Patents Issued the Week of December 2-6

12.16.24

Patent Protection & Registration

Patents grant property rights on new and useful inventions, allowing the patent holder to prevent others from using, making, or selling that invention without permission for a limited time. U.S. patents are permitted by the U.S. Constitution and are designed to promote scientific progress and invention. By allowing inventors to profit from licensing or selling their patent rights, inventors can recoup their research and development costs and benefit financially from their inventing efforts. There are three main types of patents utility, plant, and design. Utility and plant patents can last up to 20 years, while design patents can last up to 15 years. When a patent expires, the patented material enters the public domain, making it free to use by anyone without a license. U.S. patents are issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

U.S. Patent No. 12,157,460 entitled “Object Detection System and Method for a Work Machine Using Work Implement Masking” issued December 3, 2024 to Deere & Company of Moline, Illinois. Invented by Nathaniel M. Czarnecki; Giovanni A. Wuisan; Rachel Bruflodt and Christopher B. Howard all of Dubuque, Iowa. Abstract: A system and method are provided for object detection for a work machine. In an embodiment, data may be received from at least one sensor associated with the work machine and corresponding to a field of view extending from the main frame. Objects are classified in respective locations in the field of view, and at least one segmentation mask is generated corresponding to contours for at least one portion of, or attachment to, the work machine as determined to be in the field of view, wherein each of the at least one segmentation mask defines a respective masked zone in the field of view. One or more of the classified objects may then be determined as separate from the portion/attachment, wherein the at least one segmentation mask is applied to the portion/attachment independently of the one or more separate objects in the field of view. The at least one segmentation mask may be dynamic in nature to account for detected movements of, e.g., attachments to the work machine.