Patents on the soles of your shoes...: 2025

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Oh, patents! At CES 2025 - Kirin electric salt

If you have to cut your salt intake for health reasons, and you are dissatisfied with the bland taste of low-sodium food, rejoice! The Kirin electric salt spoon, a CES 2025 Innovation Honoree in the Digital Health, Accessibility and AgeTech category, offered a solution with a gigantic inventive step.

The electric salt spoon is brought to you by one of Japan’s top-ranking companies, the 150-year-old Japanese Kirin Brewery Co., now Kirin Holdings, in collaboration with the Japanese Meiji University, Miyashita Laboratory of Frontier Media Science, School of Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences. The Kirin electric salt spoon replaces dietary salt by applying a patented electric current to the food in your mouth.

Rest assured, however, that the device has been extensively tested for length and strength of stimulation, according to food type, to eliminate any potentially unbearable sensations. As a result, no worries about running an electric current on the food, in contact with your mouth. An electric current, called electric salt, since it is designed to provide the taste of saltiness, without any of the caveats associated with disobeying professional healthcare orders.

The Kirin electric salt spoon is recited in the European Patent, EP4389198A1, titled Taste presentation device and taste presentation method. A utility patent that discloses the invention, while also reciting all of the associated device-testing research, carried out at Japan’s Meiji University, Miyashita Laboratory. The patent was granted on June 26, 2024, to the Japanese inventors Ai Sato and Homei Miyashita.

The included patent Figure 1 depicts an embodiment of the electric salt invention, recited as the taste presentation device 10. Specifically, the Figure 1 unpacks the invention's components, comprising a first electrode 11, in contact with the user’s body 1, a second electrode 12, in contact with food or drink 2, and a device 13, designed to generate current between the two electrodes 11 and 12.

More specifically, the Figure 1 depicts the first electrode 11, in contact with the user’s hand, which could instead be the user’s tongue; and the second electrode 12, on a muddler 3a, immersed in food or drink 2. A second electrode 12, on a muddler 3a, which could instead be a spoon, a fork, chopsticks, or even the whole bowl 3, containing the food or drink 2, a dish, a mug, a cup, a straw, etc., without departing from the scope of the invention. Indeed, as long as a current passes through the first electrode 11, in contact with the user’s body 1, and the second electrode 12, in contact with food or drink 2, users were found able to taste varying degrees of saltiness.

However, despite the recited scope of the electric salt invention, that could extend to chopsticks and bowls, a spoon was selected as the first marketed Kirin electric salt product. A selection that was based on survey research results. Results where respondents (29 out of N= 31) ranked ramen noodles and miso soup as the two food items in need of the strongest taste, and therefore as the top two items that needed to be experienced as delicious, when users had been prescribed a bland, low-sodium diet. Recited research results also indicated that the electric salt spoon use, intended to provide the prized strong taste of the two food items, varied according to participants, but all of them experienced increased saltiness.

The patent abstract of the invention is included below. An image of the marketed Kirin electric salt spoon, comprising the two electrodes and current generator with noise reduction unit, is also included above.

In a taste presentation device having a first electrode (11) and a second electrode (12) that are provided to allow an electric circuit to be formed between a food or drink to be taken by a user and a body of the user, and an electric stimulus generation unit (13) that supplies a current for generating an electric stimulation between the first electrode (11) and the second electrode (12), the electric stimulus generation unit (13) includes a noise reduction unit (17A, 17B) that reduces a noise component in the current. [Abstract - EP4389198A1]

References
CES 2025 Innovation Award Honoree
https://www.ces.tech/ces-innovation-awards/2025/electric-salt-spoon/
Kirin Electric salt spoon shop
https://electricsalt.shop.kirin.co.jp/
Kirin Staff (May 20, 2024). Kirin Holdings will begin online sales of "Electric Salt Spoon", a spoon that uses electricity to enhance salty and umami taste*1, on May 20.
https://www.kirinholdings.com/en/newsroom/release/2024/0520_01.html

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Terminology – More ADS/LSA 2024 Words of the Year

Every year, members of the very distinguished, 136-year-old, American Dialect Society, and more recently the Linguistic Society of America, choose more than one Word of the Year, in various interesting categories, such as: Most likely to succeed, Most creative, Most informal, or Most fun while it lasted. Members also chose the Political and Digital Words of the Year, and deleted the Emoji of the year category.

