Hey everyone! This is my seventh IEOR 190G Blog Post!

I will be discussing the various patents for insulating beverages again, only this time I will be focusing more on the anticipation and obviousness of these patents specifically on the issues related to invalidity, priority date and prior art.

The patents that were examined (and the prior arts they cited) were:

• Thermal Coffee Cup

• Sleeve Construction For Improved Paperboard Cup Insulation (with dots)

• which cites the thermal coffee cup

• Insulating Sleeve (with hooks and flat aigret)

• Beverage Cup Sleeving System and Method (accessories, pocket, keychain, microwave, corrugated etc.)
• claims priority over Provisional Application No, 60/839,259 as it is entirely contained within this patent

• Protective Sleeve (flat storage, material and easier less wasteful manufacturing)

• Insulator Sleeve for a Beverage Container (reusable)
• citing Sleeve Construction For Improved Paperboard Cup Insulation
• as it is designed for repeated use, it makes all the prior art disposable sleeves unnecessary

• Temperature-Indicating Sleeve and Related Container

• Thermal Sleeve, Method For Manufacturing a Thermal Sleeve, And Combination Cup and Thermal Sleeve (creped paper sleeve and cup made of many different materials)
• citing Sleeve Construction For Improved Paperboard Cup Insulation and the Insulating Sleeve patents

• Hot and Cold Cup Sleeve (multi layers)

So it can be seen that many of the above inventions build off at least a concept from one of the prior patents examined, however all the patents build off some sort of prior arts.

From an anticipation standpoint, we can see how the Beverage Cup Sleeving System and Method  claims priority over a Provisional Application filed in August of 2007 as this provisional application now lacks novelty.

As for anticipation we need a single prior art piece to have "all of the elements" of a single claim, it is hard to pinpoint if there is anticipation as there are so many combinations of materials and features in all of these claims that they aren't exactly the same.

Regarding obviousness, one may believe that many of the above inventions barely scrape by

without being regarded as obvious. However, each of these patents add a new spin or "non-obvious" idea making the invention novel. Even the Protective Sleeve patent which may seem as the dullest invention that doesn't add anything new to the field has significant importance. The shape that is presented allows for much better spacing organization making the manufacturing of these sleeve less wasteful to the environment and also cheaper. Even if simple, this innovation wasn't obvious.

You can see in the prior blog post how many of the patent granting and application dates cross-over with each other so naturally there are issues with prior arts as many of the patents cite each other.

For example: we can see how the Insulator Sleeve for a Beverage Container builds off of the air-gap method first reported in the Improved Paperboard Cup Insulation patent, however via making the whole sleeve reusable, the invention changes and thus anticipation is not applicable. However, when we think about the obviousness of this same invention, to me it seems to lack a bit of non-obviousness. It takes almost all of its features from prior arts, except for the fact that it isn't disposable. As many objects have been made to replace disposable objects, I think it might be able to be argued that this invention is a bit obvious. The lawyer must have been good!

Please view my Youtube video below for a conversation on the above topics!

Hey everyone! This is my sixth IEOR 190G Blog Post.

background, priority date, technology, ideas, specifications, diagrams and the claims

This week I will be discussing a bunch of patents regarding thermal beverage insulation devices.

First is Patent US 2,661,889 patented in December 8, 1953 for a Thermal Coffee Cup: 

• The application for this patent was submitted on July 20th in 1948.
• The main technologies required for this invention were to have an insulating layer to allow the user to hold a cup of coffee that would normally be too hot to hold. It also requires a lid that can be taken off to permit drinking of the hot liquid.
• These concepts were made into reality via a container jacket that has a corrugated lining around a cup with a lid that has a partial opening to be opened with a fingernail as well as being fully detachable. There are four hand drawn figure showing all of the described features of the jacket, cup and cap.
• Suggestions were that advertising could be placed on the holder.
• What is claimed is the insulated jacket, the cup being sealed on the bottom and having a detachable cap on the top.

Next is Patent US 6,152,363 patented on November 28, 2000 for a Sleeve Construction For Improved Paperboard Cup Insulation:

• The application was filed on May 3, 1999
• The invention is related to the making of sleeves used to increase the insulating characteristics of regular paperboard cups in an effort to achieve the same level as polystyrene cups.
• The patent employs a mixture of currently existing patented sleeves and currently existing cup designs to emphasize insulation via an added air-gap layer while preserving the smooth outside surface for printing.
• The diagrams show the design of the hot-melt adhesive (or syntactic foam) dots that create the air-gap and multiple graphs illustrating the performance of the liquid surface temperature insulation over time and temperature of the cup with different air gaps.
• What is claimed is the sleeve comprised of a plurality of air gaps on side of the sleeve and a layer of printed graphics on the other side.

