USPTO Won't Accept Upside Down Faxes

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USPTO Won't Accept Upside Down Faxes

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday February 4, 2010 @01:41AM from the left-handed-reading-glasses dept.

bizwriter writes "This may seem like a joke, but it's not. The US Patent and Trademark Office will not accept patent filings faxed in if they arrive upside down. That's right, the home of innovation of the federal government is incapable of rotating an incoming fax file, whether electronically or on paper."

20 of 427 comments (clear)

My Personal War: by boneglorious · 2010-02-04 01:44 · Score: 5, Funny

I practice civil disobedience by sneaking into the patent office and quickly rotating the faxes upside down...

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Can I mod something +1 Scary if it's true but I wish it weren't?
1. Re:My Personal War: by elrous0 · 2010-02-04 02:47 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Hey, be glad they at least take faxes now. Until last year, they still required patent applicants to use either a "Western Union Telegram" or a "Courier boy, properly dressed in gentlemanly attire."
  
  --
  SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
If only... by daha · 2010-02-04 01:44 · Score: 4, Funny

If only there were some unique invention they could license that was capable of such a process as rotating a piece of paper or an electronic image... Excuse me, I feel an urgent need to contact a patent attorney.
candy? by MentlFlos · 2010-02-04 01:47 · Score: 5, Funny

When they buy a bag of M&Ms do they throw away all the W, E and 3s too?
1. Re:candy? by Anonymous Coward · 2010-02-04 02:18 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  When they buy a bag of M&Ms do they throw away all the W, E and 3s too?
  Why was that moded 'Funny'?
  The other day, I went to Home Depot and bought nails. I get home, open the box, and what do I see?! Over half - HALF- of the fucking nails have the points on the wrong end!
  Inconceivable!
2. Re:candy? by Obd1Kenobe · 2010-02-04 02:27 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I hope you didn't throw them away, those are for use on the other side of the boards
3. Re:candy? by stokessd · 2010-02-04 02:47 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  The same thing happened to me, but with plumbing parts. I have to buy a whole box of elbows to make sure I have enough "right turns" and enough "left turns". Home depot has got to get the quality control issues dealt with.
  Sheldon
They Would Simply Rotate Them 180 Degrees ... by eldavojohn · 2010-02-04 01:48 · Score: 5, Funny

... but unfortunately they granted a patent on that in 1987 and don't have the money for the absurd licensing fee the patent holder is asking. Unfortunately the "novel" method patented covers both clockwise and counterclockwise but they're currently looking into rotating them 179 degrees, making the document slightly slanted but avoiding royalties.

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My work here is dung.
1. Re:They Would Simply Rotate Them 180 Degrees ... by VGPowerlord · 2010-02-04 02:52 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  ... but unfortunately they granted a patent on that in 1987 and don't have the money for the absurd licensing fee the patent holder is asking. Unfortunately the "novel" method patented covers both clockwise and counterclockwise but they're currently looking into rotating them 179 degrees, making the document slightly slanted but avoiding royalties.
  Of course, one would hope that the Patent and Trademark office would be smart enough to realize that a 1987 patent expired in 2007.
  
  --
  GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
2. Re:They Would Simply Rotate Them 180 Degrees ... by dougisfunny · 2010-02-04 03:03 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  They would, except someone faxed them the memo informing them of that, and it was upside down.
  
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  This is not the funny you're looking for.
Re:Idea by acoustix · 2010-02-04 01:49 · Score: 5, Funny

Just send every single tax filing both ways. The right one gets filed, and wrong one gets rejected. Twice the work for the government.
I'm not sure why you would want to send your tax papers to the US Patent Office.

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"A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
Re:Idea by StripedCow · 2010-02-04 01:50 · Score: 5, Funny

And then finally they'll get the bright idea to implement software that recognizes whether it's upside down and only print out the ones that are right-side up!
They can't implement that software because a method for doing that has already been patented!

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If Pandora's box is destined to be opened, *I* want to be the one to open it.
That's because... by itsdapead · 2010-02-04 01:52 · Score: 3, Funny

...turning the page over would breach US Patent #65535 "Method and process for static image manipulation by manual substrate reorientation" and probably also the nototiously over-broad US Patents #55378008 "Process for Bi-manual gluteous maximus location" and #45056 "Method for organising mass inebriation events at a beverage fermentation facility".
They do have to follow their own rules, you know...

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In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
In all seriousness... by boneglorious · 2010-02-04 01:53 · Score: 4, Funny

But wait, if you send it upside down, won't it arrive blank?

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Can I mod something +1 Scary if it's true but I wish it weren't?
Re:Idea by bobdotorg · 2010-02-04 02:13 · Score: 5, Funny

I'm not sure why you would want to send your tax papers to the US Patent Office.
Because some of my deductions are patently, umm, creative.

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__ Someday, but not this morning, I'll finally learn to use the preview button.
Re:Idea by DeadPixels · 2010-02-04 02:21 · Score: 4, Funny

I'm not sure why you would want to send your tax papers to the US Patent Office.
Three times the work!
Re:Family Guy by bruce_the_loon · 2010-02-04 02:42 · Score: 3, Funny

Ah, come on.
http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ga/2009/ga091120.gif is an absolute classic. And the mice sequences are consistently good. http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ga/2009/ga090324.gif

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Trying to become famous by taking photos. Visit my homepage please.
Re:How can I get a mail room job there. by digitig · 2010-02-04 02:43 · Score: 3, Funny

+(X) good idea.
(X) is as close as I can get to rendering the infinity symbol in a normal character set.
You could use '8'. Oh, wait, some people don't know how to rotate it...

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Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
Re:Idea by ColdWetDog · 2010-02-04 03:56 · Score: 4, Funny

I think you need to tighten up on your spelling.

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Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Re:A possible explanation: by Anonymous Coward · 2010-02-04 04:39 · Score: 3, Funny

.pu deddom teg reven stnemmoc drawoc suomynona ym yhw s'taht oS