Oh, patents! Longchamp® (5) Le Pliage (vintage)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Some of the Longchamp® Le Pliage models are already vintage. For example, the model included below with vertical zippers, allowing the handbag to expand with color-contrasting gussets, is vintage. It was granted the US design patent USD495486S1, titled Handbag.

As a reminder:

“a utility patent” protects the way an article is used and works (35 U.S.C. 101), while a “design patent” protects the way an article looks (35 U.S.C. 171) [MPEP Chapt. 1502.01; [R-07.2015]]. 

Figures 2 and 7, extracted from the patent, show the vintage Longchamp® Le Pliage, top-handle handbag, respectively zipped and unzipped. Also included, the image of a previously marketed model, in tan, with contrasting white gussets. 

References

Lonchamp®

https://us.longchamp.com/

MPEP – Chapt. 1502-01 – Distinction between design and utility patent

https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s1502.html

Oh, patents! Longchamp® (4) Le Pliage Travel

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

The Longchamp® Le Pliage Travel bag is designed with a horizontal zipper so that the bag might expand when unzipped. The Longchamp® Le Pliage Travel bag was awarded the US design patent USD530909S1, titled Handbag. As a reminder:

“a utility patent” protects the way an article is used and works (35 U.S.C. 101), while a “design patent” protects the way an article looks (35 U.S.C. 171) [MPEP Chapt. 1502.01; [R-07.2015]].

Below, the patent cover-page figure drawing, showing the Longchamp® Le Pliage Travel bag zipped and unzipped, together with images of one of the marketed Lonchamp® Le Pliage Travel bags, also zipped and unzipped.

References

Lonchamp®

https://us.longchamp.com/

MPEP – Chapt. 1502-01 – Distinction between design and utility patent

https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s1502.html

Oh, patents! Longchamp® (3) Mini Pliage (leather)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

In 2012, Longchamp® created a collection of all leather Le Pliage handbags. In 2014, the mini leather Le Pliage handbag came out. The mini leather Le Pliage design was granted the US design patent USD755512S1, titled Handbag.   As a reminder:

“a utility patent” protects the way an article is used and works (35 U.S.C. 101), while a “design patent” protects the way an article looks (35 U.S.C. 171) [MPEP Chapt. 1502.01; [R-07.2015]].

Figure 1, extracted from the US design patent USD755512S1, is included below, together with two models of the Longchamp® mini leather Le Pliage, currently marketed. 

References
Lonchamp®
https://us.longchamp.com/

MPEP – Chapt. 1502-01 – Distinction between design and utility patent

https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s1502.html

Oh, patents! Longchamp® (2) Collaborations

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Since 1993, when the first Longchamp® Le Pliage handbags were deployed in six different fabric colors with leather handles, hundreds of vibrantly different Le Pliage models have been designed. Among the hundreds of designs, those special editions commissioned in collaboration with local and international designers and artists, such as Jeremy Scott, Mary Katrantzou, Sarah Morris, Shayne Oliver (founder of Hood by Air in NYC), Cloé Floirat, and the most recent 2019 collaboration with  Nendo /Oki Sato.

The explosion of Le Pliage creativity is even chronicled in a book titled Le Pliage Longchamp, written by French author Laure Verchère. 

Longchamp®  Le Pliage by Jeremy Scott

Longchamp®  Le Pliage by Cloé Floriat

Longchamp®  Le Pliage by Nendo - Oki Sato

Longchamp®  Le Pliage by Sarah Morris

Longchamp® Le Pliage by Mary Katrantzou

Longchamp®  Le Pliage by Shayne Oliver

References
Camuset, J.C. (18 avril 2019) Pour Longchamp, Nendo crée des sacs origami
https://ideat.thegoodhub.com/2019/04/18/lonchamp-nendo-cree-sacs-origami/
Cloé Floirat
http://www.cloefloirat.com/
Mary Katrantzou
https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/mary-katrantzou
Sarah Morris
https://sarahmorris.com/
Nendo - Oki Sato
http://www.nendo.jp/en/biography/
Shayne Oliver
https://www.showstudio.com/contributors/shayne_oliver
Pfeiffer, A. (11 avril, 2016) Jeremy Scott, La pop attitude de Longchamp – Le Monde
https://www.lemonde.fr/m-mode/article/2016/04/14/jeremy-scott-la-pop-attitude-de-longchamp_4902229_4497335.html
Jeremy Scott
https://www.jeremyscott.com/
Laure Verchère (2014) Le Pliage Longchamp – Paris, France – Editions Assouline

