Thursday Thingies

The cat as patent star--It is rare that the IPKat and its ilk find themselves part of a patent appeal. For that reason, the IPKat thanks Kat friend Sam Adams of Müller-Boré & Partner for bringing to our attention

paragraph 18 of EPO Technical Board of Appeal 3.5.06, given on November 17, 2015, which reads as follows:

“The independent claims of the auxiliary request specify, in addition to those of the main request, that the user interacting with the virtual electronic pet moves a cursor back and forth over the display of the virtual pet and, in response to this movement and varying with it, receives as haptic sensation a periodic vibration. The claim further specifies that the virtual pet in question is meant to "be" a cat and the haptic feedback to evoke a "purring sensation".”

Apparently, the question of “to be or not to be” is not limited to Shakespeare. Kat readers who wish to find out more are invited to read the entire decision.

Berenika Depo Prize--An IP story of a somewhat different kind has reached the IPKat from Mr. Justyn Depo, whose daughter and IKat friend, Berenika Depo, passed away suddenly in 2010, as reported by the IPKat. The Berenika family together with the Nyatri Foundation in Poland decided to honor her memory by establishing the Berenika Depo prize for talented children at the Bon Children’s Home, located in Dolanji, India. The Bon Children's Home is described on its web site as follows:

"The Bön Children’s Home provides housing, food, clothing, medical care and education to approximately 300 Bön children, aged 4 – 19 years. The Bon Children’s Home has a staff of twelve to care for the children.The children study at the local school made available by the Indian government. The children receive cultural education in their native Bon culture and Tibetan language, and also study Hindi, English, and general education courses."

Mr. Depo reports that the two winners of the first Berenika Depo Prize are Mr. Nyima Tsering (first prize) and Miss Bhirikuti Sheesh (second prize). The IPKat congratulates the winners.