patented perpertual motion machines

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Its sometimes claimed that the US Patent and Trademark Office doesn't patent perpertual motion machines, but if you go here
http://www.uspto.gov/go/classification/uspc074/sched074.htm
scoll down and look at DIG9 PERPETUAL MOTION GIMMICKS
and then look at some of the patents in this subclass, it appears that many of them look like perpertual motion machines.

Here's the list at the USPTO
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...=0&f=S&l=50&TERM1=74/DIG.9&FIELD1=ORCL&d=pall

You need a browser plug-in to view the TIFF images like the one at http://www.alternatiff.com
or you can use http://www.pat2pdf.org or http://ep.espacenet.com/ to get patents in pdf format.
 
Apparently, if they don't use the term "perpetual motion machine" or make it look too suspicious, they can get their patent. Class 74 is on machine elements and mechanisms. As long as the inventor and attorney can convince the examiner that the contraption has some use, it can be patented. Having a patent doesn't prove something works. It just gives someone the right to exclude others from making and using the invention. The examiner can give a 101 rejection (35 USC 101) if he believes it doesn't work (lacks utility based on 35 USC 101). Also, you don't have to explain exactly how something works to get a patent, ie. if it can be demonstrated to work or do something useful, you can get a patent.
 
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