McDonald’s puts patent on sandwiches

McDonald’s wants to own the rights to how a sandwich is made. (Hm, prior art, anybody? Some say the Earl of Sandwich had this idea in 1762.) But of course the patent would cover the “method and apparatus” used to prepare the snack:

According to the patent application, “garnishes of lettuce, onions and tomatoes, as well as salt, pepper and ketchup”, are inserted into a cavity in a “sandwich delivery tool”. The “bread component” is then placed over the cavity and the assembly tool is inverted to tip out the contents.

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. “These applications are not intended to prevent anyone from using previous methods for making sandwiches.”

Reassuring.

(Link)