Abstract
A sun mask towel is provided, made from a planar section of fabric for blocking or reflecting the ultraviolet rays of the sun. By including eye, nose, and mouth slits, the sun mask towel allows users see, speak, and breathe easily. The sun mask towel effectively shields a user's face, head, neck, and in one embodiment, a user's entire body from the harmful rays of the sun. Further, the sun mask towel is easy to use and easy to carry.
Novelty This idea has definitely existed before: construction workers that work under the sun and don't wanna get sunburnt; bank robbers while doing their job (although their fear of getting sunburnt is probably not the primary reason of wearing such a thing), etc.
Non-obviousness
A balance between creating a monopoly and encouraging innovation you say, that is why non-obviousness is one of the requirements for patentability. This thing pretty much can be made by anyone with a piece of cloth and a pair of scissors. Very obvious.
Usefulness
If you really wear it, ya.
Enablement
You don't need to imagine an arbitrary average person in the industry. Even your neighbor's 3-year-old can make it.
Wow! The more of these silly patents I read, the more cynical I get in regards to the USPTO. You're right, this patent is literally a bank robber beanie that has been cut open. But now that I think about it, this is similar to the invention of a Snuggie, which I'd assume has patent protection...
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's interesting that these patents get published. However, I do think you're being too strict with non-obviousness; not everyone would immediately think of cutting holes in their towel. That said, the novelty argument still stands.
ReplyDeleteI definitely disagree with the idea of not obvious and useful. The concept of poking holes into different clothing materials has been seen in things like the grinch and other comic books.
ReplyDeletewowwwwwwwww. i highly doubt anyone would want to talk while wearing it. this is just a silly thing. i don't see anyone ever using this device in the field. great find!
ReplyDeleteIf this is supposedly novel, then I should claim the writes since I have videos of my sister and I when we were 5 years old and did the same thing. It's ridiculous that this patent would be granted. It definitely fails nonobviousness in my book.
ReplyDeleteQuite a silly patent indeed. I think this invention is obvious in the sense that there do exist prior arts with this similar design concept of cutting out holes out of a piece of material; the closest thing I can think of is probably those beauty sheet masks with cut outs. But i think even though they might look similar appearance wise, their purposes differ - the beauty mask is for skin treatment purposes while this invention here is for UV ray protection. Either way, I think no one would actually wear this to protect themselves from the sun, as sun screen is probably a much better and easier way to go about it.
ReplyDelete