To:
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`Subject:
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`Sent:
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`Sent As:
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`Attachments:
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`Panasonic Corporation of North America (ptodocket@arelaw.com)
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`U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION NO. 86230485 - PLUSH PRO - 55210/825
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`11/28/2014 7:23:56 PM
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`ECOM108@USPTO.GOV
`
`Attachment - 1
`Attachment - 2
`Attachment - 3
`Attachment - 4
`Attachment - 5
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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)
`OFFICE ACTION (OFFICIAL LETTER) ABOUT APPLICANT’S TRADEMARK APPLICATION
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`(cid:160) (cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
`(cid:160) (cid:160) (cid:160)
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
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`(cid:160) (cid:160)(cid:160)
`CORRESPONDENT’S REFERENCE/DOCKET NO :(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
`CORRESPONDENT E-MAIL ADDRESS:(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
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`(cid:160) 55210/825
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`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160) ptodocket@arelaw.com
`
`*86230485*
`
`CLICK HERE TO RESPOND TO THIS LETTER:
`http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/teas/response_forms.jsp
`
`VIEW YOUR APPLICATION FILE
`
`U.S. APPLICATION SERIAL NO. (cid:160) 86230485
`
`(cid:160)M
`
`ARK: PLUSH PRO
`
`CORRESPONDENT ADDRESS:
`(cid:160)(cid:160)
`(cid:160)(cid:160) (cid:160) (cid:160) HOLLY PEKOWSKY, ESQ.
`(cid:160)(cid:160)
`(cid:160)(cid:160) (cid:160) (cid:160) AMSTER, ROTHSTEIN & EBENSTEIN LLP
`(cid:160) (cid:160) (cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160) 90 PARK AVE
`(cid:160) (cid:160) (cid:160)(cid:160) (cid:160) (cid:160) NEW YORK, NY 10016-1301
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
`APPLICANT: Panasonic Corporation of North America
`
`OFFICE ACTION
`
`STRICT DEADLINE TO RESPOND TO THIS LETTER
`TO AVOID ABANDONMENT OF APPLICANT’S TRADEMARK APPLICATION, THE USPTO MUST RECEIVE APPLICANT’S
`COMPLETE RESPONSE TO THIS LETTER WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF THE ISSUE/MAILING DATE BELOW.
`
`(cid:160)I
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`SSUE/MAILING DATE: 11/28/2014
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`(cid:160)T
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`he examining attorney has carefully reviewed the applicant’s response to the first Office action containing amendments and arguments in
`favor of registration.(cid:160) The descriptive refusal is withdrawn.(cid:160) As to the other outstanding issues, the examining attorney has determined the
`following.(cid:160) Applicant must respond timely and completely to the issues below.(cid:160) 15 U.S.C. §1062(b); 37 C.F.R. §§2.62(a), 2.65(a); TMEP §§711,
`718.03.
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`(cid:160) D
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`isclaimer of “ PLUSH” Required
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`(cid:160)A
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`pplicant must disclaim “ PLUSH” because it merely describes an ingredient, quality, characteristic, function, feature, purpose, or use of
`applicant’s goods, and thus is an unregistrable component of the mark.(cid:160) See 15 U.S.C. §§1052(e)(1), 1056(a); DuoProSS Meditech Corp. v.
`Inviro Med. Devices, Ltd., 695 F.3d 1247, 1251, 103 USPQ2d 1753, 1755 (Fed. Cir. 2012) (quoting In re Oppedahl & Larson LLP, 373 F.3d
`
`1171, 1173, 71 USPQ2d 1370, 1371 (Fed. Cir. 2004)); TMEP §§1213, 1213.03(a).(cid:160)(cid:160)
`
`“Plush” is defined as abundantly rich; lush; luxuriant. [1] (cid:160) This merely descriptive of the function or a feature of the identified goods, namely, a
`vacuum feature designed for soft plush carpets or to enhance the plushness of carpets.(cid:160) The descriptive nature of the term is illustrated by a
`Lexis/Nexis search.(cid:160) Articles found in a search of U.S. articles for the term “plush” within give terms of “vacuum” found several stories (See
`attached).(cid:160) In addition, please see the attached Internet evidence illustrating the descriptive nature of the term.
