via Scripting News - Patent turns playtime into pay time - Tech News - CNET.com

A 7-year-old Minnesota boy has patented a method for swinging side to side, meaning he could conceivably take playmates to court if they try his new trick without permission.

U.S. Patent #6,368,227, issued April 9, describes a method for swinging "in which a user positioned on a standard swing suspended by two chains from a substantially horizontal tree branch induces side-to-side motion by pulling alternately on one chain and then the other."

WTF! The dad and the sone who patented this obviously need to get out more if they think that kids haven't been doing this since time immemorial. I certainly used to swing like this 40 years ago ;-)

The USPTO is clearly off its trolley.