Oh, patents! The Body Shop® (2)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

The Boby Shop® patent GB2321644A titled Cosmetic composition comprising cupuaçu extract, recites cosmetic formulations for hair shampoo and conditioner, comprising a cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum) extract. The extract is in the form of pulp, oil or juice.

The cupuaçu tree is a relative of the cocoa tree. It grows in the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin, in northern Brazil, Peru, Columbia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, and Surinam.

While developing the cosmetic formulations, the inventors found the superior conditioning properties of a cupuaçu extract. Thus, the invention responds to consumer preferences for natural vs. synthetic cosmetic conditioners for hair, skin and nails. Additionally, the formulas developed were found cost-effective compared to the use of synthetic agents. While the embodiments of the invention recited cover hair shampoo and conditioner, the scope of the invention extends to other cosmetic products such as skin moisturizers, shower gels, hair mousse, lipstick and mascara for skin, nails, lips, eyelashes, and other parts of the body.  

This patent appears otherwise a bit controversial in its claim that in contrast to the well-documented use of cupuaçu as foodstuff,  “there is no evidence that native peoples have used cupuaçu fruit for cosmetic purposes.” This statement is controversial in that it ignores sources of potential evidence for cosmetic uses of cupuaçu in the oral transmission of knowledge. Oral transmission occurring vertically from one generation to the next, or horizontally from one group to another, in which native uses of cupuaçu for cosmetic purposes might have evolved as ancestral knowledge, or established itself as commonly shared knowledge. Indeed, such sources of shared knowledge transmitted from one generation to another, or found in the cultural habitus, if they were to count, or compare to written documentation in a print tradition of knowledge, could invalidate the patentability of the invention.

However controversial the abovementioned statement in GB2321644A might appear, it fortunately arises within the context of The Body Shop®, a company that established itself as a true trailblazer in the domain of ethical trading and consumerism for cosmetic products. If The Body Shop® cosmetic formulations for using cupuaçu are patented in the West (according to print-based patenting rules and regulations), the source materials are also purchased at fair prices from the indigenous communities in which they are found, rather than harvested by The Body Shop® and sold back to the indigenous communities are unaffordable prices. 

In other words, using the conceptual framework of one of the most vibrant and prolific third world voices of dissent in the patenting system, one might hope that if the native cupuaçu cosmetics know how has somehow been unacknowledged in the West, at least it was not completely plundered from the communities that have nurtured its production and processing for so many eons (e.g.; Shiva, 1999). Indeed,  The Body Shop® partners with local cooperatives to produce and trade so that profits also benefit the source communities. The company strives to promote sustainable win-win partnerships for development as a hallmark of its brand.  In any event, this is the distinctive business model what has propelled The Body Shop® to the top of the charts beyond the UK, in the United States, where it is also upheld as a blueprint for ethical business practices.  

Images of the cupuaçu pods, pulp and tree are included above, as well as of The Body Shop®, Spa of the World™, Brazilian Cupuaçu exfoliating scrub-in-oil. This scrub-in-oil, formulated with cupuaçu, is "Enriched with community trade Soya Oil from Gebana, Brazil and Cupuaçu Seed Butter from the cooperative of Aprafamta in Northern Brazil".

Reference
The Body Shop®
https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-us/
Shiva, V. (1999) Biopiracy: The plunder of nature and knowledge.  Cambridge, MA: South End Press.

Oh, patents! The Body Shop® (1)

Copyright Françoise Herrmann

Do you shop for cruelty-free cosmetics? Are you 4ever against animal testing? Do you shop fair trade in a tradition of ethical consumerism? Do you also support human rights, advocate against human sex trafficking, and domestic violence? Do you militate against female beauty stereotypes? Are you also an AIDS-HIV activist, striving to educate youth and helping those living with AIDS and HIV?

In any one of those cases, or all of them combined, you may be shopping The Body Shop®.

