Fun: US Patent of the week

[Marshy]

Can be found here.

[Guy Humpage]

quote:The user may even choose to produce a Tarzan-type yell while swinging in the manner described, which more accurately replicates swinging on vines in a dense jungle forest. Actual jungle forestry is not required.

Most amusing.

[kevinday]

Only in America!

[MEMSDesign]

I work in research, and have recently finished writing a patent for something we came up with the other day. Sometimes I think the whole process is an excuse to keep a million and one lawyers in a job.

[ellingtj]

MEMSDesign,
I had my most recent patent filled last Friday. See if this sounds familliar:
You come up with an idea.
You write your idea - takes a couple printed sheets of A4, say.
Send it off to the Lawyers.
Hear nothing for a few weeks.
Then a document the size of the Encyclopedia Britannica arrives on your desks - written in some alternative form of English.


>> Edited by ellingtj on Tuesday 16th April 13:41

[mel]

then 2 years down the line someone does the same thing and you find out the thick wedge of paper actually means FA

[MEMSDesign]

quote:MEMSDesign,
I had my most recent patent filled last Friday. See if this sounds familliar:
You come up with an idea.
You write your idea - takes a couple printed sheets of A4, say.
Send it off to the Lawyers.
Hear nothing for a few weeks.
Then a document the size of the Encyclopedia Britannica arrives on your desks - written in some alternative form of English.

That sounds not too far from my experience, but in my case, the patent was a bit specialised and technical. The guy responsible for turning it into legalese didn't really understand it very well. I ended up having to learn patent speak, and more or less write it myself.

Patent speak makes a kind of sense once you get into the swing of it. That said, there is a vast difference in the quality of gibberish from one patent to another. Some are quite readable, and others totally incomprehensible.

At least the swinging patent is readable.

[MEMSDesign]

quote:then 2 years down the line someone does the same thing and you find out the thick wedge of paper actually means FA

It is possible to make a wedge of cash out of patents. Some people on this site developed the LCD display, and it's been a steady earner for years. The inventor is also entitled (by law) to a slice of the pie. Our company has an organised reward scheme for inventors, so you get a defined cut of the profits for your patents. Good incentive. I belive the LCD inventors earn more than some of our senior management (allegedly anyway).

[sparks]

I think the guy who invented the B&D Workmate gets one pound for each one sold (including clones), which should add up to a tidy sum!

Sparks