General fusion - recent patent reject.

[chrismb]

Regrettably, General Fusion's current patent got a rejection in October. It is a non-final rejection so they can appeal, but it bode's poorly; they abandoned their last one in similar circumstances.

Just a few choice paragraphs that might give a reference of interest:

[Giorgio]

I think it was about time that the USPTO moved from "we patent everything" to "we patent only if you give solid evidence that it will indeed work".

While I am sad for Tri-Alpha and General Fusion I think it will push them (and everyone else) to work more on getting actual experimental results to support their patent applications.

In the long run this might be a good news afer all.

[Skipjack]

I thought that General fusion had already had a prototype that produced fusion (though it was single pulse use only via small explosives).

[Giorgio]

I think they had something like that, but anyhow is not the same system they are asking a patent for.

chrismb, can you post a link to the full rejection letter?

[chrismb]

I have just spotted that two new General Fusion patents have hit the patent journals.

It looks like the patent US20100163130 is getting no further attention, following a non-final rejection in October.

Two new patents have appeared, dated 3rd Feb;
US20110026657 SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COMPRESSING PLASMA
US20110026658 SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PLASMA COMPRESSION WITH RECYCLING OF PROJECTILES

It's a case of try, try and try again, I guess.

Or in General Fusion's case; try, try, try, try try and if that doesn't work then then start trying two at a time!....

[kurt9]

I think it was about time that the USPTO moved from "we patent everything" to "we patent only if you give solid evidence that it will indeed work".

While I am sad for Tri-Alpha and General Fusion I think it will push them (and everyone else) to work more on getting actual experimental results to support their patent applications.

In the long run this might be a good news afer all.

Agreed. The patent office took a lot of flak for issuing patents for "business methods" and the like back in the day. It was Bezo's patent application for the "single-click" ordering on Amazon that took the cake.

[Nik]

Didn't a bunch of such ambitious applications fail due to the prior art of Teletext/Ceefax system in UK, where handset's coloured buttons select menu options and, waaay before those, Heinlein's classic 'Beyond this Horizon' where protagonist clicks the 'Tell Me More' during a news bulletin ??