Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Who invented the hamburger?

Further to the difficulties of being a patent examiner, ABCNews had a story on Feb. 20, 2007 about disputes on "who" invented the hamburger.

The ABC story noted:

Who invented the hamburger? You might think there is an easy answer. There is not.

The story in Texas is that Fletcher Davis invented burgers in Athens, TX and brought his invention to the World's Fair in St. Louis in 1904, where the invention took off and became an American icon.

People in Connecticut credit Louis Lassen. First, the Library of Congress agrees it was Louis Lassen who invented the burger when he put scraps of ground between slices of bread for fast, easy eating. And second, Lassen's burgers are still served at Louis Lunch, a small hamburger shack in New Haven where Jeff Lassen is the fourth generation proprietor.

If ABC News can't resolve the question of one invention, think about the tough job of the USPTO which has to handle hundreds of thousands of such questions every year.

***On the food topic -->

Cookies comprising dietary fiber gel, United States Application 20060182864

Abstract:

According to the present invention, fat and caloric content of cookies can be reduced by the replacement of a portion fat content normally found in cookies with an amount of dietary fiber. The result is that fat and caloric content of cookies can be manipulated with minimal effect on taste and texture. Furthermore, the cookies can further comprise functional foods that increase health and nutritional benefits of the cookies. The functional foods can be added individually, and in any combination thereof. Hence, in addition to reducing fat and caloric content of cookies by replacing a portion of fat with dietary fiber gel, additional health benefits can be achieved with compositions that include functional foods.

***
Charlie Rose had an interview on 12 Feb. 07 with David Mamet which had some interesting comments on invention.

***
Also
The Better Burger Battle

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