U.S. Patent No. D841,260 S1 (‘260) issued on February 19, 2019, for “Cotton Seed Feeder.” It was issued to inventor/applicant Percy English of El Campo, Texas. This patent is a design patent under 35 U.S.C. §171, which protects the ornamental features of an article of manufacture. The features cover the entire design of the feeder apparatus itself.
Under 35 U.S.C. §173, the ‘260 patent, like all design patents, has a patent term of 15 years, and expires on February 19, 2034 (MPEP 1505).
The U.S. Patent Classification is D30/121 (animal husbandry, namely, feeder or waterer).
Cotton seed feeders are not novel, per se. Prior art include U.S. Patent No. 284,091, issued in 1883, U.S. Patent No. 1,450,070, issued in 1923, and U.S. Patent No. 2,768,607, issued in 1953. However, the ‘260 patent’s design features are novel and nonobvious enough for issuance as an improvement over the prior art. Design patents are about 10% of all patents issued by the USPTO, and that number is growing steadily every year.