From the U.S. Patent Code … in verse by Yehuda Berlinger [LINK].
These verses are part
Thirty five of the code
Of the U. S. of A.
Written down as an ode . . .If already known
Or in print, or described,
Or abandoned, a patent
Cannot be appliedA process that anyone could
Discover’s superfluous
You can’t patent it, for it’s
Patently obviousYou can only claim patent
If you made the invention
In a country with which we
Have no contentionTo apply for a patent
You fill out in writing
And you swear and you pay
Isn’t that exciting?You fill out your claim
About what the thing does
And how it all works
And wherefore and becauseIf you’re already registered
Outside the states
You are retroactively granted
Within a year of the dateA followup patent
Is often permitted
To be dated to when the
First one was submittedTwo inventions should not
Be submitted together
So split them, and next time
Don’t try to be cleverPatent applications are
Kept in obscurity
Especially ones that
Affect national securitySo what I have written
Be it naughty or nice
Is no substitute for real
Legal advice
Copyright 2006, Yehuda Berlinger.