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Authored by: Wol on Saturday, February 09 2013 @ 09:26 AM EST |
A patent must describe how to make it. So merely describing the idea in Science
Fiction shouldn't be enough.
So, if Arthur C Clarke had just talked about geostationary satellites in a
novel, that wouldn't be prior art. But as a physicist, I believe he actually
discussed altitudes, orbits, etc etc. Pretty much everything required to guide
the rocket in the final stages of placing the satellite in orbit. That IS prior
art.
Likewise the waterbed. Just having one make an appearance in a novel wouldn't be
prior art. But if you described it, such that somebody used to welding plastic
could say "oh yes, I'll just do this here and that there, and I could
actually make a real one", then that IS prior art - and is what in fact did
happen I understand.
Cheers,
Wol[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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Authored by: julian on Saturday, February 09 2013 @ 09:37 AM EST |
Such as the waterbed described in "Stranger in a Strange Land" by
Robert Heinlein
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John Julian[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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