Questions & Answers about Table Top Advertising Claims & Patents

 Q - I have been told that there is "only one sole legitimate manufacturer of advertising tabletops in America" and one company that is "the ONLY authorized manufacturer of restaurant tabletops featuring advertisements". And, because this company holds a patent, no one else can produce tables which feature advertisements. Is this true?

A -  NO!  As a matter of fact there are many companies across America (as well as all over the world) which produce tables that feature advertisements (concerning any patent claims see the information below). Our goal at GEH & Associates, LLC is to make our trademarked product TableAds^® the best!
 

Q - Does a person or a company hold a current patent on advertising tabletops?  

A - Yes! A quick patent search of the United States Patent Office database using the keywords "table top advertising" reveals two existing patents.

1. Patent# D445,837 by William A. Waterhouse – Norman, OK – December 4, 2000

2. Patent# 5,484,638 by William M. Crabtree – Sedalia, MO – February 15, 1995
 

Q - Well, if two patents exist, how can GEH, and the other companies you mentioned produce advertising tabletops?  

A - According to the United States Patent Office patents are issued for inventions. See excerpts below from the USPTO web site.
Click here to view the entire document

What Is a Patent?

A patent for an invention is the grant of a property right to the inventor, issued by the Patent
and Trademark Office. The right conferred by the patent grant is, in the language of the statute
and of the grant itself, "the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling
" the invention in the United States or "importing"  the invention into the United States. What is granted
is not the right to make, use, offer for sale, sell or import, but the right to exclude others from
making, using, offering for sale, selling or importing the invention.

Since patents are clearly for inventions, and since the manufacturing processes (the invention) used by other companies (including the process we use for manufacturing TableAds^®) in no way violates any of the claims of the existing patents, the patent holders have no legal claim to any patent infringement or product exclusivity and any statements otherwise are simply not true!
 

Q - Can you get a patent on a idea, like putting advertisements on tabletops?

A - NO! Again, according to the United States Patent Office and the USPTO web site, "A patent cannot be obtained upon a mere idea or suggestion"!
See excerpts below from USPTO web site. Click here to view entire document

WHAT CAN BE PATENTED
(Excerpted from General Information Concerning Patents print brochure)

The patent law specifies the general field of subject matter that can be patented and
the conditions under which a patent may be obtained. 

A patent cannot be obtained upon a mere idea or suggestion. The patent is granted upon the
new machine, manufacture, etc., as has been said, and not upon the idea or suggestion of the
new machine. A complete description of the actual machine or other subject matter for which a patent is sought is required.


Since the United States Patent Office states no patent can be granted on an "idea" (such as table top advertising) and must be on the machine or manufacturing process, any patent holders making claims to have patents on the "idea" of table top advertising are obviously distributing false information!

We hope you have found this information helpful and informative.
        Should you have additional questions or comments on this
subject please feel free to contact us.