Re: Email messages: How large is too large?

["Perry E. Metzger" <perry at piermont.com>]

Vernon Schryver <vjs at calcite.rhyolite.com> writes:
> > From: Kent Crispin <kent at songbird.com>
> 
> > >          http://www.patents.ibm.com/patlist?icnt=US&patent_number=5790790
> >
> > You would be hard pressed to come up with a more absurd patent...
> 
> Computer-based methods for determining the head of a linked list
> http://patent.womplex.ibm.com/details?&pn=US05446889__
> 
> and I bet there are many, even better examples.

There is a patent in the database for the use of a laser pointer to
entertain a cat by having it chase the spot on the floor. I'm not
making this up.

If only you describe it well enough, they'll let you patent
anything. I'm sure they'd accept one for a "circular device to reduce
friction in vehicles".

Perry