Just to clarify something,
Incase any one ever finds them selfs in this situation.
In the USA a patent can never be removed after application.
Once applyed for the patent is present forever.
A patent can be
application abandoned
overturned
expired
rejected
transfered
granted
etc
None of these things remove a patent, just change its status ... its still
there.
I am sure there are a lot of reasons for this, perhaps one of them is to
limit the effectiveness of someone else, after the original application to
apply for the same thing.
I did a quick search at the US patent office for granted patents that
contain the word "IBM" and the word "Bathroom" since 1974.
The search page is http://patft1.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html
got 104 hits
I did not search the applied but published data base
nor did I search the trademark data base
Don't think IBM and Bathroom do not appear together in patent
applications!!!
On Wed, 12 Apr 2006 09:22:26 -0400, Jon Brock <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>"Eliminated." Heh. They couldn't resist it.
>
>Jon
>
>
><snip>
>IBM has quietly eliminated a patent it received on a method for
determining
>who gets to use the bathroom next.
></snip>
>
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