In Feb-06, we discussed the Worsley-Twist warp drive patent application. The Worsley-Twist warp drive does not depend upon traditional emissions of matter to create thrust. Rather, the warp-drive creates a change in the curvature of the space-time continuum — thus allowing travel by warping space-time. At that time, we noted that the Worsley & Twist patent application recently suffered a major setback -- with the Examiner requesting a model of the invention. Although rarely implemented, 35 U.S.C. 114 allows the PTO to "require the applicant to furnish a model of convenient size to exhibit advantageously the several parts of his invention." Among other rejections, the Examiner has asserted a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 101 for lack of utility — finding that the invention is inoperable. In this case, it looks like the cost of building the model and proving utility were too much as the application appears to have been abandoned.
Volkswagen Branding-Energy
Since we have been focusing on pendency, I also looked back to the still-pending Branding-Energy patent application to see whether any action has been taken on this application that was filed in August 2003 -- still no substantive action. Since this application has been classified in TC 705, an initial office action is expected within the next nine months.
The abstract reads:
A branding-energy amplifier for amplifying the branding-energy of the Volkswagen Beetle. Branding-Energy Amplifier established upon the principle of Node Plurality.
As explained in the specification: 
If you were to see a singular Marilyn Monroe walking down the street, you probably would notice. If, however, you were to see 88 Identical Marilyn Monroes's single filing fashionably in parade-dress parade, you would likely stop whatever you were doing and stare in exasperated amazement wondering all the while what in the world was going on. . . . By extension then, a Volkswagen beetle limousine with 88 humps, does not look the same, does not function the same, and is, in fact, not the same, as a Volkswagen beetle with 1 hump because they do not share identical Automotive DNA.
View the Volkswagen Beetle Branding Energy patent at Pat2PDF.
