*Silly Patents* 2 - Thong Diaper (or is it a Diaper Thong?)

Diapers are a very useful tool used for centuries to help parents with babies who are not yet potty-trained (and recently have also seen use for aging seniors). I could definitely see the potential for innovation in this high-profit market for which there will always be demand.

Thongs are not quite as useful, but have definitely become a staple of western society. In fact, some may argue they are less useful than regular underwear or panties, but their "purpose" is to look attractive and make the wearer feel sexy. They are most often worn by teenage to middle-aged women.

Here's a great idea: Let's combine the two!

Presenting, the Thong Diaper:


Perhaps it's actually a Diaper Thong. Honestly, I think I'd rather not know.

Let's break down the patentability of this.

Non-Obvious - A diaper that's also a thong? I've never thought of that before. Have you? I think I'm gonna give this a pass.
Novelty - I don't think anyone has ever thought of this in their life (well, clearly SOMEONE has). Another pass.
Enablement - What industry does this belong to, the diaper industry or the thong industry? Honestly, I doubt it could compete in either. That said, it seems reasonable that any professional in the diaper industry could figure out how to reduce the size and make this thing. Not sure about the thong industry though. I'll give this a Maybe.
Usefulness - This one is the real stumper. What the hell is the point of this thing? Is it for babies who want to feel sexy? Is it for pedophiles who want to dress up the babies *shudder*? Is it for women whose partner has a diaper fetish? Honestly, the only possible legitimate use I can think of for this is for seniors who may want to feel sexy wearing a thong, yet can't control their bowels. Mmm. But even that's a stretch. I'm gonna go ahead and give this a NO.

So seriously, what the hell is the USPTO up to these days? Does someone there have a diaper fetish? I'm glad our tax money is being well spent.

*Silly Patents* 1 - Optical Illusion Clothes

Optical Illusions are cool. Clothes are cool. Why not combine them?

Here is the full patent.

Honestly, this is very similar to the glow-in-the-dark toothbrush example from class. Toothbrushes exist, and so does glow-in-the-dark material, but the combination of the two may be considered innovative. Similarly, although optical illusions and clothing are two previously existing mechanisms, combining them may be considered innovative.

That said, who would want optical illusions on their clothes? Well, perhaps men or women who want to appear thinner than they are. Everyone knows black is slimming, but perhaps an optical illusion could do more.

Let's look at the patentability breakdown:

Non-Obvious - I would say this passes. Just like the glow-in-the-dark toothbrush, the separate preexistence of each individual aspect does not warrant their combination obvious.
Novelty - This is pretty novel. I highly doubt anybody has thought of it before.
Usefulness - This is probably the most questionable one. What purpose does this serve? Sure it's cool, but not every T-shirt design warrants a patent. Of course, there is the "slimming" argument, but I highly doubt that enough evidence exists to support that.
Enablement - Pass. An average person in the clothing industry can easily print any pattern they want, including this.

Overall, I'd say that the Usefulness clause is the deal breaker. I'm a little surprised it got approved.

Post 26 - Microsoft signs fat Android patent deal

People are quick to dismiss Microsoft in the game of mobile devices. The Surface tablet got good reviews but isn't catching on as fast as expected, and Windows Phone still has a dismal 3% market share (although they're catching up and will probably soon overtake BlackBerry, which dropped from 6.4% to 5.2% between December and March).

However, it is easy to forget a huge part of Microsoft's strategy, which is patent licensing. Microsoft has an enormous patent portfolio, which it recently expanded even further by striking a patent deal with Chinese company ZTE, China's second-largest mobile phone manufacturer.

The recent article describing the deal:
http://blogs.computerworld.com/android/22103/microsoft-cleans-mobile-big-new-android-patent-deal

This deal is huge: it means that Microsoft now gets a profit share from patent licensing from the sale of 80% of all Android smartphones sold in the US. Additionally, Microsoft's patent licensing also affects the "majority" of Android smartphones sold worldwide. What does this amount to? In a single quarter, Microsoft received $792 million in patent royalties from Samsung and HTC in a single quarter.

These numbers are huge, and they have huge implications. They mean that Microsoft is getting huge revenues from the mobile phone market, even as Windows Phone stumbles. And in a theoretical scenario where iPhone popularity drops and Android and Windows Phone become the two leading smartphones, Microsoft's profit would be mind-boggling.

But a scenario like that is unlikely to happen any time soon.

Post 25 - Apple publishes mobile "parking location" patent

Have you ever wandered through a large parking lot or parking structure, trying to remember where you parked your car? Your smartphone in your pocket can take pictures, surf the web, record HD video, and make video conference calls, but somehow it can't locate your car for you. But maybe soon, it can.

An Apple patent for exactly such a function was recently published. Details are in this article:

http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2013/04/apple-reveals-an-advanced-indoor-mobile-location-application-for-finding-a-vehicle-in-a-parking-structure.html

It works based on a device placed in the car, or even any other vehicle like a motorcycle or bicycle. It uses BlueTooth LE wireless technology, a Low Energy variant of Bluetooth that allows its devices to not have to charge for up to a year, which would be perfect for a permanent device to put in a car.

The location mechanism relies on many of the various systems already present in most iPhones, including GPS, gyroscopes, and accelerometers.

Given that many vehicles today already have BlueTooth by default, I wouldn't be surprised to see this feature coming out in new iPhones very soon. Owners of BlueTooth-equipped vehicles could set it up and begin using it right away. This would definitely reduce hassle and solve a real-world problem facing many users.