Doc,
Agreed. I too have had a sting with patents in the past. What you are referring to is applications made by amateurs, not pros.
Usually, if the Patents office can throw a watermelon and a pear at your application, you just haven't done your homework and covered all of your bases with your application if there are similar products.
Yea, if that is the case here, they can keep on applying, but if the Patents Offices can find ammo to shoot at you, your application is pretty weak IMO.
The next step will be the Scud Missile's the Petroleum Majors will be firing to protect their versions of Flare Technology(which many exist)once the the weak Patents Office refusals finish. When they run out of Scuds, they rip out that Laser Technology from orbit.
Some people make a living from putting in similar applications for existing Patented Products or Intellectual Property and hope to get the first approval through the Patents Office which is the first step of the process. They then know they will be fought vigilantly by existing successful applicants with a profitable product or idea and hope to just get bought out so they go away.
IMO & DYOR