Posts Tagged: "obscure patent"

Pillow with breasts US Patent No. 7,386,902 Issued June 17, 2008  This is an interesting invention indeed.  I am not posting this to poke fun of the invention, but rather because it is certainly unique.  Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that inventions are intended to provide exclusive rights for inventors to insulate themselves from competition.  So any patent…

Bi-axial rotating magnetic therapeutic device US Patent No. 6,648,812 [ PDF ] [ HTML ] Issued November 18, 2003 This device varies magnetic field intensity by rotating a single magnet about two axes at the same time.  This could be a legitimate, real invention, if only it were claimed as a human amusement device, or a device for sucking money from…

Color-coded attachment comb key for hair clipper US Patent No. 6,807,736 Issued October 26, 2004 I find myself almost completely overwhelmed by sadness. How is it possible that the patent system has fallen so far that patents on inventions like this one can be issued? In fact, patents such as this one are not only issued, they are issued every…

Skin-irritating game machine [ PDF ] US Patent No. 6,561,905 Issued May 13, 2003 This one is almost too good to be true! Bring on the electro-shock treatment. This patent covers the invention of a hand-held electronic game that outputs a voltage to irritate the skin of a player who loses. Can you imagine the lawsuits this would create if…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Flush toilet for a dog US Patent No. 6,769,382 [ PDF ] Issued August 3, 2004  The patent on this toilet for dogs reads almost like a Monty Python sketch really.  The Background of the Invention starts by explaining that domestic pets such as dogs provide love and companionship to human beings, but they also create the daunting task associated with,…

Upright Type Cleaner U.S. Patent No. 7,313,845 [ PDF ] Patent Issued: January 1, 2008 It is almost unbeliveable to imagine, but on New Years Day 2008, while many of us were recovering from the previous night or watching lopsided college football bowl games, the United States Patent Office was issuing a patent covering a revolutionary invention.  They call it…