See this week's breakthrough USPTO patent grants!

In a patent case involving children's dining mats, the legal doctrine of "unclean hands" prevented EZPZ, a company holding patents for toddler dining mats, from seeking relief for patent infringement against competitor Luv N' Care (LNC). LNC initially filed a lawsuit claiming EZPZ's patents were invalid and unenforceable, which led EZPZ to counter with infringement claims. Although the U.S. Patent Office confirmed EZPZ's patent claims, the court ultimately found that EZPZ's misconduct, including failure to disclose critical information and providing evasive testimony, tainted its claims. The appellate court upheld the decision, ruling that EZPZ's actions were directly tied to its infringement claims, reinforcing the application of the unclean hands doctrine and preventing the company from obtaining relief.

Luv N’ Care, Ltd. v. Laurain, Case No. 22-1905 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 12, 2024).

The software controlling a lavatory pump in an airplane can be repurposed to power the reclining mechanism in business-class seats, saving both time and resources.

In 2022, Vishaal Mali, Kai Yin, and Aiden Jenkins left their engineering jobs to establish Salient Motion, a defense tech startup aiming to challenge the aerospace industrys long-standing inefficiencies. Like many early-stage ventures, their journey began humbly in a two-car garage, where they spent 15-hour days soldering airplane parts, pitching investors, and developing their vision. Despite facing competition from industry giants, the trio focused on a groundbreaking approach: reusing software to streamline the production of highly specialized airplane parts.

At its core, Salient Motion seeks to break the monopolistic stronghold many aerospace suppliers have held for decades. Traditionally, parts are bespoke, with each one requiring a new FAA certification and design, an expensive and time-consuming process. This has led to inflated prices, exemplified by notorious cases such as $90,000 for a bag of metal tubes or $52,000 for an airplane trash can.

Mali's vision for Salient Motion is built on a simple yet powerful insight: many of these parts share up to 70% of their underlying software despite their differing appearances and functions. By reusing code, they dramatically reduce development time, potentially slashing the typical two-year certification process to under six months. This not only accelerates production but also significantly reduces costs. For instance, the software controlling a lavatory pump in an airplane can be repurposed to power the reclining mechanism in business-class seats, saving both time and resources.

Salient Motion's brilliant software-centric approach has not gone unnoticed in the aerospace industry. In less than two years, the company has acquired a dozen clients and secured a significant partnership with a prominent aircraft manufacturer. Their latest funding round, a testament to their potential, totaled an impressive $12 million. With this backing, Salient Motion is set to expand their team and build a new facility in Torrance, California, to ramp up production and assembly, further solidifying their position as a key player in the industry.

Salient Motions trajectory highlights how small, agile teams can disrupt entrenched industries through creative technological solutions. Their story is not merely one of overcoming legal battles or scaling up a startup but of changing how an entire industry thinks about innovation and production. With Mali at the helm, the company is poised to reshape the future of aerospace engineering, one line of reusable code at a time.

What was the first patented invention in the United States, and who invented it?

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

Originally designed for airline personnel, the Rollaboard quickly became a must-have for travelers worldwide, marking the beginning of a new era in luggage design. Plath founded Travelpro, the company that brought his creation to the consumer market, where it gained immense popularity. The Rollaboard's practicality and user-friendly design set the standard for modern luggage, influencing countless subsequent designs.

Plath's invention is often credited with transforming the travel experience, making it more efficient and comfortable. His legacy lives on in the ubiquitous use of wheeled luggage by travelers today, a testament to the lasting impact of his innovative thinking.

The significance of this patent extended beyond its technical merit; it became a focal point of intense legal battles, shaping the trajectory of the burgeoning automotive industry and influencing the competitive landscape of early 20th-century transportation.

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

The answer is:

The first U.S. patent was granted to Samuel Hopkins in 1790 for an improvement in the making of Potash.