Copyright © Françoise Herrmann
Like the brand name HOKA, the 2017 Arahi running shoes also have a Maori name. Arahi in the Maori language of New Zealand means “to lead” or “to guide”, consonant with “pathfinder”. Additionally, the 2017 HOKA One One* Arahi midsole is a patented design.
The US design patent USD790174, titled Footwear midsole was awarded on June 27, 2017, to Kyle Pulli (US), and assigned to Deckers Outdoor Corporation in California. As a reminder, a US design patent covers the ornamental properties of an invention, or what the object looks like. In contrast, a US utility patent covers the functional properties of the design, or how an invention works and/or is manufactured (USPTO – MPEP).
The below patent Figure 1 depicts a front perspective view of the patented design, together with an image of a marketed 2017 HOKA One One Arahi women’s running shoe. The broken lines on the drawing indicate those parts of the design that are excluded from patent protection.
_____
*Note - Originally, the brand name HOKA, meaning "to fly" in Maori, was called HOKA One One - "to fly over the earth", pronounced "Oh-nay, Oh-nay", a term which means "earth" in Maori. Thus, some of the early models are prefixed with the original brand name HOKA One One.
References
Deckers (website)
HOKA (website)
USPTO MPEP – Chapt. 1502-01 – Distinction between design and utility patent.
No comments:
Post a Comment