Actually, according to uspto.gov that patent was filed September 29, 1975.. which would have prevented anyone from making, using, or selling it untill 1995 or so.
Why would an oil company purchase a patent for a device that would increase fuel effiecency?
If you really want to believe that it took 50 years of non stop research and development to get a V8 to go from around 10MPG to close to 30MPG, go ahead and believe it.
Forget the 200MPG mumbo jumbo, my argument isn't that 200MPG engines ever exsisted, nor is it my belief that they ever really could exsist.
My argument is that there is strong evidence to suggest oil companies have in the past purchased patents to prevent better or more efficient designs from comming to market.
The device mentioned in that patent probably was NOT a super 200MPG design, or even a 75MPG design.. but what if it were a 35MPG design?
How many gallons of gas less would Shell have sold in the last 20 years if it were adopted and mass produced?
They obviously had to have SOME reason for buying the patent.. or maybe some executive at Shell just wanted a unique gift for his mother in law? Yea. Thats it.