The Body Shop® is the first cosmetics company to have successfully crafted its business plan based on cruelty-free natural products and an activist platform for ethical trade practices, including ethical sourcing of raw materials and local community production. Since its inception in the United Kingdom, in 1976 --the year of the worse heatwave in Europe-- the small cosmetics shop, founded by Dame Anita Roddick, has multiplied into more than 1000 Body Shops® worldwide. The small shop that first re-used its bottles and containers, is now a public company that also trades on the stock market, under the stock ticker symbol BOSB. It is the second most trusted brand in the UK. 

True to its original activism, the company has continued to launch one successful social justice campaign after another, relentlessly expanding its reach to all of the allied causes mentioned above. Most importantly, The Body Shop® keeps on selling a few classics, and an ever-changing line of fabulous natural products, ethically sourced and produced, in faraway places across the globe.  

An early invention for which The Body Shop® filed a British patent application is recited GB2293545A, titled A multiple use cosmetics device. The device disclosed in this patent is a container with two applicators on each end, designed to dispense one product with two or more applications, or two separate products, all in a single container. The preferred embodiment for this device comprises an eyeliner brush and a mascara brush, each screwed on with a cap, on each end of the dispensing body. However, the scope of this invention extends to all sorts of cosmetic products that might be conceivably applied in a 2-step process, not only for eyelashes but for lips, hair, nails, face or other parts of the body. The scope of the invention also covers a device containing one product, or two separate products housed in separate compartments of the container.

The abstract for this invention is included below, together with the three patent drawings, Figures 1, 2A and 2B.

 A multiple use cosmetics device comprises a cylindrical container (1) for a cosmetic or toiletry product or products. and at least two applicators for dispensing and applying the product or products, wherein one applicator comprises a mascara brush (26) and the other an eyeliner applicator (18). The applicators (18, 26) are secured to respective caps (15, 22) which serve to close the ends of the container (1), the caps being cylindrical and having the same diameter as the container. [Abstract GB2293545A]

Figure 1 depicts the double-barrelled container 1, with cylindrical openings (2 and 3) at each end, and necks (4 and 5).  The necks (4 and 5) have tight-fitting inner sleeves (8 and 9) and an outer threaded cover that is part of the main cylindrical body (1). The inner sleeves (8 and 9) have frusto-conical sections (11 and 12) that taper towards the inside of the container, culminating in the openings (13 and 14) for access to the cosmetic products within the container.   

Figures 2A & B depict the respective applicators that are designed to screw onto each end of Figure 1 container (1). Figure 2A depicts an eyeliner applicator with a screw cap (15). The screw cap (15) has an insert (17) with an internal thread (16) designed to cooperate with the Figure 1 container neck (4). The insert (17) has a shaft (19), attached to the eyeliner applicator (18) equipped with a frusto-conical section, at the end (20) of which the eyeliner brush (21) is secured.  Figure 2B, analogous with Figure 2A, depicts the mascara brush applicator, comprising a screw cap (22) with an insert (23) and internal thread (24), designed to cooperate with the Figure 1 container neck (5). The insert (23) has a shaft (25) ,at the end of which is attached the mascara brush (26). 

Reference

The Body Shop®
https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-us/

Oh, patents! Ori Inc., robotic furniture (2)

Copyright Françoise Herrmann

The Ori robotics furniture invention is recited in the 42-page US utility patent application US2018311826 (A1), titled Apparatuses, systems, and methods for transformable living spaces. The patent recites the robotics, computer science, engineering and architecture that together enable the transformation of living spaces. 

In particular, the patent discloses several exemplary embodiments of the invention. The embodiments of the invention, suited to transform living spaces, may comprise a chassis, a drivetrain coupled to the chassis, a robotic control system coupled to the drivetrain assembly, and at least one communication interface coupled to the robotic control system. 

