From a former fellow at my old law school, who now writes for the Patent Law Practice Center:
From the high-five machine (US 5356330), to the kissing shield (US5727565), to the burial structure for human remains and significant memorabilia (US 6799399) whose resemblance to the Great Pyramids at Giza is uncanny. […] check out the drawing of the patent for the Interactive Life-Sized Bowl of Soup (US 6168531). That’s right, an interactive life-sized soup bowl not only exists, but there’s a patent for it.
I’m struggling to imagine who would (A) invent an interactive life-sized bowl of soup and subsequently (B) decide I gotta patent this before someone else rides this gravy train! I’m sure weirder things have happened.
The whole slideshow is worth a look, because there’s nothing quite like technical drawings of asinine things.