ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 28 -- United States Patent no. 12,448,748, issued on Oct. 21.
"Night-visible dock piling caps" was invented by Douglas J. Buck (Palm Beach, Fla.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A glow-in-the-dark piling cap is described herein that uses glow-in-the-dark materials on a dock piling cap to make pilings to which the cap is installed visible at night without the maintenance hassles of electrical-based lighting. The cap provides typical protection for the piling from the elements as well as lighting to aid boaters and users of the structure associated with the piling to see the piling at night. The glow-in-the-dark substance can be coated on the piling cap or mixed into the pla...