The user interface enables reconfiguration of a configurable unit (i.e. a prefabricated piece of furniture). The robotic control system comprises an actuator configured for rotary actuation. The actuator is electrically coupled to the user interface. The robotic control system also comprises sensors for detecting or calculating the position of configurable units. Sensors may comprise, pressure sensors, accelerometers, position sensors, proximity sensors, a gyroscope, inclinometers and yaw rate sensors.

The drivetrain translates rotary actuation to linear movement. It may comprise a drive wheel, a cable, a drive shaft, a sprocket, a spring, a damper, a countermeasure, a counterweight, a chain tensioner, and a ribbon, depending on the embodiment.

The user communication interface may be wireless. It may be positioned on the configurable unit. The user communication interface may comprise a pressure sensor, a gesture sensor and/or a graphical touch screen interface.  

The configurable unit comprises at least one piece of furniture and may also comprise an appliance. The configurable unit comprises sensors to detect proximity to another object. The configurable unit sensors are connected to the robotic control system. The chassis also has electrical interconnexions enabling to power the robotic control system.

The configurable units are prefabricated. They may comprise HVAC components for ventilation and cooling, in particular, an electrically adjustable louver. The configurable units may further comprise, modular plumbing and electrical components, connected to the robotic control system. The prefabricated configurable unit components may further comprise track and recessed means of fastening the configurable units. The configurable units are further integrated with a 200 to 800 square feet floor plan, and a computer modeling tool designed to customize prefabrication of the configurable units according to user preferences. 

The various embodiments of the invention disclosed in the patent description include, but are not limited to, a drop-down bed, a roll-out bed, a drop-down table, a sliding panel system, a sliding display system, and a moving divider wall. In turn, the possible components of these modular units, and their various robotic, engineering and informatics aspects are each described in greater detail. 

The abstract for the US patent application US2018311826 (A1) is included below together with the patent Figure drawing 1A showing one embodiment of transformable space with a drop-down bed. In particular, Figure 1A depicts the drop-down bed (101), transitioning from a recessed place within the ceiling to a deployed position, supported by additional pieces of furniture such as a couch (102), a table (103) and a bench (104). 

The present disclosure provides apparatuses, methods and systems operable to provide transformable living spaces. The system includes a chassis and a configurable unit movably coupled to the chassis for at least one of translation and rotation with respect to the chassis. The system also includes at least one drivetrain assembly movably coupling the configurable unit to the chassis. The system includes at least one actuator coupled to the configurable unit by the at least one drivetrain assembly. The system also includes at least one robotic controller communicatively coupled to the at least one actuator. [Abstract US2018311826]

The drop-down bed is marketed as the Ori Cloud Bed (McDowell, 2019). A short Youtube video is also included, showing how the bed drops down and glides back up to its recessed position in the ceiling.

References

Ori living

www.oriliving.com
McDowell, M. (Feb. 12, 2019) This robotic bed transforms into a sofa and coffee table. 
https://www.housebeautiful.com/design-inspiration/a26306847/ori-robotic-cloud-bed-transforms-into-sofa/ 

Oh, patents! Ori Inc., robotic furniture (1)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Does your furniture have superpowers? Chances are that if it does, it is robotic furniture, made by Ori Inc., a company that is an offshoot of the MIT Media Lab.  In this case, your furniture also folds, just like origami, the Japanese art of folding paper, which gave the company its Ori name.

Why robotic furniture? The answer is one of many that comes in response to the shortage and escalating price of urban space. It also comes as a viable alternative to tiny apartments (micro-units), which are inadequate in meeting the various needs of urban dwellers, young professionals in particular. Thus, Robotic furniture is a researched solution to maximizing space, in effortless, aesthetic, comfortable and clever ways.

No more Murphy beds that tax your musclepower. Ori Inc., foldable furniture, is mobile-app-operated or smart home assistant-operated. Just summon your robotic furniture with voice-activated commands, or configure it into place on a mobile app. Robotic furniture glides in and out of recesses, transforming spaces, making them multifunctional, emptying them of “space killers” such as unused beds, dining room tables, or walk-in closets.  