`
`(cid:160)
`(cid:160)
`(cid:160)
`(cid:160)
`

`

`(cid:160)A
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`n applicant may not claim exclusive rights to terms that others may need to use to describe their goods in the marketplace.(cid:160) See Dena Corp. v.
`Belvedere Int’l, Inc., 950 F.2d 1555, 1560, 21 USPQ2d 1047, 1051 (Fed. Cir. 1991); In re Aug. Storck KG, 218 USPQ 823, 825 (TTAB 1983).(cid:160)
`A disclaimer of unregistrable matter does not affect the appearance of the mark; that is, a disclaimer does not physically remove the disclaimed
`
`matter from the mark.(cid:160) See Schwarzkopf v. John H. Breck, Inc., 340 F.2d 978, 978, 144 USPQ 433, 433 (C.C.P.A. 1965); TMEP §1213.(cid:160)(cid:160)
`
`If applicant does not provide the required disclaimer, the USPTO may refuse to register the entire mark.(cid:160) See In re Stereotaxis Inc., 429 F.3d
`1039, 1040-41, 77 USPQ2d 1087, 1088-89 (Fed. Cir. 2005); TMEP §1213.01(b).
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`(cid:160)A
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`pplicant should submit a disclaimer in the following standardized format:
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`No claim is made to the exclusive right to use “PLUSH” apart from the mark as shown.
`
`(cid:160)F
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`or an overview of disclaimers and instructions on how to satisfy this disclaimer requirement online using the Trademark Electronic Application
`System (TEAS) form, please go to http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/law/disclaimer.jsp.
`
`Request For Information Maintained
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`(cid:160)T
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`he nature of the goods is not clear from the present record. The examining attorney requires information about the nature of the goods to
`determine whether all or part of the wording in the mark is merely descriptive as applied to the goods.
`
`(cid:160)T
`
`o permit proper examination of the application, applicant must submit additional product information about the goods. See 37 C.F.R. §2.61(b);
`In re DTI P’ship LLP , 67 USPQ2d 1699, 1701-02 (TTAB 2003); TMEP §814. In particular, the applicant should indicate whether or not the
`goods concern or have any other connection with professional quality or grade and/or plush carpeting.
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`(cid:160)T
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`he requested product information should include fact sheets, instruction manuals, and/or advertisements. If these materials are unavailable,
`applicant should submit similar documentation for goods of the same type, explaining how its own product will differ. If the goods feature new
`technology and no competing goods are available, applicant must provide a detailed description of the goods.
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`(cid:160)T
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`he submitted factual information must make clear how the goods operate, their salient features, and their prospective customers and channels of
`trade. Conclusory statements regarding the goods will not satisfy this requirement.
`
`(cid:160)F
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`ailure to respond to a request for information is an additional ground for refusing registration. See In re Cheezwhse.com, Inc., 85 USPQ2d 1917,
`1919 (TTAB 2008); In re DTI, 67 USPQ2d at 1701-02. Merely stating that information about the goods is available on applicant’s website is an
`inappropriate response to a request for additional information and is insufficient to make the relevant information of record. See In re
`Planalytics, Inc., 70 USPQ2d 1453, 1457-58 (TTAB 2004).
`
`(cid:160)T
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`he Identification of Goods is Indefinite
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`(cid:160)T
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`he identification of goods remains indefinite and must be clarified because it is unclear from the current wording exactly what goods are used in
`conjunction with the mark. See TMEP §1402.01.(cid:160)
`In particular, the specific feature must be identified, e.g. “brush” or “suction nozzle.” (cid:160)
`Applicant may adopt the following identification, if accurate (suggested wording appears italicized print):
`
`A feature of a vacuum cleaner, namely, _____ (indicate specific feature, e.g. a suction nozzle, a brush) designed to clean soft carpets,
`sold as an integral component of a vacuum cleaner in Class 7. TMEP Section 1402.01.
