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Inventor Has Waited 43 Years For Patent Approval

An anonymous reader writes "If you think the average wait of 28.3 months for a patent to be approved is ridiculous, don't complain to Gilbert P. Hyatt. The 76-year-old inventor has been waiting over forty years for a ruling on whether his electronic signal to control machinery should be granted a patent. 'It's totally unconscionable,' said Brad Wright, a patent lawyer with Banner & Witcoff in Washington who specializes in computer-related applications and isn't involved in Hyatt's case. 'The patent office doesn't want to be embarrassed that they might issue a broad patent that would have a sweeping impact on the technology sector. Rather than be embarrassed, they're just bottling it up.'"

1 of 258 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Companies by invictusvoyd · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Every company that uses any kind of automation would have to pay him.

    And every one having an AC power socket at home would have to pay Tesla
    Every one using a electric motor would have to pay Faraday

    And then companies end up patenting scrollbars and "square shapes" .

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    Satan : vanity my favorite sin .. patents my second favorite