Patents on the soles of your shoes...: 2022

Saturday, December 31, 2022

Van Cleef & Arpels end-of-2022 tweet!

Reference
Van Cleef & Arpels Heritage Collection - 1960s -1970s.

https://www.vancleefarpels.com/us/en/collections/high-jewelry/the-heritage-collection/1960s-to-1970s.html

Friday, December 30, 2022

Oh, kids! Gitanjali Rao, young inventor

What were you doing, when you were 10 years old? According to the USPTO inventor-profiling series, Journeys of innovation, 10-year old Gitanjali Rao was compelled to figure out what she could do to help remove lead from contaminated water in Flint, MI. A story she had heard on TV News, which led her to think that kids, just like her, were drinking contaminated water in their community, and getting sick. She thought that there must be a way to remove such dangerous substances. No wonder that in 2020, at fifteen years of age, Gitanjali was featured as Time Magazine Kid of the Year. No wonder, but how extraordinary!

Her first invention, titled System and method for detecting contaminants in water was awarded the US utility patent US11085907, on August 10, 2021. The invention, called the Tethys, after the Greek Titan Goddess of fresh water, recites the use of carbon nanotubes to detect unsafe drinking water, containing lead. Specifically, the invention comprises a carbon nanotube sensor, configured to detect one or more contaminants in the water. When the sensor is dipped in water, lead binds to the chloride ions of the sensor, creating lead chloride molecules, which increase resistance to the current, inside the nanotube. In general, the amount of lead detected is proportional to the increase in resistance to the current.

Then, the microcontroller, connected to the carbon nanotube sensor, determines the level of contamination of the water, based on the difference between the resistance encountered inside the nanotube, and a set of pre-existing resistances. Finally, depending on whether the difference is found above, or below, two different threshold levels, the water is then determined safe, moderate risk, or unsafe for drinking. The results are sent via wireless Bluetooth® connection to a mobile device, where they are gauge-displayed.

Below, an image of the Tethys system prototype inside its housing, together with the patent Figure 3D, depicting the water decontamination device 300, and insulating cartridge 303, comprising the carbon nanotube sensor. Both the image of the prototype, and the patent Figure 3D, depict the system inside a housing, designed to protect all the components of the Tethys system.

The image of a Marvel comic book cover, depicting Genius Gitanjali, the young Tethys inventor, is also included below, together with the abstract of her first invention.

Devices, systems, and methods for detecting contaminants in water are provided. A device may include: a sensor configured to detect one or more contaminants in a liquid when the sensor is dipped into the liquid; a computing device connected to the sensor, the computing device being configured to determine a resistance of the device when the sensor is dipped into the liquid; and a wireless electronic device connected to the computing device via one or more wireless links and configured to receive the resistance of the device when the sensor is dipped into the liquid from the computing device, and the wireless electronic device determines a level of contamination in the liquid based on a difference between the resistance of the device when the sensor is dipped into the liquid and a set or predetermined resistance. [Abstract US11085907]

References

Gitanjali Rao - Time Kid of the Year 2020.
https://time.com/5916772/kid-of-the-year-2020/

Prisco, J. (Feb. 15, 2018). Gitanjali Rao wants to make polluted water safer with lead-detection system.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/28/health/gitanjali-rao-young-scientist-winner/index.html

USPTO – Journeys of innovation: One girl’s commitment.
https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/journeys-innovation/field-stories/one-girls-commitment

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Oh, patents! Glucose-monitoring contact lens

Yes, that’s right, smart contact lenses, comprising Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) nanotechnology, that continuously measures and analyzes glucose levels in tear film, sending information to your mobile device for the management of diabetes. In a nutshell, this is what the Medella Health smart contact lenses are all about: paving the way for on-eye tear diagnostics. Pioneers in smart contact lenses, because beyond nano-glucose monitoring, tear film contains many important biomarkers of health, all of which are potential sources of personal health information.

The YouTube video below explains how the smart lens works:

Winner of an International Runner-up James Dyson Award, the many aspects of the Medella Health smart contact lens, comprising LOC or Micro Total Analysis System (µTAS), are recited in a family of patents:

CA2948010A1 - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.
CN106793943B - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.
EP3131454A4 - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.
US20170042480A1 - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.
WO2015157855A1 - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.

The US20170042480A1 abstract, of the Medella Health smart contact lens invention, is included below.

