Blog 28: Halloween Mask with Flash Device

Another interesting/silly patent is US 6035447, which is a Halloween mask with a flash device. The patent is for a mask with a flash device that can both enhance the effect of the a frightening Halloween mask as well as act as a safety device for the user by making the user more visible to drivers at night.



Assuming that a Halloween mask with an LED light had not already been previously established, I believe that this patent would be fairly legitimate--it would combine two pieces of prior art, a scary Halloween mask and an light source. These two items are in very different fields--one is a cosmetic figure that allows for a frightening effect and the other is a nearly universal product with industrial and residential applications. However, the patent is somewhat obvious, especially when considering that such a mask would be used primarily at night, and a light source would be required for the mask to take full effect--therefore an ordinary person with an ordinary level of imagination would probably figure out a way to keep the mask illuminated in darkness.

The second function of the mask, to improve driver visibility to seems to be a trivial improvement, but still contributes to the legitimacy of the patent.

http://www.google.com/patents/US6035447?pg=PA2&dq=6035447&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mXODUeSEJ4SLiAKw5IFw&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAA

Blog 27: Method for Swinging on a Swing

Filed in November 17, 2000, US 6368227 is a patent for a method of swinging on a swing. The method of swinging on a swing is different because it emphasizes a sideways, lateral motion on the swing, rather than the traditional forward-and-backward motion.



I don't believe that there has been any prior art for this specific method of swinging sideways on a swing, but I believe this patent should fail the obviousness threshold. Any ordinary adolescent (with an ordinary imagination) who has been on a swing set has used the swing in both a traditional forward-backward motion as well as in a non-directional, side-to-side way. The patent calls for pulling on each side of the swing's chain, although I do not understand how an ordinary person would be able to replicate what the patent calls for, given that it is very difficult to pull on a taut chain and create lateral movement. This seems like a silly patent that should not have been granted based on sheer obviousness of the method alone.

http://www.google.com/patents/US6368227?dq=6368227&hl=en&sa=X&ei=bHODUfTFH8KqiQKdwIHwDQ&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA