About GP

They're Saying

“30 million school-age children now participate in organized sports. Sounds good, right? Except for one dirty little secret – the millions of sports-related injuries..." Source: Stanford University Medical Center YMCA Report

"One study by NFL team physicians and trainers… concluded that wearing shoes under conditions for which they were not designed could lead to excessive forces and cause serious knee and ankle injuries..." Source: American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society

"Our epidemiology studies have revealed knee ligament injuries are occurring at epidemic proportions..." Source: McClure Musculoskeletal Research Center

"An epidemic of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries seems to be occurring among women... according to Mary Ireland, M.D., University of Kentucky Team Physician..." Source: American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society

"The incidence of U.S. ACL injuries is currently estimated at approximately 250,000 annually..." Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Patentable Sports Innovations

GP-Product.Com focuses on patentable sports innovations that have global sales potential. GP intends to market its portfolio of products through a variety of channels including licensing, partnerships, exchanges and spin-offs. GP-Product is focused on athletics and each of our proprietary innovations deliver value in one of three areas:

1) performance value,

2) athletic safety,

3) and sports advertising.

GP-Product can provide innovative products and service exclusives. GP-Product.com LLC is an invention company. Rather than invest in soon to be commoditized items, invest in GP exclusives.

Our Inspiration

Michael Woodruff formed GP. The inspiration for starting the company came from a 99 year old medical patent hanging on the wall in his living room. In October of 1909 his great grandfather, Dr. James Woodruff, was awarded patent number 936205 on an improved syringe design. In 1909 the USA patent office still used bluecloth ribbons, red wax decals, brass grommets and real signatures.

We Do Not Buy Patents

Currently GP does not buy patents and does not offer patent filing or marketing services to outside companies.

Patentable Inventions

United States patent law states that patents may be granted on a new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, composition of matter, or any improvement on these. In addition, patent law also requires an invention to meet the following three criteria:

1. New or Novel: The invention must be demonstrably different from any existing prior art. This means it cannot be described in prior public disclosures, which include publications and/or availability of the invention to the public, as in a commercial product.

2. Useful: The invention must be useful in ways that represent improvements over existing products and/or techniques.

3. Nonobvious: The invention cannot be obvious to a person of "ordinary skill" in the art. Nonobviousness usually is demonstrated by showing that practicing the invention yields surprising, unexpected results.

Each of the previous criteria is open to the judgment and interpretation of the patent examiner. It is on these several criteria that much of the negotiation between the U.S. Patent Office and the applicant centers.

The cost of a U.S. patent typically ranges from $25,000 to $50,000. Foreign patents cost from $10,000 to $20,000 per country. Maintenance costs adds several thousand dollars per patent. Patent law also requires that inventions be reduced to practice in order to be patentable, but some extrapolation about an inventive concept can be included in a patent application.

The U.S. Patent Office issues its first "office action" or reply to the initial patent application in approximately twelve months or longer. This first office action usually rejects most or all of the inventor's claims of invention on the grounds of obviousness; several references are cited to support the examiner's contention. The inventor and patent attorney then present their case to the patent examiner that the references do not render the invention obvious. Such an exchange continues until a patent is either granted or denied. The entire process may take from two to six years.

Today's News

"Football boots (soccer cleats) have undergone surprisingly few design changes in the last seventy years..." Source: Curtin University of Technology, Perth WA

You have read what "They're Saying" and GP-Product.Com wants to stop this injury epidemic which impacts professional athletes as well as 10 in every 100 child athletes.

GP-Product has a patent pending safety technology that could reduce common ankle and knee ligament injuries. The goal is to get the GP safety option in as many youth shoes as possible.

GP is also exploring the creation of a shoe safety lab with a single minded mission to prevent the foot fixation problems that cause ligament injuries in alarming numbers in youth athletes around the world.