Sponsored by

See this week's breakthrough USPTO patent grants!

Looking for unbiased, fact-based news? Join 1440 today.

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Subscribe to 1440 today.

Table of Contents

• This Week's Patent News

• Weekly Statistics

• Main Article

• Trivia (question)

• Featured Inventor

• Our Features

• Centurion Patentors

• Trivia (answer)

• Recommendations

This Week's Patent News:

🧑‍⚖️⚖️💥Jury Unanimity Targeted in Patent Appeals Totaling $530 Million – Three federal patent-infringement lawsuits are challenging an East Texas judge’s unconventional jury verdict format, which could impact major companies like Apple Inc., PNC Bank NA, and Ecobee.

🚗📱⚔️How a Decade-Old Patent Dispute Could Upend Uber’s Business – Carma Technology has filed a lawsuit against Uber, alleging infringement on five patents related to ride-sharing technology, potentially reshaping the industry.

❓️📜💣️Patent Blame Game: Are 70% of U.S. Patents Really Defective? – A discussion on patent quality sparked by the confirmation hearing of John Squires, nominee for USPTO Director, highlighting concerns over the high defect rate in U.S. patents.

🏛️🔧🌀USPTO Moves Forward with PTAB Reforms Amid Legal Uncertainty – The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is advancing procedural reforms for the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, while recent Supreme Court rulings create uncertainty around agency rulemaking.

His breakthrough came in 1956 with the Flight Memory Unit, a compact recorder capable of capturing cockpit conversations and flight data. The concept was simple yet transformative: if investigators could access this information, they could understand what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again.

At first, Warren’s idea was met with resistance. The aviation industry dismissed it as unnecessary, even intrusive. But persistence, a trait shared by history’s greatest innovators, led Warren to convince British and Australian officials of its value. Soon, the black box became a mandated feature on commercial aircraft. The black box in airplanes is actually bright orange. The bright orange color is used to make the flight data recorder easier to find in the event of a crash.

Designed to withstand fire, pressure, and impact, the black box turned every flight into a silent witness and, over time, became an indispensable tool for aviation safety.

Today, Warren’s invention has saved countless lives, helped investigators learn from tragedy, and ensured that air travel remains one of the safest forms of transportation. His story reminds us that the most profound innovations often come from those who refuse to accept uncertainty as an answer.

💥💡 Want more crash-course stories in invention?

Each week, IDiyas uncovers jaw-dropping tales of inventors, patent showdowns, and the tech that changed history, like the black box that speaks when all else fails.

No filler. Just raw innovation and the humans bold enough to patent it.

👉 Subscribe to IDiyas now and join 40,000+ readers getting smarter about innovation—one patent at a time.

Please scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to find out.

Seeking impartial news? Meet 1440.

Every day, 3.5 million readers turn to 1440 for their factual news. We sift through 100+ sources to bring you a complete summary of politics, global events, business, and culture, all in a brief 5-minute email. Enjoy an impartial news experience.

Join for free today!

📸 The Selfie Stick Maestro and the Man Who Still Thinks Outside the Frame

Meet Wayne Fromm, a Toronto-based inventor and entrepreneur who managed to capture the zeitgeist of the early smartphone era not with an app or algorithm, but with a stick. Yes, a stick. But like all great ideas, the selfie stick wasn’t really about the object; it was about what it enabled: narcissism on a grand scale.

Wayne didn’t just invent the modern selfie stick. He patented it. He manufactured it. He marketed it with the theatrical flair of a magician (which he also once was). And while selfie sticks flooded the market with cheaper knockoffs, it was Fromm’s original, the Quik Pod, that gave the world a way to turn every arm’s-length moment into a self-framed memory.

But here's the thing: Wayne Fromm isn’t a one-hit wonder. He’s a serial idea generator. His portfolio reads like a love letter to imagination: co-creator of the hit toy Crazy Bones, products licensed to Disney and Nestlé, and dozens of patents spanning a range of products, from toys to travel gear.

Here’s his latest product selling on Amazon now.

It featured a stabilizing lever that kept the blade securely in place, unlike earlier clunky, unstable designs.

Though the idea of a detachable scalpel existed, Schott's version was simpler, safer, and much more reliable. Her patent was even referenced decades later by Philip Morris Inc. in the 1960s and influenced major surgical tool manufacturers like Becton-Dickinson.

But Schott wasn’t a one-patent wonder. She also held patents for a dice box and a bottle stopper, showing her wide-ranging creativity in a time when women inventors were rarely recognized.

Congratulations to last week's Centurion Patentors!
We are excited to welcome the following inventors into these prestigious patent clubs:

For more info about their research & patents, click here