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wrong link in copy/paste. sorry for that

it seems you missed the point i tried to show. it wasn't to blame microsoft for anything. just patent nonsense and inability to discover which patent is actual invention and which one is not (either by prior art or triviality where simple life occurrence was presented in the code form). main problem being that people in patent office don't even understand what they are granting patent for (missed in 99.99% in software)

not software ones, but i liked these very much

invention of ... stick
http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=hhYJAAAAEBAJ&dq=6,360,693

one man going as far as this
http://www.ipmenu.com/archive/AUI_2001100012.pdf
http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/auspac/07/02/australia.wheel/

http://www.google.si/search?aq=f&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=trivial+patents search should be better link than my ramblings how nothing works in this department

I'll be damned if the USTPO hasn't awarded some of the dumbest, most wide-ranging generalizations

In Australia John Keogh managed to patent the wheel. It was later struck down (probably because of prior art, dunno for sure...), but it was issued.

Has anyone thought about patenting the wheel?

Yes. You'll have to wait until 2021 until you can use one freely (in Australia at least)
Circular Transportation Facilitation Device (Australian innovation patent 20011000012) (PDF)

A circular load bearing device where a bent-wood rim is suspended around a hub[...]

Except in Australia, such a patent was issued.

"An Australian man has been issued with an innovation patent for the wheel after setting out to test the workability of a new national patent system." http://www.ipmenu.com/archive/AUI_2001100012.pdf http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn965-wheel-patented-in-australia.html

The Wheel [pdf warning]

> Surprisingly, Australia and New Zealand have already allowed this patetnt, though!

The Aussie bit is not so surprising, considering that under the FTA Australia is obliged to "harmonise" her IP system with that of the US - i.e. copy as much of it verbatim as possible.

In addition, the patent system in Oz is not much better than the USPTO, considering that they
have issued ahttp://www.ipmenu.com/archive/AUI_2001100012.pdf [PDF] patent on the wheel...

a patent for a "Circular Transportation Facilitation Device"

In the real world, you can file for a patent on literally anything.....swinging sideways on a swing

Or the wheel

Or excercising a cat using a laser pointer

actually, the wheel has been patented in 2001 by an austalian guy:

a short article

the patent intself (i think)

Is the patent office asleep at the wheel?

I'd think the USPTO is asleep at the wheel in the figurative sense, but the Australian patent office is asleep at the wheel in the literal sense. In fact, the Australian patent office was so asleep that it granted a patent on the wheel.

In Australia some lawyer obtained a patent to the wheel back in 2001. Here it is! He took advantage of a new program for 8 year "Innovation Patents" which basically don't get reviewed. This was basically a stunt to prove that the new program was flawed.

Amish plan to start producing buggies without wheels

In that case, they're behind. The Inuit and the Saami have been using buggies without wheels for centuries. They're called "sleds."

In fact, the wheel was patented as a replacement for runners of a sled, for use on surfaces other than snow.

Some Australian has patented the wheel.

Did you know, that the wheel has been patented?
Innovation Patent #2001100012 granted by the Australian Patent Office.

you need some sort of mechanical device, perhaps one useful for motion. You should try a roundish shape

That's called a wheel, and it's been patented (PDF).

Check out the complete specification

Last year in a show of how easy it was to disrupt and abuse the patent process by registering a common, every-day idea a Melbourne lawyer patented a "circular transportation facilitation device" with more info on the story here, here(pdf file), and here

Obviously it's too easy to get things patented these days, especially in areas of high technology as few if any patent officer workers are well versed in the areas of technology. Most of the patent office stampers would have little inclination as to how an intigrated circuit works or if an item of software recently designed is any different or unique from any other piece of similar software.

Sure, it's nice to be able to patent and protect your inventions and innovations, but when most of today's patent holders are larger corporations, it's hardly meant to protect the garage inventor anymore.

Last year in a show of how easy it was to disrupt and abuse the patent process by registering a common, every-day idea a Melbourne lawyer patented a "circular transportation facilitation device" with more info on the story here, here(pdf file), and here

Obviously it's too easy to get things patented these days, especially in areas of high technology as few if any patent officer workers are well versed in the areas of technology. Most of the patent office stampers would have little inclination as to how an intigrated circuit works or if an item of software recently designed is any different or unique from any other piece of similar software.

Sure, it's nice to be able to patent and protect your inventions and innovations, but when most of today's patent holders are larger corporations, it's hardly meant to protect the garage inventor anymore.

TECHNOLOGY
Awarded jointly to John Keogh of Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia, for patenting the wheel in the year 2001 , and to the Australian Patent Office for granting him Innovation Patent #2001100012.