Lastly, I would like to talk about Method of Exercising a Cat as a ridiculous patent, although I have talked about animal-related patent for my first ridiculous patent.
Somewhat lazy, but funny invention--Method of Exercising a Cat-- "consists of directing a beam of invisible light ... onto the floor or wall ... then moving the laser so as to cause the brigh tpattern of light to move in an irregular way fascinating to cats." So simply, this inventor is claiming a patent on the laser point that plays with cats.
This invention has obviously been thought of long before this patent came out. Actually, the book, "One Hundred and Eight-Seven Ways to Amuse a Bored Cat," published by Balantine Book in May 1982, describes the same exact idea of shooting a laser to play with cats. Such usage of laser pointer is very obvious and not novel.
This patent is very similar to:
- 6505576 Pet Toy
- 6557495 Laster Pet Toy
- 6651591 Automatic Laster Pet Toy and Exerciser
- 6701872 Method and Apparatus for Automatically Exercising a Curious Animal
Since it is very similar to many other patents relating to playing with animal, pet toys, and laser pointer, it means that there are any publications dated before the filing date of this patent, which means that the invention is not novel and the patent is invalid.
Hi Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteI thought your analyzation of this patent and its prior art was quite thorough and excellent. However, while it is similar to many of the other patents you listed, I believe what makes this patent novel is the fact that this patent is directed specifically for cats, unlike the generalizations made by the other patents. I believe that is the only reason that this patent is considered valid.
Hi Tiffany! This is a great post. I actually like this patent, although it is a little bit ridiculous, because it is the first patent I read on not a physical invention but about a method. This is great and I feel like I can find use for this patent when I get a cat!
ReplyDeleteHey Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the laser technique is quite obvious and not very novel as we see many owners do it with their cats. The patent was quite interesting though because many people participate in this activity, but not many have thought about patenting it. Thanks for sharing.
I definitely agree here. This patent is ridiculous. It is not even an invention!
ReplyDelete