节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-10-06
难易度:Medium
关键字:unavailable, device, ridiculous, pass something off, bionic
OK, everybody.
Welcome back.
For a balanced understanding of patents, you should know that the process of
getting a patent can be long, expensive and difficult.
And the government patent office doesn't keep track of patent violators.
In other words, once you have your patent in hand, it's up to you do to enforce
it.
If you ever do need help getting a patent, there are companies and patent
lawyers who can help walk you through the process.
OK. Let's wrap up the lesson now on line 12.
(Music).
All About Patents.
You can breathe and speak, but you can't eat.
Or try out the bionic golfer.
This machine seizes your shoulders, arms, waist and legs and "guides" you to
make the perfect golf swing.
Then there are patterns for ridiculous things.
One man wanted to patent his "clever" invention - a stick.
He tried to pass it off as a dog toy.
Although many patented inventions can be failures, there's plenty of room for
success.
So if you have a cool invention, try to patent it!
Friends, we're looking at some very strange patented devices.
For example, we started with the anti-eating face mask, a mask that goes over
your face creating a cage over your mouth so you don't eat.
But you still can breathe and speak, but just not eat.
Yeah. So this doesn't seem very, well, practical.
In fact, if your member that word from before, Kaylah, that word means that it's
useful, it has a good use.
But this just puts a cage in front of your mouth.
But they were issued this patent, so they proved it was practical because it has
a specific purpose.
But friends, I think you don't need to spend money on that.
You can just use self-control and not eat as much.
That's right.
Friends, you can also see a picture of this patent idea on page 19.
If you look at it, you'll see that it just looks like a drawing.
Most patents have to look this way.
OK. Well, let's try another one of these strange devices that were patented.
Try the biopic golfer.
Ooh. Now if something that is "bionic" means it's a combination of machine and
an animal, like an organic material like a human or an animal.
OK. So bionic means the machine mixing with something that is natural.
Exactly, nature and machine working together.
OK. Well, a bionic golfer.
We know the sport of golf.
So a golfer is the person who golfs.
And you swing a club at a little white ball and you hope to get it in a hole way
down the grassy... grassy lawn.
Now we're using the phrase "try out" here.
That doesn't mean you're actually going to use this device, but this is another
example for you to try looking at.
OK. We're looking at it.
It's... it might be a little strange.
The machine seizes your shoulders, arms, waist and legs and "guides" you to make
the perfect golf swing.
OK. So here we have a machine, Kaylah, that seizes you.
I don't really like this word - to "seize" means to grab something and hold on
to it and almost take it.
So this machine holds on to a golfer, a person.
So you stand in it, and then it moves you to make the perfect golf swing.
Now any golfer knows that these are the important parts of your body.
Your... your arms, your shoulders, your waist, your knees, all... your legs, all
that is part of a perfect golf swing.
It's not just your arms.
So friends, you can see a picture of what this machine... patented to look like
on page 19.
It's strange.
It's holding the man.
It seized him.
You don't want to be seized by things.
But it holds him and then guides him for the perfect swing.
Yeah, it's important.
Many people have to move their whole bodies to swing like you said.
But this doesn't seem like another practical way to do that.
Just learn how.
Get a teacher to teach you how to move.
And you'll have more fun too.
That's right. Practice! You don't need this to get the perfect swing.
Just practice.
OK. So these are... these are strange.
But they got patents.
But there's even more strange things related to patents, right?
Yes. In fact, like we said before, there are some ridiculous things that people
try to patent.
For example, we see... we're going to see some examples coming up here.
First, Kaylah, though, I just said "ridiculous." What is ridiculous?
Oh, "ridiculous." It's a great word.
It's fun to use.
Friends, you can use it in your writing and a normal conversation.
"Ridiculous" means, well, unreasonable, undeserving and just a little bit
stupid.
So it's more of a polite way of saying it.
But you can... maybe if you meet someone doing something crazy on the street
corner and they look kind of stupid, you'd say:
Stop being so ridiculous!
So that's use of ridiculous.
Yeah. Why do you look so ridiculous?
And it can also be something that is deserved to be laughed at.
So if you see something ridiculous, you probably will want to laugh at it
because it's so strange.
But remember, it is an insult.
So don't tell your friends just "You're articulates!" That's not very nice.
It's not very nice, no.
Now we do have some ridiculous patents coming up.
So let's see what we got first.
OK. I like this one.
One man wanted to patent his "clever" invention - a stick.
OK. Now we use the word "clever" in quotations here.
That means that it actually means the opposite of what it means.
We're not saying that someone is saying the word "clever" in quotations.
We mean it's actually sarcastic.
It means the opposite.
That's right.
Now clever means it's smart, it's creative.
But it's not creative to invent a stick.
Friends, that's something we find in nature.
So is that reasonable for a patent?
No. We know patents cannot be made on natural things.
Well, but Kaylah, he tried to pass it off as what?
A dog toy.
Well friends, you don't need to patent that.
Dogs use them all the time.
He couldn't pass it off to get his patent.
OK. Now he was trying to pass it off that way.
And if you "pass something off" or try to pass something off, that means that
you pretend that something is really something else.
So he's trying to pretend that the stick, it's really just a dog toy. Look!
No. It's not from nature.
I made it special.
Well, although many patented inventions can be failures, there's plenty of room
for success.
That's true.
And patents are used in many different areas, especially now in technology.
And they are incredibly useful for helping people become more and more
successful.
Now we looked at some crazy ideas.
But, friends, if you have a cool invention, something that is useful and
practical, try to patent it!
Keep it, use it and save your idea, and help the field progress as well.
That's right. Use it.
Don't just forget it and think, well, someone else might make it later.
You can actually try and make it yourself.
It's been fun, friends.
But now it's time to go visit the Chat Room.
Hi, Ken.
What are you reading?
Oh, just an article about patents.
Hey, now that you're here, maybe you can explain something for me.
Sure. What don't you understand?
Well, it says here: Although many patented inventions can be failures, there's
plenty of room for success.
Don't you find something odd about that sentence?
No. It sounds fine to me.
Plenty of room for success?
Shouldn't it be plenty of rooms, plural?
Oh. Now I see what your question is.
Well, Ken, why don't we go to Studio Classroom's Editor-in-Chief Doris.
I'm sure she can explain it a lot better than I can.
OK, sure.
Why do we say "plenty of room" and not plenty of rooms?
That's because "room" is referring to space.
So it's uncountable.
When it's used as a countable noun, it's referring to something like a bedroom
or a living room.
Hotel will have plenty of rooms available during low season.
Oh, so that's the difference.
That's right.
Here's another example of room used as an uncountable noun.
If people try to get on a crowded bus, the people on the bus should make room so
that others can get on.
OK, so it's make room, not make rooms.
That's right, Ken.
What about elbow room?
What kind of room is that?
Well, elbow room is uncountable.
And it refers to space to move around or work freely.
Oh. So your elbows wouldn't bump into things when you're working.
Yes, that's the idea.
Well, thanks for your help.
Anytime, Ken.
(Chinese).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And I guess that's it for today's Language Tips.
Take care and bye-bye.
Patents give inventors the rights to their inventions.
A patent keeps others from making, using or selling an invention without the
inventor's permission.
Applying for a patent could get complicated.
But basically it involves a detailed description of the invention and an
explanation of what it does.
There are patents on things you use every day, like light bulbs, and on
ridiculous things you would never ever use, like an anti-eating face mask.
OK, friends, have a super weekend.
And we'll see all of you on Monday.