`
`(cid:160)A
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`n applicant may amend an identification of goods only to clarify or limit the goods; adding to or broadening the scope of the goods is not
`permitted. 37 C.F.R. §2.71(a); see TMEP §§1402.06 et seq., 1402.07 et seq.
`
`(cid:160)F
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`or assistance with identifying and classifying goods and/or services in trademark applications, please see the online searchable Manual of
`Acceptable Identifications of Goods and Services at http://tess2.uspto.gov/netahtml/tidm.html. See TMEP §1402.04.
`
`(cid:160)I
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`f applicant has questions regarding this Office action, please telephone or e-mail the assigned trademark examining attorney.(cid:160) All relevant e-
`mail communications will be placed in the official application record; however, an e-mail communication will not be accepted as a response to
`this Office action and will not extend the deadline for filing a proper response.(cid:160) See 37 C.F.R. §2.191; TMEP §§304.01-.02, 709.04-.05.(cid:160) Further,
`although the trademark examining attorney may provide additional explanation pertaining to the requirements in this Office action, the
`trademark examining attorney may not provide legal advice or statements about applicant’s rights. (cid:160) See TMEP §§705.02, 709.06.
`
`(cid:160)
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
`(cid:160)
`(cid:160)(cid:160)
`

`

`/Jason F. Turner/
`Jason F. Turner
`Law Office 108
`(571) 272-9353
`jason.turner@uspto.gov
`
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
`
`TO RESPOND TO THIS LETTER: (cid:160) Go to http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/teas/response_forms.jsp. (cid:160) Please wait 48-72 hours from the
`issue/mailing date before using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), to allow for necessary system updates of the application.(cid:160)
`For technical assistance with online forms, e-mail TEAS@uspto.gov.(cid:160) For questions about the Office action itself, please contact the assigned
`trademark examining attorney.(cid:160) E-mail communications will not be accepted as responses to Office actions; therefore, do not respond to
`this Office action by e-mail.
`
`(cid:160)A
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`ll informal e-mail communications relevant to this application will be placed in the official application record.
`
`(cid:160)W
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`HO MUST SIGN THE RESPONSE:(cid:160) It must be personally signed by an individual applicant or someone with legal authority to bind an
`applicant (i.e., a corporate officer, a general partner, all joint applicants).(cid:160) If an applicant is represented by an attorney, the attorney must sign the
`
`response.(cid:160)(cid:160)
`PERIODICALLY CHECK THE STATUS OF THE APPLICATION: (cid:160) To ensure that applicant does not miss crucial deadlines or official
`notices, check the status of the application every three to four months using the Trademark Status and Document Retrieval (TSDR) system at
`http://tsdr.uspto.gov/. (cid:160) Please keep a copy of the TSDR status screen. (cid:160) If the status shows no change for more than six months, contact the
`Trademark Assistance Center by e-mail at TrademarkAssistanceCenter@uspto.gov or call 1-800-786-9199. (cid:160) For more information on checking
`status, see http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/process/status/.
`
`(cid:160)T
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`O UPDATE CORRESPONDENCE/E-MAIL ADDRESS:(cid:160) Use the TEAS form at http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/teas/correspondence.jsp.