Various embodiments are described herein for a Functional Contact Lens (FCL) for detecting at least one target analyte. The FCL may comprise a substrate for supporting electronic components and providing structural support for the functional contact lens; at least one sensing element disposed on the substrate for sensing the at least one target analyte and undergoing a physical change representing a sensed signal; and an antenna disposed on the substrate for transmitting the sensed signal to an external device, the antenna being coupled to the at least one sensing element. [Abstract US20170042480A1]

References

Medella Health
http://medella.ca/

Medella Health - James Dyson Awards.
https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/en-US/2016/project/smart-contact-lens-platform/

Monday, December 26, 2022

Terminology – WOTTIES 2022 – Macquarie Dictionary - The People’s Choice (2)

The People’s Choice of the Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year (WOTY) is seldom the same as the dictionary’s WOTY Committee selection. This year is no exception. The People’s Choice of the Macquarie Dictionary 2022 WOTY is bachelor’s handbag, a take-out roasted chicken that requires no further preparation. The Macquarie Dictionary definition is included below, together with a picture of such a bachelor bag, captured in Perth, Australia.

People choice of the Word of the Year 2022

bachelor’s handbag noun Colloquial (humorous) a takeaway roast chicken. [from the fact that such a chicken requires no further preparation before consumption, so is seen as an easy meal favoured by a single person, and is often packaged in a small plastic bag with a handle, resembling a handbag].

The People’s Choice was selected from a shortlist of fifteen 2022 WOTY candidates, extracted by the dictionary’s WOTY Committee, from a longlist of sixty-nine 2022 WOTY candidates. Considering that shortlisted WOTY candidates are no less interesting than the winner of them all, the Macquarie Dictionary 2022 WOTY shortlist is included below, together with their dictionary definitions. All the terms are new, 2022 additions to the Macquarie Dictionary.

barbiecore noun a fashion characterised by an all-pink colour palette, especially bright pink. [trademark for a popular female doll Barbie +CORE].

bossware noun Computers Colloquial software installed on an employee's computer which allows their employer to remotely monitor and measure activity and productivity, as by logging keystrokes and mouse movement, taking screenshots, etc..

brigading noun the organisation of a concerted effort by a large number of people to effect a particular action or change, as by online voting or reviewing.

clapter noun applause from an audience to indicate agreement with a comedian's joke or statement, especially one of political and social nature. [CLAP + (LAUGH)TER]

e-change noun a move from a city environment to a rural location, made possible by the facility of being able to, and being permitted to, conduct one's work remotely from home. [E + (SEA) CHANGE]–e-changer, noun.

gigafire noun a fire which burns through more than 100000 ha. Compare megafire, terafire. [GIGA- + FIRE].

goblin mode noun Colloquial a pattern of behaviour characterised by an embrace of indolence and slovenliness. [from the grotesqueness ascribed to the appearance of a GOBLIN]

hidden homeless phrase the, people with no home who stay temporarily with friends, family members, etc., and who do not access homeless support services during this period.

nepo baby noun Colloquial (sometimes derogatory) a celebrity, often in the entertainment industry, who has a famous parent. Also, nepotism baby. [so called from the insinuation that they have attained a high profile as a result of their parent's fame or connections].

orthosomia noun insomnia thought to be caused by preoccupation with obtaining the amount and quality of sleep recommended by a wearable sleep tracking device, often resulting in anxiety, which can in turn adversely affect sleep quality and the ability to fall asleep. [ORTHO- + (IN)SOMNIA]

pirate trail noun a trail which has been established or constructed without the required permission, used for mountain biking.

prebunking noun the practice of challenging the veracity of misinformation or disinformation, and the authority of its source, before such information is disseminated. [modelled on DEBUNK +-ING]

quiet quitting noun the practice of strictly limiting oneself to performing the tasks within one's job description, and working only the hours for which one is contracted. –quiet quitter, noun.

skin hunger noun desire for loving or friendly physical contact with another. Also, touch hunger.

spicy cough noun the, Colloquial COVID-19.

teal noun (also upper case) Politics an independent political candidate who holds generally ideologically moderate views, but who supports strong action regarding environmental and climate action policies, and the prioritising of integrity in politics. [so called as many of the candidates use the colour teal in their electoral material]

truth telling noun the act of relating the facts of a situation, exclusive of any embellishment or dilution applied as justification for past actions.

yassify verb to apply multiple filters and edits to an image or digital photograph, in order to transform the original image to one which is glamorous and beautiful. [from YAS QUEEN, popularised in 2021 by a Twitter account which posts such images] –yassification, noun.] Maquarie WOTY Shortlist]

References
Macquarie Dictionary
https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/

Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year Shortlist
https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/blog/article/898/

Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year Shortlist (pdf version)
https://media-macquarie-wspdigitalproduction-com.s3.amazonaws.com/media/hosted_files/Shortlist_WOTY2022.pdf

Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year Longlist
https://media-macquarie-wspdigitalproduction-com.s3.amazonaws.com/media/hosted_files/Public_Longlist_WOTY2022.pdf

