Odd Patents From The New York Times Magazine

The New York Times magazine published a list of 2007 utility and design patents issued by the  USPTO and the "problems" they addressed with the intention of providing humor. The list of problems was labeled "2006," which is silly, of course,  given that it takes about 3 years for the average patent to issue in the United States. Humor is, of course, very personal. Nevertheless, the list of odd patents may be amusing and interesting to some readers. The list is reproduced here along with links to the patents. The Time's authors took some liberties with the titles that I have left mostly in place.

Especially for the design patents, clicking on "images" when the PTO page loads will show the first figure.

Battery Charger Amusement Device (7,259,541)

Chewable Toothbrush (7,165,907)

Baby Seat Cover Diaper Bag/Activity Center (7,284,790)

Locking Case For Toothbrush (7,257,972)

Scrambled Egg Snack Food (7,229,660)

Musical Jewelry Apparatus (7,251,957)

Slot Machine Shaped Toaster (D545,112)

Cremation Urn Convertible Birdhouse (7,272,874)