A design patent functions much like a trademark on a product name or a company logo. Less familiar than the intellecual or "utility" patent, a design patent is granted for distinctive outward appearance, independent of how the product functions.
The purpose of a design patent is to prevent confusion in the minds of consumers. A familiar example would be the counterfeit "ROLLEX" watches sometimes sold on city street corners. Although the name on the watch face may have an extra “L” in it (therefore not identical in appearance to the real thing), the overall design nevertheless confuses the public and clearly violates any design patent held by Rolex.
Meyer Sound has been issued design patents on a number of products, ranging from the radically different ARTS to the more conventional - looking 833 monitor. In all cases, the underlying purpose is the same: to make sure that whenever you see something that looks like a Meyer Sound product you also will hear the corresponding sound quality. For example, any loudspeaker company could make a system that looks like an MSL-4 with little difficulty. But that doesn't mean it will sound like an MSL-4. These design patents help ensure that physical appearance and the sound quality always go together.
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Design Patent #Des. 271,967 Loudspeaker MSL-4 MTS-4 |
833 Studio Monitor
Design Patent #Des. 282,255 Loudspeaker Enclosure ARTS |
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