Based on the premiss that people actually need much less space than presumed, robotics-assisted architecture and interior design create a fluid and flexible space that morphs. A 200 sq. ft apartment is quite small, but when it morphs as a single space, it can become, through transformation,  a very big bedroom with a walk-in closet, or a big living room, or a big office, even a big entertainment space.

The following video illustrates how single spaces can acquire multiple functions, and how the transformation of space is actuated so effortlessly.

The Ori Inc., robotic furniture invention and its many aspects are recited in several patent applications including:

• US20180311826A1 - Apparatuses, systems, and methods for transformable living spaces 
• WO2018237139A2 - Control elements for tracking and movement of furniture and interior architectural elements 

References

Ori living

www.oriliving.com

Matheson, R. (Jan 31, 2018) Robotic interiors, MIT Media Lab.

https://www.media.mit.edu/articles/robotic-interiors/

Jackson, C. (Sept. 24, 2018) Get in bed with Skynet - NY Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/24/style/robot-furniture-beep-beep-boop.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ftechnology

Oh, patents! Kizik® F.A.S.T. sneakers

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Easy to kick off your shoes! Much harder to put them back on, handsfree, without lacing or loosening laces, buckling or unbuckling. Even shoes with velcro fasteners require peeling the strips off, and pressing the strips back on. Kizik® shoes offer a handsfree Foot Activated Shoe Technology (FAST) to resolve these problems of the prior art. Indeed, Kizik® shoes just slip on, handsfree, using a titanium spring design. The titanium spring design is attached to the sole and inserted within the upper of the shoe so that it easily compresses when your foot slips in, and pops back up to secure the shoe in place.     

                                                                                                                

This invention is recited in the US patent application US20120317839A1 titled Rapid entry shoe. The patent application, containing 55 figure drawings recites many different embodiments of the invention, according to various shoe styles and functions, including but not limited to “sandals, closed shoes, shoes with varying heights of heels, sports shoes of many types, dress shoes, and the like.”[0029]. The invention uses various movable parts, that move the shoe upper, enabling the user’s foot to just slip in. The many embodiments recited in the patent are repeatedly designated as only illustrative of the invention, whose scope extends to many additional variations of the FAST design. 

The abstract of this invention is included below, together with two patent drawings, Figures 43 and 40, each representing a different embodiment of the FAST technology that enables rapid entry into a FAST-fitted shoe. Figure 43 depicts a device comprising a heel loop 104, attached to a hinged rotation axis 80. A lock 114 is included to prevent the loop from collapsing. The device further comprises a stop 120 to prevent the loop from opening past a certain point, a flexible portion 116 and an integral spring 118 to allow the heel loop to move when the lock is released. [0071] Figure 40 also depicts a heel loop 104, attached to a hinged rotation axis 80. However, in this embodiment, a pair of magnets 106, on each side of the loop 104, enable the loop 104 to return to its upright position, after the user’s foot has entered the shoe. [0069]

A rapid-entry shoe allows the shoe to be rapidly entered and readied for wearing by the user. The shoe may be any of a wide variety of shoe types, including shoes of a wide variety of styles and functions. The rapid entry features of the shoes utilize various movable elements that are attached to a sole portion or other portion of the shoe and allow movement of a portion of the shoe under pressure to allow rapid entry of the user's foot into the shoe. The moveable elements may include flexible elements, elements having constructed to have a memory of a native position, magnetic elements, and/or elastic elements. [Abstract US20120317839A1]

References

Kizik®

www.kizik.com

KIZIK® Shoes Launch Footwear Revolution with Patented Handsfree Technology

https://www.faded4u.com/2018/02/kizik-shoes-launch-footwear-revolution.html

Kizik® Boston style hands-free sneakers

https://footwearnews.com/2018/fashion/mens/kizik-hands-free-self-lacing-mens-sneakers-491965/

Happy V-Day 2019!

