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Inventor Has Waited 43 Years For Patent Approval

Posted by samzenpus on from the just-a-bit-longer dept.

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.'"

3 of 258 comments (clear)

  1. Re:That's one heck of a very **BROAD** Patent ! by Blue+Stone · · Score: 3, Funny

    >Nothing written here about patents is believable.

    From broad patents to sweeping statements. /. has it all.

    --
    Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. - Ambrose Bierce
  2. Re:How could it be valid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wouldn't call this guy an inverter,

    Yeah, you're right. I think they prefer to be called "single-input NAND gates" these days. Political correctness gone mad, I tell ya...

  3. Re:That's one heck of a very **BROAD** Patent ! by Chrisq · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is Slashdot. Nothing written here about patents is believable.

    I don't believe you!