Saturday, December 24, 2022

Terminology - WOTTIES 2022 – Macquarie Dictionary ‘teal’ (1)

The Macquarie Dictionary is the official dictionary of Australian English. A committee that included two dictionary editors, the publisher, and two well-known Australian broadcasting personalities, selected the 2022 Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year (WOTY): “teal”, and the runner-up WOTY “truth-telling”. The selections were made from the political category of a longlist of sixty-nine new words, admitted to the Dictionary in 2022. According to the Macquarie Dictionary WOTY committee, the 2022 WOTY "teal" and runner-up WOTY "truth-telling", respectively reflect the current year’s successful palette of “green + Liberal blue” politics, and the future reconciliation of Australian politics, which promises to include parliamentary representation for the First Nations Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, in 2023.

The Macquarie Dictionary WOTY committee also selected three honorable mention 2022 WOTTIES: “bachelor’s handbag (a takeout roasted chicken), goblin mode (the COVID-19 slovenly lifestyle), and the spicy cough (a facetious synonym for COVID-19).

The Macquarie Dictionary WOTY Committee selections are listed below, together with the extracted dictionary definitions. [Macquarie WOTY 2022]

2022 Word of the year

teal noun (also upper case) Politics an independent political candidate who holds generally ideologically moderate views, but who supports strong action regarding environmental and climate action policies, and the prioritising of integrity in politics. [so called as many of the candidates use the colour teal in their electoral material]

2022 Runner-up WOTY

truth-telling noun the act of relating the facts of a situation, exclusive of any embellishment or dilution applied as justification for past actions.

Honorable mentions

bachelor’s handbag noun Colloquial (humorous) a takeaway roast chicken. [from the fact that such a chicken requires no further preparation before consumption, so is seen as an easy meal favoured by a single person, and is often packaged in a small plastic bag with a handle, resembling a handbag]

goblin mode noun Colloquial a pattern of behaviour characterised by an embrace of indolence and slovenliness. [from the grotesqueness ascribed to the appearance of a GOBLIN]

spicy cough noun the, Colloquial COVID-19.

References
Macquarie Dictionary
https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/

Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year 2022
https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/resources/view/word/of/the/year/2022

Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year Longlist
https://media-macquarie-wspdigitalproduction-com.s3.amazonaws.com/media/hosted_files/Public_Longlist_WOTY2022.pdf

Shepherd, T. (Nov. 28, 2022). Teal named Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year – ‘an emblem of Australia’s political landscape’. The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/29/an-emblem-of-australias-political-landscape-macquarie-dictionarys-word-of-the-year-is-teal

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Terminology - WOTTIES 2022 - The Merriam-Webster shortlist (2)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

If gaslighting is the uncontested Merriam-Webster Word of the Year 2022, the list of competing Merriam-Webster 2022 WOTY candidates is no less interesting. The following words, together with their definitions, were shortlisted.

oligarch: Merriam-Webster notes that, even if the term oligarch has Greek roots, the use in question refers specifically to Russia, as in “one of a class of individuals who through private acquisition of state assets amassed great wealth that is stored especially in foreign accounts and properties and who typically maintain close links to the highest government circles.” In this sense, searches for the term spiked 521% in early March 2022, when the US and other countries placed sanctions on Russian oligarchs and their families, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Omicron: To avoid the geographical stigma of origin, the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to use Greek letters to name the various significant mutations of the COVID 19 virus. In November 2021, the fifteenth letter of the Greek Alphabet “Omicron” was designated to name the most recent significant mutation of the virus, causing spikes in searches at the Merriam-Webster dictionary online, every time the news was flooded with Omicron-related headlines.

endemic: Merriam-Webster defines endemic as: “a term used to describe a disease that is constantly present in a particular place". Consequently, the term endemic spiked 874% in January 2022”, in connection with the term Omicron.

codify: Searches for the term codify are reported to have spiked 193% in 2022, due to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, on June 24, 2022. Code means "law" in this particular case, referring directly to President Biden's suggestion that he would push for Congress to codify abortion rights, during the next Congressional session in 2023.

LGBTQIA: An old abbreviation expanded for inclusiveness. The abbreviation stands for: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (one’s sexual or gender identity), Intersex and Asexual/Aromantic/Agender”. The term spiked in 2022, during the whole month of June, corresponding to the month-long celebration of Gay Pride. The term spiked again in the aftermath of a deadly shooting, at a gay nightclub, in Colorado Springs.

sentient: This term spiked 180% in the aftermath of an incident involving a Google engineer, who claimed that the company’s AI Chatbox had developed humanlike consciousness. A claim that the company vigorously denied, placing the employee on paid leave.

loamy: This term refers to “a soil consisting of a friable mixture of varying proportions of clay, silt, and sand”. Searches for the term loamy are reported to have surged, when it was selected Quordle, a much harder version of the popular New York Times online game Wordle, on August 29th.

raid: The term “raid” surged 970% in August 2022, after the FBI executed a search warrant at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach residence. The event also prompted spikes in related searches for the term banana republic, referring to "a small and despotically run country".