Next is Patent US 6,343,735 B1 patented on February 5, 2002 for an Insulating Sleeve:

• The application was filed on May 4, 2000
• This invention regards an improved sleeve for hot beverage containers required due to an increasing number of cups made out of biodegradable materials that have low insulation characteristics
• The shape of this sleeve is innovative also for having a design that has a flat storage configuration, two "hooks" where to hang the lid of the cup when it is removed, and sections that tear to allow it to fit on cups of multiple sizes, and a design that used non-corrugated materials but still providing an air gap.
• The diagrams in the document show many views of the sleeve in its storage and usage configurations. Much detail is provided for the exact manufacturing of the sleeve referring back to the diagrams for each described element
• What is claimed is the sleeve and all of the above mentioned features successful included in the design.

Next is Patent US 2008/0078824 A1 patented on April 3 2008 for a Beverage Cup Sleeving System and Method:

• The application was filed on Aug 23, 2007
• The invention related to the conical sleeve surrounding a cup containing a hot beverage to allow insulation without using materials in the cup that could hinder quality and taste of the beverage
• The drawings illustrate different embodiments of the invention with different features including a key ring, velcro straps, a pouch
• What is claimed is many cup insulating systems based around the same concept but with different variations being: microwave safe, corrugated, having a flat storage, having a pocket. A thermal cup protector and insulating ring for beverage containers are also claimed.

Next is Patent US 2010/0019023 A1 patented on January 28, 2010 for a Protective Sleeve:

• The application was filed on July 21, 2009.
• The handling of hot and cold beverages in uncomfortable in many cups hence there is a need for a protective sleeve.
• There are many diagrams illustrating views of the assembled and collapsed sleeve as well as the manufacturing methods for the making of the sleeve.
• The design is superior to honeycomb and expansion designs which leave rough surfaces making the latter design more uncomfortable.
• What is claimed is a protective sleeve made for a container comprising biodegradable paper and other materials including corrugated paper and paperboard amongst other design features and the method for forming such a sleeve.

Next is Patent US 7,922,031 B1 patented on April 12, 2011 for a Insulator Sleeve for a Beverage Container:

• The application was filed on March 1, 2007
• Disposable paperboard cups have dramatically increased in number following popularity in retail coffee establishments thus there is a need to have a sleeve for these cups which provide little insulation, however it is more beneficial to the environment if such sleeve is reusable and it is beneficial to the baristas that the sleeve be transparent/translucent to allow for easy viewing of the order oftentimes written on the cup.
• The diagrams include many views of the invention (including cross-sectional views) as well as specific diagrams focused on the gripping areas of the cup.
• What is claimed is an insulating sleeve for a frusta-conical cup including a peripheral lip portion that makes contact with the rim of the cup having a transparent portion and a U-shaped handle for the user to grasp 

Next is Patent US 8,118,189 B2 patented on February 21, 2012 for a Temperature-Indicating Sleeve and Related Container:

• The application was filed on Dec 14, 2007
• There is a growing need to see the temperature of a beverage or meal in a container for safety reasons whilst simultaneously shielding the user from injury via insulation.
• There are prior examples of such devices, but the inventor sees them lacking safety for the user or even practicality without the added feature of insulation
• There are multiple diagrams depicting the device, and the many representations of how it could display the contents' temperature for user viewing. The surface is also printable
• The temperature detection is accomplished using a thermally conducting part that is in contact with the contents of the container, even when minimally filled.
• What is claimed is a thermally insulated container with a detachable sleeve that comprise a container with know insulating property with a visually observable temperature gage accurate to 4 F. The sleeve having a non-numerical temperature scale that can be word-based or color-based and can be horizontal or vertical on the sleeve with respect to the cup. The use of thermotropic liquid crystals for this temperature indicating system is also claimed.

Next is Patent US 8,251,277 B2 patented on August 28, 2012 for a Thermal Sleeve, Method For Manufacturing a Thermal Sleeve, And Combination Cup and Thermal Sleeve:

• The application was filed on April 15, 2005
• As above the need for such a device is necessary to improve the insulating characteristics of hot beverage containers whilst avoiding "double cupping".
• The diagrams illustrate the invention in flattened and folded as well as open configurations.
• The invention and method for manufacturing it are explained in detail up to the construction of the web of fibers making up the paper substrate
• What is claimed is a cup sleeve made of creped paper comprising a laminate adhered to smooth paper formed into a wrap to enclose a cup. This sleeve is of tapered shape and the indications for the size of such sleeve are very specific. The combination of the sleeve and cup of many materials is also claimed.

Last is Patent US 2014/0,151,385 A1 patented on June 5, 2014 for a :

• The application was filed on February 6, 2014
• Hot beverage sleeves are widely distributed and used, however when used on cold beverages, they fail to work well as cold beverages gather moisture on their outer layer damaging the sleeve by making it soggy and often times undoing the glue keeping the wrap together.
• The diagrams illustrate many views of the invention, in particular a perspective view of the three dimensional structure of the sleeve pointing out its two visible layers.
• What is claimed is a disposable sleeve for cups made of water-absorbent lining, and a water-repellent outer layer embossed by a comfortable grip with the specified weight and dimensions.

Please see my Youtube video for a discussion on these patents!

Hey everyone!

This is my fourth IEOR 190G VideoBlog Post.

