Staking Claims: What a Little Limeade Can Do; August 2003; Scientific American Magazine; by Gary Stix; 1 Page(s)

A patent gives the holder the right to exclude others from making, using or selling an invention for 20 years from the filing date. The holders of the following selection of patents-a continuation of last month's column on out-of-the-ordinary issuances from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office-will probably not have to worry too much about having to mount an aggressive program to protect their intellectual property.

Method of treating chest pain, patent 6,457,474, Carl E. Hanson of St. Paul, Minn. This inventor has patented lime juice to replace nitroglycerin as a treatment for chest pain such as angina pectoris. Making the patented invention requires only modest skill. "Limeade in non-concentrated form," according to the document, "was prepared by opening a can of the Minute Maid brand Premium All Natural Frozen Concentrate for Limeade, removing the contents and placing it in a pitcher, adding approximately 52 fluid ounces (about 4.5 cans) of tap water to the frozen concentrate and stirring.