Queen Consort: The title “Queen Consort” is reserved for the spouse of a reigning monarch. Following accession to the throne of the British King Charles III, on September 8, 2022, the title Queen Consort was bestowed upon Camilla, his wife.

References

Merriam-Webster (website)

https://www.merriam-webster.com/

Staff (Nov. 28, 2022). Word of the Year 2022 – Gaslighting.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-of-the-year

NYT Wordle

https://nytwordle.io/

Quordle

https://www.quordle.com/#/

Friday, December 9, 2022

Terminology: WOTTIES 2022 - Merriam-Webster "gaslighting" (1)

Merriam-Webster has selected gaslighting, “the act of grossly misleading someone, especially for one’s own advantage”, as the Word of the Year (WOTY) 2022.

Gaslighting is a term imported into the English language from the 1944 American psychological thriller, titled Gaslight. A big screen adaptation of the 1938 British theatre play, Gas Light by Patrick Hamilton, and blockbuster that received no less than seven Academy Award nominations, and won two, for Best Actress (Ingrid Bergman), and Best Production Design.

Gaslight was the macabre story of a husband scheming to drive his wife crazy with lies and deceit, for the usual mix of envy, greed, lust and ambition. As a result, the meaning of the term gaslighting, in 1950:

[...] psychological manipulation intended to make a person question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator [Merriam-Webster]

was tightly correlated to the movie, and slightly different from the meaning in 2022, where it has become consonant with modern forms of personal and political deception, mediated by a vast array of technologies, such as fake news, deepfake, and AI in marketing.

To further circumscribe the meaning of gaslighting in 2022, Merriam-Webster distinguishes the term gaslighting from other terms, expressing deceit. Terms such as lying –which is personal, fraud –which involves organizations, and the more euphemistic, such as falsehood, untruth and prevarication, or the innocuous term fib. Additionally, Merriam-Webster offers the following examples of usage, extracted from various mainstream sources:

"I am sorry you feel this way” approach, along with avoiding an argument in lieu of admitting fault, is good old fashioned gaslighting. [Psychology Today]

Patients, who have felt that their symptoms were inappropriately dismissed as minor or primarily psychological by doctors, are using the term “medical gaslighting” to describe their experiences and stories. [New York Times, March 28, 2022.]

My Committee’s investigation leaves no doubt that, in the words of one company official, Big Oil is gaslighting the public. [Rep. Carolyn R. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, Sept. 14, 2022.]

In any event, the true meaning of gaslighting might lie in the numbers (no pun intended). With so many diversified technologies and channels of communication, available to mislead and disinform, searches for the term gaslighting this year spiked a whopping 1740% online at Merriam-Webster, conferring without contest the title of Merriam-Webster WOTY 2022 to gaslighting.

References

Staff (Nov. 28, 2022). Word of the Year 2022 – Gaslighting. Merriam-Webster

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-of-the-year

Cabral, S. (Nov. 29, 2009). Gaslighting: Merriam-Webster picks its word of the year. BBC.com

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63798242

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Terminology - WOTTIES 2022 - Oxford English Dictionary "Goblin Mode"

Remnants of pandemic lockdowns? Cynicism in a looming recession? The term goblin mode won the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Word of the Year (WOTY) 2022 contest. A contest breaking an almost 20-year tradition of committee-selected WOTY, at the famous English dictionary that claims to be: The definitive record of the English language for more than 1000 years.

Goblin mode was competing for the Word of Year 2022 with Metaverse and the hashtag #IStandwith, when it won by a huge landslide. Indeed, Goblin mode won almost unanimously with 93% out of the more than 340,000 votes cast. Metaverse came in second with just 4% of the votes.

Defined as: “a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations”, the consensus makes one wonder.

How representative was the sample of votes cast? Does the selection of goblin mode reflect post-pandemic experience, or is it the expression of unanimous liking for a term, that sweetly embraces going feral? The Guardian further describes Goblin Mode as:

“embracing the comforts of depravity: spending the day in bed watching 90 Day Fiancé on mute while scrolling endlessly through social media, pouring the end of a bag of chips in your mouth; downing Eggo toaster oven waffles with hot sauce over the sink because you can’t be bothered to put them on a plate. Leaving the house in your pajamas and socks only to get a single Diet Coke from the bodega.”

