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General fusion - recent patent reject.
Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 7:35 pm
by 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:
Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 7:57 pm
by 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.
Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 8:41 pm
by Skipjack
I thought that General fusion had already had a prototype that produced fusion (though it was single pulse use only via small explosives).
Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 8:46 pm
by 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?
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:43 pm
by 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!....
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:53 pm
by kurt9
Giorgio wrote: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.
clickety-clack...
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:03 pm
by 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 ??