> Unfortunately, the list of approved publications is essentially "existing patents and nothing else." This is exactly it. It sounds like a joke, but the USPT

> Unfortunately, the list of approved publications is essentially "existing patents and nothing else." This is exactly it. It sounds like a joke, but the USPTO's definition of "non-obvious" actually boils down to "isn't already patented". (Allegedly -- I admit this is hearsay, and I hope it is just some joke.)