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How were they able to patent this? I've known for 20 years that catnip works as a mosquito repellent; there was a 2001 paper that showed that its essential oil
by jbotz 6y ago
How were they able to patent this? I've known for 20 years that catnip works as a mosquito repellent; there was a 2001 paper that showed that its essential oil, nepetalactone, was 10 times more effective than DEET[1]. Soon after this a variety of "natural mosquito repellent" products based on catnip appeared on the market. I've made homemade repellent myself by soaking catnip in alcohol and it works great, although it wears off faster than commercial DEET-based repellent; have to keep reapplying.
Anyway, another patent that shouldn't have been issued.
[1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/08/010828075659.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/08/010828075659.h...
- ballenf 6y agoWere you ever mobbed by cats while using? I could see that effect really freaking someone out who wasn't ready for it. Like a scene from Hitchcock's The Birds but cats.
- EGreg 6y agoSo you trade mosquitoes for cats... Sounds like what Israel did but with rats for cats... in a different way hehe https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/concerning-cat-population-in-israel/ https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/concerning-cat-population-in...
- buescher 6y agoHere's the patent. The claims are a little more specific than I think you're imagining - that's typical for making something like this patentable. https://patents.google.com/patent/US7524888B2 https://patents.google.com/patent/US7524888B2
- s1artibartfast 6y agoStill extremely broad. >sesquiterpenoid mixture, wherein the sesquiterpenoid mixture is an elmol/hedycaryol mixture having a purity of 55% or more (..plus any possible carrier)
- CuriouslyC 6y agoThe problem there is the alcohol. Perform an extraction with a less volatile solvent. Even cutting the alcohol with glycerin would probably work.