Week 5 - Patent Personal Viewpoint

This post will be going over my own personal perspective on the patents that I discussed in my previous post. I want to make sure that I outline a solid definition of anticipation and obviousness before I go into my own viewpoints on the patents before.

Anticipation: this means that the patent itself should be a novel concept, and should be a completely new concept.

Obviousness: a patent is only allowed to be approved if it is "non-obvious" or trivial, according to our professor's lecture slides. There must be significant differences between the filed patent, and what is already been issued for the patent to be approved. 

After looking over all these patents, I was completely shocked to find that there was so much innovation in something that seems so trivial as a coffee sleeve holder. I had never put thought into the process that went behind the structure that keeps my drinks warm and insulates them! The innovation and technology behind this simple item was so complex, and really made me look at other "trivial" products once more. 

I really liked the hot and cold cup sleeve the best from all the patents. It satisfied a huge problem that faces coffee shops and other beverage retailers everywhere that want to have a product that can be used for both hot and cold beverages. The fact that cold beverages "sweat" is a huge problem, and a reason why I personally never use the other types of sleeves used for hot beverages when I get a cold beverage. The multi-functional nature of the product is perfect!

The temperature gauging sleeve was great too because it gives the consumer an indication for how hot their drink is - a huge problem for those who do not wish to get burned by their hot cups of coffee in the morning! It adds the protection of insulation with a huge added feature of informing the consumer of what is best for them.

It's been great knowing the progression of the "coffee cup sleeve," and I look forward to seeing where the next wave of innovation takes these products. I will definitely be keeping up with the new patents being filed in this realm because I use these products on a daily basis.

Further Analysis (3-unit student):

In regards to the patents, I definitely think each of them fulfill the anticipation segment, as each was very novel and had entirely new features that the previous patent did not. From adding on features for environmental benefits to the new mechanism that gave consumers knowledge of the temperature of their drinks, each of the patents offered a novel approach to the regular "sleeve." For the obviousness, all the patents were extremely non-obvious to a regular consumer like myself. I am no expert in sleeves or the engineering/design of a coffee cup sleeve, and saw all the items as non-obvious. This was helpful to see that it really took an expert in the field to describe the differences between the patents.

Thanks,
Payal