Below, the list of all the selected terms, including the 'runners up', which are always at least as insightful as the winning terms, in each category. The winning terms in each category are starred. The list, minus the 'broligarchy' illustration, is reproduced verbatim from the ADA/LSA Press Release.

WORD OF THE YEAR (2024)
* rawdog: to undertake without usual protection, preparation, or comfort (extension of earlier meaning ‘to have sex without a condom’)
brat: someone who exudes a confident, hedonistic attitude (in the style of Charli XCX); also adj./ attrib. as in brat summer crash out: to act irrationally or impulsively; to reach one’s limit; also crashout: a person characterized by extreme emotional reactivity
cooked: totally exhausted or broken beyond repair; humiliated, outperformed or swiftly defeated; hopeless, desperate
sanewashing: downplaying or restating extreme political rhetoric to make it more palatable, esp. referring to whitewashing media coverage
yap: to talk excessively or enthusiastically (valued negatively or positively); also yapper (enthusiastic talker), yapanese (incomprehensible chatter)

MOST USEFUL
* lock in: to enter a state of deep focus and concentration
bedrot, bedrotting: the act of lying in bed and avoiding daily responsibilities (also, more positively, hurkle-durkle, n. or v.)
cooked: totally exhausted or broken beyond repair; humiliated, outperformed or swiftly defeated; hopeless, desperate
crash out: to act irrationally or impulsively; to reach one’s limit; also crashout: a person characterized by extreme emotional reactivity
eat (esp. in past tense ate): to execute, accomplish, or complete something remarkably well; also devour, 4+4 = ate

MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED
* unserious: lacking a properly serious attitude, often as a dismissive putdown
aura: charismatic presence, often associated with athletes (also aura points)
girlypop: fun, trustworthy female friend (also as an adj.: cute, pretty, or stereotypically girly)
NIL: name, image, and likeness (means for student athletes to receive financial compensation)
tariffied: afraid of the consequences of excessive tariffs

POLITICAL WORD OF THE YEAR
* Luigi: used in reference to Luigi Mangione, charged in deadly shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, as in Luigi-pilled, Luigification, Luigi intensifies; also as a verb (to get Luigi’ed)
bleach blonde bad built butch body: epithet used by Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex.) toward Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) after Greene insulted Crockett

broligarchy: political structure controlled by a small group of powerful men, especially those considered “techbros”
burrito taxi: mocking term in arguments about the rising prices of using food delivery apps, ridiculing the idea that it is a sign of inflation
lib out: to have false or unrealistic hope and positivity for the future from embracing mainstream Democratic politics
sanewashing: downplaying or restating extreme political rhetoric to make it more palatable, esp. referring to whitewashing media coverage
weird: strange, bizarre, out of step with the mainstream (as used by Tim Walz and other Democrats about Donald Trump and J.D. Vance)

DIGITAL WORD OF THE YEAR
* brainrot: mental deterioration from consumption of media/content held to have no redeeming value; also the media itself
AI slop: content generated by artificial intelligence of little value, often intended to flood search results
cope, n: belief or practice that someone uses to emotionally or intellectually deal with a negative circumstance or situation
tradwife: wife who fulfills notions of traditional gender roles, often in line with the white supremacist subculture
Xit, Xodus: mass departure of users from Twitter/X

INFORMAL WORD OF THE YEAR
* rawdog: to undertake without usual protection, preparation, or comfort (extension of earlier meaning ‘to have sex without a condom’)
cooked: totally exhausted or broken beyond repair; humiliated, outperformed or swiftly defeated; hopeless, desperate
mewing: jaw-strengthening technique developed by British orthodontist John Mew; a do-ityourself facial restructuring method (also jawmaxxing)
mog: to outdo in attractiveness or appearance; to assert dominance based on physical appearance (derived from AMOG, ‘alpha male of group’)
W, adj.: being the best of its kind or an excellent instance of something (as in W rizz or W crashout)
yap: to talk excessively or enthusiastically (valued negatively or positively); also yapper (enthusiastic talker), yapanese (incomprehensible chatter)

MOST CREATIVE WORD OF THE YEAR
* “the X I X-ed”: phrasal template with an invented irregular verb, used as a playful intensifier (as in “the gasp I gusped/guspt,” “the scream I scrempt”)
broligarchy: political structure controlled by a small group of powerful men, especially those considered “techbros”
in da clerb, we all fam: viral quotation used to facetiously assert solidarity, derived from a Broad City sketch
-maxxing (combining form): enhancement to “maximize” one's attractiveness or appeal (as in looksmaxxing, jawmaxxing)

