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I think examiners (and non-technical folks who don't think much about it) get fooled by "pseudo-novelty". Progress moves fast in the technology field, especiall

I think examiners (and non-technical folks who don't think much about it) get fooled by "pseudo-novelty". Progress moves fast in the technology field, especially with computing. Every year things that were impossible last year become possible through simple incremental improvements. If you're not paying attention the new uses might actually seem novel rather than just the obvious applications of the better machine. Edit: Not sure why that's controversial... Some time around 2009 I finally got my parents hooked up with cable internet vs the DSL they had before and wowed them by playing a movie over the internet from my home media server. I didn't invent "a method and process for transmitting a full length movie over a network without quality degradation", but my mom sure thought so. I did some "computer work" and a "novel" new ability emerged. Edit: Changed whats in () to something less offensive.

vonmoltke 7y ago
> Edit: Not sure why that's controversial... > (and normies in general) I don't think it would be controversial had you not condescendingly referred to "normies".
- noonespecial 7y ago
  Ah. Thanks. Doesn't sound off to my ears but that makes sense. I'm going to try and soften that while I can. Thanks for taking the moment to answer.
  - stordoff 7y ago
    FWIW, Wiktionary notes it as "usually derogatory", and to my ears it makes it sound like you are saying you are inherently better than them (which I'm sure is not your intention). A word best avoided in my opinion.
bdowling 7y ago
> examiners (and non-technical folks who don't think much about it) Patent examiners all have degrees in science or engineering. See, for example, this job listing: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/545074300 https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/545074300. They're also organized into art groups which become experts in narrow fields of inventions. > simple incremental improvements. Almost every patent issued is an incremental improvement of some other invention. By "simple" you probably mean non-obvious, which is one of the requirements for patentability. > I did some "computer work" and a "novel" new ability emerged. That's a different kind of novelty. It's not patentably novel if anyone, anywhere in the world, ever did it publicly before you.

vonmoltke 7y ago

> Edit: Not sure why that's controversial... > (and normies in general) I don't think it would be controversial had you not condescendingly referred to "normies".

noonespecial 7y ago
Ah. Thanks. Doesn't sound off to my ears but that makes sense. I'm going to try and soften that while I can. Thanks for taking the moment to answer.
- stordoff 7y ago
  FWIW, Wiktionary notes it as "usually derogatory", and to my ears it makes it sound like you are saying you are inherently better than them (which I'm sure is not your intention). A word best avoided in my opinion.

bdowling 7y ago

> examiners (and non-technical folks who don't think much about it) Patent examiners all have degrees in science or engineering. See, for example, this job listing: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/545074300 https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/545074300. They're also organized into art groups which become experts in narrow fields of inventions. > simple incremental improvements. Almost every patent issued is an incremental improvement of some other invention. By "simple" you probably mean non-obvious, which is one of the requirements for patentability. > I did some "computer work" and a "novel" new ability emerged. That's a different kind of novelty. It's not patentably novel if anyone, anywhere in the world, ever did it publicly before you.