Despite what you might have heard on late night television, it takes a great deal of devotion and effort to successfully develop and market an invention.  If inventing were that easy, everyone would be rich!  When you do come up with an idea that you think could be of value to others, it’s important that you take the right steps to protect that idea.  Today, I want to address the “poor man’s patent” myth.  According to this myth, one simply mails a description of their invention to themselves to prove that they invented something on a certain date.  The truth is that mailing your idea to yourself will do absolutely nothing to give you any protection against others coming up with the same idea.  In fact, mailing the idea to yourself and waiting too long might demonstrate to the patent office that you had a lack of diligence to protect your idea, or that you had abandoned the idea completely.

To establish your date of invention, there are various options.  Contact your local patent attorney for the best information given your individual situation.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued the following United States Patents to South Dakota Inventors from November  9, 2011 to December 7, 2011.

1.       US Patent No. 8,055,557, issued November 8, 2011 with the title “Transfer account systems, computer program products, and associated computer-implemented methods”

Inventors: Trent Sorbe, Brookings, SD; Troy Larson, Brandon, SD                              

Assigned: Metabank, Sioux Falls, SD                               

Summary: This invention is for a system that provides prioritized payments from the proceeds of automatic or direct deposits.  Funds for preauthorized payments are withdrawn from automatic or direct deposits almost instantly.  The customer account can have a prepaid card to access net value of funds after the withdrawals.

2.       US Patent No. 8,055,481, issued November 8, 2011 with the title “Method for planning sheet pile wall sections”

Inventor: Roberto Wendt, Rapid City, SD                                      

Assigned: Pilepro, LLC, Austin, TX                    

Summary: This invention relates to a method for planning sheet pile wall sections using the Internet and a remote computer system.  The user enters construction parameters for the sheet pile wall sections via the internet, where they are relayed to the remote computer system.  The remote computer system then relays back a suitable layout.

3.       US Patent No. 8,054,174, issued November 8, 2011 with the title “Referee's wireless horn indicator system having sensor alerts”

Inventor: Randy S. Uehran, Brookings, SD                                    

Assigned: Daktronics, Inc., Brookings, SD     

Summary: Mr. Uehran has developed a wireless horn for a referee to use in officiating a sports event.  The horn includes a means for receiving signals from the official time clock, and is worn by the referee on the wrist.  For example, when time on the official time clock has expired, a signal is sent to the system and the system notifies the official of the expiration by vibrating or by making an audible noise. 

4.       US Patent No. 8,051,608, issued November 8, 2011 with the title "Wind tower transport cover ”

Inventor: Eric J. Koller, Yankton, SD                                                                                     

Assigned: Shorma Company, Springfield, SD                                            

Summary: Mr. Koller has invented a wind tower transport cover for covering an opening at the end of a wind tower section, such as the large wind tower sections we see traveling down the interstate.

5.       US Design Patent No. D648,803, issued November 15, 2011 with the title "Basketball stanchion display "

Inventors: Jay DeBlonk, Brookings, SD; Lane A. Munson, Brookings, SD; Douglas John Criddle, Brookings, SD; Tom Kreutner, Brookings, SD; Adam Howard, Brookings, SD

Assigned:  Daktronics, Inc., Brookings, SD

                Summary: Mr. DeBlonk and his co-inventors have invented an ornamental design for a display that rests on a horizontal stanchion of a freestanding basketball hoop.  The horizontal stanchion in question holds the basketball backboard and basket above the surface of the basketball floor.  The display is positioned so that viewers on either side of the freestanding hoop can view the display.

6.       US Patent No. 8,058,525, issued November 15, 2011 with the title "Maize variety inbred PH13H3"

Inventor: Todd Elliott Piper, Mankato, MN; Jay Robert Hotchkiss, Brookings, SD

Assigned: Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., Johnston, IA

                Summary: Mr. Piper and Mr. Hotchkiss have invented a new variety of corn.

7.       US Patent No. 8,057,520, issued November 15, 2011 with the title "Calcaneal plate"

Inventors:  Dustin Ducharme, Stow, OH; Bryan D. Den Hartog, Rapid City, SD; Michael C. McGlamry, Marietta, GA, Bharat M. Desai, Golden, CO; David B. Kay, Akron, OH; Lee A. Strnad, Broadview Hts., OH

Assigned: Orthohelix Surgical Designs, Inc., Medina, OH

                Summary:  Mr. Hartog and his co-inventors have developed a calcaneal plate for use with the calcaneum bone of a human.  The calcaneun bone is often referred to as the heel bone.

