4 ms·
Not a big fan of design patents either, but... 1. Not sure if something trivial (e.g. an empty circle for a button) would be eligible even for a design patent.
by throwawaykf05 11y ago
Not a big fan of design patents either, but...
1. Not sure if something trivial (e.g. an empty circle for a button) would be eligible even for a design patent.
2. The solid and dotted lines are just to indicate the claimed design vs the rest of the product respectively. Potentially the dotted lines in one patent maybe claimed as solid lines in a separate design patent.
- talmand 11y agoI have seen designs I would consider trivial, such as a slider made up of two circled symbols, a solid line, and a small box for an indicator. I wasn't referring to the lines in the claim, but in the design. I was saying; for instance, if changing a solid line in the design to a dotted line may get you past the design patent, then they are worthless to begin with.
- Natsu 11y agoThey're actually saying that the lines indicate what's claimed in the patent. While it may be true that you just have to not match the solid lines of the patent, when you have a minimal design that's barely anything but a rounded rectangle (as posted below), the design patents become a farce.