Warp drive patent application

[jeff]

Read this: http://patentlaw.typepad.com/patent/...quests_mo.html

The best parts are the "Comments" section - scroll down for it

[esskreemr]

It was a stupid idea for the applicant to submit this patent. Everybody knows that the government would deem it a threat to national security, claim the patent and farm it out for free to Lockheed-Martin...

[Epee Scherma]

So wait... if it alters the space time continuum... its not really a warp drive but a time machine? sweeeeet.

Best comment on that page, "Took long enough!! Now I can tap some klingon babes!!"

[Jumile]

So wait... if it alters the space time continuum... its not really a warp drive but a time machine? sweeeeet.

Doen't that fall under Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle? Where the act of observation determines state (e.g. light being particle or wave). Or in this case, where you are on the fence determines whether it's a space or time travel machine.

Besides... "setback"? Everyone knows that you can't patent an idea - Patents Offices require prototypes. The article writer samples too much of his own supply.

[MikeHarm]

I've never bought into the uncertaintly principle, I think the theory was skewed by misunderstanding the dimensional structure that the observations were taking place in.

[Moniteur]

Doen't that fall under Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle? Where the act of observation determines state (e.g. light being particle or wave). Or in this case, where you are on the fence determines whether it's a space or time travel machine.

Besides... "setback"? Everyone knows that you can't patent an idea - Patents Offices require prototypes. The article writer samples too much of his own supply.

Just as a point of fact (from my patent law class this semester) here in the US we do *not* have to have a working prototype to show that an idea has been 'reduced to practice' in otherwords, constructive practice is ok, so long as the machine can be built according to the patent and work... if it doesn't work, well, theres a problem, and the patent is most likely going to be invalidated. of course, in the UK, you may have totally different rules..

[Aqua_volans]

i think these guys are about as unrealistic as me trying to build a thermonuclear warhead at home. XD

[Epee_Pox]

I actually found the patent application itself to be more entertaining than the comments section. It's like they read a couple chapters of a science-lite book, didn't bother to bone up on the actual equations and concepts, and made a halfhearted effort to even make sense.

Well, at least they had to pay some patent lawyers and bureaucracy fees to submit and re-submit this, so there was SOME benefit to the world from their ideas.

[Epee_Pox]

i think these guys are about as unrealistic as me trying to build a thermonuclear warhead at home. XD

What's so unrealistic about that? All you do is,







/deletion.bot.2EE5A-G8BB-A49F911.nsa.gov/






and there you go. Honestly, some people don't bother to just look things up any more.