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Lynn’s Picks: Foresight’s Patent of the Week – US Granted Patent 11,905,190: Reusable bath bomb vessel (Andrew Dillow)

Posted on February 23, 2024 8:35 pmModified on February 23, 2024 8:36 pmby Lynn Dudinsky

Lynn’s Picks: Foresight’s Patent of the Week – US Granted Patent 11,905,190: Reusable bath bomb vessel (Andrew Dillow)

Disclaimer: This blog was created for informational purposes only and does not represent Foresight’s or the author’s opinion regarding the validity, quality or enforceability of any particular patent covered in this blog. Foresight is not a law firm and no portion of the information contained in this blog was intended to serve as legal opinion.

As a parent, I am well versed in the struggle with the daily routine of giving my 5-year-old son a bath or a shower. In the beginning there were aisles worth of inventions to contain a newborn in the sink, such as this “Thermally buffered, circulating clean water flow, universal, temperature indicating baby bathing tub”. Then my son graduated to the standard set of bath toys such as this “Toy Duck” which was protected by a design patent filed in 1947 by sculptor Peter Ganine. However, recently I made the mistake of pointing out a bath bomb to my son on a routine trip to CVS and ever since, whenever it is time for a bath, he now requests a bath bomb instead of the plethora of toys at his disposal. If you are unsure of what a bath bomb is, they are single use, spherical blends of effervescent material that usually includes scents, such as fragrant extracts and essential oils, that dissolve when placed in a bath, a picture of a typical bath bomb can be found below:

As the lore goes, bath bombs were first invented by Mo Constantine in her garden shed in 1989 after being inspired by Alka-Seltzer tablets and her first design was named Aqua Sizzlers. Fast forward to 2024 and there is a growing market for bath bombs targeting children, including bath bombs with Paw Patrol characters inside, Grinch inspired bath bombs, and bath bombs with hot wheels inside.

Amongst a sea of bath bomb options, the pick for this week combines the excitement of a bath bomb with a more environmentally friendly approach that no longer includes disposable packaging and plastic wrap for each single use bath bomb. The pick of the week is patent number 11,905,190, titled: “Reusable Bath Bomb Vessel” was created by inventor Andrew Dillow. When selecting the patent of week, I try to identify something that is either new technology that I feel should be highlighted or is something I come across in the patent gazette that sticks out as something I should have thought of and could immediately use in my day-to-day life. The reusable bath bomb vessel falls under the latter category, as I could easily see myself, and my son, filling the vessel with the desired bath bomb materials as we fill the bathtub, as seen in the image below:

In addition to the functional benefit of having the option to create out own bath bombs, Mr. Dillow considered the various embodiments of the claimed invention which includes various forms of the vessel. These forms can be spherical, like a typical bath bomb, or can take the shape of a duck or other bath themed configurations. While other companies are focusing on what toys can be added to the inside of a bath bomb, this patent shows the potential appeal of the vessel itself being the toy in addition to the bath bomb.

This patent was not selected simply based on the ability to have a duck shaped reusable bath bomb; there are technical features included in the claimed invention that enhance the performance of the vessel. While the ability to open and close the vessel to add the bath bomb ingredients is necessary for it to be a reusable vessel, the inventor also considered the movement of water and the release of effervescent material when drafting the claims. Included in the claims are a series of influx one-way valves, as seen below, to allow water to enter the inner chamber and react with the effervescent material when submerged in water.

These inlet valves are also pressure valves which close when the internal pressure of the chemical reaction begins. This increasing pressure would be a safety risk, but-for the inclusion of outflux holes which also contain a one-way valve configured to eject effervescent material from the inside of the vessel into the bath while preventing further water intrusion. An additional benefit of this pressure build-up and release mechanism, as described in the patent, is the ability to orient the outflux holes in such a way to cause a desired propulsion effect, such as spinning or moving in a certain direction. This inventor really thought about all the different aspects of creating your own bath bomb, and I really look forward to seeing this product in the market soon!

Have you come across any interesting patents you would like us to feature in future blogs or did you invent a technology you would like featured? Please send us an email at media@foresightvaluation.com or call our office at (650) 561-3374.

Lynn’s Picks: Foresight’s Patent of the Week – US Granted Patent 11,861,255: Wearable Device for Facilitating Enhanced Interaction (Apple Inc.)

