[Ti] patenting your idea (was: Poll 19)

[Dr. Trevor J. Hutley]

At 12:32 PM -0500 6/1/04, Kynan Shook wrote:
>the next design step needs to be is a folding screen
>
>Anyway, I should probably go patent my idea if nobody else has already

Some kind of folding screen is a good idea.  I think you could also 
use the word extendable.  I think the basic need/idea is to get more 
screen real estate than the outward size would suggest.

Unfortunately (I am not a patent lawyer, but I am pretty sure that) 
it is not possible to patent an idea, it has to be a novel and useful 
invention that has been reduced to practice, and the patent is the 
disclosure of how you do that, in exchange for which you get the 
exclusive right to practise the invention for 20 years.

Trevor