Patents on the soles of your shoes...: Oh, patents! Jerry the Bear™ (2)

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Oh, patents! Jerry the Bear™ (2)

Sproutel’s original 2012 Jerry the Bear™ pediatric toy was awarded a US design patent. As a reminder, a US design patent covers the ornamental properties of an invention. In other words, a design patent protects the way an invention looks, in contrast to how an invention works, which is protected in a utility patent. The US design patent, USD714884S1, titled Educational doll for children with chronic illness, was awarded on Oct. 7, 2014.

Below, the extracted patent Figure 1 drawing of the educational doll, embodied as a bear, together with an image of the earlier marketed Jerry the Bear™ toy. Both the patent Figure 1, and the image of the marketed bear, display the bear’s Glucopal, a small screen on the bear’s belly, through which children interact, to the play with Jerry the Bear™.

Ten food cards are visible in front of the marketed image of the bear. Food cards, which the children hold up to the bear’s snout for feeding (i.e., scanning). Before feeding the bear, children organize the food cards into snacks and meals, counting “dot” carbs’. Each carb dot is equal to a dot of insulin, required before the bear snacks or has lunch. The bear’s insulin pen is also visible on the image of the marketed bear. Children use the insulin pen for supplying insulin at the bear’s marked injection sites, on arms and legs. Glucose testing is performed by squeezing the bear’s finger buttons. Glucose test results are then displayed on the Glucopal, for interpretation of blood sugar levels (i.e., hyper- or hypo- glycemic, plus variations).

Jerry the Bear™ also has tickle spots on his ears, and secret tickle spots on his back. The Figure 1 patent drawing shows the ear tickle spots, the finger glucose testing buttons, the triangle leg injection sites, and foot pads, with "dotted lines' to indicate that the US design patent does not cover these aspects of the invention. Tickle spots, marked injection sites, together with the many functional aspects of the invention, briefly mentioned above, including the game storylines that provide coherence to playing with Jerry the Bear™, are all covered in US utility patents.