Posted on January 18, 2024 3:38 pmModified on January 18, 2024 3:38 pmby Lynn Dudinsky

In this week’s blog, we are following up on our first post in the series highlighting Rivian’s Spare Wheel Containers for a Vehicle (link to blog) patent application with a newly issued patent from Apple titled Wearable Device for Facilitating Enhanced Interaction. Apple Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories worldwide and reported $383 billion in total revenues in fiscal year 2023, based on the company’s most recent annual report. In addition to the traditional offerings many of us use throughout our day, Apple is debuting a new form of content consumption, computer usage and productivity called the Vision Pro which is set to start accepting pre-orders on January 19^th. The Vision Pro is a form of spatial computing that utilizes artificial intelligence and computer vision to combine virtual content with the physical world. Many will view this technology as the next step in Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) and we have seen early forms of this technology in products such as Magic Leap or Oculus (now Meta Quest). While this blog is not an endorsement of the future of spatial computing, Apple’s participation in the market is a sign of market traction and likely growth in rollout of consumer products targeting the typical use of personal computers rather than being driven by gaming applications, which is the reason this patent was selected to be highlighted in this blog series.

As seen in the images below, the issued patent, which was filed in 2018, addresses the person to person interaction element that is anticipated when a user has a computing device covering the majority of their face. Given the intent of this device to be used in a similar manner in which our phones and computers are currently being used, there needs to be a way to allow personal interaction in a fashion that is not currently available in most VR or other head devices. To overcome this issue and to provide the user with awareness of and engagement with the real-world, the patent presents a system with internal and external cameras and displays to facilitate interaction between the wearer and another person or environment.

In order to allow the device to be a practical device for any number of targeted uses, isolating the wearer from the environment while also preventing those surrounding the user to interact with the user in a traditional way, requires the device to have the ability to show human expression which is a critical component of person to person interaction. One could easily argue that such a system is unnecessary but the same has been said about a myriad of technologies that have emerged over the past 10-20 years that we utilize every day, whether that is a personal assistant like Siri or a toaster with an interactive display. The inventive process should not be limited by current habit of the consumer, but rather, the inventive process should anticipate and nudge the consumer into seeing the value and purpose of the underlying inventive concept. This can be seen in other images from the patent copied below. Is it necessary to display the wearer’s facial expressions as if the wearer’s eyes were that of a lion? No, but it is a feature that consumers immediately understand due to the similarity to the endless number of filters we can apply to our faces during facetime or other video calls. Will this lead to enjoyable mishaps like the lawyer on a zoom conference in District Court that could not figure out how turn off the cat filter? It remains to be seen how the consumer interacts with the facial features of the Vision Pro and whether these features are “facilitating enhanced interaction” as the patent’s title says.

IP Monetization: Realizing Hidden Value in Time of Decline

Posted on May 3, 2018 5:18 pmModified on October 14, 2019 9:47 pmby Sebastian Custodia

Management teams of high-tech companies often overlook the additional shareholder value to be realized by developing strong IP portfolios, and are therefore ill-equipped to extract that value in times of decline in their companies’ life cycle.

The Business Life Cycle of high-tech companies has been a path well-traveled, and the management teams of most high-tech companies are guilty of missing an important fork in the road off that beaten path. Traditionally, the “Business Life Cycle” consists of 4 stages; Startup, Growth, Maturity, & Decline. Many companies fall under one of these broad categories, and furthermore, many management teams make key business decisions based on what the definition of their current stage tells them. The narrow focus of management seeking to move their company along the traditional Business Life Cycle results all-too-often in their untimely arrival to the Decline stage. We at Foresight believe that by implementing the right Intellectual Property (IP) strategies early in the Life Cycle, companies can extend their life cycle and generate additional shareholder value while managing to stave-off heading into a stage of Decline.

Management teams of a business in the Startup stage are focused on product development, developing sales strategies, and doing everything they can to stay afloat. Those fortunate enough to cross the chasm into the Growth phase begin solidifying their internal operations, investing heavily in client relations and new business development, and establishing their position in the market. After several years, the Maturity stage sets in, growth slows, and the business becomes far more predictable. It is at this point that many companies see themselves down one of two paths. The first is the path of reinvestment, under which the company essentially restarts its life cycle with a new product line or new target market or a new acquisition. The second path is one on which a company simply accepts its imminent decline and grinds to a halt. For companies on this path of Decline, management must recognize that there is another fork in the road.

