Assignment 5 for 3 units (Elaborating on 2 select patents)

In this post I will select two specific patents from a previous post and go more indepth in the analysis. I will target anticipation for one of the patents and obviousness for another. I will also be analyzing each patent's Claim #1.

Anticipation:

Temperature-indicating sleeve and related container

I thought this invention was great because it took what we had before (which are insulating sleeves that protect users from the hot/cold contents in the beverage) and took it to the next level. What I mean is that with the insulating sleeve being great for the grip and all, the next step is to know whether the hot/cold drinks could damage our tongue or inside of our mouth.
That's where the temperature indicator comes into play, because now that we have our outer variables controlled and safe, we want to make sure that the contents don't damage our mouths. It is a great invention that has built up from other inventions.
The claim in this invention says that the invention is a container body with a known insulating factor, a detachable sleeve with a known insulating factor, and a temperature indicator that is able to indicate the temperature or a range of temperatures to the user.

Obviousness:

Protective sleeve

I thought this invention was rather obvious in my opinion because it only slightly changes from the insulating sleeves that were previously patented and made. This one focuses on the design of the sleeve, specifically the arch. I do agree that the arch was a great idea and that it definitely saved on sheet material, but I also think that any regular manufacturer of previous sleeves could have seen this and made the design changes themselves.
As opposed to the patent I talk about above, this one is more obvious to me and requires less engineering/prior knowledge. Nevertheless, I'm glad it's here because the reduction in material must be tremendous.
The claims focus on the geometry and design of the sleeve. The claims mainly talk about the design and then it goes into manufacturing of the sleeves, mainly on the material and methods for manufacturing.

Personal view of the insulator cup patents

Hi guys, this is a post regarding my personal view on the list of patents I went through in the previous post.

Anticipation
This part relates to novelty. The patents listed in the previous post all have some kind of novelty to them, and that's why each got their own patent. Every patent's background found a current issue with the cups / sleeves and found a better or different way of solving problems.
The anticipation in many cases are design, but some are also the insulation and the technology behind everything.
Personally, I found interesting to see the different models of sleeves and was certainly amazed at how many patents are out there for just a sleeve. I thought a sleeve was a very mindless invention that is just a piece of paperboard, but in reality, there's quite a lot of engineering that goes into the invention.

Obviousness
This part relates to whether these patents are the same as one another. We can clearly see that each iteration of the sleeve patent seeks to create a better product, whether in functionality or design for the sleeve and the insulator cup. However, after all, all these patents are aimed at one simple thing which is an insulator sleeve.
As a result, the patents don't deviate too much from each other. But I still think that the little things matter, so even though they may not seem to be very different, each serves its own purpose and aims to achieve a different goal.
As I mentioned earlier, I never knew so much thought was put into an insulator sleeve, but after reading about them and further thinking and analyzing about them definitely opened my eyes. Personally, I thought this assignment was very interesting.

Summary of Patents and Applications on Hot Beverage Container Sleeves

This will be a summary of 6 patents and 3 applications. Here we go:

1) Insulating sleeve - US 6343735 B1
Background: There is a need for a insulating sleeve because hot liquid can lead to a faster heat transfer and thus create an uncomfortable temperate in the surface of the cup where users hold. The sleeve aims to have two ridges that allow for better gripping and insulation from the contents in the cup.

Priority date: May 4, 2000

Technology: A cup sleeve that has ridges for better gripping. The sleeve can be folded and has small triangular holes that act as an insulator for the cup. Idea is that users will then use the sleeve and grip the cup on the sleeve.

Specifications: Made from a paperboard material. The folds create the insulator triangle holes in the sleeve.

Diagrams:

Claims: Claim 4 goes into detail about how the sleeve can also be used in a larger diameter cup. Claim 5 talks about the sleeve with open and close setups where one is for using and the other for packaging.

2) Thermal coffee cup - US 2661889 A
Background: An insulated coffee cup that has insulation so that the user's hand is not affected by the heat of the hot beverage inside the cup.

Priority date: July 20, 1948

Technology: It is a conical shaped insulator for a cup. The cup has an inner, middle, and outer layer. The middle layer is sealed at the top and bottom so that air cannot escape.

Specifications: Outer layer conical sleeve can also hold the cap of the coffee cup. Paired with inner layer technology.

Diagrams:

Claims: The inner layer is corrugated to allow for air insulator. The bottom is sealed and at the top, the coffee cup cap is placed. 

