some association with a particular team. For example, the Seattle Mariners baseball team is commonly referred to as the “M’s.” It is an object of the invention to provide a display in the shape of a “M” that is adapted to be self-secured to the head of a fan, so that, for example, the fan can wear it to a game or elsewhere.

Beerbrella
US Patent No. 6,637,447
Issued October 28, 2003

Here is a great invention, and one that is particularly appropriate to profile now that the heat of the summer has arrived. This device gets included here as an obscure patent because it is rather simple, something you don’t see every day, and completely ingenious. An umbrella for your beer! How awesome is this? If the price is right who wouldn’t buy this as a gag gift for their favorite beer drinker? It would seem that this invention would have to be in every Spencer Gift store across the country. Think of the possibilities with respect to the umbrella portion. Who could resist the opportunity to buy a beerbrella with the logo of your favorite sports team? This invention reminds us that frequently simple inventions, or inventions that make people smile or laugh, can be quite lucrative.

The US Constitution says that Congress can provide for the issuance of patents to further the progress of science and the useful arts. That is the goal, but there is no requirement that every invention be a scientific breakthrough. Almost anything that is useful can be patented in the US, and what is more useful than keeping the sun off your beer on a hot summer afternoon?

Trap for a mouse
US Patent No. 6,655,077
Issued December 2, 2003

Build a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door!  Here is a better mouse trap, at least according to the disclosure contained in the patent.  It would be easy enough to poke fun at the Patent Office by saying that “the mouse trap was patented in 2003,” but we could even go one better than that.  The last patent issued with the words “mouse trap” in the title issued in May of 2007.  This patent, US Patent No. 7,216,457, is to a pyramid shaped mouse trap, which is of a different kind than this far more traditional mouse trap we are discussing here, but it is still nevertheless a mouse trap. 

Chair upholstered with sports jersey
US Patent No. 7,340,813
Issued March 11, 2008

This is an interesting invention for many reasons.  While this may seem like a silly invention to some, I think this is a very creative invention that is well worth protecting.  Yes, I just might surprise long time readers of IPWatchdog.com by not making fun of a patent profiled under the heading “obscure patent.” 

Composite sports board such as a skateboard deck
US Patent No. 6,648,363 [ PDF ]
Issued November 18, 2003

The picture gives this invention away.  If you guessed skateboard then you are correct!  In reality, the disclosure would also be sufficient to cover any type of sports board, not just a skateboard.  In fact, the wheels (shown above as 121A and 121B) are not present in any of the claims, which makes for an interesting skate board, doesn’t it?

Advertising System
US Patent No. 6,742,293 [ PDF ] [ HTML ]
Issued July 1, 2004

This particular invention is classified by the United States Patent Office as fitting in US Classification 40, which relates to card, pictures or signs.  Specifically, this invention is classified as a person carried sign.  How bizarre!  I suppose you could characterize this invention as a person carried sign, but how many of you would have characterized this invention in that way?  If you are raising your hand you know that you are lying.  Go ahead, be honest with yourself!  The patent classification system is extremely strange to those who are not intimately familiar with the thousands of different pigeon holes that an invention can be classified in.  This is exactly what makes conducting a patent search difficult if not impossible for those who are not trained to conduct them.  That is why so many conscientious inventors who actually try and do their own patent search come up short and do not find things that are relevant and findable.  For more information on conducting your own patent search, which is always a good first step, see Patent Searching 101.  For information about why you should do a patent search see Patent Search FAQs.

Love Box
US Patent No. 4,194,629 [ PDF ] [ HTML ]
Issued March 25, 1980

While this patent is perhaps not wacky, I think it certainly qualifies as obscure. And in honor of Valentine’s Day an appropriate addition here. 

Method and system for exterminating pests
US Patent No. 6,647,661 [ PDF ] [ HTML ]
Issued November 18, 2003

This invention first locates pests, weeds, pathogens and the like through the use of a microwave scanner. Once located, said vermin are then immediately killed by what the patent calls “a lethal impact.” Being skeptical at this point you are probably expecting to see something unsophisticated like the apparatus being dropped onto the pest, like you might expect to happen to Wile E. Coyote, super genius, in one of the Roadrunner cartoons. But that is definitely not the lethal impact in question. No, this invention comes straight from Dexter’s Laboratory! The lethal impact in question is a blast of guided radiation of up to 10 Giga Hertz, with a radiation capacity of up to 100 Kilo Watts, for duration as long as 3 minutes! Not to worry though, the patent explains that the blast of radiation will be localized. Nevertheless, you might want to get one of those lead smocks from your dentist prior to use.

 Amusement device
US Patent No. 6,497,623
Issued December 24, 2002

Those of you who are familiar with patent law may think you recognize this invention.  Virtually everyone who is a wacky patent fan has probably seen the Human slingshot machine, which is US Patent No. 5,421,783, which issued on June 6, 1995.  This invention is certainly similar, but this is an improved human slingshot machine.  It would seem that previous attempts at such slingshot machines have deficiencies.  Imagine that!