Innovations in Santa Detection Proliferate for Both National and Personal Uses

For over 50 years, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (“NORAD”) and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command, have tracked Santa’s flight around the world. Their high-technology approach includes not only radar and satellites in geo-synchronous orbit but also the recent additions of strategically placed SantaCams and jet pilots flying F-15s, F-16s and F-22s to escort Santa as he delivers presents to children on the “nice” list worldwide.

However, as technologically advanced as NORAD’s equipment is, it lacks the precision that some children desire. It is, after all, one thing to know that Santa is in your city. It is another thing entirely to receive notification of Santa’s arrival in your house.

As a result, even as NORAD finalizes this year’s preparations to track Santa, enterprising children have turned to some recent innovations to fill this gap. Among them is the “Santa Claus Detector,” U.S. Patent No. 5,523,741. This invention includes a pin in the toe of the Christmas stocking, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 4.

After this stocking is hung by the chimney with care, the pin in the stocking is attached with a cord to another decoration hung on the other side of the chimney. This configuration would result in a layout similar to the following:

When Santa enters the house to deliver presents, he will walk through the cord. In doing so, he will pull the pin from the stocking. That, in turn, will break the electrical circuit in the stocking which will cause the stocking to emit auditory and visual alarms, thus announcing the arrival of Santa.

Practice Tip #1: Children considering employing this device may wish to consider the possibility that the implementation of such Santa-detection measures may result in a removal from the “nice” list.

Practice Tip #2: From everyone at Overhauser Law Offices, we wish you happy holidays!