{
  "patent_number": "US D504889",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "The Design Patent for the Original iPod Mini",
  "original_title": "USD504889S1 - Electronic device",
  "summary": "This is a design patent protecting the specific physical appearance and shape of Apple's iPod Mini, which helped define the look of portable music players in the mid-2000s.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent covers the ornamental design of an electronic device, specifically the iPod Mini. Unlike utility patents that protect how a device functions, this design patent protects the visual characteristics, including the rounded corners, the placement of the click wheel, and the overall aluminum casing geometry. It ensures that no other company can produce a device that looks substantially similar to the iPod Mini's unique aesthetic. The claim relies entirely on the visual representations provided in the patent drawings to define the protected shape.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover the internal circuitry or software of the device",
    "Does not protect the functional mechanism of the click wheel",
    "Does not prevent other companies from making music players with different shapes or designs",
    "Does not cover the user interface or screen display technology"
  ],
  "filed": "2004-03-17",
  "granted": "2005-05-10",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Apple Computer Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/apple-computer-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Daniele De Iuliis",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/daniele-de-iuliis"
    },
    {
      "name": "Steve Jobs",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/steve-jobs"
    },
    {
      "name": "Douglas B. Satzger",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/douglas-b-satzger"
    },
    {
      "name": "Matthew Dean Rohrbach",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/matthew-dean-rohrbach"
    },
    {
      "name": "Rico Zörkendörfer",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/rico-zrkendrfer"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shin Nishibori",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/shin-nishibori"
    },
    {
      "name": "Eugene Anthony Whang",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/eugene-anthony-whang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Richard P. Howarth",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/richard-p-howarth"
    },
    {
      "name": "Christopher J. Stringer",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/christopher-j-stringer"
    },
    {
      "name": "Daniel J. Coster",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/daniel-j-coster"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jonathan P. Ive",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/jonathan-p-ive"
    },
    {
      "name": "Bartley K. Andre",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/bartley-k-andre"
    },
    {
      "name": "Calvin Q. Seid",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/calvin-q-seid"
    },
    {
      "name": "Duncan Robert Kerr",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/duncan-robert-kerr"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 573,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics"
  ],
  "abstract": null,
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/D504889/ipod-click-wheel-design",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/D504889/ipod-click-wheel-design/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/USD504889",
  "relatedPatents": []
}