The Ornamental Design of a Specific Spotlight
This is a design patent protecting the unique visual appearance and shape of a specific spotlight fixture.
Original patent title: “USRE48592E1 - Spotlight”
This is a design patent protecting the unique visual appearance and shape of a specific spotlight fixture. Granted to Modulex Inc USA in 2021 with 1 claim and 2 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent protects the ornamental design of a spotlight. Unlike utility patents that protect how a device functions, this design patentdesign patentCovers the ornamental appearance of a product, not function. 15-year term from grant.Read more → focuses exclusively on the visual, non-functional aesthetic features of the product. It covers the specific contours, proportions, and stylistic choices shown in the patent's drawings. If a competitor creates a spotlight that looks substantially similar to these drawings, they could be infringing on this design right.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover the internal electrical components or lighting technology used in the spotlight.
- Does not cover the functional performance, such as beam angle, brightness, or energy efficiency.
- Does not cover any other shape or aesthetic design of a spotlight that does not share the same ornamental features.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The cleverness lies in the legal protection of pure aesthetics, allowing a company to own the visual identity of a product regardless of its underlying mechanical utility.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
High-end architectural lighting fixtures
Commercial gallery or retail display spotlights
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Design patents are essential for companies that differentiate their products through industrial design. By protecting the 'look and feel' of a product, companies like Modulex Inc can prevent competitors from creating knock-offs that confuse customers by mimicking the brand's signature aesthetic.
Filed
October 10, 2019
Granted
June 15, 2021
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Modulex Inc USA holds this design. Companies in the architectural and commercial lighting sector often use such patents to protect their unique product lines from being copied by generic manufacturers.
Market impact
This patent helps maintain brand exclusivity in the lighting market. It prevents competitors from flooding the market with visually identical products, thereby protecting the design investment made by the original creator.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent protects the ornamental design of a spotlight. Unlike utility patents that protect how a device functions, this design patent focuses exclusively on the visual, non-functional aesthetic features of the product. It covers the specific contours, proportions, and stylistic choices shown in the patent's drawings. If a competitor creates a spotlight that looks substantially similar to these drawings, they could be infringing on this design right.
The clever bit
The cleverness lies in the legal protection of pure aesthetics, allowing a company to own the visual identity of a product regardless of its underlying mechanical utility.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover the internal electrical components or lighting technology used in the spotlight.
- Does not cover the functional performance, such as beam angle, brightness, or energy efficiency.
- Does not cover any other shape or aesthetic design of a spotlight that does not share the same ornamental features.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
10/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
1/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$36K – $115K
Midpoint $72K · 13.3 yr remaining · industry baseline
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
1 claim as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Terumichi, G. (2021). The Ornamental Design of a Specific Spotlight (U.S. Patent No. RE48,592). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/RE48592/cftr-potentiator-compounds
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
Embed
Add this patent to your site
Drop this plain-English patent card into any blog post or article — free, no signup. It always links back to the full breakdown here.
<div data-patentlens-widget data-patent-number="USRE48592"></div> <script src="https://patentbrief.org/embed.js" async></script>
Stay in the loop
Get a weekly digest of new patents.
One email per week. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Keep exploring
Related patents you should know
US 4683195 · 1987
How to Make Billions of Copies of a DNA Segment
This patent describes the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a method to rapidly create many copies of a specific piece of DNA or RNA, enabling its detection and analysis.
Cetus Corp
US 8697359 · 2014
How to Edit Genes in Human Cells Using an Engineered CRISPR System
This patent describes an engineered CRISPR-Cas9 system for precisely cutting DNA in eukaryotic cells to change how genes work, opening the door for gene editing in complex organisms.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
US 7657849 · 2010
How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works
Apple's 2010 patent describes unlocking a device by dragging a specific graphical image across the touchscreen along a predefined path, a gesture that became iconic with the original iPhone.
Apple Inc
US 4733665 · 1988
How Doctors Implant a Permanent Stent Using a Balloon
This patent describes the method for placing a permanent, expandable wire mesh tube inside a blood vessel or other body tube using a balloon-tipped catheter to widen it and keep it open.
Expandable Grafts Partnership
US 4965188 · 1990
How to Make Many Copies of a DNA Piece with Heat
This patent describes the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method, a technique to make millions of copies of a specific DNA segment using a heat-resistant enzyme and repeated temperature changes.
Cetus Corp
US 4235871 · 1980
How to Encapsulate Active Materials in Lipid Bubbles Efficiently
This patent describes a method for trapping biologically active substances inside tiny, multi-layered fat bubbles called liposomes, using a specific water-in-oil emulsion and gel-forming process to improve how much material gets captured.
Individual
More to explore
More in Consumer Electronics
US 7657849 · 2010 · Apple Inc
How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works
US 7479949 · 2009 · Apple Inc
How Touchscreens Understand Your Finger Swipes and Scrolls
US 4528643 · 1985 · FPDC Inc
How Stores Make Custom Products On-Demand with Remote Approval
US 7469381 · 2008 · Apple Inc
How Touchscreens Show and Snap Back When You Scroll Past an Edge
New to patents?
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does The Ornamental Design of a Specific Spotlight cover?
This is a design patent protecting the unique visual appearance and shape of a specific spotlight fixture.
Who owns patent US RE48592?
Modulex Inc USA owns this patent, granted in 2021.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on June 15, 2041, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US RE48592 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 2 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Design patents are essential for companies that differentiate their products through industrial design. By protecting the 'look and feel' of a product, companies like Modulex Inc can prevent competitors from creating knock-offs that confuse customers by mimicking the brand's signature aesthetic.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover the internal electrical components or lighting technology used in the spotlight.
Patent monitoring