Posts Tagged: "Holiday Patents"

Valentine’s Day Gifts, with a Patent Twist

According to Men’s Health, the #3 gift idea for women on Valentine’s Day is lingerie. So we set out to find some patent related lingerie and find some we did! One of the more interesting things we located relates to lingerie attached to a human arousal indicator. So not only does it quality for lingerie, but it also give the guy a little heads up about whether the wearer is sexually aroused — that is in case the fact that your significant other stripping down to lingerie wasn’t enough of a clue.

Essential New Year’s Eve Innovations

Every year we all gather around and celebrate the new year. So that got us to thinking — what patents are there for devices that any self respecting raucous reveler ought to have on New Years Eve? As you might imagine, we found a few that seem appropriate to the occasion, proving that patented innovations are not only fun but they are everywhere! Here is hoping that your night is safe and magical! Happy new year! See you in 2013!

Christmases Past: Lighting Decoration Patents 1927 – 1938

Frequent readers of IPWatchdog know that we look for any excuse to talk about patents and holidays provide an opportunity to discus thematically relevant patents for interesting innovations. This year we are focusing on Christmas lights. Some of these patents are for Christmas tree lighting, some are for outdoor decorative lighting and we have one from the era that just caught our eye as we were researching. So sit back and enjoy the wonderful world of patents, Christmas style. And be sure and check out our other Christmas patent articles.

Celebrating Thanksgiving with Turkey Hunting Patents

It is a bit difficult to take this invention too seriously for several reasons. First, according to Oregon State University poultry scientist Tom Savage, turkeys are “smart animals with personality and character, and keen awareness of their surroundings.” That being the case, exactly which turkeys are likely to be attracted by a 6 foot turkey plastered onto a giant umbrella laid on its side, as pictured in the main drawing in the patent? Furthermore, Figure 13 (see below) is exactly an umbrella with a turkey decoration, yet the patent describes Figure 13 as a “fully deployed configuration of a blind as as to illustrate turkey decoy image.” Really? A hunting blind? This is an old fashion umbrella.

Christmases Past: Sleigh Patents of the 1880s & 1890s

My review of the state-of-the-art sleigh technologies shows that during the early 1880s more comfortable sleigh rides were on the minds of many an inventor, and by the mid to late 1890s improvements evolved to include additional features, such as removable seats, steps to assist one to enter and disembark from the sleigh and various steering mechanisms. Like virtually all reviews of patented technology, even such low tech inventions as sleighs, the ongoing evolution of improvement is apparent, which is the hallmark of innovation. Make things safer, faster, cheaper or stronger. Innovate to make operational improvements the users will greatly appreciate, such a smoother riding sleigh. Such a review of sleigh technology also gives us a glimpse into life of the day by showing us the problems that creative members of society were working to solve.

Happy Thanksgiving and Turkey Frying Patents

On this most festive of American holidays I once again am inspired to share some thematically appropriate patents. After all, what better way to celebrate a holiday than reading patents appropriate for the festivities? With that in mind, I celebrate the turkeys that won’t get away. You know, the ones who are not lucky enough to receive a Presidential Pardon — the ones you and I will be enjoying with family and friends! So with that in mind I have turkey frying on the mind.

Happy Halloween! Learning with the Halloween Portable Container

The holiday patent du jour gives us the opportunity to explore the candy collecting aspects of trick-or-treating. More specifically, U.S. Patent No. 7,594,669 is for a portable container having wheels and a handle. What makes it worthy note on Halloween is that the container itself is either a pumpkin, witch, ghost, goblin, monster, vampire or werewolf. And yes, that is required in the broadest claim, claim 1. The pictures in the patent show a jack-o’-lantern version of the invention.

Happy Valentine’s Day: Patents for the Occasion

It is time once again to profile some patents in honor of the festive day. While many might not consider Valentine’s Day to be a major holiday worth of profiling patents, allow me to suggest that you test the theory by failing to acknowledge the amorous sentiment of the day and see just exactly how much of a major holiday your significant other considers it to be! Not that I would suggest giving heart shaped pepperoni slices to the love of your life (yes, patented, see below), but Valentine’s Day does need a proper celebration.

Merry Christmas: Christmas Tree Patents

This year I asked Glen Kotapish of Planet Patent if he could provide me some examples of interesting or bizarre US patents that somehow relate to “Christmas trees.” I figured that Glen, the owner of a patent search firm, probably had come across an interesting Christmas tree patent or two over the years. Glen did not disappoint! Incidentally, if you are into bizarre patents I highly recommend visiting his Bizarre Inventions Weird Inventions page.

Turkey Patents and Presidential Pardons

The pardoning of the Presidential turkey caught my imagination as I was trying to figure out what holiday patents to profile for this Thanksgiving, something I always try and do whenever possible. So what better thing to focus on than on turkey patents, and there are many of them. I easily found multiple dozens of turkey callers and all kinds of turkey transportation devices used by hunters to carry their prey home, but these were the ones that really caught my attention for one reason or another.

Did You Know… Disney Patented Precision Fireworks Display

It is hardly news to anyone in the United States that fireworks are associated with a proper celebration of July 4th. But why exactly do we use fireworks to celebrate the 4th of July? The reality is that we do it because fireworks are known to be festive in nature and appropriate to celebrate any special occasion, which back in 1777, the first celebration of our Independence, was very special. The young nation didn’t know for several years whether its independence would actually be won, so the fact that it had been a year and the Nation still endured, separated from the British Empire, was worth celebrating for sure.

Happy New Year! New Year Patents for the Decade 2000-2009

The end of 2009 is rapidly approaching, and with it will come the end of the first decade of the new century and millennium. I always try and find some interesting patents to help celebrate the holidays, and given that we are wrapping up the decade I thought it might be appropriate to limit these New Year Patents to those…

Merry Christmas: Christmas and Santa Patents 2009

The device is explained to be a structural improvement of toy Christmas tree. The lower part of the foundation unit has a motor with intermittent off-and-on rotation controlled by a control circuit board installed in the base.

Holiday Patents: Hanukkah, Chanukah Patents

The holiday season is already upon us, and early this year.  Hanukkah, or Chanukah as it is sometimes spelled, began at sundown on Friday, December 11, 2009 and will run through Saturday, December 19, 2009.  Like I did last year when I wrote Happy Hanukkah, Hanukkah Patents, once again I went searching for some relevant patents for the occasion. It…

Happy Thanksgiving – Thanksgiving and Turkey Patents

It is that time of the year for Americans to give thanks for all the many things we have and enjoy — family, friends, country and of course patents!  Here is hoping that everyone has a restful, peaceful and very Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving Embossed Insert for Baking Pan US Design Patent No. D527,217 Issued August 29, 2006