`
`108B8C
`
`Time of Request: Friday, November 28, 2014(cid:160) 18:25:37 EST
`Client ID/Project Name:
`Number of Lines: 685
`Job Number:(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
`1827:490834637
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`(cid:160) R
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`esearch Information
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`(cid:160) S
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`ervice: (cid:160)(cid:160)
`Terms and Connectors Search
`Print Request: Selected Document(s): 1,9,12-14,18,21,26
`Source: US Newspapers
`Search Terms: plush w/5 vacuum
`
`(cid:160)
`(cid:160)
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
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`Send to:(cid:160) TURNER, JASON
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
`TRADEMARK LAW LIBRARY
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
`600 DULANY ST
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
`ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314-5790
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`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
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`1 of 27 DOCUMENTS
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`Copyright 2014 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Company, LLC d/b/a(cid:160) Washington Post Digital
`All Rights Reserved
`
`The Washington Post
`
`September 25, 2014 Thursday(cid:160)
`Every Edition
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`(cid:160)S
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`ECTION: METRO; Pg. T14
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`(cid:160)D
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`ISTRIBUTION: Prince George's County
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`(cid:160)L
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`ENGTH: 928 words
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`(cid:160)H
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`EADLINE: Seal-of-approval design tips
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`(cid:160)B
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`ODY:
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`(cid:160) Jane Francisco, editor in chief of Good Housekeeping, joined staff writer Jura Koncius last week on our Home Front online chat. Here is an edited excerpt.
`
`(cid:160) I have a small house and too much stuff in general. De-cluttering is a constant project (and a fruitless one with a 1-year-old). I have always looked for smaller-
`scale furniture to fit the space, but it's very hard to find smaller, functional pieces at a reasonable price. Can you recommend ways to use the space better?
`
`Look for small but multipurpose pieces such as a pouf that can function as seating, an ottoman or even as a side or coffee table. Bonus: They're kid-friendly and
`also work well in a playroom. We've seen great ones at Target, JCPenney, Pier 1, West Elm and Ikea - at reasonable prices.
`
`(cid:160) I hate mopping and consequently haven't done it in my kitchen in an embarrassingly long time. I think my problem is that I can't find a mop I like. Any
`suggestions on something that I might use? I tried Swiffer, but it doesn't seem to clean up after two young boys and a drooling pug.(cid:160)
`
`I just called our director of the home appliances and cleaning products for her recommendations. Carolyn Forte suggests a microfiber mop such as those from
`Libman or Rubbermaid, with on-board canisters where you mix your own cleaner so you can use your favorite cleaning product and make it as strong as you like. The
`microfiber pads are removable and washable.
`
`(cid:160) Problem: a north-facing bedroom with one window (for which we need to keep shades drawn most of the time for privacy). Furniture is a light cherry wood.
`Carpet is a nutmeg-brown color. Solution? I'm hoping you can suggest a lovely, luminous wall color (no greens) that will bring life to the room. And if it's Benjamin
`Moore, all the better.(cid:160)
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`We love Ocean Breeze. (Benjamin Moore! We aim to please.) It's a bright, friendly and soothing light blue, and it won't go too cool with your northern light.
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`(cid:160) My front porch is 22 feet 10 inches long by 6 feet wide and is stained concrete. Now that we have cleared away all the overgrown shrubs in front of the house, I
`need to fix up the porch. Currently I have two wooden rocking chairs and a porch swing on the porch. What can I do to make it inviting?
`
`Try a pair of topiaries in planters on each side of the door. Choose low-maintenance boxwood, which is good in any light exposure. Have fun picking out some
`pretty planters that show off your personality. Add a bench with colorful cushions (ideally, weather-resistant) to make guests feel like they want to linger.
`
`(cid:160) What are some of the latest findings and tips from the Good Housekeeping Institute?
`
`We just published (in our October issue) an interesting tip we discovered while we were in the process of testing vacuum cleaners: The new premium-plush,
`super-soft carpets are too dense for many vacuum cleaners to clean. We still recommend the carpeting (which is very popular) but caution that you may need to
`consider a new vacuum in your budget. Check the carpet company's Web site for its recommended models.
