Assignment #5: more than just a coffee cup

Ever wondered what all went into that coffee sleeve that allows you to hold your warm cup of mocha without burning your hands? Let's take a walk down the patent road, entailing some of the oldest to the newest applications for coffee lids, sleeves, and more! 

ISSUED PATENTS

• US 6343735 B1 Insulating sleeve

Publication type: Grant
Priority date:  May 4, 2000
Publication date: Feb 5, 2002
Background: Cups changed from insulated Styrofoam to an alternative material that is inexpensive, biodegradable, and has insulating properties to protect that user's hand from the temperature of a liquid in the cup. 
Claim: "An insulating container holder for a container having a sidewall, said holder comprising a sleeve having a top opening and a bottom opening and a passageway between said top opening and said bottom opening for receiving the container, said sleeve conforming to the container sidewall over a first portion of the surface area of the sidewall, said sleeve including first and second sleeve portions angled away from the sidewall and separated therefrom by a spacer to form a gap between said at least one sleeve portion and the sidewall and said first and second sleeve portions extending between said top opening and said bottom opening." The insulating sleeve will be a holder that will be placed on top of the mug in order to protect the user's hand

Insulating sleeve: first generalized design

• US 2661889 A Thermal coffee cup 

Publication type: Grant
Priority date:  July 20, 1948
Publication date: Dec 8, 1953
Background: For use in a coffee cup which requires simple construction, is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble, of high convenience, and efficient in operation 
Claim: A coffee cup cover which will have a a hole in which the user can drink from with still have the rest of the lid covered 

This has allowed for sipping on coffee 

• US 8,251,277 B1 Thermal Sleeve, Method for Manufacturing a Thermal Sleeve, and Combination Cup & Thermal Sleeve 

Publication type: Grant
Priority date:  April 15, 2005
Publication date: August 28, 2012
Background: In relation to cup sleeves
Claim: This patent provides a specific type of a cup sleeve, namely a thermal sleeve. It also explains the specific method that would be used - a creped paper product wit a first and second ending, and a first and second cup opening. Specific dimensions are provided. 

Specifically, the creped paper has about 8 to 100 crepe lines per linear inch and a basis weight (prior to creping) of about 20 lbs/3000 ft² to about 150 lbs/3000ft² according to TAPPI T410

• US 7,922,031 B1 Insulator Sleeve for a Beverage Container

Publication type: Grant
Priority date:  March 1, 2006
Publication date: April 12, 2011
Background: This patent further develops on the first patent, which provided for an insulating sleeve, but which had only been made as a disposable sleeve. If a consumer attempts to reuse those past sleeves, they usually look worn out or get damaged after repeated uses. Thus, one main advantage of this item is the environmental benefits since the sleeve will be non-disposable. 
Claim: An insulating sleeve with a frusto-conical beverage cup (one which is given out by coffee shops) with an opaque inner sleeve and an outer sleeve such that both sleeves are coaxially aligned.

I found this a very informative diagram!

• US 8118189 B1 Temperature-indicating sleeve and related container

Publication type: Grant
Priority date: Dec 15, 2006
Publication date: Feb 21, 2012
Background: Since insulated sleeves are used, the consumer of the purchased beverage may not know the current temperature of the liquid in the cup. 
Claim: A non-disposable, thermally insulated container with a sleeve which has a temperature indicator affixed to the sleeve. It will be affixed at a visually observable location. 

How cool is this - it tells you the temperature of the liquid inside!

The hot-melt glue dots design

• US 6152363 Sleeve construction for improved paperboard cup insulation 

Publication type: Grant
Priority date:  May 3, 1999
Publication date: Nov 28, 2000
Background: This involves the construction of sleeves for use with paperboard cups 
Claim: The construction uses hot-melt glue dots for improved insulation of a paperboard cup so it can be to the same level as common polystyrene cups. 

PATENT APPLICATIONS

• US 20080078824 A1 Beverage cup sleeving system and method

Publication type: Application

Priority date:  August 23, 2006

Publication date: April 3, 2008

Background: This is an improvement of the current cup sleeve patents which will be effective when the sleeve is wetted, effective against extremely high and low temperatures, is reusable, and easily manufactured. 

Claim: This cup insulating system has a layer of elastomer formed into a homogenous seamless conical sleeve.

• US 20100019023 A1 Protective sleeve

Publication type: Application

Priority date:  July 25, 2008

Publication date: Jan 28, 2010

Background: Sleeves are needed to allow for comfortable and convenient control of very hot or cold foods. 

Claim: A sleeve with a blank with a first and second edge, specifically with the first edge having at least one peak with regard to the second edge, as the figure shows. 

• US 20140151385 A1 Hot and Cold Cup Sleeve

Publication type: Application

Priority date:  Feb 6, 2014

Publication date: June 5, 2014

Background: This patent has to do with disposable sleeves in the realm of handling very hot or cold beverages. 

