[iampliny]

My first summer job in 1990 was with a company than had then contract (then) to digitizing all USPTO patent applications.

As a shipping clerk I got to see a lot of hair-brained patent apps. Picture a diagram of a shoebox decorated to look like a mailbox and the words "KIDDIE MAIL" scrawled on the side. Yeah, somebody was trying to patent that. Most applications were like that one--complete wastes of everybody's time and money.

Seems like we've replaced "Kiddie Mail" with "RAM" and "ROM" but not much else has changed, except, presumably, the volume.

[nakedrobot2]

I think you mean "hare-brained" although I admit, the patent we're talking about now could also be called "hair-brained" :-)