On Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:45:06 -0700, Ralph E Lindberg
wrote:

In article ,
Jeff Liebermann wrote:
As for your difficulties with the USPTO, I have no idea what you're
talking about. If you need help obtaining a patent, the very last
place I would ask is the military. All their patents tend to become
classified, even if they're trivial.

I can't think of a single patent where I work has applied for that was
classified (hint, US Navy R&E). I strongly doubt that anyone would seek
any patent that had classified details.

I beg to differ. There are over 4000 classified patents, 88 of which
are by the US Navy:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/invention/stats.html
(Note the classification of patents of private inventors). In FY08,
the Navy apparently applied for 8 classified patents. Obvious, I have
no clue what they were for.

Mo
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/documents/appxr_5_1.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention_Secrecy_Act

Drivel: I sorta blundered across this one. The patent is fully
disclosed, but the title is "classified":
http://www.google.com/patents?id=kG-oAAAAEBAJ&dq=2008/0047450
Oops.

Unless your patent has some
obvious military significance,

Or has some impact on any military related industrial application

Some horror stories where key commercial technologies somehow get
classified. From 2002:
http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/feb2/vesprman.htm
"As a former Patent Examiner, I can tell you that the number
of 'secretized' patents in the vault at the Patent Office
(Park 5 Bldg.) is closer to 4000 or more. They [applicants]
never receive a patent number, and the inventor is rarely,
if ever, compensated by the government for use of the
invention."



--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558