McDonald's puts patent on sandwiches (in UK)

[aggiesal]

Tuesday, November 21, 2006
McDonald's


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.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=26183&in_page_id=34

No doubt, they will try to do the same in the US.

[Greeby]

1. Shit, they'll patent the colour blue if you let them nt

[dchill]

10. No, they won't...

I own the patent on the colour blue, AND on the color blue. :)

[Richard Steele]

14. "The color pink is a registered trademark of the Owens-Corning Corporation."

That's actually the phrase printed on their
rolls of fiberglass insulation.

[leveymg]

2. Actually, Ronald McDonald is the Earl of Sandwich. He was bitten

by a friend in 1768, and survives as McDonald's Vampire:


He also owns the patent on blood sausage. Betya you didn't know that.

[NYC Liberal]

3. They're not patenting "sandwiches"

They're patenting a particular method to prepare them.

Really, the headline is misleading.

[BushOut06]

4. I think George Romero owes the Bush clan a lot of $$$

Judging from your sig, he obviously ripped off the concept of the zombie from them.

[NYC Liberal]

5. LOL - wanna see 'em making out?

:hi:

[aggiesal]

7. Agreed. n/t

[VegasWolf]

6. Didn't think that you could patent shit. nt

[depakid]

8. They never learn

As if McLibel didn't turn into a public relations nightmare....

[rateyes]

9. Something else for a company that, IMHO...

stole the "Big Mac" from the Shoney's "Big Boy" chain of restaurants. I still remember eating my first "Big Mac" and thinking...this is the same sandwich as the "Big Boy." Same "secret sauce" (Thousand Island Dressing) and everything.

They even talk about the "inventor" of the Big Mac. IMHO, he STOLE the sandwich. The only different thing about it is the onion. Made a boatload of money doing it, too.

[KansDem]

11. So the "secret sauce" was Thousand Island Dressing?!?!

When I was a kid, I tried to get my mom to replicate that "secret sauce" at home whenever she cooked hamburgers. We tried everything: mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise mixed together in various proportions. But we still couldn't duplicate that "secret sauce!"

Hear that, Mom?!?!? IT WAS THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING ALL ALONG, DAMN IT!!! (ooops, sorry Mom!)

[rateyes]

12. Basically it was a mixture of...

ketchup, mayonnaise and relish. Thousand Island dressing.

[KansDem]

17. So if we lost the mustard and added the relish, we would've had it?

Now I can die in peace...

[silverweb]

13. Now that's just plain stupid.

They can get a patent on their "filling device" tool, sure, but not on the "method" of making a fucking sandwich. Geez.

[ianwood]

15. whaat?

i dont beleive this

[NashVegas]

16. "which has been filed in the US and Europe, covers the 'simultaneous toasting of a bread component'.

They are trying it here.