2nd generation VCFs (was: Xpander VCF)

[jh.]

>    I've got the feeling (and my coleagues too) that it is relatively easy
>    to obtain an US patent. They don't seem to check very much if it works,
>    if it makes sense or if anything previous like this exists.
>
> Why would you say that?  :-)
>   http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US05443036__
>
> (Or check out the others in the "Gallery of Obscure Patents",
> http://www.delphion.com/gallery )


Great stuff. I wonder what painful experience someone has to
go thru until he finally invents a device that fights back on
graffiti sprayers !

But seriously, I've been told you can get a patent for almost
*everything*, as long as you're restricting your claims to a
certain application. But whether the patent is of much use
or not in that case is a different question. The more general
your claims, the more difficult to get the patent (and the more
useful, if you get the patent). If, OTOH, you're filing a patent
with very restricted claims, you will get it easily, and it may
be useful for you if you're working on just that restricted
field - but useless to fight claims outside that field.
Which is just ok in many cases.
You may not believe it, but I am more or less holding two
patents for good old cubic splines - but just restricted for
a certain way of modelling devices for circuit simulation (;->).

JH.