Oh, patents! Longchamp® (1)

Copyright Françoise Herrmann

One Longchamp® Le Pliage handbag is estimated sold every minute worldwide, 2.5 million are manufactured every year, and more than 32 million have been sold since 1993 when they were first launched in Paris, France. Inspired by Japanese Origami (the art of folding paper), the term pliage is derived from the French verb plier, which means “to fold”. Indeed, Le Pliage bags, fold and unfold. Some Le Pliage bags are even designed with zippers to make them expansible. Above all, Le Pliage bags are designed to be light and practical.

Initially made exclusively of nylon fabric with leather handles, the French luxury brand Longhamp® intended to design a handbag accessible to everyone.  Le Pliage handbags were first designed in 6 different fabric colors. Since then, numerous collaborations with local French artists and international designers, have produced more than 150 versions, excluding the customization possibilities of the online "design your own" Le Pliage handbag. 

Longchamp® has been granted more than 100 US design patents, not only for the designs of the various Le Pliage bags, but also for the many different sorts of Longchamp® handbags created every year.

As a reminder a US design patent is different from a US utility patent in that:

“a utility patent” protects the way an article is used and works (35 U.S.C. 101), while a “design patent” protects the way an article looks (35 U.S.C. 171) [MPEP Chapt. 1502.01; [R-07.2015]].

The patent figure drawings below, shown together with a red marketed Le Pliage handbag, are extracted from the US design patent USD452073S1, titled Handbag. 

 

References

Chua, P. (21 march 2018) 10 things you didn’t know about Longchamps and its popular Le Pliage bag. Town & Country.

https://www.townandcountry.ph/style/fashion/longchamp-facts-a00208-20180321-lfrm
Longchamp®
https://us.longchamp.com/
Longchamp® - Le Pliage personalized
https://us.longchamp.com/pliage/personnaliser/389/L1801389IT099

Success story: L’histoire du sac Longchamp MarieClaire.fr

https://www.marieclaire.fr/,le-pliage-de-longchamp,20453,485897.asp

L’histoire de marques: Longchamp (03-09-2006)

https://www.fashions-addict.com/L-histoire-des-marques-Longchamp_461___43.html

USPTO - MPEP – Chapt. 1502-01 – Distinction between design and utility patent
https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s1502.html

Oh, patents! Evercare® Lint roller

Copyright ©  Françoise Herrmann

Got lint on your clothes? Pet hairs?

Lint rollers will remove this unsightly fluff in a single sweep. Comprising a roll of adhesive tape and a  handle around which the adhesive roll of tape rotates, lint rollers (in a variety of different shapes and forms) will rid you of all the unwanted fibers that might be clinging to your clothes and elsewhere.

The assembly of the Evercare® lint roller is patented in the US utility patent US6055695A titled Lint roller assembly. This patented invention resolves the prior art problematic situation of handles breaking off the roller support section, since both the handle and roller support were molded as separate sections, in separate molds. In contrast, the invention lint roller handle and lint roller support are molded as two single hollow and substantially similar pieces to be assembled longitudinally rather than transversally. Thus, once the two longitudinal sections of the invention lint roller assembly are connected together, preferably using pins and sockets molded inside the hollow sections, they form a single connected handle and cylindrical roller support. 

Likewise, the invention lint roller assembly resolves the prior art problematic situation of lint roller friction, preventing free rotation around the roller support.  In contrast, the invention lint roller support part of the assembly is molded with evenly spaced ribs, intended to minimally contact the lint roller, and thus to minimize any friction that might prevent free rotation of the roller around its support.

