http://www.invention.asia Inventions and Patents in Asia Sat, 04 Sep 2010 21:32:27 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Although the Board of Patent Appeals (BPAI) is working harder than ever, its backlog continues to rise. The first chart below shows the BPAI’s inventory of undecided appeals in ex parte cases. This only includes fully-briefed appeals whose dockets have been transferred to the BPAI and does not include the ... http://www.invention.asia/board-of-patent-appeals/ On the heels of PayNearMe giving out bonus "Facebook Credits" at 7-11 convenience stores last month, starting September 5, the social networking giant is going retail again by selling Facebook Gift cards at Target stores nationwide.  In denominations of $15, $25 and $50, Target's 1750 outlets will be the first ... http://www.invention.asia/social-media-gift-cards-converts-facebook-credits-into-real-currency/ These cute elephant tape dispenser designs from Japan are too good-looking to leave in your trunk, and their compact size is anything but jumbo. http://www.invention.asia/cute-elephant-tape-dispensers-help-with-desktop-tusks-er-tasks/ From designer Yan Lu comes the “Poor Little Fish Basin” – a concept sink to help convince consumers to control their water use. http://www.invention.asia/conserve-water-or-the-fish-gets-it/ Flip.to, the social media service that turns hotel guests into brand advocates is announcing significant preliminary results for two beta clients. The service, based on 'magnetic marketing' versus traditional push or pull advertising, engages customers at the time of booking. http://www.invention.asia/social-media-service-for-hospitality-industry-shows-early-results/ At Iowa State University, chemistry professor Walter Trahanovsky has found an unexpected way to make biomass big business. http://www.invention.asia/big-poops-may-equal-big-payment/ Automotive airbags protect drivers and passengers inside vehicles from injury; now a Japanese research project seeks to do the same for pedestrians by mounting airbags on vehicles' exterior body panels. http://www.invention.asia/exterior-auto-airbags-could-make-car-crashes-more-comfy/ Upcoming Events: Professor Mark Janis of Indiana has put together a really interesting conference titled “Patent Scope Revisited: Merges & Nelson's ‘On the Complex Economics of Patent Scope,’ 20 Years After.”  Sept 23–24 in Bloomington. Speakers include Rob Merges, Don Chisum, Ed Kitch, John Duffy, Jay Kesan, Rochelle Dreyfuss, Kevin Collins, Chris Cotropia, ... http://www.invention.asia/patently-o-bits-and-bytes-38/ While privacy issues have been a major concern for many of Facebook's 500+ million users, you might think their new "Subscribe To" feature would put them over the top. Actually in this instance, I think the new service -even though some are euphemistically calling it the "I Spy" button - ... http://www.invention.asia/social-media-that-believes-all-stalkers-aint-all-bad/ I love to bake and can create some pretty amazing tasting confections, but unfortunately when it comes to decorating these pieces of pastry perfection, I often fall short.  The Frosting Deco Pen by Kuhn Rikon may be just the tool to take my decorating from frustrating to fabulous.   ... http://www.invention.asia/the-frosting-deco-pen-takes-your-baking-to-the-next-level/