The Patent Portfolio

Southern Bell Brands and John Bell hold four issued U.S. Design Patents covering ornamental designs across the Bottle Bobber and adjacent marine product portfolio. Two patents cover designs in the current shipping product catalog (D880,651 Fishing bobber issued April 7, 2020; D1,006,181 Fishing bobber issued November 28, 2023). Two patents are defensive registrations on adjacent designs not currently in the commercial catalog (D968,553 Popping cork issued November 1, 2022; D1,123,671 Marine buoy issued April 28, 2026). All four are design patents protecting ornamental appearance, not utility patents protecting mechanism. The defensive registrations expand the protected-design moat across related marine flotation categories. All four are publicly searchable via USPTO and Google Patents.

Portfolio composition: two of the four patents (D880,651 and D1,006,181) cover designs in the current shipping product catalog. The other two (D968,553 popping cork and D1,123,671 marine buoy) are defensive design registrations on adjacent marine flotation categories not currently in the commercial catalog. Defensive registrations are a deliberate IP strategy that protects the brand's design space against competitors filing on adjacent forms.

These are U.S. Design Patents, which protect ornamental appearance — the bottle-shaped silhouette, popping cork form factor, and marine buoy profile. Design patents are distinct from utility patents, which would protect mechanism or method. Public-facing language for Southern Bell Brands describes the products as 'patented designs' or 'design-patented' rather than overclaiming utility-style protection.

Patent D880,651 (issued 2020) is held personally by John Bell as inventor and grantee. Patents D968,553, D1,006,181, and D1,123,671 are held by Southern Bell Brands LLC as assignee with John Bell as the named inventor.

U.S. Design Patent D880,651 - "Fishing bobber" - Status: shipping. Filed 2019-02-23, issued 2020-04-07. Inventor: John Bell. Grantee: John Bell. Covers the original Bottle Bobber ornamental design. Active in the current product catalog across Busch Light, Coors Light, and PBR licensed lines. Public record: https://patents.google.com/patent/USD880651S1

U.S. Design Patent D968,553 - "Popping cork" - Status: defensive-registration. Filed 2022-07-11, issued 2022-11-01. Inventor: John Bell. Grantee: Southern Bell Brands LLC. Defensive IP registration. Not in the current commercial product catalog. Filed to expand the protected design portfolio across related marine and fishing form factors. Public record: https://patents.google.com/patent/USD968553S1

U.S. Design Patent D1,006,181 - "Fishing bobber" - Status: shipping. Filed 2023-03-17, issued 2023-11-28. Inventor: John Bell. Grantee: Southern Bell Brands LLC. Second-generation fishing bobber design held by the LLC. Active in the current product catalog and reinforces the protected-design moat around the Bottle Bobber product line. Public record: https://patents.google.com/patent/USD1006181S1

U.S. Design Patent D1,123,671 - "Marine buoy" - Status: defensive-registration. Filed 2023-05-15, issued 2026-04-28. Inventor: John Bell. Grantee: Southern Bell Brands LLC. Defensive IP registration issued April 2026. Not in the current commercial product catalog. Expands protected-design coverage into adjacent marine flotation categories. Public record: https://patents.google.com/patent/USD1123671S1