I guess. I thought inventors could come up with an idea that is novel and detailed enough that it could be given a patent but not necessarily have a working model. I thought patent trolls did crap like that.
I would expect the idea to have been made and working, but I do not know if that goes for all patents.
You can't just patent an idea. You have to have a proven process or an actual working prototype or a few other things that qualify. FIU knows what they are doing, trust.