`
`(cid:160) A few months back, you featured some paint colors that included Behr's English Channel, which I loved. We plan to repaint our basement soon, which has an
`east-facing sliding glass door. There's not a lot of natural light to speak of, even in the morning. I would really like to use English Channel blue, but I'm afraid it might
`be too dark in this case. What do you think? Would you recommend going with something lighter?
`
`We're concerned your room may end up a bit cavelike with only one source of light. But if you love the color (and, of course, we do!), why don't you use it for
`accents and paint your walls in a slightly lighter, complementary color in the same palette? Try Behr's Mysteria.
`
`(cid:160) I am looking for furniture - a love seat and a chair or two - for my living room. The catch is, I need them a little higher than average. I have a minor disability
`that makes sitting on low furniture very difficult. Does anyone carry this kind of stuff, or will I have to go custom?
`
`A cost-effective way to meet your custom needs would be to choose a chair or sofa from a place like Ikea, where a common "hack" is to buy a piece of furniture
`you love and replace the legs, which easily screw in. Then you only need to have a carpenter make legs in the proper height.
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`(cid:160) I'm redoing my brick fireplace as part of a large first-floor remodel. I will be replacing brick with stone and adding a mantel. The issue is the flat-screen TV.
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`Above the fireplace is really the only spot in the room. (Previously, the room was a study with no TV.) Right now, fireplace is wood-burning, but we can convert to
`gas or electric. What are your thoughts on TVs above the fireplace, and what type of heat source is least damaging?
`
`There should be no heat-damage concerns about placing a TV above your fireplace. (Think about all the valuable art that has hung in similar place through the
`ages.) And because you are pulling your whole fireplace apart, you have the opportunity to consider putting the connections directly into the wall, avoiding ugly wires
`in a place of prominence.
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`(cid:160) We have a room that is paneled and want to have it painted. Do we need to sand first? Should we use an oil-based primer, or is water-based okay?
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`You will definitely need to sand(cid:160) before painting. If you choose to use water-based paint and the previous finish was oil-based, make sure it has been stripped
`completely. Otherwise, use oil.
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`4 Also at washingtonpost.com(cid:160) Read the rest of this transcript and submit questions to the next chat, Thursday at 11 a.m., at washingtonpost.com/home .
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`(cid:160)L
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`OAD-DATE: September 25, 2014
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`

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`9 of 27 DOCUMENTS
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`Copyright 2011 The New York Times Company
`The New York Times
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`June 2, 2011 Thursday(cid:160)
`Late Edition - Final
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`(cid:160)S
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`ECTION: Section D; Column 0; House & Home/Style Desk; HOME TECH; Pg. 4
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`(cid:160)L
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`ENGTH: 1281 words
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`(cid:160)H
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`EADLINE: Using Gadgets To Zap Germs
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`(cid:160)B
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`(cid:160)B
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`YLINE: By FARHAD MANJOO
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`ODY:
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`TOILET SEATS get a bad rap, says Charles Gerba, an environmental microbiologist at the University of Arizona. Indeed, because of what goes on there, we tend
`to consider bathrooms -- even the most respectable bathrooms -- as generally less than sterile. That view, it turns out, is unfair.
`
`In numerous studies, Dr. Gerba and his colleagues have found that toilet seats are often one of the least germ-infested areas in your house. Much of the rest of the
`bathroom, too, isn't especially toxic. If you're really worried about germs, look to the kitchen.
`
`''Cutting boards are just terrible,'' Dr. Gerba said, by way of example. ''There's 200 times more bacteria on a cutting board than a toilet seat.''
`
`I got to talking to Dr. Gerba -- who has been studying the spread of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens in households for so long that many of his colleagues
`call him Dr. Germ -- because lately I've had cleanliness on the brain. I've been testing several gadgets that promise to reduce or eliminate many household pathogens:
`devices to sanitize your cellphone, your toothbrush, your bedding, your floors, your countertops, and even the very air circulating through your home.
