Discussion of PBS show "Everyday Edisons"

Larry Galler discussed his experience with "Everyday Edisons," a PBS show on inventors spearheaded by Louis Foreman:

I was placed on one of four "screening panels," comprised of a patent attorney, product development, engineering and marketing experts. We listened to inventors give their two-minute presentation. Some had brought working models, prototypes and drawings; others had just a verbal explanation. A quick patent search was conducted which eliminated most of the inventions from further consideration.

Out of 1,600 inventions viewed (until about 10 p.m.), about 70 were sent to a second panel for further evaluation. After deeper patent searches and more evaluations for marketability and practicality, just a handful (two to five) will actually make it to the TV show.

Galler started his story in nwitimes with the paragraph:

There is a story that years ago a person high up in the U.S. Patent Office resigned. The reason stated was that "everything worth inventing had been invented." That certainly was not the case, as evidenced by my recent experience.

This presumably refers to the urban legend about Charles H. Duell, which has been discredited many times. Look
here and
here.