[Taxacom] Is it possible to create easy-to-use, accurate and rapid keys for species identifiation?

[Stephen Thorpe]

>However, I think someone recently did patent the wheel in Australia 
Probably all depends on how you describe it:
So, what is your invention, sir?
Well, it's kind of like a really thick pizza on its side, and I hook 4 of them up to a kind of metal box. I sit in the box and I can go all the way out into the outback and back in a day, mate!

________________________________________
From: Dr. David Campbell [amblema at bama.ua.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, 2 September 2009 5:41 a.m.
To: Stephen Thorpe
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Is it possible to create easy-to-use, accurate and  rapid keys for species identifiation?

> I'm darn sure that keys have been using geographical location for as
> long as
> there have been keys! I doub't if anyone even thought to patent the
> idea!
> But then, nobody has probably thought to patent the wheel either. Bye
> for
> now (I'm just off down to the local patent office!!!) ...

Geography is probably about the best feature for freshwater mollusk
keys unless you've got anatomy or sequences.  However, I think someone
recently did patent the wheel in Australia as a way to highlight the
poor screening process.

--
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections Building
Department of Biological Sciences
Biodiversity and Systematics
University of Alabama, Box 870345
Tuscaloosa AL 35487-0345  USA