Regardless of speculations on the reasons motivating voter preferences, Goblin mode will certainly go down in the OED history of WOTTIES, as the first people’s choice of the winner of ‘em all in 2022.

References

Paul, K. (March 14, 2022). Slobbing out and giving up: why are so many people going ‘goblin mode’? The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/mar/14/slobbing-out-and-giving-up-why-are-so-many-people-going-goblin-mode

Oxford Word of the Year

https://languages.oup.com/word-of-the-year/

Schuessler, J. (Dec. 4, 2022). The Word of the Year Goes Goblin Mode. NYTimes.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/arts/goblin-mode-oxford-word.html

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Terminology - WOTTIES 2022 - Cambridge Dictionary "homer"

The Cambridge Dictionary has selected homer as the 2022 Word Of The Year (WOTY). Nothing new about this word in the United States, where it has been a winner, at least since the dawn of baseball.

A homer is a home run, originally in baseball, one of America’s favorite sports. Indeed, a homer is scored when the batter is able to hit the ball with such force that s/he is able to run through all the bases to home base, in a single bat. When all the bases are loaded with previous players, a homer also scores points for each player, moving to home base. The YouTube video below shows Aaron Judge's 62nd home run, on Oct. 4, 2022. A homer, marking a record-breaking streak for any single player, in a single-season of American League professional baseball.

What is extraordinary about the selection of homer (not Homer, the Greek) as WOTY in 2022, is that searches for the word homer, at the online Cambridge Dictionary website, were reported to have spiked to 65,000, in a single day, on May 4th, when homer was wordle in the free, Internet word-guessing game, called Wordle®. An increase in searches that made homer the 2022 WOTY, in part because Cambridge Dictionary selects WOTTIES based on the qualitative and quantitative observation of terms searched online at the dictionary’s website, and in part because the American-English term homer threw so many British-English speakers into search mode.

However, you might also be wondering, what is Wordle®? Alternatively, why isn’t wordle, or the verb to wordle, the 2022 WOTY? After all, Wordle® is a word-guessing game that has taken over the Internet, even prompting the New York Times to purchase the online game for a low-seven figure. (Cunningham, 1-30-2022).

Briefly, in response to the first question about the Wordle® game: Josh Wardle’s Wordle®, is a cross between crossword puzzle and the Wheel of Fortune. An empty grid of 5 by 6 squares enables players to guess the 5-letter wordle of the day, in six attempts. The only clues provided are also the instructions, included below:

To answer the second question about the term wordle (noun or verb) not making the 2022 WOTY cut, the reason is probably that too few people queried the Cambridge Dictionary for the term wordle, preventing the word from even becoming a 2022 WOTY candidate. In fact, all of the searches that spiked for 2022 WOTY candidates were apparently other five-letter wordles. Wordles such as bayou, tacit, caulk and humor, with American-English spelling reported to have driven some of the searches, together with a bit of British-English speaker annoyance for getting stumped. Conversely, searches for the wordle bloke, the British-English equivalent of fellow in American-English, were also reported to have spiked, the wordle bloke, this time having vexed folks from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

References

Cunningham, A. (1-31-2022) NYTimes spends low seven figure to by Wordle. NY Times
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/01/whats-a-five-letter-word-for-acquire-nyt-buys-wordle-for-low-7-figures/

The Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year 2022
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/editorial/woty

Rosenberg, A. (Oct. 3, 2022). What’s Wordle? Here’s everything you need to know.
https://mashable.com/article/wordle-word-game-what-is-it-explained (since Oct, 2021 – John Wardle – inventor)

Sunday, November 20, 2022

Breaking good news! Slaughter-free meat

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

UPSIDE Foods Inc has just received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for the marketing of lab-grown meat. In a nutshell, this means the availability of real chicken (and in the future, beef, porc, or duck), grown from animal cells in a laboratory, without hurting, force-feeding, or slaughtering animals.

The UPSIDE Foods Inc website makes it all sound very easy. Primary cells from a chicken, or fertilized egg, are sampled. Ideal cells for establishing a commercial cell line are selected. The cells are nourished with a proprietary cell-culture medium. Then, the cells are cultivated, in a cultivator, at the right temperature and oxygen levels. About three weeks later, the cultivated tissue is harvested from the cultivator, and any leftover cell medium is removed. Currently, the resulting tissue is chicken muscle. In the future, the harvested tissue might be beef, duck, or porc, each product ready to be “inspected, prepared, packed, served, and enjoyed”.

Indeed, the fabrication process even appears easier than the problem of scaling production for mass consumption. At the end of the day, many people, not necessarily vegetarians, are eagerly waiting for 100% real meat that is also 100% cruelty-free (i.e.; does not involve killing any animals).

UPSIDE Foods Inc meat is a patented invention. At least three patent applications recite the UPSIDE Foods Inc cultivated meat invention, each patent awarded to groups of scientists at UPSIDE Foods Inc:

US20210235733A1 - Characteristics of meat products.
US20220073870A1 - Nutrient media for the production of slaughter-free meat.
US20220333081A1 - Generation of cell-based products for consumption that comprise proteins from exotic, endangered, and extinct species.

Below, an UPSIDE Foods Inc image of harvested chicken tissue, both raw, and prepared for delectable human consumption.

References

Reynolds, M. (Nov. 16, 2022). A Lab-Grown Meat Startup Gets the FDA’s Stamp of Approval. Wired Magazine.

https://www.wired.com/story/lab-grown-meat-approval/

UPSIDE Foods Inc. (website)
https://upsidefoods.com/

Saturday, November 19, 2022

Oh, patents! Squaregles® Oggs™!

Squaregles® magnetic building-tile kits might be combined with manipulable, multi-piece toy sets with interchangeable parts, called OGGS™. These small cuties comprise three independent and cooperating parts: 1. a head with face features, 2. a base such as a toy robotic body part, or a toy car part, and 3. an attachment part such as a helmet or hair, serving to connect the head and base parts. The OGGS™ are thus designed to be manually, and easily, assembled, re-assembled, configured and re-configured, to roll around, or to stay put, according to a child’s fantasy play world, and available interchangeable parts.

OGGS™ are a patented invention. The US utility patent, US20190217212A1, titled Manipulable multi-piece toy, was awarded, on July 18, 2019, to Joseph Kelley and Noah Ornstein, both OGGS™ inventors. The invention seeks to provide a toy that is easily manipulated and produced, while still remaining customizable, adjustable, reconfigurable, and usable in different play worlds. For example, the OGGS™ spherical head part with face features is also made of rubber, so that it can be used as a small ball that bounces, or a marble that rolls around, independently from a base or attachment part. Base or attachment parts, which once connected or reconnected to the OGGS™ spherical head, provide their many different identities, for example, as an alien, a robot, a humanoid, a pilot, a driver or boat captain. The patent thus discloses some of the possibly boundless OGGS™ assemblies and configurations.

The patent Figure 1 displays an exploded view of a manipulable, multi-piece OGGS™ toy 10, in a disassembled configuration. The disassembled OGGS™ toy configuration 10 comprises a spherical (head) part 12 with face features 26, a base part 14, embodied as a car with wheels 32, and axle 38, and an attachment part 16, embodied as a helmet. The attachment (helmet) 16, has a housing 50, with a hollow cavity 24, designed to cooperate with the upper portion 42 of the spherical (head) part 12. The base (car) 14 has a receiving seat or depression 20, forming a recess 46, designed to cup the lower portion 36 of the spherical (head) part 12. The spherical (head) part 12 is secured within the depression 20, of the base (car) 14, using the extensions 28 of the attachment (helmet) 16. The extensions 28, of the attachment (helmet) 16, are designed to cooperate with the tabs 30 of the base (car) 14. The extensions 28 of the attachment (helmet) 16, are further equipped with small beads 44, which engage the fastening elements 18 of the base (car) 14, comprising small depressions 40, on the tabs 30. Thus, children are able to snap all the parts together and to pull them apart, to exchange and reconfigure their OGGS™, in their play.

The scope of the Squaregles® OGGS™ invention extends to many varying bases 14, such as, for example, trucks, tractors, cycles, motorcycles, rail crafts, boats, personal watercrafts, snow mobiles, spacecrafts or surfboards, as well as varying bases in the shape of animal, insect, robotic or humanoid bodies. Likewise, many different sorts of attachment pieces 16, designed to cooperate with the bases 14, for the purposes of securing the spherical OGGS™ parts 12 (i.e., heads with facial expressions), also fall within the scope the OGGS™ invention.

Below, a YouTube video, all about OGGS™, together with the abstract of the invention.

A manipulable multi-piece toy having a spherical body that is removably captured between a base and an attachment member is provided. The base and the attachment member are configured to have portions of a coupling element associated therewith. The base also has a depression with curvature for receiving and securely retaining a first portion of the spherical body in its assembled configuration. In some configurations, the depression comprises a seat with geometry that mates with geometry of the spherical body. By one approach, the base includes a vehicular or figure body. In another aspect, the attachment member includes, for example, a helmet, a hat, a headdress, hair, horns, ears, and/or a mask. [Abstract US20190217212A1]

Reference
Squaregles® (website)
https://squaregles.com/

Thursday, November 17, 2022

Oh, patents! Squaregles® frames

The design of Squaregles® frames is also patented. The US design patent USD867263S1, titled Toy building frame, was awarded on November 19, 2022, to John Kelley and Noah Ornstein, both co-founders of Squaregles® and the inventors of the construction toy.

