How to determine if a product is patented?

Question

I am considering investing in my own line of portable beer pong tables. I know that the design is out there, but how do you determine if they are patent protected (because so many different companies have similar designs)?

Answer 1

You do a "Patent Search", either yourself or via a hired searcher:



Beer pong table

US Pat. 7325807 - Filed May 13, 2005 - Issued Feb 5, 2008

5, 2008 (54) BEER PONG TABLE (76) Inventor: Derek Eason, 1219 E. Main St., Plymouth Meeting, PA (US) 19462 ( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, ...

patents.google.com



Electro-mechanical Beer Pong Table and Method of Use

US Pat. App 12731035 - Filed Mar 24, 2010

The electro-mechanical beer pong table of claim 1 wherein the at least one motion is a movement of the movable platform along the centerline axis of the ...

patents.google.com



Non-alcoholic beer-pong game system

US Pat. App 10397793 - Filed Mar 26, 2003

A colored beer-pong ball is tossed or bounced by a player across the full length of a game table. The player that tosses the ball attempts to land it within ...

patents.google.com



INFLATABLE PONG TABLE

US Pat. App 12025026 - Filed Feb 2, 2008

Advantageously, the inflatable nature of the pong table allows for deflation ... 2004/01 88942 filed by Trokan discloses a beer pong game system comprises ...

patents.google.com

Portable cooler and table

US Pat. App 11235567 - Filed Sep 26, 2005

These recreational activities may include dining, drinking, games such as ping pong, beer pong, table hockey, card games, board games, preparation for ...

patents.google.com



Cup holder for drinking game

US Pat. App 11598802 - Filed Nov 14, 2006

The drinking game is "Beer-Pong,""Beirut," or variations thereof. FIG. 1 shows a pair of cup holders 100 disposed at opposite ends of a table T that ...

patents.google.com



Inflatable table

US Pat. 7516960 - Filed Mar 23, 2007 - Issued Apr 14, 2009

This version used a regulation ping pong table and paddles as opposed to 25 an ordinary table. Numerous sources state that beer pong was played on the ...

patents.google.com



Play-ble multifunctional recreational system

US Pat. App 12231774 - Filed Sep 5, 2008

When the present invention is in any one of the table variations, individual tables, L-shaped table, long dinner/ serving table, or beer pong table, ...

patents.google.com



Drinking game cup holder

US Pat. App 10632979 - Filed Aug 4, 2003

4 shows, in the game "Beer-Pong" or "Beirut" without cup holder, the cups are arranged directly on the surface of the table with nothing to prevent slipping ...

patents.google.com



CARD-GUIDED PROJECTILE AND TARGET GAME

US Pat. App 12635032 - Filed Dec 10, 2009 - Maxwell Brustmeyer

The game board and/or indicia representing the elements of a beer pong game may be formed with a table or other similar structure, such as by imprinted ...

patents.google.com



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http://www.google.com/search?q=beer+pong+table&btnG=Search+Patents&tbm=pts&tbo=1&hl=en

Answer 2

One thing you may want to consider is what the corporation's patent actually says and what it means. Sometimes when a corporation claims to have a patent on a particular product or process, it turns out when you delve into the details that the patent itself may cover only a single aspect of the product or process. Oftentimes, a patent holder will claim to have a much broader scope of protection than was actually part of the patent grant. When you study the patent, you might be able to determine ways to "design around" the patent without infringing the patent. In order to design around a patent, you would need to study the claims of the patent to determine how close you can operate to the invention defined in the patent. A study of this nature may obviate the need to anything further. Unfortunately, if you can't design around the patent, it seems the patentee can control the technology and need not use it. If the patent is really problematic the entrepeneur could attempt to invalidate either in the U.S. patent office or in court. Unlike some foreign countries, there is no "compulsory licensing" requirement for patents that are not being practiced. Daniel Valencia

Answer 3

Hello,

If you are looking for a free download of Table Tennis Pro you can check here: http://bitly.com/1qXDwgn



it's a perfectly working link, no scam!

The objective of the game is to develop the ability to hit the little ball back well with your bat. At first it may seem a little difficult to handle because it varies a lot with your mouse’s sensitivity, but don’t worry, with just a little practice you can become an expert in this type of game.

It's a really nice game.

Answer 4

You could try searching the USPTO databases yourself or pay a patent lawyer to do it for you. If you don't come up with anything in your own searches, I'd recommend seeing a patent lawyer anyway just to be on the safe side.

Answer 5

a patent atty will do a patent search. cost about 1500

Answer 6

All you need is this



http://doiop.com/9mm33l