Claim: A disposable sleeve with the following features: a water-absorbent lining, a water-repellent outer layer, a polyethylene coating laminate film layer as an adhesive to bind this lining to the outer layer. The inner and outer layers are adhered together with an invisible (post-fabrication) polyethylene film. 
The following diagram gives some insight on the water-absorption feature of the sleeve:

ANTICIPATION AND OBVIOUSNESS:

I really don't think any of these inventions were at all obvious! Each patent has a clear and unique functionality which makes the new addition to the cup sleeve or lid a very feasible idea. Accordingly, I claim that all these patents have required novel thought, and thus - are not anticipated. 

A Deeper look on anticipation & obviousness (+3 unit student)

This claim is based off of the prior art of the cup sleeves. So for example, going from the first patent described of a simple cup sleeve - there is a lot of novel thought which has gone into creating a sleeve that then allows for functionalities such as an indication of temperature or better liquid absorption. 

This is basically how ideas evolve and get better over time. The first patent (US 6343735 B1 Insulating Sleeve) provided for the general idea and helped create an environment-friendly option for coffee cups. Another patent (US 8118189 B1 Temperature-indicating sleeve and related container) took a complete different approach on this already established invention. Instead of simply changing the color of the sleeve (an issue of obviousness) or adding designs to the sleeve (an issue of anticipation), this patent allowed the user of the container to know the temperature of the liquid in the container. In the background section of the patent, the author of the patent relates this to the coffee industry where it would be very beneficial for consumers to know if their coffee is very hot or too cold. 

WEEK 3: ASSIGNMENT 4

LECTURE TOP 5:
I thought it was really interesting to read the reasons for why the inventions mentioned in lecture were part of the top 25 predicted inventions that were wrong. I chose these 5 inventions not only because of their impact, the reasons people gave as to why they were wrong.

i. Beatles: don't like style 
ii. Telephone: too many shortcomings
iii. Smoking & lung cancer: not enough evidence
iv. X-ray: too much skepticism 
v. Computers: not a large enough world market

MY TOP 5:

i. Stem cell research:
As a student who works and is heavily involved in stem cell research, I am certain of the great potential that this science has for medicine and therapy. Due to ethical and basic scientific skepticism, however, the realm of stem cell research has not been able to get the full support and funding needed for ultimate success. As more funding (especially prevalent in California) leads to more scientific discoveries and clinical trials, the full power of stem cell research is being revealed.  In the next 10 years, I hope to see the rise of what 2012 Nobel-laureate winner Shinya Yamanaka defined as “personalized medicine” with the advent of reliable and efficient stem cell therapies. I envision there to be banks of stem cell cultures that will pertain to specific diseases and types of patients. Thus, a drug therapy especially made and tested on these banks will be given to patients with far greater confidence due to stem cell research.

ii. Artificial intelligence:
For good reasons, artificial intelligence research and advancements are being taken with a lot of regulation and skepticism. As science fiction movies have warned us, it may not take much to have artificial intelligence too advanced for humans to control (going back to the exponential rise of technology). Still artificial intelligence can be a huge tool, with both help for the daily consumer and in research. For the daily consumer, robots can help make daily life easier by doing practical chores which may otherwise take more time. For a researcher, machine learning and computational modeling can help us figure ourselves out by modeling our brain and learning in the realm of cognitive science. 

Plus, they make for some really cool pictures -->
Reference: http://www.rethinkrobotics.com/artificial-intelligence-tool-threat/

iii. Self-driving vehicle:

This invention has the stigma that it's for the elite and rich who can do work rather than waste their time driving. This invention, however, is rooted in helping with several social and moral issues that are affected by the driving situation we have right now in the world. Thus, the self-driving vehicle has a much larger world market that it can serve and with greater social implications than the ones initially realized.

+ 45% of disabled people the in U.S. work.

+ 95% of a car's lifetime is spent parked. 

This technology could transform the lives of the elderly or remove the need for parking lots (cars could just go back to their rider's homes!) Google's self driving car is not based off of how the average person may drive: which is with millions of thoughts in their mind and an urge to multi-task. Rather these cars promote safety by understanding driving rules as a robot would but still smart enough to mimic humans in skills like merging onto a freeway.
Reference: http://theoatmeal.com/blog/google_self_driving_car

iv. Yoga:
Yoga has a stigma of being a practice that either very religious and calm people in faraway places like Bihar, India (where Gautama Buddha found Enlightenment) or hippies in Lululemon leggings follow. There's no middle ground. As a yoga student who hopes to get her certification this year, I find this profoundly aching. Since awareness for mindfulness and mental health is finally (kind of) catching on in the States, I hope to see that yoga becomes more influential in the right way. What I mean by this is that I hope people start doing yoga for the right reasons - that is, for centering focus and relaxation from our otherwise hectic and stress-inducing lives - and not just to get better gluts. 

v. Snapchat:
We've all heard the story, and it's an inspirational one for early app-developers who don't seem to get funding. 23 year old (at the time) Snapchat CEO rejected Facebook's $3 billion offer to buy the application for Facebook. This must have been a very difficult decision for the company to make and quite a surprising one for Americans following tech and social media to hear. The reason I chose Snapchat is not just for the company itself (though I do think it will get even bigger with its addition of stories from special events and news in its 'Discovery' section), it just goes out to say that apps/start-ups are coming everyday to the Silicon Valley in California. What keeps young entrepreneurs going is the fact that some of them do make it big.