Specifically, in the high-tech industries, it may be time to introduce a stage of the life cycle in between Maturity & Decline. That stage is IP Monetization. Too many high-tech firms live out their days in the Decline stage, winding down the business, losing key customers, and ultimately watching their remaining shareholder value dissipate. At the end, the company’s IP assets – which were once the foundation for years of cashflow – are liquidated at an auction or through an asset “fire sale”, often at a steep discount. In these cases, the company’s shareholders are missing out on a potential return on investment on the assets that they financed, a return that could have been achieved through the execution of an IP monetization strategy.

Two notable examples of IP Monetization execution are companies such as BlackBerry and TiVo. These companies have successfully extended their life cycles, post-Maturity stage, and have found success in the IP Monetization stage of their corporate life cycle. Shareholder value has been retained as these companies pursue an IP licensing strategy for the technology that once made their operating business a success. For competitors that outlasted the company, or emerging players who are introducing next generation embodiments that leverage the technical innovations of Mature company offerings, the IP assets of post-Maturity stage companies are of extreme value. IP Monetization allows companies such as BlackBerry and TiVo to do 2 things: 1) extract value from their IP portfolio from competitors who may have been infringing during the peak of their competition, or 2) share in the profits of the next iteration of the company’s core technology as next generation companies seek to innovate on the platform of the existing technology. Look no further than TiVo’s recent financial performance for the huge potential to be realized in the IP Monetization stage of business. The company’s revenue grew 57% from 2015-2017, with over 95% of 2017 revenue attributed to “licensing, services and software.”

The key to introducing this new stage of the Business Life Cycle is educating entrepreneurs and managers on the importance of a solid IP strategy early on. Having an understanding of the value of intellectual property outside of a company’s current operating business will ensure that the shareholders who funded the creation of the IP portfolio are able to realize returns on its full value. However, to achieve the full value potential, management must develop a strategy early in the life of the company and endeavor to develop a forward-looking IP portfolio rather than taking the easy road of constructing a portfolio to narrowly protect its product (known as a “defensive” approach). Following a narrow defensive approach to IP management reinforces the traditional Business Life Cycle. It’s time for high-tech companies and their shareholders to take the fork towards IP Monetization and plan for it when they create their IP portfolio and strategy.

From Hybrid Batteries to Fireworks….

Posted on April 22, 2010 10:40 amModified on October 10, 2019 8:26 pmby Foresight Valuation Group

Welcome to The Foresight Blog, a new blog from Foresight Valuation Group, based in Silicon Valley, California. Foresight is a boutique intellectual property (IP) consulting firm that provides analytical services around the management and commercialization of intangible assets, with a particular focus on IP valuation.

Our name, Foresight, represents the clarity and transparency we bring to the often confusing and misunderstood field of IP valuation and strategy. Our location, at the heart of one of the world’s most innovative regions, provides a very unique insight into technology and the entrepreneurs and inventors that create it. We’ve timed our launch to coincide with World IP day (April 26), which globally celebrates IP rights and our commitment to shedding light on the critical role of IP around the world.

A few words about our bloggers, Efrat Kasznik and Naheed Hasnat. For over a decade we have worked in the field of IP consulting, and have also taken a hiatus or two to establish a few start ups. In addition to our passion for IP, we share a strong friendship, the love of cooking, environmental issues and many other things… Throughout our IP careers, we’ve helped commercialize some exciting technologies, have been experts on complex corporate patent infringement disputes, and have been asked to value a host of technologies — from hybrid batteries to fireworks. Our start up experience took us on a wild ride through some of the valley’s best and worst times, from building data networks in the early days of data communications, to providing energy efficiency services to homeowners during the tough times of the recent economic recession.

The Foresight Blog is a place for us to bring our personal interpretation of current events, share some of our experience living and working in the valley, and most importantly, create a platform for healthy debate around IP issues. Please send us topics that you would like us to address in future blogs, we look forward to hearing from our readers. We hope that you will join us for the ride!