3) Thermal sleeve - US 8,251,277 B1
Background: Cup sleeves allows for an insulation when there are hot beverages in the cup and user's are trying to grip onto the cup. This invention has a less of environmental impact as opposed to using multiple cups to create that layer that insulates the heat.

Priority date: April 15, 2005

Technology: The cup sleeve on the outside is made from rigid paper and the inside is from smooth paper. The patent constitutes of using this thermal sleeve when used with a cup. The cup can also be disposable as it is made from paperboard, foam, etc.

Specifications: outer layer is made of crepe paper and the inside layer is made of smooth paper. The two layers are put together using adhesive.

Diagrams: 

Claims: The cup sleeve has an inner and outer layer which each has their own specific details on being made. The cup sleeve also is part of a system which constitutes of the sleeve and the cup itself. 

4) Insulator sleeve for beverage container - US 7,922,031 B1 
Background: These sleeves are transparent and made from heat insulating material. These sleeves are typically used to insulate the user's hand from hot beverage contents. 

Priority date: March 1, 2006

Technology: The sleeve has inner and outer portion. The outer portion is an erasable writing area and the inner is a heat insulating layer. The idea is that traditional sleeves can only be used a finite number of times, but this one tries to change that.

Specifications: The erasable area can be used to be written on by a pen or a material used by the person. And the heat insulating layer is made of a silicon rubber material. 

Diagrams:

Claims: The claims go through the invention and the specifications of both inner and outer layers. The claims focus on the design that is incorporated in the sleeve.

5) Temperatur-indicating sleeve - US 8118189 B1
Background: Users don't know how hot the liquid inside is, so this invention aims to indicate the temperature on the outer surface of the container. 

Priority date: December 15, 2006

Technology: The invention uses a temperature sensitive indicator on the sleeve wall. The indicator will display the temperature of the contents inside the cup.

Specifications: The temperature indicator is calibrated with known insulating properties to accurately display the temperature or a range of temperatures of the contents.

Diagrams:

Claims: The invention is described as a container body with a known insulating factor, a detachable sleeve, and a temperature indicator. The claims go into the types of temperature indicators, placement, materials, and designs.

6) Sleeve construction for improved paperboard cup insulation - US 6152363
Background: This invention aims to incorporate a sleeve cup that can have air gap while using a smooth outside surface for printing. Typical sleeves use paperboard and use hot-melt glue dots to increase insulation.

Priority date: May 3, 1999

Technology: Thermal sleeve made by a paperboard sleeve. One side is smooth and another is used for creating the air-gap using hot -glue dots or syntactic foam.

Specifications: There are predetermined length and heights of the sleeve cutouts. Air gap between the cup and sleeve is created using syntactic foam or hot-glue dots.

Diagrams: 

Claims: The invention focuses on one side being smooth and the other can be a number of different things as long as it creates the air gap between the cup and the sleeve. Such means can be hot-glue dots or syntactic foam.

7) Beverage cup sleeving system - US 20080078824 A1
Background: The invention is a system for sleeving a cup with a layer of elastomer where the insulating sleeve is reusable and washable. Typical sleeves are ineffective when wet or when the beverage is too hot.

Priority date: August 23, 2006

Technology: The layer is made of elastomer. This creates a homogenous seamless conical sleeve.

Specifications: the sleeve can also have versions where it is made from an elastomeric or fabric composites.

Diagrams:

Claims: The invention can be a basic elastomer cup sleeve. There can also be temperature sensing indicators in the sleeve. But this sleeve can also be made from different materials as seen from the specifications.

8) Protective sleeve - US 20100019023 A1
Background: The invention is a sleeve with an unique arch shape to allow for comfortable gripping on the cup when it is filled with hot or cold beverages. 

Priority date: July 25, 2008

Technology: A insulating sleeve that can be made from a flat piece of sheet material with a shape resembling that of an arch.

Specifications: The arch is used in order to reduce sheet material during manufacturing. Otherwise, the sleeve is made to have insulating properties.

Diagrams:

Claims: The claims go into the design of the invention, specifically the arch that is designed to conserve sheet material. The claims also go into how this sleeve can be made from other select materials.

9) Hot and Cold Cup sleeve - US 20140151385 A1
Background: Coffee shops need a thin and inexpensive sleeve that insulates the heat/cold of the cup from the user.

