Author Archives: mjwhitekingston

Posted on July 5, 2008 by mjwhitekingston

When I teach people how to conduct a proper search of the patent literature, I always find it challenging to convince them that they need to include older patents in their searches. Most people, especially undergraduate students, are content to … Continue reading →

Posted in classification, Patent references | 1 Comment

Pringles Aren’t Potato Chips

Posted on July 5, 2008 by mjwhitekingston

A UK judge has decided that Pringles aren’t potato chips, which could save Procter & Gamble millions in taxes every year. The judge based his decision in part on the fact that the chip-like snack is only 42 percent potato. … Continue reading →

Posted in Pringles, snack foods | Leave a comment

Happy Independence Day!

Posted on July 4, 2008 by mjwhitekingston

A few patriotic patents for your enjoyment on the 4th of July. The first is a jack-in-the-box featuring a rather creepy-looking Uncle Sam (US978489); next are matching picture frames with Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam–a perfect gift for queen and … Continue reading →

Posted in design patents, Independence Day, Uncle Sam | Leave a comment

Peer to Patent Review Program Update

Posted on July 2, 2008 by mjwhitekingston

The USPTO has announced the results of its year-long patent review pilot program called Peer to Patent. The purpose of the program, which was launched in June 2007, was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of an online-based system where … Continue reading →

Posted in Patent peer review | Leave a comment

Happy Canada Day!

Posted on July 1, 2008 by mjwhitekingston

In honour of Canada Day, here are a few Canadian industrial designs that are based on the maple leaf, the national symbol of Canada. All were retrieved from the CIPO’s industrial design database, which includes designs registered from1861 to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

New Book: Mr. Gatling’s Terrible Marvel

Posted on June 21, 2008 by mjwhitekingston

This is library conference season, so I’ve been racking up frequently flyer miles by the thousands. Air travel isn’t as fun for me as it was pre 9/11, but spending hours in the air does give me an opportunity to … Continue reading →

Posted in 19th century patents, Richard Gatling | Leave a comment

New Patent PDF Download Tool

Posted on June 9, 2008 by mjwhitekingston

Patent Retriever is a new service for downloading patent documents. Launched just days ago (May 30), it will retrieve US, EP and WO (PCT) patent documents in PDF format fairly quickly, although I haven’t timed it against other similar services. … Continue reading →

Posted in patent documents, Patent Retriever | 1 Comment

Helvetica

Posted on June 7, 2008 by mjwhitekingston

Last night I watched a very interesting documentary by Gary Hustwit called Helvetica. It was a fascinating conversation with graphic designers about the font Helvetica, typography and graphic design. Helvetica was created in 1957 by Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann … Continue reading →

Posted in design patents, fonts, George Bruce | Leave a comment

Classification Order 1877 – Class 606, Surgery

Posted on June 1, 2008 by mjwhitekingston

The USPTO has recently published Classification Order #1877 affecting subclasses in Class 606, Surgery. Class 606 is part of a mega-class composed of Classes 128, 600, 601, 602, 604, 606, 607. Class 606 covers surgical instruments. This is the third … Continue reading →

Posted in classification, classification orders, USPC | Leave a comment

New Patent PDF Download Tool

Posted on June 1, 2008 by mjwhitekingston

IP Newsflash (IPN), an information portal for IP news, official notices and case law, has added a patent document download to its suite of patent information tools. Users can retrieve a PDF copy of any patent document in the EPO’s … Continue reading →

Posted in patent documents, patent information dissemination | 5 Comments