This week I will be discussing Mistaken Predictions about society.

First are my top five predictions from the 25 quotes chosen by Prof. Lavian:

1. "Rail travel at high speeds is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia." -- Dr. Dionysius Lardner, 1830

2. "I think there is a world market for maybe 5 computers" -- Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943

3. "The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty - a fad." -- The president of the Michigan Bank advising Henry Ford's lawyer not to invest in the Ford Motor Co., 1903

4. "A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth's atmosphere." -- New York Times, 1936

5. "The idea that cavalry will be replaced by these iron coaches is absurd. It is little short of treasonous." -- Comment of Aide-de-camp to Field Marshal Haig, at tank demonstration, 1916.

It is easy to see now why these statements are wildly incorrect but what is most remarkable is that all of these people were experts or leaders in their fields! 

Next are my top 5 Mistaken predictions that I found myself:

1. “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.” — Lord Kelvin, British mathematician and physicist, president of the British Royal Society, 1895.

2. “Nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality in 10 years.” -– Alex Lewyt, president of vacuum cleaner company Lewyt Corp., in the New York Times in 1955.

3.  “The cinema is little more than a fad. It’s canned drama. What audiences really want to see is flesh and blood on the stage.” -– Charlie Chaplin, actor, producer, director, and studio founder, 1916

4. “Home Taping Is Killing Music” — A 1980s campaign by the BPI, claiming that people recording music off the radio onto cassette would destroy the music industry.

5.“There is Nothing New to be Discovered in Physics Now. All That Remains is More and More Precise Measurement.” -- Lord (Absolute Zero) Kelvin 

Please view the below video for a presentation on the above Quotes!

http://youtu.be/dsCoi7Kiw6s

Hey everyone!

This is my fifth IEOR 190G Blog Post. This post will be dedicated to the "slide to unlock" patent (US 8046721).

In particular, lets take a look at the first claim:

What is claimed is:
1. A method of unlocking a hand-held electronic device, the device including a touch-sensitive display, the method comprising:

• detecting a contact with the touch-sensitive display at a first predefined location corresponding to an unlock image;
• continuously moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with movement of the contact while continuous contact with the touch screen is maintained, wherein the unlock image is a graphical, interactive user-interface object with which a user interacts in order to unlock the device; and
• unlocking the hand-held electronic device if the moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display results in movement of the unlock image from the first predefined location to a predefined unlock region on the touch-sensitive display.

This passage comes from the part of the patent document where one can read what invention the patent is claiming. In this case the "slide to unlock" patent claims the interface that will detect that you are touching your touchscreen device on the "unlock symbol", will continuously track your finger as you slide it across your screen moving the icon along with your finger until it reaches a designated "unlock zone" where you can let go of your screen and the device will unlock.

This succinctly puts the whole idea behind the "slide to unlock" into a few short statements.

Please view the below video for a presentation on the above!

Hey everyone!

This is my third IEOR 190G Blog Post! and this week I will be reworking my selection of the 10 most innovative inventions ever!

This time I would like to talk about my reasoning a little bit as I chose inventions that not only would improve quality of life, but actually extended/saved life(s), both physically and in terms of saving time! In my opinion after life, knowledge is Humans' most precious resource which is why you can also find many inventions related to knowledge and its transmission to others.

So here is my reworked list of inventions:

• Refrigeration      
• It allowed us to conserve our aliments for more than one day enabling long distance trading of perishable goods.
• Electricity       
• Not only did electricity lead to explosive bubble of new inventions, it revolutionized our outlook on energy and its transportation.
• Penicillin          
• Has saved 82 million lives! Was the first substance that could kill bacteria whilst leaving the host relatively unharmed (at least compared to arsenic and mercury!)
• Anesthesia         
• which allowed us to perform excruciating invasive procedures that would be impossible to perform otherwise greatly transforming our healthcare scene and changing life-ending diseases to just a surgery.
• Telecommunications     
• including the telegraph and the telephone revolutionized our society by allowing us to transfer information, human's most precious resource, at unprecedented speeds.
• Internet      
• It gives us access to information coming from all the corners of the globe. Never before have we had so much information at our fingertips. Most importantly all of this information can be used in a vast multitude of applications.
• Wheel           
•  in next place as it revolutionized our transportation. Being a mobile and originally nomadic species, this new ease in transportation improved almost every aspect of our lives in society.
• Printing Press    
•  was a device used to print on paper or cloth. It revolutionized the way people perceived the world that they lived in as they finally had access to information that didnt come out of someone elses mouth! It also allowed for an easier and faster spread of information
• Sewage/Plumbing      
• is what makes modern society possible. We wouldn't be able to live on piles of dung as tall as a skyscraper (an estimate for how much waste one human produces in a year is over 1000 pounds).
• Agriculture       
• Aided our transition from being a nomadic species to a settling one. Agriculture gave us more time in the day to act and evolve rather than worry about where we were to find our next meal for fear of starvation.

Feel free to watch my video presentation at the following link! :)

http://youtu.be/aVCc8lpgaMY