MOST FUN WHILE IT LASTED WORD OF THE YEAR (special category)
* brat: someone who exudes a confident, hedonistic attitude (in the style of Charli XCX); also adj./ attrib. as in brat summer
demure: modest and reserved in outlook or appearance, as popularized on TikTok by lifestyle and beauty influencer Jools Lebron
hawk tuah: the sound or action of spitting, esp. in preparation for oral sex; popularized by Hailey Welch in a viral video
hold space: to create a safe space for a person, concept, or thing; to be present without judgment

References

American Dialect Society

https://americandialect.org/

American Linguistic Society

https://www.lsadc.org/
Zimmer, B. & Dr. K.A. Wright (Jan. 10, 2025). American Dialect Society Selects rawdog as 2024 Word of the Year. Press Release. American Dialect Society, Dept. of Linguistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

Monday, January 20, 2025

Terminology – The ADS/LSA Word of the Year 2024 is ‘rawdog’

On January 10th, 2025, at the conclusion of the 35th Annual Word of the Year (WOTY) vote, the distinguished American Dialect Society (ADS), since1889, in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America (LSA), since 1924, selected the term ‘rawdogging’ as the Word of the Year 2024. A term meaning: “to undertake something difficult without usual protection, preparation, or comfort”, that crossed over into mainstream usage from the original slang meaning “to have sex without a condom”. Thus, for example, the uses of the term ‘rawdog’ in the following sentences was selected as WOTY 2024 :

- Forgot my headphones and had to rawdog my treadmill run.
- Raw dogged a 7-hour flight without phone, headphones or water (new personal best).
- Raw dogged my everyday allergies and sinus sensitivities

Three hundred attendees, including linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, grammarians, historians, researchers, writers, editors, students, and independent scholars, were present to vote on the term ‘rawdog’, in a session jointly presided by Ben Zimmer, Wall Street Journal columnist and Chair of the ADS New Words Committee, and Dr. Kelly Elizabeth Wright, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the New Words Committee data czar. The joint statement issued at the end of the session was the following:

Rawdog has recently and rapidly burst its sexual bounds to refer to engagement in any activity without the typical preparation or in stonecold sobriety. In 2024 folks rawdogged flights, family dinners, and final exams. As one nominator commented this evening, rawdog is a great choice for Word of the Year as we collectively rawdog the future of American politics in 2025.

Selection of the ADS/LSA Word of the Year is a much-anticipated event, as the whole process of nominating, deliberating, and final voting, is informed by the longstanding expertise of its members.

References
American Dialect Society
https://americandialect.org/
American Linguistic Society
https://www.lsadc.org/
Zimmer, B. & Dr. K.A. Wright (Jan. 10, 2025). American Dialect Society Selects rawdog as 2024 Word of the Year. Press Release. American Dialect Society, Dept. of Linguistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
https://americandialect.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-Word-of-the-Year-PRESS-RELEASE.pdf

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Vroom! At CES 2025 - Aptera EV solar panel design

The layout of solar panels on the Aptera EV longitudinal axis is a patented invention. The US design patent, USD939430S1, titled Solar panel layout on a vehicle, was granted on December 28th, 2021. The patent was awarded to four inventors: Jason Hill (US), Steve Fambro (US), Chris Anthony (US), and Darren McKeage (US). The patent was assigned to Aptera Motors Corp.

As a reminder, a US design patent only covers the ornamental aspects of an invention, or how the invention looks. How an invention works, and/or how the invention is produced, are aspects of an invention covered in US utility patents. Thus, the present design patent only covers how the panels look on top of the Aptera EV, rather than how they work, or how they are manufactured to capture energy on the roof, front and rear car hood. Only a utility patent covers how the captured solar energy is designed to provide users with a minimum quantity of free power each day.

Below, the patent Figure 1 depicts a plan view of the solar panel layout, on the Aptera EV longitudinal axis, together with a top view image of the soon-to-be-launched Aptera EV.