The patent figure below depicts two embodiments of the triangular Squaregles® frames, where oblique lines represent transparent or translucent pieces, and broken lines represent aspects of the design, unclaimed in the patent. Images of boxed Squaregles® construction triangles, and of children assembling the magnetic triangle frames and panels, are also included.

USD867263S1

As a reminder, a design patent only covers the ornamental aspects of an invention (i.e., what the invention looks like) vs a utility patent that describes how the invention functions (i.e., what the invention does). (MPEP Section 1502.01)

References

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

Squaregles® (website)

https://squaregles.com/

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Oh, patents! Squaregles® panels

The designs of Squaregles® magnetic building panels are also patented inventions. For example, the US design patent, USD868169S1, titled Toy building panel, covers two embodiments of a Squaregels® tower panel. The patent was awarded on Nov. 26, 2019, to Joseph Kelley and Noah Ornstein, both cofounders of Squaregles®, and the inventors of the Squaregles® construction game.

The patent figure drawings below show two embodiments of the invention design. The oblique lines appearing on one of the figures indicate a transparent or translucent surface, whereas broken lines, on both embodiments, indicate aspects of the design that are unprotected. The patent figures are shown together with the image of a marketed Squaregles® set, showing the patented design panels assembled as a translucent yellow tower.

Reference
Squaregles® (website)
https://squaregles.com/

Sunday, November 13, 2022

Oh, patents! Squaregles®

Pop! Click! Snap! Squaregles® magnetic frames, panels, bridge clips, and Oggs™, are all about building, imagination, problem-solving, and Getting lost in play®. Award-winning, STEAM(1) toy, Squaregles® is also a patented invention.

The US utility patent, US10918963B2, titled Magnetic building tiles, granted to Noah Ornstein and Joseph Kelley, on February 16, 2021, is one of a dozen patents, reciting the Squaregles® invention. Specifically, this patent discloses all the various toy-building components of the Squaregles® invention, in 95 patent figure sheets, the 15-page description of their endless combinations, and 44 claims.

Compared to the prior art of toy building kits that might replicate a particular model, the Squaregles® toy building kits are designed to combine and recombine endlessly, according to a child’s fantasy and imagination-at-play. Furthermore, Squaregles® are not only reconfigurable, the building kits are also customizable and alterable, according to each child’s creativity. Thus, for example, the building tiles not only connect and disconnect, using magnets, clips or other means, the tile frames are also connectable to varying building elements. Similarly, tile panels can also be colored, decorated and graphically altered.

Below, the patent Figure 2 depicts an exploded square magnetic tile 10, comprising a tile frame 12 and an exploded tile panel 18 with two tile panel walls, 26 and 28. The tile frame 12, in Figure 2, is shown comprising two portions, 14 and 16, which may be connected together, using the connection mechanism 22. A releasable, snap-fit, magnetic connection 22, comprising two joint portions, 32 and 34, that are designed to mate. The snap-fit connection mechanism 22 of the two tile frame portions, 14 and 16, enables to securely bring a tile panel 18, together with a tile frame 12. Conversably, the snap-fit magnetic connection 22 is also releasable, so that tile panels are removable and exchangeable, when both portions of the tile frame, 14 and 16, are pulled apart.

The Figure 2 further depicts a series of brick-shaped magnets 20, inserted inside the sides of the tile frame 12. The inserted magnets 20 enable one side of a magnetic tile 10 to connect with the side of another magnetic tile 10, also square, or of triangular shape. Within the sides of the tile frame portions, 14 and 16, the magnets 20 might otherwise have different cylindrical or spherical shapes, so that they are able to rotate, in view of adjusting their polarity, when in contact with the magnets of other building tiles.

The abstract of the Squaregles® invention is included below.

A building system includes a plurality of building tiles and / or connectors that are magnetically and releasably connectable to one another. The magnetic building tiles are comprised of a tile frame and a tile panel. The tile frame, by one approach, is comprised of two connectable frame portions or elements having magnets embedded therein. The first and second frame elements are connectable to one another through a snap, clip, or another similar connection mechanism. The first and second frame elements are connectable around or into the tile panel, which is removable from the magnetic building tile. The tile panel or the tile frame has a channel into which the other of the tile panel or tile frame extends to secure the two pieces together. In another approach, the tile frame is a single element and the tile panel may snap or attach thereto, such as, for example, through fasteners or friction. [Abstract US10918963B2]

Note

(1) The Acronym STEAM indicates a toy that requires the application of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math, while building.

