One lazy afternoon, Frank Novak noticed his cat Daisy in a corner, lying on her flat cat-scratcher with her paws against the wall.

Daisy obviously enjoyed rubbing her back on the catnip-covered cardboard surface, but she seemed to want something more a frame to push her little paws against.

Novak, a furniture designer, went to his woodshop and created a three-sided cat-scratcher with a cardboard frame for kitty’s special comfort.

He filed a patent for that design in 2005 and two years later, got one issued. Since then, he’s sold more than 100,000 units of what he named Scratch Lounge through pet retailers, including Petco.

Scratch Lounge is one of a handful of recently issued quirky patents the Los Angeles Business Journal culled from the U.S. Patent and Trademark database for this special section. Others include a glass container designed to scientifically ripen fruit, a razorlike nail filer, and a build-your-own bra product.

“The world has always had nutty patents,” said Morgan Chu, partner at Irell & Manella LLP. “Why do people pay good money to file the applications? Some people just like the idea that they are an inventor and the patent office gives them official recognition. Many have a secret hope that the patent will result in unimaginable riches.”

For Novak, getting a patent on his cat invention at least got him started on his business plan.

“I don’t know if I would have really made this into a business without getting a patent,” Novak said. “It’s a great idea, but it’s easy to copy. I’m sure there are others who can make it cheaper than I can.”

Filing a patent after creating a design was somewhat intuitive for Novak, who founded a furniture store with his brother 20 years ago. Modernica has a flagship store on Miracle Mile and a warehouse downtown, and is known for its distinctive designs. The company holds a number of patents on its beds and couches.

Modernica’s period furniture mostly reminiscent of 1950s designs often shows up on movie sets to provide a retro look. Makers of “Austin Powers,” “Swingtown,” “Men in Black” and “The Usual Suspects” have rented furniture from the company.

Fruit fun

Personal convenience, as opposed to cat comfort, led Chia Chiang to invent a device that solves the problem of hard, unripe fruit often sold at grocery stores. As a mother of two children and a self-described “foodie,” she didn’t like the quality of the apples, pears and bananas at the supermarket.

“A lot of fruit you see at the market is delivered from afar, and they’re rock hard because they have to be picked before they’re ripe,” Chiang said.

Chiang already had an M.B.A. from USC, and once she came up with her concept she took classes on fruit ripening at University of California, Davis. After doing some sketches and getting technical drawings, she was able to create a prototype of what looks like a glass fruit bowl with stainless steel vents on the cover. The device which can hold about six to eight peaches concentrates the fruit’s ripening gas and moisture to speed its ripening process, and makes the fruit juicier.

It only works on fruit that ripens after being picked, such as nectarines, plums, pears, bananas, apples and mangos. Avocados and tomatoes can also ripen quickly in the container, but not citrus fruit.

Called Liivia, the company is based in the Fairfax area of Los Angeles and is taking its product to market this month. It took Chiang three years to develop the concept, and two years to secure a patent on the product. Her husband, Brent Sokol, is a patent attorney.

In some cases, individuals sell their patents to companies. David Kim, an L.A.-based inventor and a beauty supply vendor, sold his patents for dual-sided, razorlike nail files to American International Industries, an L.A.-based public company.

The nail files one for feet and another for hands have a surface made of tiny pieces of metal, which slice the nail rather than buff it down.

American International Industries owns 50 beauty brands in 23 countries.

“Most of our business is not IP-driven,” said Mark Moesta, vice president of sales. “But from time to time, we see designs that need to be protected.” The company has patents on a waxing device, for example, and a special line of shampoo and conditioners.