Perfect Path Technologies: Omega E mat

Nobody gets patents in this industry.

Cardas would be one exception to this, I suppose?

Actually they reveal how the device works.

Sometimes, even filing an application for patent (whether or not one is ultimately granted) can put your IP out there in the public domain. There are ways to avoid this. Published patents are viewable by the public.

https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s103.html

As GK has said, lack of a patent certainly isn’t reliable commentary about the "quality" of an invention.

dpjones51 - 
Well of course a (patent?) attorney is going to take that view!  :-)

In fact, patents don't provide automatic protection against infringement.  The holder needs adequate resources to defend AND the patent(s) must provide adequate scope to help against infringement to begin with.  Then there's always business as practiced in certain Asian countries to consider.  

If someone in say, China figures out how the device works and sells it in China you would never even know there was an infringement. Duh! Why do you think we won’t sell weapons or technology to certain countries. Hel-loo! Now, supposedly having a presence on the internet for a period of one years offers some protection against intellectual property theft but if that is even true it seems like very weak protection.