`
`One by one, I put these gadgets through their paces. But then what? Germs' power derives from their invisibility. And that's the trouble with fully evaluating these
`high-tech germ destroyers -- how would I know that they were working well? To find out, I asked Dr. Gerba, who is not paid to endorse any of the products I tested,
`and he said I'd more or less have to take it on faith. The good news is that we know a lot about sanitizing, but as to claims of a specific product's effectiveness, firm
`answers are hard to get without your own lab.
`
`Consider the VIOlight UV Cell Phone Sanitizer, a $40 device that promises to eliminate 99.9 percent of the bacteria and other nasties sitting on your phone. It
`purports to do so by using a beam of ultraviolet light, which is a specific wavelength of light that, when focused precisely, penetrates and damages the DNA of
`microorganisms. Dr. Gerba said that ultraviolet-based systems have been used in commercial and industrial sanitizing applications for many years. The technology is
`now getting small and inexpensive enough to be found in many consumer devices, too. In fact, most of the devices I tested used UV light as their primary cleaning
`agent.
`
`The cellphone cleaner, a hunk of silver plastic as big as a soap dispenser, is simple to use: Just drop your phone inside and shut the lid. A light on the front blinks
`on and off to tell you it's working. After about 5 minutes, the sanitizing is done. When you pull your phone out, it won't look or smell any cleaner -- the sanitizer isn't
`meant to remove smudges or stains -- but presumably the UV light has killed off everything microscopic.
`
`Presumably: On the one hand, UV light is a proven sanitizer. But on the other I honestly have no idea if this particular cleaner did its job well.
`
`Dr. Gerba added that, with cellphones, it may not matter much. Even if you assume that the sanitizer is decimating the phone's microscopic inhabitants, it's
`unlikely that your phone was covered in anything really dangerous. ''Cellphones can get fairly germy, but it's only your germs,'' Dr. Gerba said. ''Unless you're sharing
`your phone with other people, there's nothing to worry about.'' (Dr. Gerba is asked about the necessity of cellphone sanitizing so often that he has a quip at the ready:
`''It keeps you from talking dirty.'')
`
`You're on slightly firmer ground with another VIOlight device -- the $30 toothbrush sanitizer. This looks like a standard toothbrush holder, but when you press a
`button on the front, a UV light shines on the germs on your brushes (the unit holds up to four). According to a 2008 study published in the American Journal of
`Dentistry, toothbrushes treated with the VIOlight had 86 percent fewer ''colony-forming units'' -- a measure of germs -- than toothbrushes that were just rinsed in cold
`water. The study does note, however, that there's no proof that a cleaner toothbrush results in better oral health.
`
`UV light can also help with your cutting board, that epicenter of household filth. For this, I tried the CleanWave Sanitizing Wand, a $70 device made by Verilux.
`The wand looks like a shrunken light saber, and to attack your germs, you can play Luke Skywalker. Turn on the wand, hold one edge against a flat surface -- your
`cutting board, your countertop, your desk -- and slowly move it back and forth over the area you'd like to sanitize.
`
`Ryan Douglas, the chief executive of Verilux, said that when he cleans with the wand, he can tell that it's working. ''As you wand over an area, there's a 'freshness'
`you can smell when the biological material is killed,'' Mr. Douglas said.
`
`I confess I smelled nothing of the sort. Still, of all the applications for UV, Dr. Gerba said studies show that it is most effective on hard, nonporous surfaces like
`cutting boards. Even though I couldn't tell it was working, there's a high likelihood that the wand cleaned my cutting board far better than would most other home
`cleaning products, and it also contained no harmful chemicals. What's more, as Mr. Douglas pointed out, there's no way to know that traditional spray cleaners are
`actually sanitizing, either. I did have one problem with the wand: For safety reasons (UV light can be harmful if you look at it directly), it will work only when you
`wave it horizontally, with the UV beam pointed downward. That means you can't use it to sanitize your kitchen walls or your faucet, and must rely on traditional
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`cleaners.
