4 ms·

Crazy that this is a 'patent'. We did this experiment in high school 30 years ago.

• deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
• spogbiper 1y ago
  almost as crazy as a patent for a rectangle with rounded corners
  • mbirth 1y ago
    You mean a Squircle®
    • raldi 1y ago
      Apple calls them roundrects: https://www.folklore.org/Round_Rects_Are_Everywhere.html https://www.folklore.org/Round_Rects_Are_Everywhere.html
      • Zee2 1y ago
        Technically, a quintic superellipse, in modern times.
  • robertoandred 1y ago
    That's of course not what the patent was about.
  • shagie 1y ago
    You can also patent the shape of a bottle. https://patents.google.com/patent/USD48160S/en https://patents.google.com/patent/USD48160S/en (yes, its an old one). These fall into the classification of design patent which covers ornamental non-functional elements of a particular item. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_patent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_patent Design patents also cover typefaces. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property_protection_of_typefaces#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property_protecti... -- note that typefaces cannot be copyrighted in the United States Design patents differ from a utility patent which covers how something works.
  • Dylan16807 1y ago
    Design patents are a form of trademark with a silly name, not real patents.
    • bdowling 1y ago
      Design patents expire, unlike trademarks.
• szundi 1y ago
  [dead]
• rootsudo 1y ago
  I've just been amazed how many things could be a patent and why I haven't spent time to learn.