8.       US Patent No. 8,056,919, issued November 15, 2011 with the title "Tow bar and leg latching mechanism therefor"

Inventors: James Huston, Yankton, SD; David Merchant, Lincoln, NE; Steven Goodman, Pender, NE; Leslie Roeber, Emerson, NE; Neil Wagner, Winsive, NE

Assigned: Automatic Equipment Manufacturing Company, Pender, NE

                Summary: Mr. Huston and his co-inventors have developed a tow bar system for connection to a towing vehicle.  The tow bar counteracts the tendency of the towed vehicle to wander or fishtail.

9.       US Patent No. 8,065,187, issued November 22, 2011 with the title "System, program product, and associated methods to autodraw for micro-credit attached to a prepaid card"

Inventors: Rebecca Ahlers, Cincinnati, OH; Andrew B. Crowe, Omaha, NE; Scott H. Galit, New York, NY; Trent Sorbe, Brookings, SD

Assigned: Metabank, Sioux Falls, SD

                Summary: Mr. Sorbe and his co-inventors have developed a system whereby prequalified consumers access a line of credit by using a prepaid card.  A lending institution makes available draws to the line of credit for a proposed purchase using the prepaid card as payment.

10.   US Patent No. 8,061,082, issued November 22, 2011 with the title "Window latch"

Inventors: Ray Garries, Fox Island, WA; Gary Brunold, Klamath Falls, OR; Tim Laurance, Klamath Falls, OR; Nick Strahm, Klamath Falls, OR; James Ripley, Canton, SD; Steve Piltingsrud, Sioux Falls, SD; Scott Meunier, Sioux Falls, SD

Assgined: JELD-WEN, Inc., Klamath Falls, OR

                Summary: The inventors have developed a window latch system for a wind having a bottom sash.

11.   US Patent No. 8,060,958, issued November 22, 2011 with the title "Powered person lift and transport apparatus"

Inventor: Randall Hough, Lily, SD

Assigned: None reported.

                Summary: Mr. Hough has developed a powered lift apparatus for lifting and transporting a human body above a ground surface.  The apparatus features a crane that can pivot and move with respect to a base.

12.   US Design Patent No. D649,620, issued November 29, 2011 with the title "Fishing lure "

Inventor:  Larry Donovan, Rapid City, SD

Assigned: None reported.

                Summary: Mr. Donovan developed an ornamental design for a fishing lure.  

13.   US Patent No. 8,069,085, issued November 29, 2011 with the title "System, program product, and associated methods to autodraw for micro-credit attached to a prepaid card"

Inventors: Rebecca Ahlers, Cincinnati, OH;   Andrew B. Crowe, Omaha, NE; Scott H. Galit, New York, NY; Trent Sorbe, Brookings, SD

Assigned: Metabank, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

                Summary: This system is very similar to the previously described Patent No. 8,065,187.

14.   US Patent No. 8,066,831, issued November 29, 2011 with the title "Shock wave and power generation using on-chip nanoenergetic material"

Inventors: Shubhra Gangopadhyay, Columbia, MO; Steven Apperson, Columbia, MO; Keshab Gangopadhyay, Columbia, MO; Andrey Bezmelnitsyn, Columbia, MO; Rajagopalan Thiruvengadathan, Columbia, MO; Michael Kraus, Columbia, MO; Rajesh Shende, Rapid City, SD; Maruf Hossain, Columbia, MO; Senthil Subramanian, Poway, CA; Shantanu Bhattacharya, Columbia, MO; Yuangang Gao, Boulder, CO

Assigned: The Curators of the University of Missouri, Columbia, MO

                Summary: Mr. Shende and his co-inventors have developed a method of generating power using a nanoenergetic material. Explosive materials are usually not thought to be useful in the production of electricity because of the byproduct of uncontrolled thermal and mechanical force. This patent shows how nanomaterials can generate electricity by producing smaller, controllable explosive reactions.

15.   US Patent No. 8,065,926, issued November 29, 2011 with the title "Crankset based bicycle power measurement"

Inventor: James Isaac Meyer, Spearfish, SD

Assigned: SRAM, LLC, Chicago, IL

                Summary: Mr. Meyer has developed a device that measures input torque on the drive train of a bicycle.

16.   US Patent No. 8,065,856, issued November 29, 2011 with the title "Marker system with marker and installation apparatus" 

Inventor: Paul M. Carrette, Garretson, SD

Assigned: Flagshooter, LLC, Garretson, SD

                Summary: Mr. Carrette has developed a system for installing flags into a ground surface.  Presently, flags are individually inserted into the ground to mark the presence of buried underground utility lines.  With Mr. Carrette’s invention, flags can be inserted using a tool that does not require the operator to bend over, enabling safer and quicker marking.

For information on patents and other intellectual property, or to discuss securing protection for your idea, contact Jared Clark of Cutler & Donahoe, LLP at jared@cutlerlawfirm.com.  Reach him by phone at (605) 335-4950.  

Data Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office. For more information on any of the patents listed in this column, visit http://www.uspto.gov and select “search patents.”