10 Jun
2026
10 Jun
'26
1:23 p.m.
On Jun 10, 2026, at 4:15 PM, Murray McCullough via
cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
I see by historical records that IBM patented the 8" floppy disk in 1972.
It produced and released the disk in 1971. Was there a reason for this?
Are you asking why the patent is later than the release? That's common because
patents normally take at least 2 and up to 10 or so years from filing before being granted
(if they are granted).
If the filing, as opposed to the grant, was in 1972, that could be because US patent law
allows a filing up to a year after "publication" of the invention, such as the
release of a product that uses the invention. Other countries don't have that grace
period.
paul