[charlesjshort]

Patents are a crap shoot. I don't think you will get much scope on this invention, which is closer to 'design patent' than utility patent. Without scope you won't be able to tag someone as infringing; in theory. Of course you can play the troll and cause people trouble even when your patent is crap, i.e. you did not move the state of the art.

If you really do improve the lot of humanity with a new idea that solves a problem, you deserve a patent.

If you are doing something which is an obvious solution to a person of the art, you are wasting everyones time and energy.

[sharemywin]

I think if it was obvious it would already be on the market. To me reaching out of your car because you drove to far away from the ATM is a problem. It makes it inconvient for people to use drive up solutions. If the peices are extended out problem solved. Is it obvious? Again Drive up ATMs have been around for a decade not one does it this way. After I point it out sure it seems obvious, but almost all patents are that way.