Friday, July 25, 2008

Patent Watch

Patent waters flow with aquatic inventions

I am in Montana, on vacation, fishing almost every morning from my boat and generally having a good time. So, this month, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at recently issued patents and published patent applications naming New England inventors on the topic of boats and water sports.

• Morton Wallach of Groton, Conn., won patent No. 7,390,560 on June 24 for a high-tech coating designed to protect the hull of a boat from fouling. There are alternating layers of an antifoulant polymer material and a conductive material. When the outermost antifoulant layer fouls, an electrical charge applied to the conductive layer beneath it causes the fouled antifoulant layer to separate exposing a new antifoulant layer. The patent assignee is PEL Associates also located in Groton.

• Richard Wengren Jr. of South Freeport, Maine, designed an antifouling system for seaweed that can clog the jet drive intakes of jet boats (which are popular on the rivers here in Montana). A cutter arm system includes a blade actuated by hydraulics to sweep across the intake grate of the jet drive to clean away debris. Wengren’s patent is No. 7,377,826 dated May 27.

• Ching Au of Greenwich, Conn., invented a new boat design with two front and rear active hulls that can be rotated between a pair of stationary hulls. The new watercraft exhibits improved hydrodynamic performance, stability, and versatility. Au’s patent is No. 7,381,109 dated June 3.

• Patent No. 7,370,596 (May 13) discloses a new kayak with a relatively narrow cross-sectional underwater width for increased speed and efficiency as well as first and second pairs of convex surfaces providing stability. Theodore Warren of Salem is the sole inventor.

• Worry about your boat sinking? Patent No. 7,337,744 (Mar. 4) covers a set of automatically inflatable, watertight flotation bladders attached to the hull of a boat capable of being quickly inflated when the boat is in danger of sinking or capsizing. Saint-Ange Marcellus of Randolph is the inventor.

• Christopher Babiana of Bellingham and Steven Charron of Harrisville, R.I., invented a new collapsible workstation for boats which can be used for chumming, bait rigging, and filleting during day to day fishing excursions. Functionally designed to be ergonomically correct, the workstation stance is at a proper height when in use and easily folded away when not in use. Patent No. 7,322,880 issued January 29.

• Dry suits help sports enthusiasts stay warm in real cold water, but sometimes the neck seal leaks or is so tight that it restricts movement and is uncomfortable. Patent No. 7,313,829 (January 1) covers a high tech neck seal that is loose until it comes into contact with water whereupon it swells providing a watertight barrier. The key ingredient is a super absorbent hydrogel. The inventors include Timothy Sutherland (Cambridge), Hermanus Pretorius (Derry, N.H.) and Cleveland Heath (Medfield). Payload Systems Inc. located in Cambridge is the assignee.

• Seth Lieberman of Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood is seeking a patent via published application No. US 2008/0109926 (May 15) for a wetsuit that converts from a full-length design used in colder water to a short-length wetsuit for use in warmer water.

• Jonathan Whiting of Oak Bluffs is seeking a patent via published application No. US 2008/013695 (May 1) for a navigational aid that facilitates finding fish. Using GPS technology, the navigational aid provides data indicative of ocean surface temperatures, ocean depth profiles, and the presence of obstructions correlated with the precise location of the fisherman’s boat to provide improved guidance concerning locations where fish may be more abundant to increase the prospects of a successful catch.

• In other patent news, the 13th Annual Independent Inventors Conference will be held at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Va., August 8-9. Details and registration information can be obtained at www.uspto.gov.
 

Kirk Teska is an adjunct law professor at Suffolk University Law School, and is the managing partner of Iandiorio, Teska & Coleman, an intellectual property law firm in Waltham. His book “Patent Savvy for Managers” is available online and in most major bookstores. He can be reached at kirk@iandiorio.com.