Buyers Guide for your Patent Attorney

Happy Thanksgiving to Patently-O readers out there — new and old!   I am grateful to you for all your kindness, trust, and support through the years. Let me know how I can help in the future!

If you are shopping for holiday gifts for the patent attorney in your life (or perhaps self-indulging), here are a few gift ideas.

1. Autonomous Vacuum: If they don’t have a robot vacuum. Oh my.  Any real patent law firm will have a few of these always skirting around. The iRobot Roomba j7 is a great option.
2. Dyson Airwrap.  This device is super cool and “makes hair styling a breeze”(TM).  It is also the subject of dozens of patent and trademark infringement lawsuits with Dyson relentlessly pursuing knock-off brands.  Knock-offs are  still profitable because this baby costs $$$.
3. Pad and Paper. Many of us work on computers all day and it is helpful to get offline whenever possible. But, searching for notebooks online is pretty tricky because Google thinks we’re wanting to buy a computer.  The German-made LEUCHTTURM1917 cuts through the tech with 251 numbered pages of DOTTED paper for your dreams, thoughts & ideas.
4. Patent Art. I have a Wright-brothers patent on the wall in my office as well as a couple of products that I helped protect back-in-the-day.  There are lots of suppliers of these.  I bought mine from My Patent Prints as with most things, Amazon also has a wide variety.
5. Spill-Free Mug: I ride my bicycle to work and so a non-spillable mug is important. This Contigo Coffee Mug takes a licking without any leaking (and dishwasher safe).
6. Camping Gear: I do short solo camping trips a couple of times every year.  Although it is a bit harsher, I prefer the winter because usually I’m the only human in the woods at an otherwise popular campsite.  You don’t need much gear to get started: (1) tent; (2) sleeping bag.  One key is to have a nice thick sleeping pad.  These were developed by Therm-a-Rest, but their patents seem to have expired and so there are thousands on the market.
7. Red Light Therapy: A couple of years ago while my spouse was away at a conference, I ordered a bunch of cedar and a sauna in my house.  I have a 220v Finnish style heater, and I also have an array of red-lights for red-light therapy.  I went all-out, but it is easy to get started with simply the red-lights that have been shown to provide lots of health benefits.  My set comes from a friend of mine who runs the company Sauna Space.  His are incandescent bulbs and so also give off lots of heat.  Lots of LED versions are also available.
8. EMS: OK – The Katalyst Fit just looks super cool to me.  It uses “electro muscle stimulation” to help you lift and shock your muscles into action.
9. Sony Playstation Classic: This classic console comes pre-loaded with 20 games from the late 1990s, including Final Fantasy 7.

I left off the one thing I’ve been thinking about – a fancy espresso machine.  I am usually the first one up in my house and take a few minutes to make myself an espresso coffee. But, it is a bit of a process because I use an Italian stove-top espresso pot – a Moka Pot.  After that, I usually add some almond milk and some protein powder.  What do folks think about the small Breville machine?  OK – after watching this video on Cleaning the Breville, my process seems much simpler, faster, and cheaper.