Reference
Squaregles® (website)
https://squaregles.com/

Thursday, November 10, 2022

Terminology - WOTTIES 2022 - The Collins shortlist (2)

The Word of the Year (WOTY) shortlist is no less interesting than the winner of them all. Especially this year, since the terms shortlisted are all related to permacrisis, the Collins WOTY selected for 2022.

Below, the shortlist of the 9 words that competed with permacrisis, together with the Collins animated gif files and jpeg stills, illustrating each of them. The list includes 5 additional neologisms, added to the Collins Dictionary in 2022: partygate, lawfare, warm bank, quiet quitting and splooting.

partygate: [noun, informal]

carolean: [adjective; origin from the Latin Carolus meaning Charles]

Kiev: [noun]

lawfare: [noun]

quiet quitting: [noun, informal]

splooting: [noun, slang]

sportwashing: [noun, informal]

vibe shift: [noun, slang]

warm bank: [noun]

References

The Collins Word of the Year is…

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/woty

Shariatmadari, D. (Nov. 1, 2022). A year of permacrisis - Collins – Language Lovers Blog.

https://blog.collinsdictionary.com/language-lovers/a-year-of-permacrisis/

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Terminology - WOTTIES 2022 - Permacrisis - Collins English Dictionary (1)

The Collins English Dictionary has selected the neologism permacrisis, as the winning 2022 Word of the Year (WOTY). According to Collins, the term permacrisis, is defined as "an extended period of crisis and instability“, which sums up “just how truly awful 2022 has been for so many people.” A difficult year, not only in the United Kingdom specifically, where the third Prime Minister has just moved to Downing Street, but also in the world at large.

Record high inflation, driving prices up, and overshadowing miraculous recovery from the COVID 19 pandemic; the horrific invasion of Ukraine, bringing famine in the Third World, and everyone else on the brink of nuclear warfare; climate crisis with once-in-a-century floods in parts of Australia, South East Asia and Venezuela.… that is permacrisis in 2022 —the opposite of stability and security.

Below, the Collins animated Gif for permacrisis, showing some of the major 2022 disasters, cascading inexorably on a conveyor belt. As Shariatmadari stated on the Collins' Language Lover's Blog, the term permacrisis "perfectly embodies the dizzying sense of lurching from one unprecedented event to another, wondering what new horrors might be around the corner."

References

Collins Permacrisis gif file.
https://resources.collins.co.uk/Dictionary/WOTY22/22.10.21_6709%20HARP_PERMACRISIS_RF_V3.gif

Milman, O. et al. (Oct. 20, 2022). ‘Nature is striking back’: flooding around the world, from Australia to Venezuela. The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/20/flooding-world-climate-crisis-australia-venezuela-nigeria

Shariatmadari, D. (Nov. 1, 2022). A year of permacrisis. Collins – Language Lovers Blog.

https://blog.collinsdictionary.com/language-lovers/a-year-of-permacrisis/

Suliman A. (Nov. 1, 2022). ‘Permacrisis’ is a dictionary’s word of the year in ‘truly awful’ 2022. The Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/11/01/permacrisis-2022-word-year-collins-dictionary/

Monday, October 31, 2022

Oh, Cartier! Must for Men

Must de Cartier, with a "u" pronounced, in French, as in the French pronoun of address tu, means “Cartier, it’s a must!”

Indeed, English modals of necessity entered the world of French luxury folklore, in the early 1970s, with the creation of the Cartier Must (have) collections. Beginning with Cartier Tank watches, a Cartier Must Tank collection was created for the blockbuster Cartier Tank watch, originally designed by Louis Cartier, in 1917. The first perfume ever created by the House of Cartier, in the 1970s, was also called Must de Cartier, for both men and women. A perfume that different Cartier-commissioned perfumers have re-invented, several times since.

The container, for the Must de Cartier (2000) perfume for men, is a patented invention. The US design patent, USD453106S, titled Perfume container, was awarded, on January 29, 2002, to the inventor, Thierry Peltrault, and assigned to Cartier International B.V., in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The Must de Cartier (2000) perfume for men was created by Nathalie Feisthauer. The Must de Cartier for men (2000) is a complex amber spicy fragrance, including first Anise, Olive Leaf, Green Mandarin, Carnation, Grapefruit, Coriander Bergamot, then Cinnamon and Ginger, and finally Vanilla, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Cedar, Musk, Vetiver and Patchouli.

Below, the patent Figure 1 depicts a front view of the bottle created for the Must de Cartier (2000) perfume for men, together with an image of the marketed embodiment of the invention.