U.S. Patent No. D860,392 S (‘392) issued on September 17, 2019, for “Faucet.” It was issued to inventor Celine Kwok Garland of Zionsville, Indiana. The applicant/assignee is Delta Faucet Company of Indianapolis, Indiana. This patent is a design patent under 35 U.S.C. §171, which protects the ornamental features of an article of manufacture. The ornamental features cover the design of the faucet.
Figure 2 below illustrates the ornamental features of the faucet.
Under 35 U.S.C. §173, the ‘395 patent, like all design patents, has a patent term of 15 years, and expires on September 17, 2034 (MPEP 1505).
The Cooperative Patent Classifications are Y10T, fluid handling for faucets and spouts (137/9464); and E03C, domestic plumbing installations for fresh water or waste water, namely, water-basin installations specially adapted to wash-basins or baths fixing a tap to the sanitary appliance or to an associated mounting surface (1/0401) with mounting from only one side (1/0402) with constructional or functional features of the spout (1/0404) enabling multiple spray patterns (1/0405), having provisions against scalding with constructional or functional features of the faucet handle (1/0412), and shower handles (1/0409).
Delta is a major home appliance manufacturer which focuses on the domestic residential home market, so the design fits with its product lines. One of Delta’s competitors, Grohe, had a design patent (D860395) issued on the same day as the ‘392 patent, which we discussed last month on the blog. Please contact Yonaxis for more information on design patents, or patents in general, if you have any questions.