Weekly Worthless Patent

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Safety systems and methods for bosun's chairs

Sheer bad luck got this patent the award this week. It's 6 pages long instead of the 9 pager that caught my eye first a couple of patents before it in the Official Gazette and I had a bad cold so didn't feel like dealing with the longer one. Of course this is a SAFETY idea--unfortunately way too many patents are safety ideas and, as a sound general rule, safety ideas/products just do not sell. This is especially true where the expected buyers pretty universally see the current systems as plenty safe enough.

Read the main claim and examine the drawing. I'm pretty sure you'll quickly see some serious problems with making this thing work. What makes it (the safety collar) rise and lower smoothly and safely---on a tapered mast, let alone a perfectly straight one? Nothing. The inventor has not, I'm certain, built and tested "the invention" on even one boat let alone many with a variety of masts.

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