As part of my job, I have to skim through the Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. It's published every Tuesday, and contains official notices and rule changes. There's a "Patents" version and also a "Trademarks" version. The Patents version lists every single patent granted during the past week, along with a Figure and claim 1 from each. [Note: the "claims" of a patent are where the inventor lists exactly what it is he has exclusive rights to.]
My forays through issues of the Official Gazette have made it quite clear to me that a person can get a patent on darn near anything. Some of the stuff that struck me as wierd or amusing is listed below. [Note: each button will take you to a patent on the IBM Patent Server. While a terrific resource, it has become quite popular, so it can be very slow at times.]
Yes, "Mirsky's Worst of the Web" served as inspiration for this page. All hail Mirsky! Huzzah!
msmead@doctorbeer.com
Back to Jay and Joyce's Home Page.