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`There are two other UV gadgets I tested. The Verilux CleanWave Sanitizing Furniture and Bed Vac ($130) will sanitize soft, plush items that you can't attack
`with traditional sanitizing chemicals. Mr. Douglas said that it is especially effective against bedbug and dust-mite eggs. I also ran Honeywell's HEPAClean UV
`Antibacterial Air Purifier (about $200) in my bedroom for a few nights. In addition to several layers of filters -- which are used in many air purifiers -- this unit uses
`UV lights to kill germs passing through the air. It promises to eliminate 99 percent of such pathogens -- but, of course, I had no way to test that.
`
`Besides UV, another high-tech sanitizing method is ''super-oxygenated water,'' which is used in commercial agriculture. The lotus Home Cleaning System ($219)
`comes with an electronic base and two vessels for water -- one big bowl and one spray bottle. You fill one of the vessels with water, insert it into the base, and turn it
`on. The water cycles through the base, where it's hit with an electrical current and forced to take on an extra oxygen molecule. After a few minutes, all the water is
`converted -- and now it's ready to sanitize. You can fill the bowl with items to sanitize -- fruit, vegetables, meat, dishcloths, sponges, baby bottles, pacifiers -- or use
`the spray bottle for general cleaning. It's harmless, and effective even against stains. But how do you know this product harnesses the proven oxygenating process to
`actually work well? Once again: You don't.
`
`That brings me to my favorite sanitizing gadget, the Shark Lift-Away Professional Steam Pocket Mop (about $200). This device works on floors and countertops,
`and it requires no soaps or other cleaning products. Instead, it uses just water: water in the mop's chamber is heated and converted into steam, which then shoots into
`the mop head to clean your floors. I found the mop to be quick and convenient, and it removed stains and left my kitchen floors gleaming. And how did I know it was
`sanitizing? I saw the steam rising from the tile. That's good enough for me.
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`RL: http://www.nytimes.com
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`RAPHIC: PHOTOS: INVISIBLY CLEAN: Top row, from far right: VIOlight's cellphone sanitizer ($40) uses UV rays, as do Honeywell's air purifier tower ($200)
`and Verilux's sanitizing wand ($70), which is designed for hard surfaces like cutting boards.
`SANITIZING: Bottom row, from far left: a Verilux UV vacuum for plush surfaces ($130)
`(cid:160) Shark's $200 steam mop, and lotus's system using oxygen-rich water ($219).(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
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`LOAD-DATE: June 2, 2011
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`12 of 27 DOCUMENTS
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`Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
`The New York Times
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`October 1, 2008 Wednesday(cid:160)
`Late Edition - Final
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`ECTION: Section D; Column 0; Sports Desk; Pg. 1
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`ENGTH: 1045 words
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`EADLINE: Groundskeepers Display Artistry On the Diamond
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`YLINE: By JOHN BRANCH
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`ODY:
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`BOSTON -- David Mellor, the director of grounds for the Red Sox, checks out the baseball highlights on most nights. But he is not entirely interested in seeing
`the scores or the big plays. He watches for mowing patterns.
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`On television, he does not follow the flight of a ball arcing from home plate to beyond the outfield wall, but rather the backdrop below the ball. Is the grass cut
`into patterns of stripes, checkerboards or diamonds? Parallel to the foul lines, or straight from home to center field, or stretching from foul pole to foul pole? Any
`flourishes -- stars, circles, swirls, logos, script?
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`Baseball parks have long been identified by architectural touches, from arching facades to ivy-covered walls. These days, they are widely recognized by grass,
`cropped into distinctive, green-hued designs using the everyday tools of mowers, rollers and other grass-bending gadgets.
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`Fans tuning in to the playoffs, which begin Wednesday, can expect to see 45-foot-wide swaths in a broadly woven pattern at Fenway Park, cross-hatched
`diamonds at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park, straightaway outfield stripes at Dodger Stadium, a classic checkerboard at Wrigley Field, and the mingling three-
`directional outfield lines at Anaheim's Angel Stadium, among others planned for the postseason.