Reference

Aptera (website)

https://aptera.us/

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

Monday, January 13, 2025

Vroom! At CES 2025 – Aptera grid-free EV

Still hesitant about getting an electric vehicle (EV)? Afraid to run out of charge in the middle of your trip? In comes Aptera's multi-patented, aerodynamic, grid-free, solar-powered EV. With a 700kw, patented, solar-paneling system, built into the aerodynamic roof, front and rear hood of the car, drivers get 40 miles of free solar power, each day, just from driving. Otherwise, the car has a 400-mile range, on a full charge from the grid, with a built-in lightning-fast charger.

The trade-off for such a solar gem? The Aptera is a two-seater with three wheels.

The US design patent, USD633821S, titled Aerodynamic vehicle, was awarded on March 8th, 2011 to a group of nine American and Canadian inventors: Jason Hill (US); Tom Reichenbach, (US); Kurt Danielson, (US); Larry Thomas (US); Miles Wheeler (US); Marques McCammon, (US); Paul Wilbur (US); Nathan Armstrong, (CA) and Dean Bartolomucci,(US).

Below the patent Figure 1, showing a right perspective view of the Aptera solar-powered car, together with an image of the gullwing-door Aptera. On hold since 2019, due to the pandemic, the USD 40,000 Aptera is scheduled to enter the market later this year.

Reference

Aptera (website)

https://aptera.us/

Thursday, January 9, 2025

Oh, patents ! At CES 2025 - Envision AR smart binoculars

After re-inventing telescopes, Unistellar, a French company located in Marseille, has re-invented binoculars, earning a CES 2025* Innovation Honoree Award, in the Extended Reality (XR) technology category. The new Unistellar smart binoculars combine Augmented Reality (AR) and premium optics into a device called Envision, for use during daytime exploring and nighttime skygazing.

The AR precision orientation system superimposes metadata onto a natural image, viewed with the Envision smart binoculars. For example, the AR system will superimpose the digital names of all the peaks of a mountain range on a landscape visualized during day time, and will mark all the points of a constellation on a night sky, visualized through the Envision binoculars.

Thus, a binocular user no longer has to search for, and identify, points of interest on a landscape, using a map, a compass or an app in addition to binoculars. Likewise, the user no longer needs to use a constellations app to try and find Andromeda, Sagittarius or Pegasus in the night sky. The AR precision orientation system will superimpose digital information onto a visualized night sky, or will superimpose digital information on a visualized landscape, just using Envision AR smart binoculars.

The AR Envision system also has an ingenious bookmarking system, so that once the user identifies a landmark of interest, the localized landmark can be bookmarked. In turn, the Envision ARA binoculars might be passed onto a friend, who will be able to find the landmark in the vastness of a landscape, using the superimposed digital bookmark.

The binoculars are connected to a mobile device, equipped with an app, for access to the databases containing the digital metadata. The user can search for a particular constellation by name, so that the metadata will appear on the night sky visualized with the Envision AR binoculars. Or the user can call up metadata with a button on the Envision AR binoculars to identify what is being visualized on the night sky, alternatively to make sense of panoramic scenery during daytime exploration.

Envision AR smart binoculars are not only intended to greatly enhance the experience of novice astronomers and outdoor explorers, making it easy to identify and find stars or landmarks. Unistellar has also partnered with Nikon for premium optics, so that the binoculars are also intented for more seasoned users.

The use of AR to transform binoculars into smart binoculars is a patented invention. The US patent application US20210405341A1, titled Method for producing a digital image, associated computer program and optical system, was filed on September 7th, 2021, by Unistellar. The four inventors on record are: Arnaud Malvache, Antonin Borot, Benjamin Lefaudeux and Laurent Marfisi.

The patent abstract is included below, together with an image depicting superimposed digital data on a natural view of the moon. The superimposed digital data identifies the Moon, and indicates the Sea of Serenity on the moon. This image, and the one above, were both extracted from a Nikon+Unistellar Youtube video, advertising for the Envision AR smart binoculars.

The invention relates to an optical system for restoring a natural image combined with a digital image, in order to characterise and highlight the objects represented on the natural image. The optical system includes an objective lens, an eyepiece, a semi-reflective plate, a processing unit, capturing means and restoring means. The invention also relates to a method for producing such a digital image.

[Abstract US20210405341A1]

---------------

Note

*The largest Computer Electronic Show, CES 2025 will run January 7-10 in Las Vegas California.

References

CES 2025

https://www.ces.tech/

Nikon x Unistellar (YouTube Video)

https://youtu.be/N5HU1rAB__0

Unistellar (website)

https://www.unistellar.com/

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Happy 2025!

2025 SmileBox