Why the Confusion about "Styrofoam"?

Factual Questions
61

<<Trademarks: The “Owens Corning” logo, the color PINK, CULTURED STONE, and other trademarks identified with a ® in these documents are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Owens-Corning Fiberglas Technology Inc. INNOVATIONS FOR LIVING and other trademarks identified with a ™ in these documents are trademarks of Owens-Corning Fiberglas Technology Inc.>>

the company became so associated with its pink insulation (originally planned as red, but the dye was not sufficiently concentrated, resulting in its current, trademarked light pink coloring) product that it even registered the term “PINK” (in capital letters only) to refer to its insulation. It was granted a trademark on the color in In re Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., 774 F.2d 1116 (Fed. Cir. 1985).

62

I cannot find the plain word “PINK” issued to Owens Corning in the USPTO database. They have plenty of other trademarks that incorporate “PINK”. Aside from the aforementioned PROPINK, there’s:
[ul]
[li]PINKCORE[/li][li]PINKPLUS[/li][li]PINKCAP[/li][li]1-800-GET-PINK[/li][li]THERMAPINK[/li][li]INSULPINK[/li][li]DURAPINK[/li][/ul]

The word “PINK” appears in the following phrases (but not alone) trademarked by Owens Corning:
[ul]
[li]PARTNER UP WITH PINK[/li][li]IT’S SMART TO THINK PINK[/li][li]PINK PROFITS[/li][/ul]

Owens Corning also has abandoned or canceled these trademarks:
[ul]
[li]PINKFORMXTRA[/li][li]PINK HOMES[/li][li]PINKPLUS[/li][li]PUTTIN’ ON THE PINK[/li][li]HEART OF PINK[/li][li]A LITTLE PINK CAN GO A LONG WAY[/li][li]PINKSEAL[/li][li]PINKSTUFF[/li][li]PINKLINK[/li][/ul]

I think somebody at corporate HQ dropped the ball.

63

Wait, that’s what Styrofoam is? I have to agree with Cal. It is possible that the public as a whole just naturally confused that stuff with ESB, but I wouldn’t call it likely. I’m curious what the actual documented history of the word is, too.

64

As soon as I posted, another possibility popped into my head. Styrofoam and ESB, although very different in texture, appearance, and application, can both be (and are) identified by the generic phrase “polystyrene foam.” Most Styrofoam is used inside walls. It was originally used in Coast Guard life rafts. Neither is a place most people are likely to see the actual product. If it was heavily promoted by DOW or found its way into news reports as “STYROFOAM Brand polystyrene foam,” it is possible people were more familiar with the name than the product. When foam cups appeared labeled “polystyrene foam cups,” it wouldn’t take a genius to say, “Hey, that’s the same stuff as Styrofoam!”

65

I like the way you talk.

66

You do realize you’re using another one there, right?

“Ditto” is (or was) a trademarked brand of copy machines pre-xerography – the old purple stencil ones. The term entered the language back then as a synonym for ‘copy’ or ‘duplicate’.

It’s sometimes said you can estimate the age of someone by what informal term they use for a copy of a document: ditto, carbon, xerox, etc.

67

I wonder if that’s caught on in the UK, I can’t remember the last time I picked up painkillers that were called Aspirin, TM or not.

68

Hmm, actually the machine followed the word,

69

A guy I work with calls CDs “tapes” :dubious:

70

I remember Atari cartridges being called “tapes,” (they both came in boxy plastic cases) but CDs?

71

As Phart noted, “ditto” had that meaning before it was used as a brand name. But I also want to mention this:

The generic term for a Ditto machine is “spirit duplicator.” Yep, that intoxicating aroma of a fresh purple ditto was alcohol.

72

Do the readers not remember that the blue and pink Dow building sheets were available after white styrofoam bead sheets were in use for construction. Those white bead sheets where less sturdy and easily fell apart. The craft styrofoam used to be beads also. The products have changed to what you see for sale now.

I see I responded to page one of a three page thread.