Halloween or Hallowe’en or Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Eve is a yearly celebration that takes place innumerous countries on 31^st October. The day is dedicated to remembering the dead that includes saints (hallows), martyrs and other faithful departed souls. The theme primarily revolves around “humor and ridicule to confront the power of death”.

Sagacious IP, on this Halloween reveals 5 such items that have received patents:

 #1 Halloween costumes:

Halloween Costumes are used both by adults & children. Children dress up to “trick or treat”, while the adults dress up for costume parties. Thus, costumes are an integral part of Halloween, and it’s a trend to wear innovative and unique costumes. Accordingly, lots of innovation has been done in making unique costumes. As these have great market value, inventors have also patented their works.

The table below shows total number of results that appear on searching for Halloween Costumes patents on Google Patents:

Digging deep into a few patents to ascertain the basic differences in attributes and claims, it was found that:

1. Some costumes claimed patent for light distributing assembly, comprising a light source and a plurality of light outputting members optically coupled to the light source, each of the members having a light outputting surface.
2. Some costumes comprise a flexible member having an appearance which creates, in the mind of an individual viewing the flexible member, an image of a person, animal, character or thing.
3. Inventors also took a note that Halloween might also be celebrated varied weather conditions, so, costume that particularly adapted to accommodate changes in weather and climate were also invented.
4. 3D foam costume molded from vacuum molding or thermoforming machine also received patents.

#2 Jack-O-Lanterns & Candles:

It’s a tradition for households to decorate their house on a horror theme using Jack-O-Lanterns, plastic skeletons and other innovative scary prank items. This makes these items of high value and thus lots of innovation has been done in this field, resulting in a large number of patents.

The table below shows total number of results that appear on searching for Jack-O-Lanterns, Prank items & candles patents on Google Patents:

Jack-O-Lantern patents are identified as:

1. Jack-o-lantern helmet, and has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive device of the kind that may be worn on the head in parades, masquerades, and the like.
2. Toy jack-o-lantern, and has for its object to provide a pleasing toy of the kind that is adapted to be used as a substitute for the pumpkin. Light, durable, economical in construction, and readily lighted and conveniently handled; furthermore, in which the light-openings are provided with translucent coverings, readily applied, in colors as desired, whereby the flame is concealed and a glow-light is produced and the grotesque and fantastic effects are heightened.
3. Jack-o’-lantern battery and lamp bulb holder: lantern & illumination device used to reduce hazards of fire as is incident to the use of open-flame. It has a simple, practical, substantial and very low cost means for holding and attaching an electric battery to a given supporting part.
4. Invention to provide an electric lamp that can be conveniently mounted in a hollowed-out pumpkin.

#3 Halloween Candy:

Trick or-treating is a standard festival for youngsters on Halloween. Kids go in ensemble from house to house, requesting treats, for example, candies, confection or in some cases cash, with the inquiry, “Trick or treat?” The saying “trap” alludes to “risk” to perform naughtiness on the property holders or their property if no treat is given.

Interestingly, on searching for patents around the keywords “Halloween Candy” results that appear on Google Patents are in form of:

1. Design for Halloween Candy: US D76776 S – Refers to a ghostly mask design of a candy specifically for Halloween.
2. Halloween Candy Sign: US D616945 S1 – Ornamental design for a illuminated Halloween candy sign.
3. Halloween Candy Containers:

• Illuminated candy carrier is provided for use by children on Halloween.
• A large bucket-shaped container is formed in the shape of various Halloween items such as a jack-o-lantern, a ghost, a vampire or the like. At the base or bottom of the container is a battery holder designed to hold two AA or C type batteries, along with a switch, and an incandescent lamp identical to the type found in a flashlight. A series of “tracer” lights or sequentially flashing lights are located in the handle and are electrically connected to the same battery pack and switch. When activated, the invention produces a glowing effect throughout the container.

The initial patents were granted during late 1800s and early 1900s but, the inventors still continue to develop ever evolving & interesting Halloween items to keep up the spirit of the hallows & Halloween alive over the generations.