The Figure 1 exploded drawing of the invention and an image of the marketed Evercare® lint roller product are included below, together with the abstract of this invention.

The Figure 1 patent drawing shows an elevated exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, comprising the lint roller assembly 10. The lint roller assembly 10 is depicted both assembled in the center, and prior to assembly on each side, with substantially similar hollow longitudinal parts 12. The two substantially similar hollow longitudinal parts 12 further comprise a handle portion 14 and lint roller support portion 16. When both parts come together they form the assembled handle 15 and the lint roller support 17, in the center. The adhesive lint roller 20, which is inserted over the lint roller support 17, is also depicted. 

A lint roller assembly is disclosed for rotatably supporting a tubular and cylindrical adhesive lint remover roller. The assembly includes a pair of elongated housing parts which are substantially identical to each other. Each housing part includes an elongated handle section and a semi-cylindrical lint roller support section longitudinally adjacent the handle section. The lint roller support section has an outer diameter less than the diameter of the adhesive roller. The housing parts are secured together in a facing relationship by registering pins and sockets formed on the housing parts. In doing so, the lint roller support sections form a cylindrical lint roller support for the adhesive roller while the handle sections abut against each other to form a handle. [Abstract US6055695A]

Reference

Evercare®

https://evercare.cleanerhomeliving.com/

International Day of the Girl Child 2019

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Twenty-four years ago, in 1995, on the occasion of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China, The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, was adopted. A 132-page Declaration that captures baseline precedence on the status of women worldwide, while remaining the blueprint for action to date.

Indeed, It is in this Declaration (p.3) that “Women’s rights are human rights” was proclaimed, together with the designation of 12 key areas in need of critical action. Among the key areas identified, The girl child (p. 109), with a call for 26 specific points of urgent action. For example, urgent action to end the violence of female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriages and sexual abuse; or urgent action to ensure equal access to sufficient nutrition for the girl child, to schooling, training, mental and healthcare services; as well as public action, more generally directed at guaranteeing that the girl child will be able to reach her full potential and skills.

Since then, the girl child has not been forsaken, at least in principle, if not on a case by case basis. In particular, the girl child was included within the context of the first UN Millenium Development Goals (MDG), followed by the second UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), a vast UN-led program of action, in increments of 15 years, launched for the purposes of ending poverty and inequities worldwide. Thus, girls now have greater access to elementary education. Girls are also now backed by the findings of the first UN MDG program, possibly some of the most revolutionary findings of gender equality research, namely that "equality for women and girls is progress for all".  Where women, and girls in their footsteps, do better, lead happier, healthier, educated and productive lives, the rest of the society, or nation does better.

However, despite findings and documented achievements in improving equal access to the basics of nutrition, education and healthcare services for the girl child, over the course of a quarter-century, reports on the status of the group, and individual cases of the girl child, remain heartbreaking. Here are some of the global numbers that are still in need of slashing, followed by those specific to West and Central Africa, one of the most destitute regions of the world.
Global figures

•        12 million girls under 18 are married
•         130 million girls worldwide are still out of school
•         133 million girls and women have experienced female genital mutilation (FMG) in 29 countries of Africa and the Middle East
•         15 million girls and adolescents have experienced sexual abuse

West and Central Africa

• Twenty-eight percent of young women aged 20-24 have given birth before the age of 18. Adolescent birth rates are greatest among the poorest households and adolescent pregnancy is a major cause of death among 15-19-year-old girls. (Banati, P. & C. Muller, 10 Oct. 2019) 
• Exposure to violence increases risks of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Girls account for seventy-six percent of new HIV infections among adolescents aged 10-19 in WCAR. (Banati, P. & C. Muller, 10 Oct. 2019) 

Today’s theme for the International Day of the Girl Child celebrates the resilience of the girl child: Girl force: Unscripted and unstoppable. Below the official UN Youtube video.

