Dan Shapiro's HOW TO READ A PATENT is superb, a wonderful demystification of one of the most obfuscatory, potentially harmful instruments in contemporary law. Also, it's funny.
Step 2: Skip the drawingsPatent drawings are mostly similar to high school notebook doodles except that they cost $5,000. They're generally impossible to read and only indirectly have a bearing on the enforceability of the patent. The occasional exception exists: the incredibly edifying flowchart. the drawings that look like a giant gummy bear (because the invention is, actually, a giant gummy bear) and sometimes a picture is simply worth a thousand words (particularly when that picture depicts the inventor, one Mr. Edward L. Van Halen, demonstrating proper use of his invention).
To read the full, original article click on this link: HOWTO read a patent (funny!) - Boing Boing
Author: Cory Doctorow
