Having trouble picking out a gift for Valentine’s Day? As we gear up to commemorate love, for self or significant other, we find ourselves turning to classic and heartfelt ideas perfect for that special someone. What does everything on the following list have in common—besides being a great way to show someone you care? They are all some form of intellectual property! Sometimes we take great innovations for granted, so you may be surprised to learn that your favorite Valentine’s Day gifts are actually patented ideas!
Personalized Greeting Cards
Have you ever forgotten your Valentine’s Day card and had to stop at the corner store on the way home to grab one? Who can blame you? Cards can be a holiday afterthought. Up your card game this year with a musical greeting card! Patented in 1997 by Ellen Johnson and Daryl Ivy, these greeting cards are equipped with sound to add a personal flair to a greeting card industry that was ready for something new.
Heart-Shaped Chocolates
If “life is a box of chocolates,” then the heart-shaped variety means that life has a little something extra in store! It may come as a surprise to learn that Verlooy Herwig’s 2001 patent is among one of the first patents for one variety of heart-shaped chocolate. A one-of-a-kind gift for your one-of-a-kind relationship.
Heart-Shaped Diamond
Questions of patent enablement aside, it takes quite the inventive mind to improve on mother nature. That’s why Ari Hamioff’s method for constructing heart-shaped diamonds is so impressive and perhaps the perfect gift this Valentine’s Day. Diamonds may be timeless but Hammoff’s 2002 patent describing the innovative process of cutting two pear shaped diamonds and setting them alongside one another is truly a step-above!
Trailing Rose
The oldest patent on this list, the trailing rose was first patented by Henry F. Bosenberg in 1913—another collaboration between man and nature. A favorite of gardeners the world over, roses symbolize love, courage, beauty, and romance. Note that while a bouquet of freshly chopped roses would make a fine gift, they are unlikely to be trailing (also known as “climbing”) roses. Bosenberg bred these roses to bloom longer than traditional upright varieties so if you and your love are willing to wait, these sprawling roses will produce a breathtaking bloom. Typically easier to care for than their traditional counterparts, they are capable of producing dozens of buds in a single season!
Intellectual property deserves some affection for all it’s done to help promote and inspire great gift ideas through the decades. What better way of commemorating your love with a gift so special it’s patented, copyrighted, or trademarked?