Priority date: February 6, 2014

Technology: inner part is water-absorbent and the outer layer is water repellent. The adhesive is a polyethylene laminate film.

Specifications: The adhesive put together the inner and outer layers. The inner layer is very absorbent, while the outer is a repellant. 

Diagrams: 

Claims: The claims detail the components of the sleeve, and how each component is manufactured and with the specified materials. Each component have its design laid out. 

Samsung v. Apple

Summary of the case:

Apple filed suit against Samsung on 2011 saying that it has copied Apple's look and feel of its iPhones and iPads. Apple had nine-person jury on its side so it was awarded $1.05 billion in damages.

In 2012, Apple filed suit against Samsung agains saying that it was infringing several patents. It said that Samsung was copying its technology and products, features, and designs. Samsung however countered with a suit saying that Apple is trying to hurt competition by targeting it for litigation. It also claims Apple has infringed some of its patents.

In this suit, it has been found that a lot of the items that Apple claim as infringed items are part of Android, or Google's mobile OS. The reason why Apple doesn't sue Google is because Google itself doesn't make its own phones or tablets, so it would rather take on a rival that sells physical devices using Android. Samsung will also argue that Google had invented the features before Apple patented them.

So there were seven patents at issue in this case. Five held by Apple and two by Samsung. The trial came to an end last year May 5th. And as for the winner of the case, there isn't a clear one. This time around, the judges didn't allow for damage fines as large as the $1 billion from 2011. Both companies had to pay each other a set of fines.

Slide to Unlock Patent Claim #1

In Claim #1 of the Slide to Unlock patent filed by Apple, the following is discussed.

Claim 1 talks about the "method" of the slide-to-unlock function:

First, the user makes contact with the slide-to-unlock image on the screen. It senses the individual making contact with a specific image on the display.
Then, the user moves the unlock image (a graphical and interactive object) in the direction that the image points to. 
The screen can then be unlocked as the user maintains contact with the image throughout the full process of sliding across the display. This constitutes of keeping touch from the first predefined location to the predefined location of the end of swipe.

As we can see here, the purpose of claim #1 is to talk about the image and how it creates the unlocking process for the user. It emphasizes how the user must interact with it and follow a predefined set of instructions in order for the phone to be unlocked. Although the instruction is not hard at all, it must be completed for the unlocking effect. 

The claim delineates the process of "slide to unlock" from both a user and technological point of view. 

Researched Top 5 Predictions

Below are some predictions that I found very interesting and could relate to. Like I mentioned in the previous post, these predictions can teach us that we are living in an ever-changing world. What seems like the norm or a known fact today, could be thrown out and disproved tomorrow. I have included my reasoning for each of the predictions below.


Grandchildren of the television age won’t be able to read. TIME
Drill for Oil? You mean drill into ground to try and find oil? You're crazy. 
No surgeon will ever operate on the heart or brain.

This was posted when the television first became popular. It is a great example of the media overreacting to a piece of technology that will change the world forever. As more households could afford a TV, critics were skeptical of its success and uses.

A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth's atmosphere. New York Times
I am firm believer in humans being able to reach Mars within my lifetime. As a result, I found this prediction very relatable. I am glad that humans have already reached the moon and made huge advancements for our way to Mars. 

I think this was a very interesting prediction because the world we live in right now is very revolved around oil. World politics are greatly influenced by the possession of oil, and the top companies in the world today are oil companies. Oil has become a resource that we kind of overlook to becoming extremely valuable.

You better get secretarial work or get married.
This was a quote said to Marilyn Monroe. It is not really a prediction, but it does demonstrate the view of women people had back in the day. To them, women could not do the same work as men did. However today, women have become presidents and achieved great lengths.

I found this interesting because there is a whole field in medicine that deals with heart and brain surgery. And this field has saved so many lives that I can't imagine how it would be without it. 

Top 25 Predictions - My Top 5 and Thoughts

Below are the top 5 predictions from the list of 25 we went over in class. Although all of the predictions were somewhat comical to read because we are reading them 100-200 years after they were written, I chose these because they particularly stuck out to me. I will explain my logic and reasoning for each. 

23.) "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." – Western Union internal memo, 1876

I chose this one because it demonstrates how far technology and humans have come. In 1876, telephones were definitely not as nearly as advanced as they are today, but its incredible to think that telephones have become such a staple item in our lives. 

