PATENT PUZZLER

The answer to last weeks was Marlon Brando. The “hint” provided was the Mr. Brando refused his Oscar for best actor, to allow you to make the field of potential inventors smaller.

This week, the subject of the Patent Puzzler is basketball in honor of the NCAA college tournament.

The sport of basketball is widely watched around the world. The inventor was James Naismith. Obviously, the “puzzler” could have revolved around this fact, however, we are going to concentrate on another aspect of the game. Naismith invented the game in 1891. The question for this week is when was the patent for the basketball (as we know it) issued?

1892 1895 1900 1921 or 1934

Bonus points for what company was assigned the patent…..

Remember……the puzzles are meant to be fun and informative….not easy. We will give the answer in the next blog post on Monday. The answer will surprise you….even if consider yourself an expert on puzzles, patents or general knowledge.

PATENT PUZZLER

The answer to last weeks was “a stick”. Yes….”a stick”. There is a back story to the answer. After getting an allowance to the “stick” or dog toy, the patent was reexamined and yes, all of the claims were nullified.

Without further ado…….this week it is the Oscars. As the Oscars occurred last night, it is only fitting to do a Patent Puzzler related to the movie industry….so here goes….

This award winning actor is also an inventor. Later in life, after his/her success, he/she had several inventive ideas. This one, in particular, relates to the music industry. The actor/actress was fond of the drums! To this end, he/she had several ideas on tightening drum heads to produce a more consistent sound.

Any idea who it is? Some further hints:

Here is a picture of the invention….

A final hint……I “refuse” to believe that you will not get this answer.

Who is it?

Remember……the puzzles are meant to be fun and informative….not easy. We will give the answer in the next blog post on Monday. The answer will surprise you….even if consider yourself an expert on puzzles, patents or general knowledge.

PATENT PUZZLER

The answer to last weeks puzzler was Abraham Lincoln. I threw a bunch of tricks in the answers that seemed like possible answers. If you got it, congratulations to you.

We have a Guest Puzzler this week……

Twister the Patent Puli has made a first, and most likely, not last appearance. He has been tracking the progress of the blog and wanted to put in his two cents. He provided the following patent puzzler……

For this week, a claim construction puzzle is provided. All you have to do is read the patent claim and figure out what it is?

An object, comprising:
(a) a Solid main Section having a diameter and a longitudinal length and extending a predetermined distance along said longitudinal length; and (b) at least one protrusion attached at one end thereof Said main Section and extending a predetermined distance therefrom and wherein Said at least one protrusion includes a Second longitudinal axis that is not in parallel alignment with a first longitudinal axis of Said Solid main Section; and wherein Said object is adapted to float on the Water.

Seems pretty simple….maybe? Possibly?

What is it?

Remember……the puzzles are meant to be fun and informative….not easy. We will give the answer in the next blog post on Monday. The answer will surprise you….even if consider yourself an expert on puzzles, patents or general knowledge.

PATENT PUZZLER

The answer to last weeks puzzler is approximately 9000 patent were issued BEFORE they started actually numbering them. Tracking the patents was difficult, therefore a numbering system was adopted.

This Weeks Patent Puzzler

Speaking of Firsts……take a guess at this one…

While over 11 million patents have been issued, some stand out because of the actual person/people that invented the technology. To this end..

Who is the only United States President to be an inventor for an issued US Patent?

Thomas Jefferson

Franklin Pierce

William Taft

John Kennedy

Abraham Lincoln

Herbert Hoover

Remember……the puzzles are meant to be fun and informative….not easy. We will give the answer in the next blog post on Monday. The answer will surprise you….even if consider yourself an expert on puzzles, patents or general knowledge.

PATENT PUZZLER

So the answer to last weeks patent puzzler had a bit of a trick. In actuality, United States Patent 1 is NOT THE FIRST United States Patent. United States Patent 1 was actually issued many years after the first United States Patent. United States Patent number 1 was to a traction wheel for steam locomotives.

This Weeks Patent Puzzler

Approximately how many United States Patents were actually issued BEFORE US Patent 1?

Remember……the puzzles are meant to be fun and informative….not easy. We will give the answer in the next blog post on Monday. The answer will surprise you….even if consider yourself an expert on puzzles, patents or general knowledge.

PATENT PUZZLER

We try to have fun here. As a regular portion of this website, we will have a Monday Patent Puzzler. Often, we take things “too seriously” in life and we get absorbed in our daily activities. Some times, it is the small things in life that we look forward to. The crossword puzzle in the local newspaper is a common thing that some people love to do. When you love what you do, it is cool to share this passion with others. Very often, patent lawyers are looked at as having an attitude that is too serious. They are people that are technical at heart coupled with a law background. Generally……they are considered dull, Not here. This section will pose some challenges to you. Hope you have fun.

Since this is number 1 United States Patent blog post, we can ask a question about United States Patent number 1.

What did United States Patent 1 cover and when was it issued?

Remember……the puzzles are meant to be fun and informative….not easy. We will give the answer in the next blog post on Monday. The answer will surprise you….even if consider yourself an expert on puzzles, patents or general knowledge.