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

What is V-day?

- V-Day - A global movement to end violence against women and girls.
https://www.vday.org/homepage.html 
- Eve Ensler - Vagina Monologues
https://www.eveensler.org/plays/the-vagina-monologues/
- SJSU  Center for Gender Equity  - Vagina Monologues - Feb. 14, 15 &16, 2019
  Showtime at 7 pm, Doors open at 6:30 pm
http://www.sjsu.edu/genec/events/vday/index.html
- One billion rising - Revolution 2019 - Solidarity against exploitation of women
https://www.onebillionrising.org/ 
- One billion rising - The 2019 Campaign - Rising: From a campaign to a way of life
https://www.onebillionrising.org/about/campaign/
- One billion rising - Find an event 2019
https://www.onebillionrising.org/events/#!/0/0/1/ 
- City of Joy - Turning Pain into Power - Splash page
https://www.cityofjoycongo.org/splash/
- City of Joy -  Safe House in Congo
https://cityofjoycongo.org/
- City of Joy (Documentary - 2016)
https://www.cityofjoyfilm.com/
- Until the Violence Stops (Documentary - World V-Day 2003)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326425/

One billion rising 2019 (Trailer)

Oh, patents! Robotic hair transplant

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Got hair? No worries, robotic hair transplant now offers a fast, relatively painless way of harvesting and implanting hair follicular cells. The principle of the system, consisting in the injection of temporary or permanent substances to the cutaneous, subcutaneous or intramuscular tissue regions, applies to tattoos for example, or to fat cells for “lipo-contouring”, even to muscle inhibitors such as Botox® for facial rejuvenation or reconstruction. For hair transplant, it is follicular units comprising 1 to 3, or 4 to 5, follicular cells that are harvested from the patient’s scalp and implanted in the bald areas. What used to be a painstaking manual follicle by follicle process is now automated.

One of approximately a dozen inventions, connected to robotic hair transplant, is recited in US20080167674A1 titled Automated delivery of a therapeutic or cosmetic substance to cutaneous, subcutaneous and intramuscular tissue regions. The invention recited in this patent covers the delivery of multiple sorts of substances (pharmaceutical, cosmetics, cellular) to various targeted tissue locations (dermis, epidermis, fascia and muscle), not necessarily the scalp. Hair follicular cells, as a case in point, have to be delivered precisely into the dermis, or at the interface between the dermis and epidermis.

The invention includes an image-guided robotic arm, with a piercing distal end, able to  (i) pierce the skin surface and penetrate to the desired depth, and (ii) deliver a controlled amount of a substance to the tissue. Examples of substances delivered next too existing hair follicles might include:  hair follicular cells or inductive dermal papilla (sheath) cells, a hair follicle growth factor such as autologous platelet plasma, noncellular pharmaceutical products such as finasteride (Propecia®) or minoxidil (Rogaine®). By way of contrast, pigment ink is delivered in the case of tattoos.

The Robotic arm includes one or more cameras mounted on the arm, a processor for the images captured, and a controller to operate and reposition the robotic arm automatically, based, in part, on the image processing, in view of delivering the substances to other target locations. The robotic arm also has means of specifying the amount of the substances delivered, and the depth of penetration in the skin.

The abstract of this invention is included below.

Automated systems and methods for delivery of a therapeutic or cosmetic Substance into cutaneous, Subcutaneous or intra muscular tissue, wherein an automated (e.g., robotic) arm is maneuvered to position a delivery device proximate a targeted location (e.g., an existing hair follicle, a location for implanting a skinfiller, or a location for intradermal tattoo ink injection) on a patient’s skin Surface; and a substantially automated process is used to cause the delivery device to puncture the skin Surface and penetrate to a desired depth into the tissue at the targeted location, and deliver the Substance therein.[Abstract US20080167674A1]

The Figure 1 patent drawing is also included, where :

"[0072] The drawing depicts an image-guided robotics system 25 including a robotic arm 27 with a delivery tool assembly 30 attached to a distal tool plate 20 of the robotic arm 27. The delivery tool assembly 30 includes a delivery needle (or “cannula”) 36 extending from a tubular body 24, which in turn extends from a delivery tool housing 22 attached to the tool plate 20. The delivery cannula 36 is axially stiff, e.g., made of a hard metal or plastic, and thin-walled to facilitate tissue penetration, and has a beveled, tissue piercing, open distal tip.

