InventorSpot

Animal Toy

My recent investigations into the mysteries of the United States Patent Office, well not so mysterious as it is undiscerning and undiscriminating, has unearthed a whole host of opportunistic patents. That is, the patenting of stuff we've all been doing, independent of the patent process, for centuries. And United States patent 6360693 is perhaps the best (worst?) example of this practice. read more »

Comb Hair to Conceal Baldness

Today dear readers, I am turning my blog over to you. That's because I'm stumped. Is United States Patent 4022227 worthy of a patent? Do you consider this an invention? An innovation? Or did Frank and Donald Smith the "inventors" merely lay claim to something men have been doing for centuries? You decide; then let me know what you think. read more »

Cure for Hiccups?

We've all heard that a good fright is one way to cure a bout of the hiccups. Admittedly, that's never worked for me, but I'm not the kind of girl who scares easily. (The nutrition label on a bag of Cheetos notwithstanding.) Well it seems back in 2003, Philip Ehlinger, Jr., in the style of a pre-Discovery Channel MythBuster, or an obstinate inventor, you decide, felt this urban legend was worth validating, so he came up with United States patent 7062320 . read more »

You want to stick that where?

As many of you know, cow gas, or bovine flatulence (farts) and eructation (burps), is suspect when determining the factors that contribute to global warming. Why? The reason is simple: cow gas emits methane gas and according to environmentalists like EarthSave, methane is by far the most important non-CO2 greenhouse gas floating around the atmosphere and threatening the ozone layer. read more »

A Dangerous Habit?

If you're anything like me, you spend an inordinate amount of time typing away at your computer. You do so knowing every keystroke brings you one step closer to a carpal tunnel disease diagnosis; every glance at the screen teases your vision with astigmatism. So you buy an ergonomic keypad and mouse pad and you force yourself to look away from the screen every 20 minutes or so. Great! But now there is something else to worry about, something that threatens the great American pastime of television viewing: B.T.N.D. or Button Thumbing Numbness Disorder. Luckily, the cure is not worse than the disease. read more »