RE: NEC-LIST: Remarkable new patent

I have some experience with the patent office. The patent office
actually only checks that the configuration of the device is different
than other similar divices. It does not have to exist!!. It also does
not have to have any useful purpose. If the GEOMETRY is different you
can get a patent. There is some logic to this. People pay a lot of
money to get a patent. Most people will not waste a lot of money just
for prestige. The idea of a patent is that some body has made or
suggests something different. The office cannot be expected to check
that the device is useful or that it exists. This would require a lot
of expertise and is NOT the purpose of the office. In general this
works since people usually patent useful divices. Patenting a divice
which cannot be made does not do harm to anybody .Although it could
confuse a lot of people. At present the only objection one can have
against a patent is to say it existed before. This is obviously not
the case here.

                                                               Zvi
Received on Tue Mar 28 2000 - 21:27:20 EST