 Patents of Neopia #1
by one_headlight
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In this series, we will be taking a look at various patents granted throughout Neopian history. What is a patent you ask? A patent is a type of intellectual property right granted by the Neopian Patent Office (NPO) to inventors of something new, useful, and non-obvious. A granted patent by the NPO allows the inventor the exclusive rights to make, use, and sell their invention in Neopia for a specified period of time (typically 20 years). Each patent includes a set of claims which technically define the invention that is being protected. The claims typically contain an independent (main) claim(s) and multiple dependent (sub) claims which further define the independent claim(s). The NPO examines each set of claims in a patent application to determine whether or not the claims are drawn towards a novel invention. Comparisons of the claims to the prior art are considered, and if no match has been found or determined to be obvious variants, then a patent is granted. These claims in a granted patent are what prevents others from copying your invention! As such, we will be focusing on the claims of each patent presented. In this issue, we will be looking at the patents behind a couple of legendary items. These patents allowed the inventors exclusive rights to sell these items at the Hidden Tower! ------- Neopia Patent - Patent No. 58,152 Date of Patent: October 16, 2001 Title: Snowball Machine
What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus comprising: a main body cylinder configured horizontally, the main body cylinder comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is open and the second end is closed; the first open end of the main body cylinder configured as an output end; the main body cylinder having a hollow inner portion between the first end and the second end; an input port perpendicular to the main body cylinder, said input port configured to connect to the hollow inner portion of the main body cylinder; a mount configured to support the main body cylinder; four support legs connected to the mount; wherein the input port is configured to allow a user to input snow and the output port is configured to output a snowball made from said snow. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mount is connected to the main body cylinder with fastening mechanisms on either side of the main body cylinder. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fastening mechanisms are screws. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hollow inner portion is grooved. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the grooved hollow inner portion is configured to shape the inputted snow into a spherical shape. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the main body cylinder further comprises a colour input means configured to add at least one or more colours to the inputted snow before outputting the snowball. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the colour is at least one of blue, yellow, pink, green, peach, pink, grey, or brown. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the each of the four support legs extend from the bottom of the mount. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the four support legs are configured in a two by two pattern, with the front two legs connected to each other, each of the side two legs connected to each other, and the back to legs connected to each other. ------- Neopia Patent - Patent No. 73,526 Date of Patent: August 29, 2003 Title: Regulation Meridell Crossbow 
What is claimed is: 1. A crossbow, comprising: a main body comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the second end is taller than the first end; the main body comprising a flight groove between the first end and the second end, the flight groove being configured to receive an arrow; a riser mounted adjacent to and on either side of the main body in the area of the flight groove; first and second limbs, each limb having a first end and a second end; the riser configured to receive the first end of the first limb and the first end of the second limb; a first wheel with a first axle coupled to the second end of the first limb; a second wheel with a second axle coupled to the second end of the second limb; a string extending between the first wheel and the second wheel; wherein the string is configured to receive the arrow in conjunction with the flight groove; the main body comprising a latch configured to hold the string in a ready position; and a trigger configured to release the latch in order to allow the string to propel the arrow along the flight groove towards a target. 2. The crossbow of claim 1, wherein the second end of the main body comprises two pointed ends with a curved recess in between. 3. The crossbow of claim 1, wherein the main body, riser, first limb, and second limb are made from wood. 4. The crossbow of claim 1, wherein the first and second wheels are made of metal. 5. The crossbow of claim 1, wherein the draw weight of the crossbow is at least 125 pounds. 6. The crossbow of claim 5, wherein the draw weight of the crossbow is at least 150 pounds. 7. The crossbow of claim 1, wherein the main body comprises a plurality of wide and narrow portions along between the first end and the second end. ------- As you can see, these patent claims are very detailed and cover the important aspects and set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out their invention. These patents were granted to these inventors to give them control over their own invention. Having a patent also shows potential investors that your invention offers something new to the market. These two patents in particular helped their inventors mass produce their invention and sell them in the Hidden Tower for a hefty amount of Neopoints! I hope that this article has helped you better understand what a patent is and the importance of patents. In the next issue, we will look at some other interesting historical patents from around the world!
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