Patent of the Week: Condom Valve

Was it only this past September that we discovered this gem (see list at bottom of page) among several pro se patent applications by a Hawaiian doctor? Appropriate for today, I'm feeling a bit like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day:

U.S. Patent No. 7,654,265  Condom valve Inventor: Attila Mady Issued: February 2, 2010 1. A condom having a valved geometry, said condom comprising a first layer and a second layer of a material that is capable of providing a barrier to the passage of bodily fluids, microorganisms and viruses, with said first layer and second layer configured in an overlapping fashion to form a plicated membrane valve at a distal portion of the condom, with said first and second layers further configured such that they are tightly apposed to the glans penis, with said condom further including a reservoir for retaining ejaculate at a distal tip of the condom, and wherein said plicated membrane valve is configured such that the aforesaid first and second layers may separate and the membrane valve may open under pressure provided from the urethra to transmit ejaculate therefrom, permitting emission of semen from the reservoir to an area outside of the confines of the condom in the region corresponding to and physically approximated to the introitus of the urethra, to prevent build-up of fluid at the tip of said condom and to permit impregnation of the female partner engaged in sexual intercourse.

Ah, yes. How could we forget this invention, the SkyDome of contraception. Its purpose is "..to permit re-use with the same partner, or to...permit conception...while retaining...barrier type infection control."

I won't post all the details here (you're welcome), but it is worth reading the specification for entertainment (example: this is probably the first patent to use the words "surgically affixed", "Crazy Glue", "condom" and "shaft" in the same sentence. Ouch.)

You have to admire the patience of the examiner, though. Consider this snippet from the first of four interview summaries:

Applicant notified examiner of his displeasure stemming from his experience during prosecution of a different pending utility application. Examiner alerted applicant that he was not the examiner of record in the other pending application. Applicant maintained that his experience thus far with the PTO may be due to his lack of representation by an attorney. Examiner informed applicant that it is his intention to assist applicant throughout prosecution. Applicant maintained that examiner's rejections based on the prior art...were spurious.

Really?? An attorney might help? Ya' think? And recall that this is the inventor who actually did hire an attorney for a quick hit to respond to a messy 112 rejection in his previous patent...only to revoke the POA shortly thereafter.

We'll keep an eye out for more of Dr. Mady's patents in the future. Fun stuff.