I was bored and looking through random images before going to bed (realizing I had forgotten to put the comforter in the dryer and had to wait 40 minutes), and I found this:



At first, I thought it was a joke, so I looked it up. Turns out that Method of Exercising a Cat is a real patent. It's moving a laser pointer around to make a cat follow it.

More info: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5443036.html
PDF: http://www.google.com/patents/downlo...erview_r&cad=0

Does this mean I have to frigging pay someone because I use a laser pointer to play with my cats?

Interesting. I never knew cats could be trained in such an unusual way.

*Takes out his laser pointer, moves it on the floor and waits for Cat to do his exercise*

Now we all know your weakness Cat. xD But seriously, I never expected such a thing.

*grabs laser pointer and chuckles evilly*

Now we can control Cat to follow our commands. Ha ha.

that's a patent?

Guess the government found out that cats liked laser pointers before the rest of us did...

I always make my cat follow around my laser. Sometimes my sister steals it and makes her run into walls. Evil sister.

ahhhh, warm comforter.

But seriously, you can patent things like that? I doubt the person who patented it was the first person to come up with the idea.

I've done this by taking my four DSes and using their screens to reflect light at various angles across my room. When a cat has to chase multiple objects it's cutely cruelly fun to watch them disorient themselves by trying to do so.

Well, you know what else was patented? All of these.

If THIS can be patented, then I'm going to save up so I can patent "Method of Placing a Dish Into a Dishwasher."