[Foss-cafe] More on (Software) Patents

[James Richard Tyrer]

I stumbled across this:

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6762569.WKU.&OS=PN/6762569&RS=PN/6762569

I don't know how much technical knowledge is needed to see just how 
absurd this patent is.  As an electronic engineer, it is LOLROF. :-D

I post this to illustrate my point which I have previously made which is 
that the software patent problem isn't really about software patents, it 
is about totally worthless and inherently invalid patents -- a problem 
which applies to all patents and needs to be addressed as it applies to 
all patents.

I note that there are already regular (magnetic transformer) ballasts 
which do this.  They are called CWA ballasts - Constant Wattage 
Autoformer.  So, making a electronic ballast which does the same thing 
using prior art (e.g. feedback and an analog multiplier) to accomplish 
the same thing should not be grounds for a patent.

There is nothing in this patent which is not obvious to any 
electrical/electronic engineer.  IMHO this patent is garbage and I 
wonder why the patent examiner even considered granting it.  It should 
not have been granted and this is an instance of the general problem 
which needs to be fixed.

-- 
JRT