The United States Patent and Trademark Office

Wednesday,July 16, 2014
Sunny, windy and clear skies

The United States Patent 

and Trademark Office

     One of the websites on the Net that is a great resource for toy collectors and anyone who likes interesting upsurges of information is the United Stated Patent and Trademark Office. This is the site where anyone with an invention or a logo or design that they want to keep a right to applies. By applying for a patent or trademark, this office will decide, and then grant to petitioner (person asking) a patent or trademark. When this happens, no one else is allowed to copy or partially copy the idea or invention or design.

    You have to learn how to  meander through the website as it is both huge and complicated. You gave to remember that this office goes back in time to the beginning or almost the beginning of the USA country.

Please click here to visit the United States Patent and Copyright Office

The 2 images below are for the patent of a 1939 Louis Marx Toy.

The toy is Disney's Pluto that is of course yin itself trademarked so that nobody can 
use it unless they apply to Disney for a license to produce the toy with Pluto's image.

I've only screen-captured the images of the patent, however the entire document is actually 9 pages.

Not only are there diagrams, but there is carefully worded text to describe the features of the toy, as well as to why the new item is so "unique".

The actual patent number is 2,182,642

When you go to the website, enter the number, and you will be directed to the actual patent.

You will need  the software Adobe Acrobat Reader (free to download from Adobe)m, that will allow you to view the documents.

What' interesting tfor this patent application is the fact that  another toy (airplane) was also added to the patent at the same time. 

Please click here to visit this exceptional auctioneer's website

Description:

Roll-Over Pluto

Walt Disney Productions and Louis Marx Toys

Lithographed tin with a wind-up mechanism

Circa 1939

Length:    8"    203  mm

After the toy is wound and released, Pluto is able to flip over and then return to his crouching position. He also moves with wheels under him.

   What's great about the United Stated Patent and Trademark Office, is the fact that it's an excellent reference to learning about toys and when they might have been made. Since I mentioned that the Patent Office has records dating back to almost the time of the American Revolution, going back to toys from the 1870's or earlier is "a piece of cake".

Thanks for visiting,m

and as always, 

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be.

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com