Stupid Patents

Microsoft has this one:

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United States Patent Application

20060195313

Method and system for selecting and conjugating a verb

Abstract A verb conjugating system allows a user to input a form of a verb and display the verb forms. The verb conjugating system allows the user to input the infinitive form or non-infinitive forms of a verb. When a user inputs a non-infinitive form of a verb, the verb conjugating system identifies a corresponding base form of the verb. The verb conjugating system then uses the base form to retrieve and display the verb forms for the verb. The verb conjugating system may highlight the non-infinitive form of the verb within the displayed verb forms to assist the user in locating the verb form of interest

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I (to think) that this (to be) a ridiculous patent. I (to be) afraid that (to write) (to be) impossible without (to pay) royalties to Microsoft. I (to hope) that the USPTO views this patent as an obvious one and that they (to deny) the patent.

(Hat tip to David Levine.)