`
`Such designs adorn and distinguish nearly every major league ballpark these days, but no one takes as keen an interest in mowing patterns as Mellor. He has
`written a book on the subject (''Picture Perfect: Mowing Techniques for Lawns, Landscapes, and Sports''), and is generally considered the top grass-cutting artist in the
`game. High-school geometry classes visit him at Fenway Park to study ways that an odd-shaped field can be divided and subdivided by straight lines and sharp
`angles.
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`''I'm not looking for more work,'' Mellor said on a recent afternoon at Fenway Park. ''But the grass has to be mowed anyway. So why not do it well, with straight
`lines, or checkerboards, or something more festive?''
`
`Mellor, 45, gets most of the credit from his groundskeeping cohorts for kick-starting the trend, and forcing countless fans arriving at parks and tuning in to
`television to wonder: How do they do that?
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`The concept is simple. The exacting execution is not. Quarter-circle expanses of grass can be wildly out of balance because they are always interrupted by an
`infield and because of the varying distances to the outfield fences.
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`Rollers on a mower push the grass slightly forward. Blades bent away from the viewer capture more light and appear relatively pale; when the tips are bent
`toward the viewer, the grass looks darker. (So grass really can be greener on the other side.) The principle is nothing new to anyone who has run a vacuum back and
`forth on plush carpet or rubbed a hand over a velvet swatch.
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`The color palette is not wide, but three distinct shades of green can be created -- light, dark and, by mowing across those stripes, something in between.
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`''Mowers have been making patterns since 1830, when the first mowers were built,'' Mellor said.
`
`He was an assistant groundskeeper at Milwaukee County Stadium in 1993 when a concert badly damaged the grass in the outfield. With the support of the head
`groundskeeper Gary Vanden Berg, Mellor mowed a busy pattern to serve as camouflage. The design, not the damage, was all anyone noticed.
`
`''I still think that was the coolest pattern he ever made,'' Vanden Berg said.
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`Mellor found himself with a niche, and others followed. The striping side effect of mowing has been creatively rearranged into pop art. With few exceptions --
`one is San Francisco's AT&T Park, where all the grass is usually mowed in a single direction to keep the slate clean and old-fashioned looking -- baseball is played
`atop an increasingly busy backdrop.
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`Groundskeepers armed with reel mowers of varying widths create lines and shapes. Intricate designs, like the two-sock Red Sox logo that Mellor has used to
`festoon Fenway's grass, can be drawn by rollers, brooms or a stiff stream of water.
`
`''Dave deserves all the credit for setting this trend and really introducing these new wrinkles into the aesthetics,'' said the Dodgers' groundskeeper, Eric Hansen,
`adding that the trend is not slowing.
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`''I see it with young groundskeepers,'' Hansen said. ''They're really into it.''
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`Mellor was hired by the Red Sox in 2001, and turned Fenway Park's grass into baseball's most interesting canvas. Like other groundskeepers, he and his crew
`mow every day (usually to one and an eighth inches, sometimes one and a quarter), a task that takes up to three people anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 1/2 hours. He
`changes patterns roughly every homestand to prevent grass from permanently leaning in one direction. All groundskeepers constantly worry about ''snaking,'' where a
`ball rolling in the outfield veers because of the grain of the grass.
`
`''Safety and playability are always my first priority,'' Mellor said, a mantra he repeats frequently.
`
`Mike Boekholder, the head groundskeeper for the Phillies, etches camera-friendly patterns like diamonds and checks at Citizens Bank Ballpark.
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`''It's completely an aesthetic issue,'' he said. ''It's never going to enhance the play on the field.''
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`Mellor stepped into the afternoon at Fenway Park last week through a portal on the third-base side -- ''Literally, every day I walk out here I get goosebumps,''