Copyrighted Burger anyone?

[rages4calm]

McDonald's puts patent on sandwiches
Tuesday, November 21, 2006

McDonald's wants to own the rights to how a sandwich is made.

The fast-food chain has applied for a patent relating to the 'method and apparatus' used to prepare the snack.

The burger company says owning the 'intellectual property rights' would help its hot deli sandwiches look and taste the same at all of its restaurants.

It also wants to cut down on the time needed to put together a sandwich, thought to have been dreamt up by the Earl of Sandwich in 1762.


The 55-page patent, which has been filed in the US and Europe, covers the 'simultaneous toasting of a bread component'.

Garnishes of lettuce, onions and tomatoes, as well as salt, pepper and ketchup, are inserted into a cavity in a 'sandwich delivery tool'.

The 'bread component' is placed over the cavity and the assembly tool is inverted to tip out the contents. Finally, the filling is placed in the 'bread component'.

It explains: 'Often the sandwich filling is the source of the name of the sandwich; for example, ham sandwich.'

Lawrence Smith-Higgins, of the UK Patent Office, said: 'McDonald's or anyone else cannot get retrospective exclusive rights to making a sandwich.

'They might have a novel device, but it could be quite easy for someone to make a sandwich in a similar way without infringing their claims.'

McDonald's said: 'These applications are not intended to prevent anyone from using previous methods for making sandwiches.'

SOURCE http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article....&in_page_id=34

[Daniel Bates]

First thought:


Second thought:


Third thought:


See where I am going with this?

[Bruce M. Morris]

This makes as much sense as the ruling a couple of weeks ago that "a Burrito is NOT a sandwich". This issue actually had to go to court!

[JamesB]

assembly line burgers are nasty, pretty soon they McDonalds will have robots running the place and no human employees

James

[pavi]

We can only wish. Have you seen the people they have working. Guess it depends on what part of town but I don't want them touching anything I eat.

Originally Posted by JamesB

assembly line burgers are nasty, pretty soon they McDonalds will have robots running the place and no human employees

James

[kenw]

actually I have found McD's already to be incredibly consistent world wide. I've had them in Singapore, Japan, Germany, Scotland and like it or not, a Big Mac is a Big Mac is a Big Mac, regardless of how you say "no onions"....(took a while to figure it out in Germany, tho, no one spoke English beyond "Big Mac meal"...)

Now if I could only get Whataburger to open in those places.....

[rages4calm]

Originally Posted by kenw

actually I have found McD's already to be incredibly consistent world wide. I've had them in Singapore, Japan, Germany, Scotland and like it or not, a Big Mac is a Big Mac is a Big Mac, regardless of how you say "no onions"....(took a while to figure it out in Germany, tho, no one spoke English beyond "Big Mac meal"...)

Now if I could only get Whataburger to open in those places.....

Hell yes for whataburger!!!

[Stephen H]

I expect they've had other patents on processes. A lot of patents tend to be pretty boring and technically oriented.

Does anyone remember the hamburger they used to sell where the hot stuff was on one side and the cold stuff on the other side, then you could flip them together when you got it? (Or is anyone here even that old....)

[kenw]

i do remember it now that you mention it......not sure i should thank you for that....some times forgeting is good....darn you.