References

Banati, P. & C. Muller (10 Oct. 2019)  Hopes and dreams for adolescent girls in West and Central Africa - UN Evidence for Action

https://blogs.unicef.org/evidence-for-action/hopes-dreams-adolescent-girls-west-central-africa/

UNICEF - International Day of the Girl Child 2019
https://www.unicef.org/gender-equality/international-day-girl-2019

UNICEF - A familiar face: violence and abuse in the lives of children and adolescents (Nov. 2017)

https://data.unicef.org/resources/a-familiar-face/

UNESCO Doc – Reducing global poverty  through universal primary and secondary education

https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000250392

UNICEF – Child marriages (June 2019)

https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/child-marriage/

Female genital mutilation/cutting and violence against women and girls: Strengthening the policy linkages between different forms of violence

https://tinyurl.com/yy76xv3l

UN Millennium Development Goals

https://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

UN Sustainable Development Goals

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/

UN - Equality for women means progress for all (March 8, 2014)

https://news.un.org/en/story/2014/03/463472-equality-women-means-progress-all-un-officials-declare-marking-international

UN WOMEN – the Beijing platform then and now

https://beijing20.unwomen.org/en/about

UN Women - 12 critical areas of action in the Beijing Platform  for Action

https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/csw59/feature-stories

UN Women – International Day of the Girl Child

https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/girl-child

Beijing Declaration and Platform for action 1995

https://www.un.org/en/events/pastevents/pdfs/Beijing_Declaration_and_Platform_for_Action.pdf

World Vegetarian Day 2019

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

If you are having a hard time following the USDA Guidelines for daily fruit and veggie intake, using pyramids or plates, and eating so many veggies, then World Vegetarian Day might not be such a fun day. Except that the tide has turned radically in 2019.

Indeed, the vegetarian world has become better empowered with new food technologies, such as those marketed by Impossible Foods Inc., and Beyond Meat®, now each available at supermarkets in the US. New food technologies that have raised the bar on faux meat, responding successfully to the challenge of creating products that have the texture, smell, color, and taste of real meat—enough to even mislead consumers into believing they are eating real meat, in a blind testing situation. 

More than faux meat, Beyond Meat® is even marketing itself as a movement, to save the planet both from global warming, and the ethical issues at stake in consuming animal-based products. Indeed, for a company such as Beyond Meat®, selling products mimicking chicken, beef, and pork that went public on the NASDAK Stock exchange in May 2019, with the ticker symbol BYND and an IPO share price of $25, trading 4 months later at $148 USD, that is quite a  following! As for Impossible Foods Inc., the Stanford U.-connected company could not keep up with production when the company’s famous Impossible™ Burger went on sale at Burger King®, earlier this year.

Thus, the hope, in both companies, using different processes and sources of plant-based proteins, is that more people will consume less meat, and that even those who have become vegetarian will buy into the faux meat menu options that they offer. An already winning gambit, since PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)* named Beyond Meat®, Company of the year, as early as in 2013.

To get involved, or for more information, please visit World Vegetarian Day here!

*Caution: Difficult content

References

Beyond Meat

https://www.beyondmeat.com/products/
BYND (NASDAK realtime quote)
https://tinyurl.com/y6qpvcr6

Impossible Foods Inc. 

https://impossiblefoods.com/

PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals*

https://www.peta.org/

World Vegetarian Day

https://worldvegetarianday.navs-online.org/

USDA Food Guides

https://www.choosemyplate.gov/eathealthy/brief-history-usda-food-guides

Patents for faux meat @ Patents on the soles of your shoes....
Oh, patents! Patented meat (July 9, 2019)
https://patentsonthesolesofyourshoes.blogspot.com/2019/07/oh-patents-patented-meat.html
Oh, patents! More Impossible Foods Inc., patents (July 19, 2019)
https://patentsonthesolesofyourshoes.blogspot.com/2019/07/oh-patents-more-impossible-foods-inc.html
Oh, Patents! Beyond Meat® (July 27, 2019)
https://patentsonthesolesofyourshoes.blogspot.com/2019/07/oh-patents-beyond-meat.html 
Oh, patents! Impossible Burger® vs. Beyond Burger®(July 29, 2019)
https://patentsonthesolesofyourshoes.blogspot.com/2019/07/oh-patents-impossible-burger-vs-beyond.html