Things have changed since Samuel Hopkins obtained the first U.S. patent in 1790 for a new potash-making process. Along the way, the concept of invention has evolved and broadened-some say too far. Today's patent candidates at the U.S. Patent and Trade Office challenge the concept of invention. Current hopefuls include petitions to patent a golf swing, a method for writing a novel, a way to assess a person's character-even an approach to dating your sweetheart (color-coded bracelets to signal availability).
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