P3D Re: 3d camera u.s. patent

[michaelk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Michael Kersenbrock)]

> Call me nieve, but if a person comes up with an idea yet has no intention of
> trying to prove it works, and openly admits there will be no protoype,
> what's the point of the patent?

The basic reason for the existance of patents is the making public
and distribution new ideas.  The payoff of permitting exclusivity
for a period of time is just that -- a payoff to induce inventors
to publically disclose their ideas rather than keeping them secret
or dying with them still in their heads.

Even if old patents exist for perpetual motion machines that
weren't actually tried out (prototypes are now required on those),
exist there isn't any significant downside other than the 
applicant wasting application & lawyer fees.

So to answer your question, I can only speculate that they wanted
to "publish" the idea with the hope that others would come up with
the capital to make money off of it (and give them a "cut" for the
rights).  Or just something for a resume.  I've got a couple on
mine and it does help it look nice.   :-)  :-)

Mike K.


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