Patents Can Be Fun – Or At Least Interesting … Really!!
Brett Gallagher July 5 2011 10:06:08 AM
Handling the translations of hundreds of patent applications each month from all over the world, as we do here at STI, inevitably means coming across some wild and crazy ideas. Patent and intellectual property document translations are one of our core specialties, beginning more than 20 years ago when we first began working with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Now, today we translate literally thousands of patents and patent-related materials each year, not only for the USPTO, but also a large number of patent law firms, IP search companies, and even directly for inventors.
When I first started working at STI, the idea of working with patents every day was an interesting one, albeit somewhat intimidating! Composed of highly technical language and specialized vocabulary, as well as a format and style that often runs contradictory to what most would consider to be 'proper English,' the language of patents is certainly unique, and some of the 'interesting' inventions for which we have seen patents being applied for are not to be believed.
Some of the most interesting ones that I have come across range from the most complex to the simplest item imaginable. One of the first patents to come to mind featured a device that was intended to recognize the iris and facial patterns of a person and compare them to a base sample to be used as a security safeguard. A special camera would be used to take a photograph of the upper half of a person's body which would then be sent to a pre-processing section where the person's iris pattern and specific facial features would be cut out and sent on to an extraction section. At that point the features and iris pattern could be read and compared to data for the person that was scanned, determining if this is one of the correct people allowed access to a special location (such as a bank vault).
More often than not, the patents we see tend to be older and not necessarily all that relevant to modern times (often to be used by patent examiners or lawyers in determining the patentability of a patent application they are reviewing for a client or applicant), but one patent from 2003 described a device able to display 3D images that were viewable without the need for special glasses. This was fascinating to me, in particular, since it has just been within the last year or two that we have seen 3D imagery coming to the forefront, especially in the home-theater environment, and the idea of having to wear special glasses the entire time is not especially appealing.
Another great example of forward-thinking patents was one that featured a library organization system that would be completely automated. Essentially, the invention featured a complex organization system where books would be scanned into the system by the party returning the book, and the system would then instruct the user where to return the book. To put it simply, if you took a book out of the stacks and tried to put it back in any old place, the shelves would be programmed to direct you to the book's proper location. Of course, this would rely heavily on those using the library to work with the system, but the idea behind it was extremely interesting.
We have also seen a few patents that border on the strange. For example, a few years ago, we received a document in Korean from an individual 'inventor-to-be,' written in a patent format, for a futuristic space propulsion system that uses charred animal fur (among other bizarre ingredients) as fuel. Besides that, we've seen designs for new types of cat litter boxes, a water-proof children's book that little kids are able to read while in the bathtub, and one for a popular Japanese beverage that, while non-alcoholic, tastes like beer.
Besides the documents themselves, working with pate nts and patent translations in so many languages, from Japanese and Germ an to Spa nish, Russian, French, Danish and even Romanian and Turkish, and with the linguists themselves has proven to be a wonderful experience. Since we never use machine translation at STI, I work with a large pool of technical linguists, many with fascinating resumes and backgrounds. Some have extensive legal training, while others have engineering backgrounds or just a fascination with technology. What they all have in common, though, is a unique skill-set in highly technical language, and an ability to convey what, to most people, is an extremely complicated concept into another linguistic and cultural context. As a Japanese linguist myself, I know just how challenging that can be!
There are so many more interesting examples I could give of amazing patents covering any number of thematic areas. The ideas and inventions that people are able to create never fail to amaze me, and each day I look forward to what unique invention will come across my desk. The amazing breakthroughs made in areas like medicine and technology are often inspiring and I am glad that I can play a small part in translating these ideas so that the knowledge gained from them may serve a useful purpose.
By Amanda W.
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About STI, Inc.
STI has been a leading provider in the patent & IP translation industry for more than 30 years, helping numerous government and private sector clients to meet their translation, localization, and interpretation needs. STI integrates the best in human and technological resources to help our clients break down language barriers and face the demands of increasingly rapid globalization. With an effective, personalized, and proven system of project management, there is no project too big or too small.
STI is a Corporate Member of the American Translators Association (ATA) and a Charter Member of the Association of Language Companies (ALC), the only trade association in the U.S. devoted to the language industry. STI's President, Marla Schulman, is the Immediate Past President of the AlC.
STI is located in the Washington D.C metro area. To learn more, please contact STI at www.schreibernet.com, or call (301) 424-7737.
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