In addition to the utility patents (how a product operates) for the Unidyne III microphone, there was a design patent (the appearance of a product) for our Unidyne III, introduced in 1959 as the Model 545.
Bob Dechamps (day-shaw) created the appearance of the Model 545/SM57. Deschamps was not a Shure employee, but a partner at a product design studio located in a Chicago suburb. He provided industrial designs and architectural designs for Shure from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Every industrial designer is influenced by previous and current design trends. This leads to a question – was there an existing mic design from which Deschamps borrowed ideas? Yes, there was, and that mic design from Astatic is listed in the Reference Cited section of the Shure patent above.
It appears Deschamps used three visual elements from the Astatic mic for his Shure design.
- The tapered handle (Figure 1)
- The horizonal “equator line” on the handle (Figure 1)
- The vertical grille ribs – relocated to the side of the Unidyne III grille (Figure 3)
Composer Igor Stravinsky allegedly quipped, “”Lesser artists borrow; great artists steal.” Deschamps was a brilliant designer, but he was not above purloining innovative ideas when he saw them.
Related information: Primer on design patents
Arcana – mysterious or specialized knowledge
A design patent contains “references cited” to acknowledge prior art, i.e., similar existing designs considered by the patent filer, the attorney, or the examiner to verify that a product design is new, original, and non-obvious. These references support the patent’s validity by proving the design differs from what was already publicly known before the filing date.
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The industrial design of the SM58 was never patented. However, the model number “SM58” is a Shure trademark. Unlike a patent, a trademark never expires if the owner continues to use it and defend it. A patent expires after a certain amount of time passes. For a modern U.S. design patent, the period of protection is fifteen years.
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Examples of outside influences on Shure product designs are numerous. For example, Chicago’s Palmolive building inspired our Model 701D microphone from 1937. The Palmolive building was visible from Shure’s 1930s location at 225 West Huron Street.
Palmolive building at upper left
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A postscript to last week’s Tech Tip about Claude Shannon, offered by Bill King, Shure sales representative for New England: Like Mark Rahilly, I had the opportunity to meet Claude Shannon. His son, Bob, was a regular in the music store where Mark and I worked. Bob was extremely eccentric. He once arrived at a large sale event in his bathrobe and pajamas. A customer complained that we had a “street person” in the store. I politely replied that the “street person” was our best customer.
Bob drove to the music store one day with his father. I went to the car to meet Claude Shannon since he could not walk well. He was old and failing by this time. I knew he was a MIT scientist/professor who worked in math/communications and had some connection to computers, but I did not comprehend the full scope of his work.
Also, like Mark, I had the chance to visit the Shannon home after the passing of Bob and Claude to view and possibly purchase Bob’s instrument collection for the store. The house was more like a museum/library than a home and reflected their eccentricities. Claude Shannon possessed a quirky sense of humor and endless inquisitiveness. When I was at his house, I noticed small mirrors mounted in strange places at different heights. I asked about their function and learned Mr. Shannon would become annoyed at having to get up to see who was at the front door when the doorbell rang. Using these precisely positioned mirrors he could see the front door from his chair at the kitchen table. He also had odd possessions like a unicycle built for two.
Claude Shannon possessed a truly unique creative mind. I only wish I had understood the immense importance of the man and his research when I met him.
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Screenshot from May 17, 2026. Cubs vs White Sox televised baseball game.
The announcer is Jon Sciambi.
