It was only a theory. Perhaps no one reads the actual patent document (as you say it's written in legal terms - so it's purpose is to establish the extent of t

It was only a theory. Perhaps no one reads the actual patent document (as you say it's written in legal terms - so it's purpose is to establish the extent of the invention for the law). Perhaps what people do do though is look at the outcomes of patents like the devices or code and learn from them. My point is that just because some people (or even no people) read the actual patent document that doesn't mean that the knowledge doesn't reach those who might use it.