"Top 10" lists in patents and in baseball

"Top 10" lists are popular at year's end. For example, IP Watchdog had a "top 10" for patent applications in 2015, with number 1 on the list being Apple’s Fuel Cell System for Powering Electronic Devices, with the text


However, automobiles have a fairly large form factor within which a fuel cell can be enclosed. That’s a big reason why our top patent application for 2015 is U.S. Patent Application No. 20150249280, titled Fuel Cell System to Power a Portable Computing Device and assigned to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) It would protect a fuel cell system for a portable device having a fuel cell stack converting fuel to electrical power, a fuel source, an interface to the portable device having a power link providing power to the device and a controller that receives fuel cell control information to control the system.



The first published claim reads:


A fuel cell system for a portable computing device, comprising:

a fuel cell stack which converts fuel to electrical power;
a fuel source for the fuel cell stack; and
an interface to the portable computing device,

wherein the interface comprises:

a power link that provides power to the portable computing device; and
a bidirectional communication link that provides bidirectional communication between the portable computing device and the controller for the fuel cell system;
a controller, configured to:
send fuel cell state information from the fuel cell system to the portable computing device through the bidirectional communication link;
receive fuel cell control information from the portable computing device through the bidirectional communication link; and
use the received fuel cell control information to control the fuel cell system.




The application is 14/659,537, and it is a continuation application.

From the priority chain:


The instant application is a continuation of, and hereby claims priority to, pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/849,558, which was filed on 3 Aug. 2010, which is titled “Fuel Cell System to Power a Portable Computing Device,” by inventors Bradley L. Spare, Vijay M. Iyer, Jean L. Lee, Gregory L. Tice, Michael D. Hillman and David I. Simon. The instant application further claims priority to now-expired U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/355,393, which was filed 16 Jun. 2010, which is titled “Portable Hydrogen Fuel Cell System,” by inventors Bradley L. Spare, Vijay M. Iyer, Jean L. Lee, Gregory L. Tice, Michael D. Hillman and David I. Simon, to which parent application Ser. No. 12/849,558 also claims priority. Each of these applications is incorporated by reference.



One notes PCT/US2011/036691, claiming priority to 61/355,393 and 12/849,558 with a written opinion filed 16 Dec 2012 (more than three years ago)
which found all 35 claims lacking an inventive step (i.e., "obvious") and only claims 6,7, 20, and 21 possessing novelty (i.e., not anticipated by the prior art).

An important reference against the Apple work was Toshiba's EP 1455403 as well as EP 1455402. HP's EP 1306918 was also mentioned.

**Of other "top 10" rankings, Big League Stew had a post The Stew's MLB year in review: the 10 most memorable games of 2015 with number 1 being a Blue Jays/Rangers game:


1. The bat flip heard 'round the world

Most will simply remember Game 5 of the ALDS between the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers for Jose Bautista's incredible home run and audacious bat flip. But what played out before that was just as ridiculous. The game was tied 2-2 in the top of the seventh when catcher Russell Martin's routine throwback to the mound ricocheted off Shin-Soo Choo's bat and dribbled down the third base line. Before anyone realized what happened, Rougned Odor raced home from third to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead. The Blue Jays were stunned and the fans in Toronto heaped waste onto the field in protest, leading to a delay. After the game resumed, Texas committed three consecutive fielding errors in the bottom of the seventh and Bautista made them pay, launching a three-run homer to left field to put the Blue Jays in front and send them to the ALCS. This game had everything we love about baseball, and that's why it goes down as our game of the year. (Israel Fehr)



At least number 2 related to the World Series: 2. Royals clinch World Series in wild Game 5.

Going beyond "games" to simply pitches, one of IPBiz's favorites was Wainright to Beltran:


To date, no response or comment has appeared in response to my postings on techliberation. It is interesting to note that when the facts of the KSR case are laid out, the people who talk about the absurd definition of obviousness of the Federal Circuit have nothing to say. Reminds IPBiz a bit of Game 7 of Mets v. Cardinals in 2006. [from the Boston Globe: Beltran took a called first strike, fouled the next pitch at the plate, then never moved as Wainwright's slow curve cut through the strike zone. ``You have good moments and bad moments in your career," Beltran said afterward. ``This was a bad moment, one I'll have to live with the rest of my life."]
The obviousness critics never move when the KSR facts appear.


link: http://ipbiz.blogspot.com/2007/01/patent-law-confuses-application-with.html


Note also: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/birdland/goold-what-if-beltran-had-hit-wainwright-s-curve/article_3a053ca0-ab37-11e1-be02-0019bb30f31a.html

AND


http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2012/10/12/3495074/adam-wainwright-beltran-gif-nlcs

AND, of games, recall Mickey Mantle: "The biggest game I ever played in was probably Don Larsen's perfect game."

Don Larsen, on Mantle's catch in the sixth inning: "Mantle made such a beautiful catch. That ball probably would have been a home run in most parks, but Yankee Stadium at that time was pretty big in left-center. Mantle could run like a deer, caught that ball and I had another sigh of relief."