PATENT US8046721:

Title Unlocking a Device by Performing Gestures on an Unlock Image
Author Chaudhri et. al.
Date October 25, 2011
Assignee Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Claim 1 Unlocking a hand-held electronic device using its touch-sensitive display
Method Having a predefined location on the touch-sensitive display that corresponds to an unlock state; moving this unlock image continuously in accordance with movement of the contact (slide to unlock); unlocking the device if the predefined movement is the same as the movement made. 
--> The moving can be along any desired path
--> Must be predefined. 
--> Visual cues may be given

some background... 
THE SMART PHONE PATENT WAR:

· 2011, Apr 15: Apple sues Samsung for patent and trademark infringement (7 utility patents, 3 design patents, 3 registered trade dresses, 6 trademarked icons) with its Galaxy line of mobile products, including the Galaxy S smartphone and the Galaxy Tab.
· 2011, Apr 22: Samsung sues Apple in South Korea (5 patents), Japan (2 patents), and Germany (3 patents).
· 2011, Apr 28: Samsung countersues Apple over 10 patents.
· 2011, Apr 29: Apple drops 1 more patent from their ITC complaint against HTC.
· 2011, May 18: Samsung ordered to provide Apple samples of the announced Galaxy S2, Infuse 4G, and Infuse 4G LTE smartphones, as well as the Galaxy Tab 8.0 and Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets as part of Apple's lawsuit against the company.
· 2011, May 18: Samsung files a court motion for Apple to provide samples of the unannounced iPhone 5 and iPad 3 prototypes.
· 2011, Jun 14: Nokia and Apple settle their litigation with Apple agreeing to pay Nokia an undisclosed one-time payment as well as continuing royalties.
· 2011, Jun 16: Apple amends its lawsuit against Samsung, dropping 2 utility patents and 1 design patent, and adding 3 new utility patents plus 4 trade dress applications, now covering the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
· 2011, Jun 22: Apple countersues Samsung in South Korea over an unknown number of patents.
· 2011, Jun 22: Samsung's motion to be provided samples of Apple's unannounced iPhone 5 and iPad 3 prototypes is denied. 
2011, Jun 28: Samsung files an ITC complaint and a lawsuit against Apple over 5 patents.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphone_patent_wars

... and it continues to go on for more bullets to come!

Apple/Samsung agreed to drop lawsuits against each other after three years of suing in August 2014.  

In particular adherence with Patent US8046721, Apple thought Samsung stole their idea of having a "slide to unlock image." Apple won in the courts for this case and Samsun was required to pay billions of dollars to Apple for doing so. 

But this opens up the floor for a lot of questions regarding patents in general::

Should a company be given exclusive rights on using a slide gesture to unlock an electronic device?

WEEK 2

Plagiarizing my way up::


From people's input on my blog (Thank YOU for reading!), I have a new and improved list. Though I didn't change many of my inventions, I deeply thought about the categories I chose and I decide to share the reason behind these categories in my video. Sparked by people's surprise on including the HeLa cell lines, I thought more about this 'invention.' I decided I agree with one of my commentator: I wouldn't call this cell line an invention, but more of a resource that was able to be exploited. Thus, I took this out and instead added the wheel - an invention we talked a lot about in class. 

THE TOP TEN INVENTIONS: 
If you look at the individual inventions, they are not in an particular order. However, I do have these three categories in this particular order based of a general hierarchy of importance. Watch my blog post for more information on that!
I had a great time reading blogs and watching YouTube videos of students from my class. The Professor was right - our class is filled with outstanding students that are loaded with creativity and diversity in their responses. I especially liked running into inventions that I didn't even think to have in my top 30 list of inventions, but may actually be items I use everyday! 

I. Global economy & productivity

1. Wheel::
The basis of many of our machinery: industrial and domestic
Symbolic meaning for the "circle of life"
2. Light bulb::
Allowed for the harvesting of electricity
Citizens could be productive at different times of the days
3. Paper currency::
Allowed us to trade goods and exchange ideas
Basis of our economy, both locally and globally
4. Refrigerator::
Food could be stored for both industrial and domestic purposes
Less wastage of crops 


II. Communication
5. Printing press::
Spread of ideas, cultures, and values
Facilitation and encouragement of education throughout
6. Computer::
Basis of computation and artificial intelligence
Lead to an exponential growth in the technological boom in the world
7. Telephone::
Easy communication between people from regions, near and far
Live communication possible
8. Automobile::
Greater flow of ideas through mobility of people
Led to an improved healthcare and education system: the average man could go to places of interest on his own

III. Science & healthcare
9. Microscope::
Basis of scientific research through a reductionist approach
Allowed for the scientific method based on observations
10. Penicillin::
People could live after getting common infections
Allowed for the success of surgeries without the scare of sepsis