[0073] The robotic arm 27 has a base 29 mounted on a stable platform (table) 23. A patient 38 is positioned relative to the robotic arm 27, so that a targeted body surface (in this instance, the patient's scalp) 32 is directly underlying the distal tip 37 of the delivery cannula 36. […] the robotic system 25 includes one or more cameras 28 (two are visible in FIG.1) mounted on the delivery tool housing 22 (which in turn is mounted on the distal end tool plate 20 of the robotic arm 27). A processor (not shown) associated with the robotic system 25 receives and processes images acquired by the one or more cameras. The robotic system 25 includes a controller (also not shown) that is operatively associated with the processor and configured to precisely maneuver the arm 27 in six degrees of freedom based, at least in part, on images acquired by the one or more cameras 28 and processed by the processor." [Extracted from US20080167674A1] 

This FDA-approved robotic hair transplant system is marketed right here in the Bay Area under the tradename ARTAS. It is used locally at such treatment centers as the Silicon Valley Hair Institute. 

References

ARTAS

https://artas.com/

Silicon Valley Hair Insitute

http://siliconvalleyhairinstitute.com/

Chinese New Year 2019! 恭喜发财

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

This year, the Chinese New Year (CNY 2019) ushers in the Year of the Pig. 

In China, the CNY is called the Spring Festival. It is celebrated throughout China. The festival lasts 16 days. The Spring Festival is a lunar festival that begins on the new moon (the CNY), culminating on the full moon. The full moon selected in the one closest to the start of Spring (Spring Equinox, which is March 20 this year.) 

The Chinese lunar calendar, based on the 29-day cycles of the moon, reconciles the 11-day difference between the lunar year 354 days and the solar year 365 days, using a leap month every three years. Thus, each year the CNY starts 11 days earlier than the previous festival, except on a leap year when it starts 19 days later than the previous festival.

The CNY and Festival of Spring is celebrated with many events and performances, including the traditional Lion Dance and other Martial Arts performances, dragon parades, and fireworks. (For a list of events refer to: Aridi, 2019 - NYTimes; Wu, 2019  - SF Chronicle; Herrendeen, 2019 - Mercury News). Without fireworks, you still get to see the last full moon of winter.

The Year of the Pig refers to the Chinese Zodiac. One of 12 animals punctuates each year of a 12-year cycle. The animals that are part of the Chinese Zodiac are the following :

 rat (鼠—shǔ), ox (牛—niú), tiger (虎—hǔ), rabbit (兔—tù), dragon (龙—lóng), snake (蛇—shé), horse (马—mǎ), goat (羊—yang), monkey (猴—hóu), rooster (鸡—jī), dog (狗—gǒu), and pig (猪—zhū).

恭喜发财 (May you have a prosperous new year, in Mandarin.)

References

Chinese New Year net

https://chinesenewyear.net/

Aridi, S. (Feb 4, 2019) Seven cultural events celebrating the Lunar New Year – NY Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/arts/lunar-new-year-cultural-events-new-york.html

Wu, G.  (Feb. 3, 2019) Lunar New Year: Girls and women changing San Francisco’s Lion Dance legacy – SF Chronicle

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Lunar-New-Year-Girls-women-changing-San-13585951.php  

Herrendeen, L. (Jan 28, 2019 ) 23 Lunar New Year events in the SF Bay area – The Mercury News

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/01/28/20-lunar-new-year-events-in-the-bay-area/