21.) "Rail travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia." – Dr. Dionysius Lardner, 1830

This one specifically targets at how science has developed over the years. This quote reminds me of how humans today are doubtful about reaching Mars. Technology can go great lengths.

20.) "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." – Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

This quote was very ironic to me so I had to choose it. You would think that the chairman of if not the biggest computer company during that time would have more faith in his product. Maybe there was a market of 5 for the computers they were building at the time, but he has to think ahead and imagine improved models.

13.) "If excessive smoking actually plays a role in the production of lung cancer, it seems to be a minor one." – -W.C. Heuper, National Cancer Institute, 1954

Similar to the previous quote, I chose this one because it came from a representative at the National Cancer Institute. Fast forward to today, it is common knowledge that smoking directly correlates to lung cancer.

10.) “ There will never be a bigger plane built." – - A Boeing engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane that holds ten people

This quote reflects how humans should not be narrow-minded and feel easily pleased. This Boeing engineer definitely achieved a huge feat, but we should all know that this is just a new beginning. This first plane just opened a whole new field for humans and it is wrong for him to simply state an end to it. 

Importance of Patents (part of assignment #3)

Hi everyone,

I am taking this class for 3 units so here is my additional blog post for Assignment #3.

I just wanted to add a little personal experience on the topic of patents.
So I sometimes watch SharkTank, a TV show on ABC, where representatives of a startup (usually the founders) give a pitch of their company and their product to a panel of 5 extremely successful investors. These investors include Kevin O'Leary and Mark Cuban.

I personally find this show very entertaining because I get to see new products that other people design, and how these top notch investors think when they see something new. It has taught me to be more critical of items, and more importantly, how to pinpoint problems to criticize.

There are a number of inventions and startups who present at the show and get funding. However, there are also those who get rejected. And what I have found is that these investors always ask one main thing when a new invention is presented: "is this patented?". This question made me realize that when you know you have created something amazing, it is so crucial to get a patent. It is an extremely important factor in maintaining your competitive advantage. Investors want to see something unique, something that cannot be easily replicated. Patents will ensure this safety the investors need.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, China is a country that lacks this respect for patents. We all know that Chinese products are known to be fake. We know that companies in the West looking for expansion sometimes avoid China, because they know the chances of the Chinese replicating their product is extremely high. I hope China will in the future develop into a society that do respect patents. It is not fair for the inventor to have spent so much time on something and just have it replicated the next day, for maybe at even a cheaper price.

Overall, I hope my personal experience with patents will only further drive my interest in this class.

Updated Top 10 Inventions

Below are my updated list of top 10 inventions. I gathered ideas from other students in my class and I found myself to agree with a lot of their ideas, and how I have overlooked a number of extremely important inventions in our lives. The inventions are listed in no particular order of preference. 

1. Airplane
Airplanes have changed the way we travelled for hundreds of years. It was a huge leap forward in the transportation field. Truly gave meaning to "we live in a small world". 

2. Rocket
Rockets allowed us to explore outside Earth's boundaries. It allowed us to reach the moon, and maybe one day, Mars. We should always shoot for the stars. 

3. Digital Camera
Digital camera was a huge leap in the camera industry. This invention proved that even the incumbent giant Kodak couldn't survive. 

4. 3D Printer
3D printing changed the world of manufacturing. Although this invention has only picked up in the recent years, it poses a huge threat to existing manufacturing technologies. 

5. Personal computer
Personal computers revolutionized the computer industry. It paved a way for the world we live in today. Additionally, Apple's focus on customer experience also has shown its value and companies today operate under similar standards. 

6. Internet
The Internet brought the world together in a different way the airplanes did. It allowed for information across the globe to be distributed and accessed. As we move into the Internet of Things, more and more things in our lives will be connected to this invention. 

7. Cement

This changed the way we construct things. We can use cement to mold things into shape, thus creating huge structures such as skyscrapers. It made construction easier and less time consuming. 

8. Irrigation

Irrigation is an extremely important ancient invention. With irrigation, humans were able to move away from rivers and bodies of water and move more inland. By altering the direction of water, humans could now grow crops inland. It changed agriculture. 

9. Semiconductor

This is essential to the construction of electrical equipment. This is the building block of most technological advances, and without this invention, most of the things we use today would not exist.

10. Vaccination

The vaccination was a huge health field invention. It allowed for humans to survive diseases and it contributes largely to the reason why humans have survived on Earth for so long. It helps us fight diseases and germs that would otherwise decimate the human population.