About
I have been reading sports patents since 2014.
I’m Jaife. I pick out the patents that matter and turn them into documents that R&D teams use the same week.
01 · The job
Why an engineer reads your patents.
I trained at Arts et Métiers and have worked in aerospace since 2011, where I run a multidisciplinary engineering team. My day job is working out how a part meets a requirement, and what changes when you swap a material or a geometry.
I read a patent the same way: what problem the inventor is trying to solve, and by what technical means. The mechanism often hints at a brand’s next range.
Footwear has been my field since 2014. The method works for any sports product, and I currently apply it to running, trail and tennis.
02 · Background
My background.
- 2005
I started running on the roads of western Belgium. First marathon in Millau in 2009, first long trail race in Bouillon in 2012.
- 2011
I joined the aerospace industry, where I still work.
- 2014
First patent analysis on this site. I wanted to know what would be in my shoes before they reached the shops.
- 2022
La Cave à Jaife becomes a patent watch service, confidential and tailored to each client.
- Today
A monthly bulletin of patents filed worldwide, analyses, thematic searches and on-site workshops. The site also publishes the Road Shoe Index and the carbon calculator, in French and English.
03 · How I work
What you can expect.
Confidentiality
I never name my clients on this site, nor the topics they follow. What you share with me stays between us.
A technical reading
I analyse published patent applications, whose claims can still change. Legal scope and freedom to operate are questions for your patent attorney.
04 · Outside work
Away from patents.
I run and ride gravel around the Fontainebleau forest, and I have photographed races and trips since 2009. I also test Suunto watches, and the blog shows a partner banner, labelled as such.
Tell me what you are watching.
A competitor to follow or a range to prepare: a first conversation is enough to see whether patent watch can help you.