Steve van Dulken's Patent blog

A physical exercise invention

I sometimes have a cup of coffee with inventors who want to discuss their inventions. Not just about whether or not they are new, but whether there is a market for it, or how to make money from it.

A few weeks ago I sat down with Robert Willox, an actor who wanted to discuss his invention for a Physical training apparatus (since published on the 18 February). The idea is between 20 and 400 vertical columns going up and down in random or synchronised patterns, so that a number of people could be on the apparatus at the same time competing over a random multi-level course and enjoying a complete physical and mental workout. It would cover a large area – perhaps half the size of a tennis court as a minimum.

I liked the idea, but wondered if gyms and the like would want to spend £500,000 a time for an apparatus, especially in this recession. It would also take up a lot of space and getting the most effective use of space is vital. And what if a single column malfunctioned – the entire apparatus would be out of action.

Robert had obviously put a lot of effort into writing the patent application, which is well written, but he has no engineering background. He has not filed for patents outside the UK. The next stage is the UK Intellectual Property Office asking if he wants a substantive examination, where they counter with arguments about why it should not be granted.

This stage costs only £130 in the office’s fees, but the real cost is if a patent attorney is retained to counter the arguments. An obvious statement would be that it was not new. Many published patent applications (but not those from the USA) have a search report at the back listing relevant “prior art”, with X and Y markings being the most important, as they suggest that the claims named have been anticipated or are obvious improvements, respectively.

In this case the most relevant citation appears to be a Japanese document, Game device by Hitachi Plant, published in 1990 which sounds, and looks from its main drawing, rather similar, though it does involve the columns being stable when stepped on.

Cleansing sewage water

I was looking for something else on the Web when I came across an account of Dean Cameron's invention for cleansing sewage and irrigation water.

It seems that 12 years ago Australian Cameron became interested in how cowpats decomposed, and how small creatures at the edges of streams broke down wastes. He wondered if nature had an answer to the simple cleaning of dirty water.

Three million dollars later, Cameron had devised a method, "Biolytix", of using worms and other organisms to break down the solid materials in waste water. This becomes a humus, which is then used as a filter to clean the water. Hence the problem becomes the solution, as my Infolink source comments.

Here is the main drawing from the Combination membrane/biqlytic filtration patent application, which was published in May 2007. 

  

The invention has won awards, and is considered a promising contribution towards a major problem. However, my source did not quite get it right when it said "It has the worldwide patent" on the technology. That's impossible as there is no such thing. The patent application is a request for a patent in numerous countries through the Patent Cooperation Treaty, but each country or regional patent system decides individually if the application is to be accepted.

"Trademarked" book

Trade marks / trademarks are a rich source of social and economic history, as, though in theory there to show the origin of the goods or services, they are of course used to persuade us to buy.

David Newton, a former member of staff at the British Library specialising in intellectual property, has written a book called "Trademarked: a history of well-known brands from Aertex to Wright's coal tar", published by Sutton Publishing.

Profusely illustrated from the official journals and other sources, it tells the stories behind numerous trade marks within eight themed chapters such as drinks or household goods. Mainly covering British trade marks, it is excellent for dipping into.

I would be delighted if the old trade mark journals, which display advertised marks, could be scanned and made available on the Web. Just browsing through the pages of a specific era can be very evocative, besides the ability to search for specific companies or trade marks. I am not aware of any such projects.

Toilet training aids for children

There have been so many episodes of Dragons' Den that I often see one that's new to me in the endless run of repeats.

"Chris" was demonstrating his toilet training aid for children. It looked like a ping pong ball with a funny face on it which bobbed about in the water. The idea was that children would concentrate on hitting it. It wouldn't get flushed away, I think (I wasn't paying full attention, I'm sorry to say). More details can be found at Max.

I did notice that nobody asked if competition was ready to jump in, as it were. None of the dragons ever ask if a patent search has been carried out to see if the concept is new, which surely is fundamental when trying to fend off competition. Besides trying to gain a monopoly, looking at similar concepts is vital.

That episode went out in October 2007. I had a little look for anything similar and came across the Toilet training target, by Andrew Chapman, an Australian living in Dubai. A pressurised gas filled archery target bobs about in the water. It was applied for on the 25 May 2007, which is its "priority date".

The concept of priority means that provided it was new at the time it will take precedence over similar inventions (even if filed in other countries) in trying to obtain a patent -- "first to file". Only the USA keeps to the concept of "first to invent". That means that if similar inventions are applied for, the applicants have to show proof of when they came up with the idea. So if Max was publicised earlier than the Chapman invention, it may perhaps not get a patent, or its rights will be restricted. A patent attorney would be able to advise on how similar the two ideas were.

Other inventions on the subject are Target built into a toilet or urinal (illustrated)

 

and the somewhat similar Toilet training target. The Toilet training device and method of use involves a paper target that gets flushed away.  

Clearing the snow away

London's had its third snowfall of the winter, with was said to be 28 cm or 11 inches, though it seemed less than half that to me. The city ground to a halt -- no buses ran all morning, and only a few by evening. The problem is that we are not used to it, and hence are not prepared.

I remember seeing as a teenager a cartoon in Mad magazine which showed the streets full of lorries/ trucks (the type with an open hold at the back). The snow would fall into the lorries, and when it had stopped they would simply drive off and dump the snow elsewhere.

Working along similar lines is the equally ingenious but unworkable suggestion by Tesfa Guma of Virginia with his Simple and fast method for clearing snow.

The main drawing is shown above. The sheets are laid on the pavement before it snows. Rollers are placed at one end which are used to roll the snow away (to where, further along the pavement ?). The snow would be heavy to shift, and also heavy would be the cost of lawsuits as a result of people tripping up on the rollers, unless they come out after later to be placed on the by now covered sheets. But then why do you need the sheets if you just use the rollers... I don't think that this has actually been tried out (or thought through).

I have always liked the idea of heating elements embedded in pavements so that the snow and ice (which is worse) melts. A 1965 example from Canada is the Heated pavement topping which can be added to existing pavements. Another Canadian contribution, from 1997, is the Snow-hunter pavement.